Talk 8: A Man Born Blind

0:01 Morning everyone. Really good to see you. Thanks to Al and the guys for leading us in music this morning. Enjoyed the video as well. You don't ever see the video with the child who puts the glasses on and sees its parents and then goes, eww. That one doesn't make the Instagram feed. It'd be funny if it would, but it doesn't. We're going to be in John chapter 9 if you have a copy of that.

0:29 We're and the encounters that different people had with Jesus. And in a moment, we're going to read together John's eyewitness account of an incredible encounter that a man who had been born blind had one day with Jesus. So if you do have a copy of John 9, please turn it up. As we do that, I would just like to preface some of my remarks this morning just by saying this. One of the most common metaphors or ways of describing the experience of becoming a Christian that the New Testament and Christians down through history have used to sort of explain what goes on when you become a Christian is having your eyes opened. If you've ever talked to a Christian or read their experience of becoming a follower of Jesus, they will often describe it as an experience of having been previously blind, even if they weren't completely aware of it, unable to see the reality. And then when they encounter Jesus, they begin to follow him. It's almost as if they begin to see for the first time, That their eyes, in terms of their understanding, have been open to see reality in a way that they had no idea was possible.

1:56 And had no idea that they were missing before it happened. One of the most famous songs ever written, we sang it earlier, was written by a Christian who was a former slave trader. Who talked about his experience of becoming a Christian. He described it this way. I once was lost, but now I'm found. I was blind, but now I see. Or that other well-known Christian hymn writer, Alice Cooper. Just kidding.

2:25 But who in a recent interview about his own faith said this. He says, I'll tell you one thing. When Jesus opens your eyes and you finally begin to realize who you are and who he is, it's a whole different world. I know many of us can relate to that. No matter what the differences of experience or across race, culture, history, gender, age, there is this common denominator in Christian experience that when a person encounters Jesus and puts their trust in him and begins to follow in his light and teaching, it's an experience that can only really be described as having your eyes opened at the deepest level. And this morning we're going to look at what happens when a man who's never been able to see in his life encounters Jesus and begins to see, not just at the physical level, we're only getting started when we get to that point, but begins to see at a much higher level because that's what Jesus does when you encounter him. Let's read what John says in John 9 and we'll pick it up in verse 1. As Jesus was going along, he saw a man blind from birth.

3:43 And his disciples asked him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? Neither this man nor his parents sinned, Jesus said. But this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. But night is coming when no one can work. But while I am in the world, I am the light of the world. And after saying this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and put it on the man's eyes. Go, he said to him, wash in the pool of Siloam, which means scent.

4:21 And the man went and washed and came home seeing. And his neighbors and those who'd formerly seen him begging asked, isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg? Some claimed that he was, and others said, no, he only looks like him. But he himself insisted, I am the man. How then were your eyes open, they asked. And he replied, the man they called Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. Told me to go to Siloam and washed. And so I went and washed, and then I could see.

4:57 Where is this man, they asked him. I don't know, he said. And they brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. And now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. And therefore the Pharisees asked him how he had received his sight. He put mud on my eyes, the man replied. And I washed and now I see. And some of the Pharisees said, this man is not from God.

5:25 For he does not keep the Sabbath. But others said, well, how can a sinner perform such signs? And so they were divided. And then they turned again to the blind man and they said, what do you have to say about him? It was your eyes he opened. And the man replied, he's a prophet. They still did not believe that he had been born blind and received a sight until they sent for the man's parents. Is this your son?

5:52 They asked. Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that he can now see? We know that he's our son. the parents answered and we know he was born blind but how he can see now or who opened his eyes we don't know ask him he's of age he will speak for himself and his parents said this because they were afraid of the jewish leaders who had already decided that anyone who acknowledged jesus was the messiah would be put out of the synagogue and that's why his parents said he's of age ask him a second time they summoned the man who had been blind look give glory to God by telling the truth we know this man is a sinner they said and he replied whether he's a sinner or not I don't know but one thing I do know is I was blind and I now see and they asked him what did he do to you how did he open your eyes and he answered I've told you already and you do not listen why do you want hear it again. Do you want to become his disciples too? And they hurled insults at him and said, you're this fellow's disciple.

7:03 We're the disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses, but for this fellow, we don't know where he comes from. And the man answered, now that is remarkable. You don't know where he comes from. And yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. No one has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.

7:28 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. And so they replied, you were steeped in sin at birth and you would lecture us. And they threw him out. Jesus heard that they had thrown him out. And when he found him, he said, do you believe in the son of man? Who is he, sir? The man asked, tell me so that I may believe in and Jesus said you have now seen him in fact he is the one who's speaking to you

7:58 and the man said Lord I believe and he worshiped Jesus said for judgment I have come into this world so that the blind may see and those who see will become blind and some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked what are we blind too and Jesus said if you were blind you would not be guilty of sin. But now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. Lot in this, we're not going to have time to do justice at all. Jeff left us last week in John 8 verse 11, and immediately after that, in verse 12, Jesus makes one of the most astounding statements than anybody has ever made. He says this, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Now that is an audacious claim that most religious leaders or prophets or leaders of movements wouldn't dare to say. But Jesus says it.

