John 9

Please open your Bibles to John chapter 9. We're going to look at the whole chapter tonight.

John 9 · chapter mention

John chapter 9. If you've not got a church Bible, they're just on the table as you come in.

John 9 · chapter mention

When I went to summer camps as a young teenager, in the evening of those camps, we would sometimes play wide games on the big sports field in the dark, in pitch black.

Everyone before the camp was told to bring a torch so that they could join in in the night time games. It was great fun.

If somebody had been watching from far or you were able to put a drone up in the sky, it would have looked like a large dark space with little specks of light.

Kids running around trying to spot each other or capture a flag or whatever the game was that evening.

The torches made the game possible. They brought light to a place which was otherwise dark.

On those evenings, the torch was your friend.

But on the very same camp, I've got vivid memories of being woken up in the morning by a camp leader coming into the room and shining his torch into my eyes.

Switching the ceiling lights on.

I hated it.

It was a rude way to wake up.

At one moment you're asleep. The next moment someone is shining a great big light in your eyes.

And your first instinct when someone does that is to what?

It's to turn your face away, isn't it?

Put your head in your pillow. Pull the top of the sleeping bag up over your face.

On those mornings, the light was definitely not your friend.

And I tell those two little anecdotes to illustrate the way that it is with light.

Sometimes light is wonderful.

Sometimes light can enable people to see.

Something that they wouldn't have been able to see without it.

But sometimes the light is blinding.

Sometimes you want to turn away and run from the light.

Sometimes light is not wonderful at all.

When the light shines, one of those two things happens.

People can see or people are made blind.

And that's what John 9 is all about.

John 9 shows us that is what it is like with Jesus.

Jesus, the light of the world.

And so chapter 9 is about Jesus and the blind man and the blind men.

The chapter begins with the disciples' confusion.

Can you see it in verse 1?

They say,

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.

And his disciples asked him,

Rabbi, which means teacher, who sinned?

This man or his parents?

And the disciples assumed, don't they,

there's got to be a link with this man's blindness

and some sin that he or his parents have committed.

The theological position is really this.

It's that God punishes sins with things like disability.

It's a theological position that Jesus rejects,

and for good reasons.

Now, in general terms,

we know that the Bible establishes, doesn't it,

a very clear connection between suffering and sin.

Sin has consequences.

And in God's justice, sin leads to punishment.

But at many points,

the Bible resists the kind of connection

that the disciples are making in verse 1.

It was the same kind of connection, wasn't it,

that Job's friends, do you remember them?

In the book of Job.

That when an individual suffers,

it can only be that that individual

or someone close to them

has done something to deserve it.

And the Bible says no to that.

That is not the only explanation when you suffer.

Sometimes suffering is indiscriminate.

Sometimes the righteous suffer.

Suffering does not just come to those who deserve it.

And so in John 9,

Jesus is really emphatic.

God did not allow the suffering into this man's life

because of some sin that he or his family had committed.

He allowed this disability into his life

for a different purpose altogether.

Can you see it in verse 3?

There's the purpose.

So that the works of God might be displayed.

In fact, that is precisely what we're about to see.

In verse 4, Jesus makes it very clear

that the works of God are going to be done

in this man's life.

They're going to be done by him.

It's another, isn't it,

very strong claim from Jesus

to be equal with God.

Who does God's work in the world?

Jesus says, I do.

And he adds,

we must work while it is still day

before the night comes.

And then he makes this staggering claim.

It's not a new claim.

He's already said it before,

but he reiterates it here

at a very deliberate moment.

He says, as long as I am in the world,

I am the light of the world.

He's claiming to be the one

who shines God's salvation light

upon the world.

He is the one who reveals God's glory,

who leads God's people,

who shows them the way.

He's the one, he says,

who holds the answer to the world's darkness.

The darkness of sin and death.

It's a very big claim.

And what we see here is that

Jesus immediately takes steps

to validate that claim.

His staggering words about himself

are instantly followed by a staggering sign.

He meets a man born blind.

And then he spits on the ground

to make some mud.

And then he rubs the mud in the man's eyes.

And he tells him,

go and wash it off in the pool of Siloam.

