The ability to give sight is profound. The late Fred Hollows is the well known Australian who gave sight to the blind. Now, with lazer surgery, cateract blindness is treatable. I know a number of people who have had that treatment. Not so in Jesus’ day. And being born blind is a different story all together, one that Fred Hollows could not help with.
We are introduced to the blind man through what to us is an unusual question. [1] The disciples see the man blind from birth and ask, verse 2, who sinned, this man or his parents.
What do the disciples assume? A blind person is born. This is God’s act. But it is more than an act of God. It is a judgment of God. Blindness is a judgment or punishment from God on sin. Who sinned? Who is being paid back?
The disciples have given their verdict in what they imply by their question (John 9:2). This blindness must be a particular judgment for particular sin. It is either this man, or his parents, who have sinned. And the disciples were just repeating the ideas current at the time.
In fact, that’s what the Pharisees think. The Pharisees reject the man born blind because the sickness of blindness indicated his sin. We see that in verse 34 when they say, "You were steeped in sin at birth? How dare you lecture us" (NIV). This is playing the man, not the ball. You were blind, you are the sinful one.
But both alternatives the disciples suggest are problematic. If the man sinned, what had he done? He had not even been born! Had he sinned in his mother’s womb, to be punished with blindness? If the parents sinned, why hadn’t God punished the parents, not their unborn child? The all-powerful God could do that, and it would be much fairer.
Jesus, of course, rejects both alternatives (John 9:3). And in doing so he rejects a necessary link between individual sin and individual suffering. Verse 3:
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned”, said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in his life.” (NIV)
There is no necessary connection between this sickness and this sin.
At one level, all sickness is the result of sin. We live in a fallen world. We have sickness and disease and death because of Adam’s sin, in which we share.
I started going bald very early, at age 20 or so. So I’ve had a lot of time to get used to it. I remember a Christian friend pointing to my thinning, whispy strands, and saying, “I’m going to enjoy watching the judgment of God on you”.
Now perhaps he was having a bad day. It is only now I’ve learnt comebacks like, “I grew too tall for my hair”, or “God made only a few perfect heads, and on the rest he put hair”. But in a sense what my friend said was true. Our bodies are heading toward death. And male baldness is a gracious and painless reminder of where I am heading: to the grave. Sickness is simply slow death. And death is the judgment on each of us for our sin.
Now, sometimes in Scripture, sickness is the result of specific sin. Three places in the New Testament make that clear (Acts 5:1-11; 1 Cor 11:30; Jas 5:15-16). [2] And in our world, sometimes sickness is in reality linked to specific sin. Consider the raft of sexually transmitted diseases, such as syphilis, HIV AIDS, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and genital herpes. Almost all these diseases are on the increase in Australia. [3] And most of the time, but not always, these sexually transmitted diseases are linked with particular sins. Sometimes the sufferer has not sinned sexually to get it. A baby might contract HIV in the womb, or a person whose partner has been unfaithful is given the disease. But my point is this: rejecting God’s plan for sex puts you in increased danger of catching these terrible conditions.
But we cannot always assume that sickness is linked to a specific sin. Sickness is not God’s reflex reaction to specific sin. Often, people sin in the same way, and don’t get the disease. Rather, sickness comes to all who live in our sin sick world. And some sickness actually allows God to show his works, his power, and his glory.
We know that God’s power is made perfect in weakness. For example, Paul was sick, and the Galatians heard the gospel as a result (Gal 4:13-14). Paul himself suffered from a thorn in the flesh. He pleaded with the risen Jesus three times to take it away, but Jesus left him with it. Paul left Trophimus sick in Miletus (2 Tim 4:20). Moreover, Timothy frequently had illnesses (1 Tim 5:23). Yet through sicknesses, God’s works were manifested through them. And the gospel of Jesus has come to us through these, sick and suffering men, Paul and Timothy, and even Trophimus played his part, so that the Bible could come down to us.
And here, with this blind man, Jesus says that this sickness is not the result of specific sin. But this blindness allows the demonstration of the ‘works of God’.
