2017 True Blindness James Shepherd

In 2015, a photo went up online that divided the whole globe.

Every single person was divided around this photo.

It was titled, The Dress.

You may remember this photo circulating social media and news outlets.

It got so much attention from everyone

because no one was sure what color it was.

Some said it was a blue dress with black lining,

but there were others who were adamant that it was a white dress with gold lining.

Now you may have been one of those people who put your argument out there

and weighed in on the whole debate saying it's this or it's this.

So many people were convinced it was a blue and black dress and argued fiercely for it.

So many people thought it was a white and gold dress and argued fiercely for it.

It lasted weeks and people were trying to work out why people thought one way or the other.

Now just to confirm, it was confirmed later on that the dress was a blue and black dress,

but so many people were convinced otherwise.

So many people were adamant they were seeing a gold and white dress

and their eyes were deceived.

Having sight is a wonderful gift.

Being able to observe the beautiful world around us,

being able to see the faces of loved ones,

being able to see danger and avoid it,

it's truly a wonderful gift that we have.

But it's obvious from this small example, from the dress,

that whilst we all have sight, sometimes we don't see clearly.

Our world today is so adamant that it sees clearly.

We believe science has helped us progress and advance

to the point where we can see with precision,

meaning that we can determine exactly how the world functions

and how we should live in it today.

We therefore believe that we are more enlightened than our predecessors are.

We see clearer now the way things are than any other generation before us.

But whilst the world claims to see things clearer than ever before,

it has become more and more blind to the truth about God,

about their Creator.

Our world has become blind to its created purpose

in serving and worshipping the Creator.

The world is adamant that it sees clearly.

But it's been deceived to think that it can see clearly without God,

that it can see clearly on its own,

without the light of the world.

Our sight has been corrupted because of sin.

Rather than seeing things as they truly are,

we see things as we want them to be seen.

We believe ourselves to be objective and unbiased,

but the reality is sin has put a veil over our eyes

to make us think we don't need God in this world to exist.

Or we come up with our own version of God

that suits us, that suits the way we see things in the world.

All unaware of how blind we actually have become,

robbed of our true purpose in worshipping the one and true God.

So what hope is there for our world today to see clearly?

What hope is there for us that we might see clearly?

The healing of the blind man here in John 9

is the second sign in John's Gospel,

showing who Jesus is and what he has come to do.

So specifically here, he is the light of the world

who has come to open the eyes of the blind,

that all who see might, as this formerly blind man does,

says in verse 38, believe in him.

But this passage also serves as a warning,

an indictment on those who would,

when they are confronted with the light of the world,

reject him and turn away from him.

And the question we are left with is, which one are we?

Are we more like the blind beggar who knows he is blind

and needs his sight restored,

or are we more like the Pharisees

who in their arrogance believe they see things clearly,

believe they see the world clearly,

but in fact are actually completely blind to the reality?

As we look at this passage,

let that question just sink in the back of your mind

as we reflect on the miracle

as both a sign of what Jesus has come to do

and who he is,

and a warning to all who reject him

as the light of the world.

So firstly, this miracle is a sign.

We're introduced to the blind man

at the very beginning of this passage.

And whilst it is clear that this man

was not born blind because of his own sin

or because of his parents' sin,

it should be understood that he is blind still

because of sin's impact on the world

and on his life.

He is still born under the power and the reign of sin

as we all are born under the reign and power of sin.

You see, God made human beings with eyes

that should work.

He didn't make us to be blind,

but to be able to see.

And so we should understand

that God didn't make him to be blind,

but Jesus says in response,

this happens so the works of God

might be displayed in him.

It's in light of the fact that

while sin still affects our world

and still corrupts our world,

sin is not outside of God's control.

that God is not powerless in the face of sin.

Indeed, he will go on to show his power

by reversing the effects of sin

and in this specific case,

by reversing this man's blindness

and giving him sight.

For as Jesus says of himself in verse 5,

I am the light of the world.

Jesus then makes mud,

puts on the beggar's eyes

and tells him to wash it off.

When the beggar does this,

he comes back seen.

What takes place before us

is truly an incredible miracle.

Indeed, it's truly the work of God.

It's not the work of a magician

or a witch,

nor is it a trick.

Jesus here is doing the work of God,

which is to overturn the power of sin and death

and usher in the kingdom of life and life,

the kingdom of God.

This man has spent all his life

living under the power of sin

and he has felt it quite acutely.

Now, as I said,

we all lived under the power of sin,

but this man was born blind.

He has felt it very sharply all his life.

He directly experienced the corrupt work of sin

on his own body,

but also that sin robbed him

of the ability to worship.