And when the man does that,

does what Jesus says,

the man begins to see.

He'd been blind from birth

his whole life up to this point.

His whole life had been filled with darkness.

But as that man walked home

from the pool of Siloam,

for the first time in his life,

this man saw where he was placing his feet.

He saw green leaves on the tree.

He saw the distant horizon.

He saw the looks on people's face.

He saw it all.

He saw everything.

He must have been reeling with surprise

and gratitude and happiness.

And what is more,

he wasn't just seeing people for the first time.

The people were seeing him

and coming to terms with it.

The public's reaction is varied.

His neighbours see him walking around

and think,

he looks like the one who used to sit

by the road begging.

Do you remember him?

Some thought it was him.

Others couldn't believe their eyes

and they were convinced

it must be someone else.

He must have a twin or something.

It must be someone that looked like him.

But the blind man

says, no, it's really me.

And he tells them what happened.

All that Jesus has said and done to heal him.

And the people wanted to see this Jesus

who'd done this.

But the formerly blind man

didn't know where Jesus was.

So the people take him to the Pharisees

to get their verdict

on what's just happened

in this most astonishing event.

Look at verse 13.

And they brought to the Pharisees

the man who'd formerly been blind.

Now it was a Sabbath day

when Jesus made the mud

and opened his eyes.

So the Pharisees again asked him

how he'd received his sight.

And he said to them,

he put mud on my eyes

and I washed and I see.

Some of the Pharisees said,

this man is not from God

for he does not keep the Sabbath.

You notice,

and I think it's really interesting

that up to this point,

John hasn't told us

when this miracle took place.

He hadn't told us

that it took place on the Sabbath

and that is because

it wasn't relevant until now.

The day on which this occurred

was only important to the Pharisees.

and they are outraged

because of what Jesus has done

by healing this man on that day.

I hope you never get used to the fact

that they are more concerned

with their distorted interpretation

of God's law

than they are with the man's new sight.

It's tragic, isn't it,

to say the least.

And because they are obsessed

with the Sabbath rule,

they are unable to see past this

to who Jesus must be.

Some of them think

that obedience to their rules

is a better indication

of divine origin

than a display of power.

There are others

who are not so sure.

They think this power suggests

that he must come from God.

So verse 16 tells us,

can you see that?

They were divided

because of Jesus.

Well, we've seen that before.

So again,

they ask the blind man

what he thinks.

And he says

that he thinks

Jesus must be a prophet.

The Pharisees,

they display their stubborn

characteristic,

stubbornness.

Once more, verse 18,

they say,

the Jews did not believe

that he'd been born blind

and he'd received sight.

So they call for his mom and dad.

And they ask mom and dad

to explain what's happened.

And the parents are very nervous.

Can you pick that up?

And they confirm,

this is our son

who was born blind

and they confirm

that he can now see.

They admit that,

but they hedge their bets

when it comes to explaining

how it happened.

They simply

tell the Pharisees,

well,

let him speak for himself.

Verse 22,

his parents said these things

because they feared the Jews

for the Jews

had already agreed

that if anyone

should confess Jesus

to be the Christ,

he was to be put out

of the synagogue.

That's why his parents said,

well, he's of age,

ask him.

Talk about having

your mind made up.

The Jews,

it seems,

were so stubborn

in their unwillingness

to hear Jesus

that they've already decided

to persecute,

to exclude anyone

who accepted Jesus

as the Messiah.

And they make

their decision known.

So resolute

was their opposition

to Jesus

that people are already

living in fear

of coming to a conclusion

about Jesus,

which would be unpopular

with the Pharisees.

Well,

having been sidestepped

by the parents,

the Pharisees

called the man back

for even more questions.

Amazingly,

in verse 24,

they equate giving glory

to God

with admitting

that Jesus is evil.

The irony of verse 24

is too thick for words.

The very opposite

is the truth.

By their refusal

to acknowledge Jesus

for who he really was,

they are the ones

that are refusing

to give God glory.

And the blind man's response

cuts right to the heart

of the matter.

It's almost certainly

the high point

of the chapter.

Listen again

to the simplicity

with which he speaks.

He replied,

whether he is a sinner,

I do not know.