When one of my kids was in infants school, she was friends with a little girl who had brittle bones. When we knew her, this little girl had had over 100 operations to reset broken bones. But she was so tough that the next day after the operation, she would be playing with the other kids in the playground.
Why did this little girl have this sickness? We don't really know, but perhaps it was so that the works of God might be shown, that we might see that little girl's toughness of spirit and her smile through pain.
What about your sickness? Have you thought why? It is worth asking “have I sinned?” But the answer may well be “no”. There is no specific sin to which this sickness is God’s appropriate response. But even if the answer is a “yes”, in those few examples where we can give a yes, in any case, God in his sovereignty might have given you this sickness so the works of God might be seen through you. That is, in and through the affliction God has sent, whether a direct result of sin or not, God is testing and trying you, and showing you how his power is made perfect in weakness.
But Jesus has come into the world to work. God works every day, Saturday’s included. And so does Jesus. Jesus will work while he has the opportunity (vv. 4-5).
And so, Jesus the worker goes about working up some mud. The process seems very strange to us, even disgusting. Just as well the blind man couldn’t see what Jesus was doing! But Jesus is probably doing something in that culture that was acceptable and understood. Just like in My Big Fat Greek Wedding when the guests spit on the bride as she walks down the aisle, we might think it is disgusting, but that may be our cultural response, and we know that in the Greek culture, spitting is actually a blessing!
I asked the kids at Scripture, "If you were blind from birth, and with a bit of spit mud which you could wash off, you could see again, would you put up with a bit of grossness?" Almost all said yes.
But with this unusual mud pack, and with a command to wash, the once blind man came home seeing. The healing method was unorthodox and unscientific from our point of view, but it was effective. That is the sign. ‘Twas blind, but now I see.
And the sign points out something about Jesus. Jesus says it in verse 5, "I am the light of the world." Jesus is the light shining in the darkness. The sign lights up Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing we might have life in his name (John 20:31). By looking to him, we might live.
It was a great day for this unnamed man, born blind. But it was also a long day. For unexpectedly, the once blind man became the centre of attention. He became ‘Exhibit A’, to be poked and prodded. Indeed, the once blind man was immediately put on trial for Christ. Those to whom Jesus gives sight, they will soon enter much trouble. But we see that this man found faith in Christ by degrees through the trial. The once blind man is in fact the model disciple in John’s Gospel, more so even than the twelve. For we see the man grow in his knowledge of Christ through the trial, so that at the end of the account he falls at Jesus' feet in worship – which is the God-ordained objective of all our trials.
But let's take a look at the inquisition the once-blind man endures. The first stop in this circus were his neighbours, and those who knew him (vv. 8-12). Sideshow alley had started. Is it the man born blind? No it just looks like him? And of course, the man answers the questions with what he knows. Are you the blind man? Yes. How were you healed? Verse 11, "The man they call Jesus did it".
But he passes on the questions he doesn’t know. Where is he? I don’t know. This man is an honest man, who answers according to what he knows, not beyond what he knows. That is trial one, before his neighbours.
And unable to decide, the neighbours are divided among themselves as to what to think. So they send the case to a higher court. "Let’s take him to the Pharisees."
But this situation divides the Pharisees, too (vv. 13-17). Some think, "He breaks the Sabbath, how can he be from God?" Others think, "He breaks through blindness, how can he not be from God?" In the end, they ask the healed man what he thinks. Verse 17:
What do you have to say about him? It was your eyes he opened! (NIV)
It is a pathetic question. If I would read between the lines, I think they are thinking, "You trouble making blind man, it’s your fault we have this theological problem! Why did you have to go and get healed? Tell us what we should think about this Jesus."
And John records the man’s simple answer. Verse 17, "He is a prophet."
Here is his growth in understanding. He has moved from "the man they call Jesus" to "he is a prophet." He sees enough about Jesus to know this. He is teachable.
