Are you too blind to make the right choice?
scriptureJohn 9:1 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his sins or his parents’ sins?” 3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!
8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!” But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!” 10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?” 11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!” 12 “Where is he now?” they asked. “I don’t know,” he replied.
13 Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, 14 because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. 15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them. 17 Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?” The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”
18 The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?” 20 His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, 21 but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. 23 That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” 25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”
26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?” 27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” 28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 9 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.” 30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.” 34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.
35 When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” 37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!” 38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.
39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?” 41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
observation
Where is my party?
Doesn’t anybody want to throw this guy a party? He has never been able to see anything for his entire lifetime and now the Pharisees are too intent on killing Jesus, they aren’t your typical party guest and the common people are too afraid of being harassed by the Pharisees, so they aren’t willing to loosen up and celebrate with this man either.
We don’t even know if this guy even asked to be healed, just like every other day of his life, probably the only thing he was asking for was for some money, which was his whole existence. And now because he was healed he is being harassed and being given a hard time for something he didn’t even ask for. His friends and neighbors (verse 8 – 12) give him a shake down and then they haul him over to see the Pharisees (verse 13).
“What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”
This poor guy has never seen Jesus and at this point although he is healed he still hasn’t seen the man that healed him. The Pharisees have seen a lot more evidence to prove who Jesus is than this guy has ever seen, he knows that Jesus is not your ordinary average Joe so to the best of his ability he tells the Pharisees that he thinks that perhaps Jesus is a prophet (verse 17).
This guy is more perceptive about what happened here today than anyone else around him. “I was blind but now I can see, and there is something else that I know for sure, I know that Jesus could not have healed me if he were not from God” (verses 24 – 34). He has never met Jesus but it is obvious to him that Jesus is not an ordinary guy, he doesn’t know that this is the Messiah yet but he will find out real soon.
Now what’s your opinion about this man?
This seeker that had the ability to see spiritually is now able to see physically. It is only appropriate that Jesus should reveal himself to his man that has great spiritual insight. Now that he has met Jesus he knows that he is more than just a prophet, as soon as he is introduced to the Savior he immediately believes and worships Jesus, there is not any doubt in his mind that Jesus is the Messiah.
application
Are we so busy being religious that we miss the point of what God is trying to do in our lives? Sometimes we can miss our Savior while we are busy doing church, is he working right in front of you and you are too blind to see him?
Everyone of us needs to see the Savior for who he really is and accept him as Lord and worship him.
prayer
Thank you Lord for revealing yourself to us, I am so thankful that you have given me spiritual eyes that can see the truth about who you are.