One thing I do know,

that though I was blind,

I now see.

this is what he is saying,

he is saying,

you can take your

theological jargon

and your animosity

to Jesus

and you can shove it.

what I know is this,

I used to be blind,

but now I see.

Don't you see

what's happened here?

I don't know anyone else,

he says,

who's got the power

to do this.

No one in my whole life

has been able to help me

until I met this guy.

You're missing the obvious.

This guy has the power

to give sight to the blind.

I can see,

I can see.

The tragedy is

that they can't.

He used to be

a blind man

and now they are

the blind man.

Verse 26,

we discover

that they haven't changed

their tune at all.

They asked him,

what did he do?

How did he open your eyes?

He answered,

I've told you already

and you didn't listen.

Why do you want

to hear it again?

Do you also want

to become his disciple?

You can hear his exasperation

with these Pharisees growing.

Now he's gone and done it.

He may have just

pushed them over the edge.

He's caused the greatest

offence

that he could have

possibly caused.

It's as if

the blind man,

the former blind man

is saying,

secretly,

you like him,

don't you?

There's no other

explanation

for your obsession

with him.

You love him.

You want to follow him,

don't you?

And he's toying

with them now.

You've got to love

this man.

And so the Pharisees'

outrage becomes

the Pharisees' fury

and they turn

on the healed man

and they revile him

saying,

verse 28,

you are his disciples

but we are

the disciples

of

Moses.

We know that

God has spoken

to Moses

but as for this man

we don't know

where he comes from.

It's fascinating,

isn't it?

Who do they choose

to identify with?

Moses.

They don't say God.

Tellingly,

they choose to line up

behind the one

who has given them

the law.

But their fury

only exasperates

the healed man

further

and he's not going

to take it lying down.

Verse 30,

why this is

an amazing thing.

You do not know

where he comes from

and yet he opened

my eyes.

We know that God

does not listen

to sinners

but if anyone

is a worshipper of God

and does his will

God listens to him.

Never since the world

begun has it been

feared that anyone

opened the eyes

of a man born blind.

If this man

were not from God

he could do

nothing.

That's a pretty

penetrating

expose

of the Pharisees'

blindness.

but blind

to the bitter end

the Pharisees

of the last word.

Verse 34,

you were born

in utter sin.

You were born

in utter sin

and you

would teach us.

How dare you

lecture us.

They throw him out.

In actual fact

they don't have

the last words

do they?

Not as far as

the apostle John

is concerned.

The last word

in the chapter

belongs to Jesus

himself.

And Jesus

re-enters the

narrative in

verse 37

where he

seeks out

the man

that he'd

healed

and he

asks him

if he

believes in

the son

of man.

It's Jesus'

most common

way of

referring to

himself.

It's from

Daniel chapter 7.

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

the man

responds

by saying

that he

wants to

believe in

the son

of man

if only

he knew

who he

was.

Listen to

what Jesus

says.

Verse 37,

you have

seen him

and it is

he who is

speaking to

you.

I hope

you didn't

miss the

most significant

of all the

words in

verse 37.

Just look

down.

Can you

spot the

most

significant

word?

What's

the most

significant

word there?

Seen.

Seen.

I

suspect the

healed man

didn't miss

the significance

of that.

Jesus

said to

him,

you are

looking at

him.

Up until

a few

hours ago

this man

couldn't

look at

anyone

or

anything

but now

he's

looking at

the son

of man.

Up until

a few

hours ago

this man

had never

seen anything

in his

entire life

and now

he is

seeing the

Christ,

God's

king.

man.

And John

to prove

that this

man

can see

not only

physically

but

spiritually

tells us

what he

did next.

And what

he did

next tells

you and

I

emphatically

and beyond

doubt that

this man

could really

see who

Jesus was.

Verse 38,

then the

man said

Lord I

believe

and he

worshipped

him.

The two

indispensables

tonight,

faith and

worship.

Faith and

worship,

they are all

that Jesus

requires

and they

are all that

Jesus deserves

and he

deserves them

because they

are what God

himself deserves,

faith and

worship.

And this

guy gets

it,

he sees

it.

And so

he bows

down in

reverence

and awe

and humble

gratitude

and so

do all

people who

see Jesus

properly.