He was a blind beggar.

All he had to do

and look forward to in life

was to wake up,

sit on the side of the road

and beg for his living.

Beg that people would give him food

and money

so he could get what he needed to live.

As we saw in verse 2 as well,

most Jews thought

that if you were born blind,

you must have sinned

or your parents must have sinned.

Therefore, he wasn't welcome

into the temple to worship God.

This man's state of affairs

in being born blind

meant that he was robbed

of the opportunity to worship,

to be part of God's people.

And so what Jesus does

in restoring his sight

is overturn the effects of sin in his life.

Literally, open his eyes

to see the God of heaven and earth

who calls him to worship.

Jesus frees him

and gives him rest

from his suffering.

This miracle

is a beautiful sign

because it points towards

a time when this work of God

will be fulfilled

on a much greater scale.

On a small scale here,

Jesus overturns the power of sin

for this blind man

by giving him his sight back.

But this sign anticipates a time

when Jesus will overturn

the power of sin and death

for all people

through his own death

and resurrection.

We look forward

not only to our eyes

being redeemed,

but our whole bodies

being redeemed as well.

When they'll be made new,

no longer to suffer

from pain that comes

from sickness,

from chronic illness,

from disability,

from mental illness.

We'll be free

from such pain

because of what Jesus

has done

in redeeming our bodies.

But this is not merely

a physical healing

that we look forward to

as we see in this passage.

For Jesus will heal

this blind man

a second time

of his blindness

to make a point

that he has not only

come to redeem

our bodies

from the power of sin,

but also to redeem

our spiritual sight

from the tight grasp

of sin as well.

For the power of sin

has robbed us,

or robbed God,

the worship

that is due to him

and robbed us

the ability to do

what we were created to do

and to worship him.

Blinding us to serve

and worship

created things instead

rather than the creator himself.

And so Jesus will not settle

for simply opening

our physical eyes.

He will also open

our spiritual eyes

as he does here

for this blind man.

And so in verse 35

he says to him,

Do you believe

in the Son of Man?

Who is he, sir,

that I might believe

in him?

And 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.

The work of God

would not be complete

in this man's life

if it did not result

in believing

and worshipping Jesus.

The redemption

of our physical bodies

that we look forward to

includes the full

reorientation

of our heart

and our soul

to love

and to worship God

for all eternity

that we would clearly see

untainted by the power

of sin

the world

as God may it to be

with the purpose

of worshipping God

as we live in it.

For our bodies

are not our own.

We exist

in a world today

where people's gods

are their stomachs.

A world that wants

to consume

more and more

and more

whatever catches

their eye.

For so many

their body

is theirs

to do whatever

they wish with.

It's politically

incorrect to tell someone

you can't do that

with your body.

People will say

in response

I can do whatever

I want

with my body.

I can sleep

with whoever I want.

I can eat and drink

whatever I want.

I can do whatever

I want

with my body.

It's my body.

But as Romans 12

1 says

our bodies

are living sacrifices

holy and pleasing

to God

as our act

of worship.

They are redeemed

by God

to serve

and to worship

him.

Jesus

has come

not merely

to redeem

our bodies

and make everything

pain free for us.

Indeed the whole

point of this miracle

is so much more

than that.

he has come

to restore

the whole person

both his physical body

and his spiritual sight

in order that we might

use our bodies

well

to worship him.

That is

all about him

worshipping

him.

This world

this life

exists for his glory

and as we align

with that purpose

as we see clearly

that purpose

we can do that

for our joy

as well then

as we live

in this world

that is his.

This is what

Jesus has come

to do.

This is the beauty

of the sign

that we see

here in John 9.

And so we

who are aware

that like the blind man

we need our own

sight restored

we can

have hope

that we will

see things clearly

and worship.

But as mentioned

earlier

this miracle

also serves

as a warning

an indictment

upon those

who would

choose to

turn away

from the light.

And so secondly

we are going to

look at this miracle

as a warning.

So just after

the blind man

has received sight

people start

seeing him

right

walking the streets

this man

who was once

blind

who was once

sitting by the road

all the days

of his life

is now walking

around looking

at things

amazed by what

he sees

and people are going

is this the same

person?

What is going on here?

They ask him

what happened?

He says this guy

called Jesus

he washed my eyes

and now I can see.

And they're still

utterly confused

by what's going on

perplexed

so they bring him

to the Pharisees

the people

who know

are in the know

what's going on

in these kinds

of situations.

Now

have you ever been

in a conversation

with someone

where the conversation

just seems to be

going nowhere?