9:06 Jesus says, I am the light of the world. It's not simply that I am a messenger or a conduit of a source of light that comes from beyond me. Jesus says, I am the light itself. I am the source. In other words, God's light and truth that the world needs is inherent to who I am. And whoever will follow me will realize that they are experiencing that light and they'll never walk in darkness. It's a phenomenal claim. How would you know if it's true or not?

9:41 because anybody with enough boldness or self-delusion could make a claim like that. How could you know whether this claim is credible? Well, maybe one of the ways you could know is to test it. Jesus says, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. That is a claim that is testable. And the way you test it, presumably, is to expose yourself, to open yourself up to that light, even if it's just in terms of curiosity at this stage, but to seriously follow and explore and think about the light of Jesus' life and teaching and example and see what it does. And that's the journey that this blind man goes on. Because light is not particularly helpful if you don't have eyes that can see.

10:37 And that's why it's so significant that John tells us right here at the beginning of this passage that this encounter that Jesus has with this man is not just with a man who's blind, but is with a man who's been blind from birth. In other words, he's never had the capacity of sight. His blindness is congenital. He's never been able to see. So this is not, in a sense, a healing miracle in the sense of Jesus restoring someone to health after they become sick like we saw in John 5, even if they've been sick for a very long time. This is a man encountering the light of the world. And that experience is an experience where he is able to see for the first time in his entire existence. Yes, at the physical level, but that is only the beginning.

11:32 What we also discover as we follow him throughout the rest of the chapter, as he thinks about this miracle, as he walks in this light, as he uses his brain to understand what the significance of this might mean, is that his spiritual eyes begin to open to see Jesus and to see reality in a way he's never been able to before. John picks up the story at the beginning by telling us that Jesus was with his disciples when he met this man. And the disciples' response to this man in verse two is this. They say, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? So immediately the disciples have raised this question of the relationship between suffering and sin or guilt before God. That's their assumption that's hidden in this question. That this blindness, this suffering has come about as a result of God's judgment. They have already determined that there's a causal link between this man's experience of suffering and something that has offended God.

12:47 And God is punishing this person for. They don't want to know whether that's the case or not. They've already presumed that it is. They just want to know whose fault it is, the man or his parents. And that is a common assumption. Many of us might know the experience of facing suffering or tragic circumstances, and it hits your life like a tsunami. And we know that no matter how long we spend in church or often how much we claim to know about Christianity, There is this lingering thought. What have I done to deserve this?

13:27 And it's an idea that's really prevalent in our culture. When I was a kid, there was, I think there still is, a Scottish band called Travis. Anybody remember Travis? Very cultured lot. And one of Travis's most prominent songs was a song that asked, why does it always rain on me? not because we live in Ireland. Is it because I lied when I was 17? It's trivial, but it again taps into this idea that our darkest experience in our lives are somehow the result of cosmic karma.

14:01 And that is an idea that creeps perpetually into Christian theology. That's what Job's friends assumed was the reason why he was suffering. It's one of the things that Jesus had to confront in Luke 13, when some people assume that the reason why certain people had suffered in a particularly ghastly and dramatic and public way was because they were worse sinners. And it's alive and well among many evangelical pastors and leaders who almost take delight when natural disasters hit some part of the world that they assume God has forsaken. And they attribute that disaster to the judgment of God. That's the theology that these disciples had bought into. They believe that suffering and difficult circumstances was a direct indicator of what God thought about you. And Jesus shuts the assumption down straight away by saying, It is not that this man sinned or his parents, that he was born blind.

15:06 What this is about is that the works of God might be displayed in him. Jesus turns this assumption on its head and says to his disciples, You think that this suffering, that this blindness is a billboard for God's judgment and punishment. But I'm telling you that it's going to be a platform for God to display the kind of work that he's come into the world to do. Because here's the thing. If you have already decided, based on the external circumstances of somebody's life, what God thinks about them. or that God is judging them because of what they're going through. If you have already predetermined that, the one thing you won't do with that person is engage with them. See, if you believe that somebody's suffering as a result of bad karma, there's no basis for intervening in order to leave that because what you're interfering with is bad karma and therefore you're sowing bad karma yourself.