Now, this whole trial is a farse, a miscarriage of justice. For the investigators have already made up their minds before they start. They know the result, and are fishing for evidence. The parents are called (vv. 18-23). But what’s the point? For we read in verse 22:
His parents said this [ie, he is of age, ask him] because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that everyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. (NIV)
The Pharisees have already made their decision. The investigation is just looking for answers to justify what they think. Jesus is not the Christ. He is a sinner from we don’t know where. He breaks the Sabbath.
So the Pharisees second interrogation of the man is doomed to frustration and failure (vv. 24-34). The Pharisees know Jesus is a sinner. The man knows that he was blind, but now he sees, and Jesus did it. The Pharisees reason from the Sabbath breaking. By healing Jesus is breaking the sabbath. But they didn’t realise that Jesus is God who works every day.
The once-blind man, however, reasons from the sign. I was blind, but now I see. God listened to Jesus. God only listens to godly men. He must be from God.
In the end, the once-blind man’s conclusion is intolerable to the Pharisees, so he is thrown out, rejected by people who reject Jesus. If they reject the master, they will reject those to whom Jesus gives sight.
Jesus, however, loves to be with those who suffer for him (vv. 35-38). Jesus hears about his excommunication and reveals himself. So Jesus goes to the once-blind man, to question him. Verses 35 to 38:
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he had found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, Lord?”, the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” (NIV)
A beautiful honesty and naivety isn’t it? I’ll believe in him, just tell me who he is. Verses 37 and 38:
Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshipped him. (NIV)
The once-blind man’s journey from the dark side is complete. He goes from considering that Jesus is simply a name. He is at first, "the one they call Jesus", then he considers Jesus "a prophet", from which he progresses to thinking him, despite his apparent liberty with the Sabbath, a "godly man who does God’s will", to his ultimate confession, "Lord, I believe", that is, Jesus is indeed Lord and Daniel 7's Son of Man. And then the once-blind man gets in early on what everyone is going to be doing before the Son of Man: he worships him.
It is the journey of any honest enquirer into Jesus. At the beginning, Jesus is known only by name. At the end, Jesus Christ is worshipped as God, God the Son, the Son of God, and the Son of Man.
Where are you on this journey into the light? Is Jesus simply a name known to you? "The one they call Jesus."
That is where the Pharisees stopped. They have the light with them. But light can be shut out. Blinds can be drawn. Eyes can close. And the Pharisees have sight but don’t see (vv. 39-41). They are blind because they cannot see nor believe that Jesus is the Christ.
Or is Jesus just a prophet? Yes, you might give him that, as most people in our society do. Perhaps you might even say he is "a godly man who does God’s will", as Muslims do. But will you believe him the Lord, the Son of Man, who is to be worshiped? That is true biblical Christianity, the worship of Jesus Christ, the giving of the whole life, not just the Sunday morning, in the service of Jesus, who is the Son of Man, who has all authority, glory and sovereign power, and who all people from every nation will worship, and who at the end of this age, every person who ever lived with bow to him, from the height of heaven to the pit of hell. This blind man is only doing what all will do, willingly or unwillingly.
So the blind man has now seen. He now sees Jesus. With his physical eyes, yes. But also with the eye of faith. He sees that Jesus is the Christ, and that by believing, he will have life in his name. And that is why this shows us that Jesus is the light of the world. The once blind man has led us who are spiritual blind by birth to Jesus, who removes our blindness.
Let’s pray.
[1] John 9 narrates the sixth sign in John’s Gospel. The first was the water to wine. The second was the healing of the officials son. The third, the healing of the crippled man at the pool, on the Sabbath. The fourth was the feeding of the 5000. The fifth was Jesus walking on water. Now, the sixth is giving sight to the blind man. But it is not to one with cataract blindness. It is to one who was born blind. Like the feeding miracle, this sign has an extended explanation, because of the controversy that ensued as its direct result. In fact, to understand the sign, we need to go beyond chapter 9, and into chapter 10:1-21. Jesus’ words "I am the good Shepherd", were spoken at this time, in this situation, and to the same people who were wondering about the sign. (cf. John 10:19-21).