You're trying to

get a point across

you're trying to

explain something

to them

you're trying to

help understand

something

but it's just

not getting through

and you think

this is just

going absolutely

nowhere.

I used to work

for an office

store about

a few years ago

I used to manage

a store in

the Hills District

and I remember

a customer coming

in one time

and he came up

to our little kiosk

and I was there

and he said to me

now

I'm looking for

an iTablet

and that moment

I'm thinking

I have no idea

what an iTablet is

but before I could

ask him to clarify

do you mean

iPad?

Do you mean

a Samsung Galaxy

tablet?

Do you mean

this or that?

He says now

don't tell me

it doesn't exist

I know it exists

now Apple

didn't make it

and it's not an iPad

I want an iTablet

and you're going

to give it to me

and from there

we had this conversation

where I was trying

to convince him

perhaps he may

have made a mistake

perhaps there's no such thing

as an iTablet

and you actually

are thinking

of an iPad

and back and forth

we went

he kept telling me

no you're wrong

I'm right

I know there's such

thing as an iTablet

and I want it

and I'm sitting there

on my computer

googling iTablet

trying to show him

look iTablet there

and everything else

that kept coming out

was just

iPad

iPad

iPad

iPad

so I'm thinking

come on man

surely you see

that you're wrong here

but he was adamant

he was adamant

that it existed

he went away

upset at me

and I went away

just confused

it just went nowhere

and I feel like

that's what's going on here

with the Pharisees

this conversation

this dialogue

they have

with the blind man

the formerly blind man

just goes nowhere

doesn't seem to be

going anywhere

and it leaves us

perplexed

as well as the

formerly blind man

and confused

and we kind of laugh

and think it's a bit silly

but it's also

quite telling

as to

the power of sin

how it's so

tight

around our sight

in verse 15

it says

the Pharisees

asked again

me and they've

already heard once

what has happened

they don't want to

hear it again

from the blind man

he answers them

by saying

he put mud

on my eyes

the man replied

and I washed

and now I see

explanations

don't get much

clearer than that

simpler than that

and so anyone

there would be like

yep that's

what happened

yep you were once

blind I know that

I saw you begging

and now you can see

that's quite obvious

you're looking at us

you're walking around

you know what's going on

but instead of being

amazed at what took place

they began to judge

what Jesus did

and how he did it

and why he did it

and they questioned him

in a number of ways

the validity

of what happened

they were firstly

concerned by the fact

that he performed

a miracle

on the Sabbath day

a day in which

you should not

perform any work

and so they said

well this man

can't be from God

he does not keep

the Sabbath

then they began

to doubt the credibility

of the man's story

of being born blind

so they brought

in his parents

and they asked them

was this your son

was he born blind

and they said

yes of course he is

don't ask us

ask him

then they even

tried to manipulate him

put words in his mouth

by saying

give glory to God

we know this man's a sinner

it's almost as if

they're trying to coerce him

to say

what they want him to say

and we sit here

and go

don't you get it

can't you see

how amazing this is

he was blind

born blind

and now he sees

how do you not see

they fail to perceive

what has happened here

because they refuse

to look closely

they refuse to look

because they believe

they already see

things clearly

for them

Jesus is just

an anomaly

something that doesn't

fit into their

perception

and view of things

it's far too

confronting for them

to even consider

what it all might mean

it's far easier

for them to pick up

and judge

anything that is

inconsistent

to the way

they see

things are

they believe

they see clearly

but in reality

they are the ones

who just want to see

what

they want to see

and they refuse

to look

at what's truly

obviously

in front of them

the formerly blind man

is perplexed as well

he can't believe

they don't understand

and when the Pharisees

tell him

it's because

that we don't know

who this man is

and where he comes from

he replies

with this amazing response

he says

now that

is remarkable

you don't know

where he comes from

yet he opened my eyes

we know that God

does not listen to sinners

he listens

to the godly person

who does his will

nobody has ever heard

or opened the eyes

of a man born blind

if this man

were not from God

he could do nothing

these are things

the Pharisees

should have known

obvious

to a man born blind

who has never read

any scripture

in his life

who has never been

in the temple

and yet it's obvious

to him

what has happened

to you

and who this man

might possibly be

the man who was born blind

shows that he's got

a clearer

and sharper vision

than the Pharisees

who should be able

to see clearly

the Pharisees

response to this statement

characterizes the depth

of how tight

sin's grip

can be

on our sight

as they say

to him

you were steeped

in sin at birth

how dare you

lecture us

and they threw him out

at the heart

of the issue

is their pride

their unwilliness

to let go

and to simply admit

no we don't see properly

we don't understand

what's going on

maybe we should look

into this

when it's plainly

