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The Gospel of John, The Period of Conflict - The Clash of Belief and Unbelief, Continuing discourse after the feast, The Man Blind from his Birth, Part XXVIII, John 9:34-41 - Lesson 75
Read Verses John 9:30-33, for review: The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
Note: Jesus explained to Peter: Mat 16:17, And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
(The knowledge of Jesus' sonship was not attained by human discovery, nor could it have been; it came from God alone.)
John 9:34, They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
How dare you teach us!
You are a nobody!
Your blindness from birth reveals that your parents sinned grievously.
You are the wages of their sin!
It must be so.
How do you who begs in the street, presume to teach us.
We know you have no standing.
Don't quote scripture to us.
We are the keepers and interpreters of the scriptures.
They had no argument so they continue the low debate.
They were arrogant.
Be careful of pride of self by thinking that one in a lowly station of life cannot teach you something.
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; .... the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;... base things of the world, and things which are despised.
So in their rage they cast him out.
He did not even have to separate from them.
He took a stand for Christ and they left him.
He had followed the light, he had followed truth, simply and in a sincere manner and he was cast out of the temple.
Error cannot stand truth so it separates from it.
Darkness flees from light.
The two cannot co-exist.
But in casting him out they had done him a real service.
That which his parents had so feared was the best thing to happen to him.
They excommunicated him from the Jews religion.
They made him an outcast, he would now be scorned and cutoff from the society of Israel.
No one could employ him, his family would disown him.
But such things are to be expected for a follower of Christ.
Old things have passed away and all things become new.
He lost the right to go to the temple, he lost the right to take part in the religious system of Israel.
But the one thing that made those things dim for the man born blind was the fact that he could now see!
The things of earth do indeed grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
John 9:35, Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
The man had faced the Jews alone as Jesus had wanted.
His will for him was to walk by faith not by miracles, so he left him in a situation where he would have the opportunity to grow in grace.
But Jesus hears that they had cast him out and immediately finds the man to strengthen him in this dark hour.
The man lost what he had in the dead religion of the Jews but by losing that he is presented with opportunity to walk in the true light, the light of Jesus Christ.
God closes the door that leads to death and presents him with the door that is life, Jesus Christ, the living door.
He is evicted from the Jewish fold to become a member of the flock of the good shepherd.
Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
John 9:36, He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
This was a man prepared by God.
Just tell me who he is and I will believe.
I trust you because you are a man of God, you are a prophet.
No one from the creation has done what you have done.
Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
John 9:37,38, And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
Jesus tells him direct. He is the Son of God.
Notice how he reveals himself to his own.
He was afar off from the Jews and Pharisees and would not commit himself to them because he knew their heart.
Remember in Luke 10:21, how Jesus prayed: I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
God only reveals himself unto babes, only to those who come to him as a little child, humble, contrite, repentant.
With no hesitation the man born blind, but now with sight, believes on him who restored his sight.
He comes to Jesus with a humble, contrite, repentant heart, calls him Lord, and worships him as the Son of God.
So in this passage we have seen a work of grace by the Lord Jesus Christ.
We met a blind and helpless beggar, The Lord sought him out, worked a supernatural work upon him, he was given opportunity to testify of the work, he was severely tested by the Lord's enemies, where he confessed Christ.
Denied the support of his parents, he must then depend upon God.
He is reviled by the Jews and cast out of the religious systems of the day, but he is sought out by the Savior and finds the person of Jesus Christ as the only person fit for worship.
This is a story that has been told of many of the Lord's children down through the centuries is it not?
John 9:39-41, And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn or judge the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
But the very presence and the activity of Jesus Christ constitutes judgment.
Always Jesus presence called for people to declare themselves for or against him.
Those who are against him are judged already, not because he has judged them but because they judge themselves.
His presence calls for a decision.
Are you for me or are you against me, he asks?
The judgment he talks about here is division.
He divides as he says in Luke 12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
Jesus brings judgment, his life will cause people to judge for themselves whether he is the Son of God and whether he is to be their Savior.
They judge themselves by what judgment they reach about him and about themselves.
Are they blind? Can they see? He says to judge yourself blind.
If you do not and judge yourself as seeing then your sin remaineth.
Division between the blind and the seeing.
That is what he brings.
Those that know they are blind will see Jesus and therefore their sin will not remain and those that think they see will not see Jesus because their sin remains.
Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
So blindness brings sight and sight is blindness. |