[2] Perhaps Jesus attributes sin to sickness with the crippled man. Jesus said to him, "Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you" (John 5:14). However, it is more likely that the crippled man’s response to Jesus was his sin that he needed to repent of. He seems to take the Pharisees' side, not that of Jesus, even though Jesus healed him. For Jesus, not recognizing him as the Son of the Father is sin.
[3] Chlamydia rates have almost tripled in Australia in the last 10 years. (http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features10Jun+2012). Gonorrhea has more than doubled amongst middle aged men. The rate of diagnosis of gonorrhoea increased by 67% from 2008 to 2012. (http://www.sti.health.gov.au/internet/sti/publishing.nsf/Content/Gonorrhoea). Syphillis is spreading among the male homosexual community, and the rate of diagnosis having increased among males from 6.1 in 2008 to 6.7 in 2012. (http://www.sti.health.gov.au/internet/sti/publishing.nsf/Content/Syphilis). The annual number of new HIV diagnoses in Australia increased by 10% in 2012 over the numbers diagnosed in 2011. (http://www.sti.health.gov.au/internet/sti/pu blishing.nsf/Content/hiv-aids). Men who have sex with men continue to make up the majority of people with diagnosed HIV infection in Australia. (http://www.sti.health.gov.au/internet/sti/publishing.nsf/Content/hiv-aids). More than 1 in 10 Australian’s carry the virus responsible for genital herpes. (http://www.sti.health.gov.au/internet/sti/publishing.nsf/Content/Herpes).
My Translation
9:1And as he passed by he saw a man blind from birth. 9:2 And the disciples asked him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 9:3Jesus answered, “Neither this man sinned, nor his parents, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 9:4We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming, when no one is able to work. 9:5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
9:6After he said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud from the spittle, and he smeared the mud on his eyes. 9:7And he said to him, “God, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is translated ‘sent’). So he went away and washed, and left seeing.
9:8Because of this, his neighbours and those who formerly saw that he was a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who sits and begs?” 9:9Some said, “he is”, while still others said, “No, but he looks like him”. The man himself said, “I am.” 9:10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 9:11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and smeared it on my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I could see. 9:12And they said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.”
9:13They brought the man who was once blind to the Pharisees. 9:14Now the day Jesus had made mud and opened his eyes was the Sabbath. 9:15So the Pharisees again also asked him how he could see, and he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I could see.”
9:16As a result, some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man do such signs as these?” And there was a division among them. 9:17So they again said to the blind man, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”
9:18 But the Jews did not believe about him, that he was blind and could see again, until they heard the parents of the man who could see, 9:19 and they asked them, saying, “This is your son, isn’t he, whom you say was born blind? So how is it that he now sees?” 9:20Then his parents answered and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind, 9:21 but we don’t know how it is that he now sees, nor who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age. He will speak about himself.” 9:22His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already decided that if someone confessed him Christ, they would be excluded from the synagogue. 9:23 It was for this reason that his parents said, “He is of age. Ask him.”
9:24 So for a second time they called the man who was blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 9:25In response, that man answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner—one thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see.” 9:26So they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 9:27He answered them, “I already told you, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?”
9:28Then they mocked him and said: “You are that man’s disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 9:29We know that God spoke to Moses, but we don’t know where this man is from.”
9:30The man answered and said to them, “Now this is amazing, that you don’t know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes! 9:31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but to someone who worships him and does his will. 9:32 No one has ever heard of anyone opening the eyes of a person born blind. 9:33Unless this man were from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.” 9:34 They answered and said to him, “You were wholly born in sin, and you would teach us?” And they threw him out.
9:35Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 9:36The man answered and said, “And who is he, Lord, that I might believe in him?” 9:37Jesus said to him, “You have even seen him, and he is the one speaking with you.” 9:38So he said, “I believe, Lord.” And he worshipped him.
9:39And Jesus said, “I have come into this world for judgement, so that those who don’t see might see, and those who see might become blind. 9:40Those from the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and they said to him, “We’re not blind too, are we?” 9:41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We can see’, your sin remains.”