He

worships

Jesus.

Then Jesus

makes it

very explicit,

he speaks of

his authority

to judge,

he reveals

what it

means for

him to

be the

light of

the world.

He says

some will

see and

some will

be blinded.

Verse 39,

for judgment,

I came into

this world,

that those

who do not

see may

see and

those who

see may

become blind.

Before

Jesus is

a blind

man who

now sees.

man who

see and

that man

has just

come from

a group

of men

who think

that they

can see

but they're

spiritually

blind.

The Pharisees

have got a

lot to say

about Jesus

in this

chapter but

all of it

has been

wrong.

And thus

they've

confirmed

their

darkness.

They've

confirmed the

darkness that

has engulfed

their minds.

Some Pharisees

in verse 40

sense that

Jesus might

be talking

about them.

So they

ask,

do you

think we're

blind?

And Jesus'

spine tingling

reply comes

in verse 41.

Jesus said,

if you were

blind you'd

have no guilt

but now

that you

see we

see your

guilt remains.

And what I

think Jesus

is saying

there is

if they

really were

incapable of

spiritual insight

for some

reason then

their blindness

would come

without guilt.

But that's

not the

situation.

They are

not incapable

of spiritual

sight.

They are

just stubborn

in their

rejection

aren't they?

They are

hard hearted

and so they

are guilty.

That's what

Jesus says.

And so

these words

from Jesus'

lips should

have been

frightening for

them.

They were

in danger

of dying

in their

sins as

we've

heard.

They were

in danger

of God's

wrath

remaining

upon

them.

They

refused

to come

to Jesus

to have

life.

So they

were in

great danger

of that

same

Jesus

pronouncing

the sentence

of death

upon them.

John 9

is a very

vivid

explanation

of what

is going

on

throughout

Jesus'

ministry.

Jesus

is the

light of

the world

and when

the light

shines

some are

blinded

by it

but others

see.

some are

like what

I was

like on

that camp

when the

leader

flicked his

torch into

my eyes

and put

the ceiling

light on.

They turn

away from

the light.

They refuse

to see

the light

but others

are like

those

delighted

young boys

running

around

with

abandon

and confidence

in the

middle of a

dark field

because they've

got a torch

light to see

by and the

light is their

friend.

some are

blinded by

the light

others

see

by it.

And in

particular here

it's the

Pharisees

who are

blind.

It's been a

significant

theme throughout

John's

Gospel.

In their

blindness

they oppose

Jesus

and they

oppose

others who

follow

Jesus

and they

look to

attack

Jesus.

They're

angry

with

Jesus.

They

want to

kill

Jesus.

All these

things are

you can see

from a very

surface reading

of John's

Gospel.

But Jesus

offers a

diagnosis of

the Pharisees

blindness that

goes beneath

the surface.

Do you

remember in

John 8

Jesus tells

us that they

are destined

to die in

their sins.

Jesus tells

us that they

are slaves

to sin,

that they're

children of

the devil

himself and

their blindness

places them in

a desperate

situation before

God.

and even

more desperate

is that they

are oblivious

to it.

These

people,

they think

they're fine

with God,

they think

that they're

alright and

Jesus is a

heretic.

They think

that all is

well for

them spiritually

but Jesus

says they're

in serious

trouble and

they can't

see it.

And of

course that's

what blindness

is and that

is what blindness

is today too.

It is thinking

we're okay

spiritually when

really you're

in big trouble.

It is believing

that you're fine

with God when

in fact you're

not fine with

God at all.

It is being

willing to

dismiss Jesus

as wrong

or more

likely

unimportant

when in the

end he will

be the one

who could

dismiss you.

And we are

surrounded by

this.

You are

surrounded by

it when

you go

to work

and when

you go

to school

and you

are surrounded

by it when

you spend

time with

your friends

and some

of us are

surrounded by

it in our

families and

if you went

into Ealing

tonight and

you went

to the pub

you'd be

surrounded

by that

too.

This city

is full of

people who

are spiritually

blind.

people who

have dismissed

Jesus and

think that

they have no

spiritual

problem.

Who believe

that things

are fine

between them

and God

and yet the

truth is

things are

not fine

between them

and God.

