Blake Allen, Student Pastor, LHBC

John 9:1-12

9 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So, he went and washed and came back seeing. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So, I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

Have you ever thought about the disciples’ question to Jesus regarding the blind man? The disciples assumed the man’s blindness was connected to sin in his life. The connection between and suffering was a common thought among Palestinian Jews. They are not entirely incorrect. Suffering and death were not a part of God’s original design in creation. They are a result of The Fall. Blindness is a side effect of sin. 

However, to assume this man’s blindness was a direct consequence of personal sin committed by himself or his parents was far reaching. In other words, it is appropriate to say the cause was The Fall and the effect was a broken world which includes physical abnormalities. It was not appropriate to assume the cause was his or his parent’s sin with the effect being his blindness as a direct consequence. 

Jesus clarifies why the man was blind. Jesus was about to do a miracle. He was about to display the works of His Father. He was about to open the eyes of not only this physically blind man, but also the eyes of those who were spiritually blind. There are 2 lessons we can learn from this story:

What is hidden to man is known to God

The man received his sight as he followed the Lord’s instructions. The process probably didn’t make much sense to him. He didn’t know the outcome of his circumstance. He could not see where he was going. He did not know what was to come next. Adding to the unknowns, as one commentator reveals, “His disciples didn’t know why the man was in the predicament he was in. No one knew how Jesus was going to display His mighty works, after all, his tool of choice was mud. The blind man’s neighbor did not know the blind man came to have sight. The blind man did not know where Jesus had gone after Jesus had healed.” There were many unknowns and yet Christ knew what he was doing the whole time. Maybe there are some unknowns in your life and your not sure what will happen next. Jesus calls us to be anxious about nothing, but in everything pray and seek Him (Matt 6). In the unknowns, do we trust that God can do a better job of being God than we can? Will we trust that He knows what He is doing and has the whole time? 

When man’s power runs out God’s power is on display

This man was helpless to help himself. This man could not restore himself. Obviously, others around him could not restore his sight. And yet, when Jesus walks on the scene everything changes. He restored the sight of the blind man. He went from literally living his entire life in darkness and experiencing the marvelous light of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the light of the world. This was an amazing occasion but the physical healing was not the greatest miracle Jesus worked that day.. The greatest miracle that happened was when the blind man’s spiritual sight was restored, and when he finally recognized Jesus as Lord (9:35-37). And only Jesus has the power to do it!

God created us in His image, which he called good. Sin has affected all of creation, including this man’s sight. God did not leave us in this broken state. He sent His son to open our eyes to the reality of our brokenness and our need for Him. His blood washes away our sin and we are made new. Will you step out in faith today and answer the call to come to the cross and experience new life in Christ? The man who was blind went from recognizing Jesus as just a man (9:11), to a prophet (9:17), to a man from God (9:33), and then to the Son of Man and Lord (9:35-37). When our eyes have been opened to mercy and goodness of God in all circumstances, only then we will witness the mighty works of God displayed in our life..

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father, give us eyes to see that you have all power and wisdom and mighty. Father, help us to trust you with the unknown factors in this life. You know the end result and have the power to change all circumstances. May we trust in you alone. Amen. 

MEMORY VERSE FOR THE WEEK:

1 Corinthians 15:56-57-56 

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.