explained to them

not only what happened

but what it all might mean

they refuse

to look closely

sin is so

planted itself deep

in the heart

of the Pharisees

that they are convinced

they see things clearly

they are convinced

they know what's going on

when in fact

they don't

you can have all the knowledge

in the world

you can be known

as the wisest

the smartest person

you can be seen

as someone

who sees things clearly

who's self-aware

and yet you still

could be blind

as there are many

many people today

who are smart

who are self-aware

who we give awards to

for being smart

and yet they are

blind spiritually

blind to what is

the real purpose

of this world

blind to their God

and their creator

the Pharisees

were the people

who were supposed

to see clearly

but they didn't

they were blind

the irony as well

is that they would

have this formerly

blind man

give glory

to God

by declaring Jesus

who is God

a sinner

that just shows

the depth

of their blindness

and how tight

sin's grip is

over them

all because

of their pride

all because

they refuse

to look closely

at what has happened

here

believing that the way

they see things

is enough

there are those

who ridicule Christianity

and the Bible

believing

they see things

clearer

than those

who would devote

themselves

to the teachings

that are so archaic

and so backwards

all the while

not realising

the power

of sin

has over them

and how it's corrupted

and distorted

their vision

if only people

would just look

closer

and not be so

narrow

at the one

who is the light

of the world

maybe they would

understand

to realise

that as human beings

deeply affected

by sin

there is no hope

in ourselves

to overturn

those effects

there's no hope

in ourselves

to overturn

the power

of sin

only in Jesus

who is the light

of the world

who can bring

sight to the blind

is there hope

for us

to see clearly

for those

who remain blind

who in their

stubborn arrogance

choose to not

look closely

this miracle

this wonderful miracle

we have before us

that would encourage us

that gives us hope

for us who see

ends up being

a warning

an indictment

and a judgement

upon those

who refuse

to see

as Jesus says

in verse 39

for judgement

I have come

into this world

so the blind

will see

and those who see

will become blind

it's a scary thought

we must constantly

check ourselves

as to who

we are more like

the blind beggar

who knows

and acknowledges

that he does not

see clearly

he needs Jesus

to see clearly

or like the Pharisees

who believe

in their arrogance

in their pride

that they see

clearly

that their own sight

is sufficient

the Pharisees

are those

who have cemented

themselves

in judgement

they have been

handed over

as Romans 1

might put it

to their own vision

and to their own sights

which ironically

blinds them

to the truth

the truth

that Jesus

is the one

who has come

to restore our sights

who has come

to reorient

our hearts

and our minds

to worship

and to love him

each and every day

we must humbly

confess before God

and ask him

to continue

to restore

our sight

that we might

continue to

worship him

Steve mentioned

before

about New Year's

Resolution goals

about growing

in our

treasuring Jesus

diverting ourselves

to time

in the word

in the Psalms

surely that is

the goal

of our life

to worship

it's a good goal

to make

for your New Year's

Resolution

year after year

after year

indeed

worship

is the goal

worship is the goal

as we see

here in John 9

in verse 5

Jesus says again

he says

I've come

this man was born blind

in order that God's work

might be fulfilled

in him

and it's not until

we get to verse 38

that we see

the work fulfilled

where he responds

in belief

and in worship

the way in which

we can know

who we are

is to look at

who we worship

and what we worship

things

are not black and white

in this world

things in Christianity

are not black and white

in this world

but something that

all believers

all we can all know

is that

we are designed

and our purpose in life

when we see clearly

is to worship

God

and to worship

him

alone

so

will you continue

to come humbly

acknowledging

that we only

see clearly

when we allow

Jesus to restore

our eyes

that we can only

worship

our wonderful

and powerful God

when he gives

our sight

to see him

clearly

will you continue

to come to him

to worship

come to him

to have your eyes

restored

day in day out

that we might not

become tainted

by sin

and let sins

affect us

to see things

in a distorted way

let's pray

heavenly father

we thank you so much

that you're a God

who is gracious

and who is merciful

that although we were

blind because of sin

we lived a way

that did not honour

and glorify you

did not live a way

that was in line

of our purpose

we used our bodies

for sin

we thank you father

that through your son

and through your mercy

you gave us

eyes that could see

by your spirit

see the problem

of this world

see the problem

of sin

and the hope

that comes from

knowing you

and what you've

done for us

we pray Lord

that throughout

our week

and throughout

our lives

we'll continue

to always see you

clearly

because of your spirit

and because of your word

we pray Lord

we would be immersing

ourselves in it

day by day

trusting

in its sufficiency

to guide us

through our life

that we might

continue to worship

you all our days

we pray this

in your son's name

Amen