And Jesus

pulls no

punches does

he?

He says that

they are

destined to

die in

their sins

God's wrath

remains on

them they

are children

of the devil

they are in

the darkness

and on the

light.

So this

chapter reminds

you and I

of a great

reality about

the world

in which we

live.

And it

reminds us

about a

truth that

ought to

grieve us

and rest

heavily upon

us.

That Jesus

is the

world's

light and

yet so

many around

us are

blind and

in tragic

danger.

And so

should we

not live

rightly before

their eyes

that they

might see

the difference?

Should we

not explain

our hope

to them

whenever

we're given

an opportunity

and should

we

not

above

all

pray for

them.

And pray

earnestly

for them

because only

God can

open their

eyes.

Only God

can turn

hard hearts

into soft

hearts.

Only God

can deliver

people from

spiritual

blindness.

In the

end our

ministries

can't do

it.

Can they

little stars

can't do

it.

Language

class

can't do

it.

Bible

studies

can't do

it.

Club

16

Ignite

can't

do

it.

Courses

can't

do it.

Getting

better

publicity

and a

cracking

website

can't

do it.

But God

can.

God

wonderfully

uses

those

things.

But at

the end

of the

day our

family and

our

friends,

our

colleagues

and our

neighbours,

they need

a miracle.

They need

the God

of all

the universe

to send

his

spirit

to open

blind

eyes.

And they

need us

to plead

with God

to do

that.

To give

them sight

in the

place of

blindness.

And so

this chapter

is a

reminder to

you and

I of

the burden

to pray

for the

blind.

And I

hope it

reminds you

of that

burden

too.

And I

continue to

hope and

pray that

God would

make great

distress for

the spiritually

blind in

Mark of

IPC.

that an

earnest

prayerfulness

for the

lost

would be

one of

the things

that defines

us as a

church.

And this

chapter reminds

us,

doesn't it,

of how

important that

is,

but the

chapter,

as I

finish,

reminds us

of something

else as

well.

Something that

comes to you

and I

tonight,

not as a

burden

at all,

but as a

great delight.

because the

chapter reminds

me that I

am like this

healed man.

Because by

his mercy,

God has

granted me

this miracle

that they

really need

if they are

to see,

and I

can tonight.

I can see

that Jesus

really is

who he says

he is.

I can see

that Jesus

deserves to

be worshipped.

I can see

that he has

the power

to perform

great miracles.

Because he

really has

come from

God,

and he

really is

equal with

God,

and greater

by far

than being

able to

see the

steps that

I take,

or the

green leaves

on the

trees,

or the

far horizons,

or the

looks on

people's

faces,

greater

by far

is the

ability

to see

Jesus

for who

he really

is.

And having

come to

see him

properly,

I would

rather,

honestly,

be physically

blind than

to lose

this sight,

wouldn't

you?

this is

the 2020

vision that

really

matters.

I can

see.

It's not

because I'm

smarter or

more intuitive

than anyone

else,

it is because

Jesus,

the light of

the world,

has opened

my eyes.

And if

you tonight,

like me,

can see

Jesus clearly,

if you,

like me,

know that

he is worthy

of our

faith,

and worthy

of our

worship,

and if

you,

like me,

would rather

see him

than anything

else,

it is only

because God

has been

merciful to

you.

Jesus,

the light

of the

world,

has opened

your eyes.

Amazing

grace,

how sweet

the sound,

that saved

a wretch

like me.

I once

was lost,

but now

I'm found,

was blind,

but now

I see.

With

incredible

gratitude,

we are

like a

crowd of

boys running

around on

a sports

field,

surrendered

to the

sheer pleasure

of being

able to

see,

because of

the light

that is in

our hands,

and not

only in

our hands,

but in

our hearts,

with

humble

awe,

we are

like that

man,

I trust,

that man

who fell

at Jesus'

feet and

worshipped,

and we,

like him,

can say

tonight,

can't we,

look,

there are

many things,

many things

in this

life I

don't

understand,

and there

is lots

about God

and his

ways that

I still

don't know,

but there's

one thing

I do

know,

I was

blind,

but now

I see,

let's pray.