16:09 If that's what these disciples actually believe, that God's verdict is already in on this person. There is no basis for engaging with this person because otherwise they'll be intervening in the verdict of God. But if the opposite is true, that if actually these circumstances, no matter how difficult, no matter how tragic, no matter how much they might appear to be a punishment from God, if they're actually a platform for God to do his work, then there's every reason for engaging. And we can fall into this, can't we? Not necessarily with people who are suffering, but we can certainly as Christians be guilty of doing it with people we disagree with. People who maybe take diametrically opposed positions to us on social issues. people who might be on the other side of the so-called culture war.

17:14 And we can so easily allow, even people in our own family, what we see externally, the circumstances, the lifestyle, the Instagram feed, the choices, the sexuality, that might be so different to what you believe and so wrong in your eyes. We can allow those things to be an indicator of what we think God thinks of them. And if that is true, there's no basis for engaging. but if like Jesus said that those circumstances whatever they might be may not be an indication of God's judgment but a platform for God's work of rescuing people and turning them upside down and inside out through faith in Jesus then there is absolutely no external circumstance that can put a leash on our willingness to engage and cross the cultural divide and begin to engage these people with the light of God's gospel. That's why Jesus says in verse four and five, as long as it is day, we must do the work. We must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work.

18:22 And as long as I'm in the world, I am the light of the world. The lens through which we are to engage with people in our family, in our work, in our society is not through assumptions or judgments we make about them in relation to how different they are to us or how much we disagree with them. The lens is this. We must do the work of he who sent us because a day is coming when that won't be possible. But that day is not today. Today it is possible. Jesus is the light of the world. I carry the light within me because I have the gospel and I have the spirit of Jesus within me.

19:02 So it's time to get to work and start positively engaging. And that's what Jesus does because the next thing he does is to spit on the ground and make mud out of the dust of the ground and form it over this man's eyes and then tell him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. And it starts with an encounter that leads to someone whom the disciples have written off becoming someone they're going to share heaven with. we have no idea of the spiritual potential of the people around us do not let the outward circumstances of their life or their choices be indicative to you of what God thinks about them don't give up on people that God might be about to put his work on display to the world through thankfully Jesus's theology is much better than the disciples at this point and he is not held back by these self-righteous judgments and though John doesn't give us all the details of that encounter he tells us in verse 7 that Jesus miraculously gives this man sight for the first time in his life but did you notice how Jesus does it because we've already seen in John that Jesus doesn't need any means to do a miracle. All he needs to do is speak the word. In fact, in John chapter five, we saw a few weeks ago, Jesus deliberately didn't use any means. He didn't touch the pool because he wanted this man to realize that all the power of God was wrapped up in him.

20:50 God didn't need any means, but that's not what happens here in John nine. Jesus, John is really clear, sorry, that Jesus does use means in working this miracle. He, at one point, spits on the ground, makes clay, and anoints this man's eyes. He does, in a sense, a reenactment of Genesis chapter 2, where God takes the dust of the ground and forms human beings. And Jesus, in that sense, does exactly the same thing. He makes eyes for this man that can actually see. So Jesus uses raw materials to do this miracle. But even then, when he's anointed the man's eyes with mud, the miracle's still not done.

21:32 The next method in Jesus' miracle is to tell this man to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. Jesus doesn't go with him, but he does it. And John says he comes back seeing for the first time in his life. Jesus performs an incredible miracle in this man's life. But on this occasion, his method of doing it is to use raw materials and to tell this man to go and wash in the pool. Why? Why do the miracle this way if Jesus didn't have to? We've maybe heard the phrase, the end justifies the means, which is not true.

22:20 But often the end can help to explain the means. And the end for this man, this blind man, is not just receiving his physical sight, is it? That's done by verse seven. But John has another 34 verses to go with this guy. The end of this encounter is not this guy being able to physically see. That's just the beginning. The end is this man having the ability to see the reality of Jesus with his heart, with his mind, as the son of God. And as a result of that, falling before him in worship.

22:57 The end is seeing Jesus at a far higher level than just the physical. And what a contrast that is to John chapter five, where Jesus doesn't employ those methods. But the encounter ends with the man being physically healed. That's as far as he gets. And it's not a positive end. and Jesus says to him, stop sinning in case something worse happens to you. But if we follow the logic of what Jesus said to the man healed in chapter 5, then there is, according to Jesus, something worse than physical blindness. But perhaps the reasons Jesus' methods are so different than John chapter 9 is because there's something even better than physical sight.

23:45 There might be things worse than physical blindness. But there's also something better in terms of seeing than physical sight. And that's what Jesus is after in this man's life. John is explaining what it means for Jesus to be the light of the world. And what we see in this story is a man who encounters that light. And is enabled to see at the physical level. But he doesn't leave it at the physical level. He begins to walk in that light, to think about it, to investigate it, to ask questions about what that might mean for who Jesus is.

24:24 And he faces a lot of pressure and a lot of social isolation. But he's honest about what he is investigating. This man isn't able to see, but he's certainly able to think. And as he does, as he lives in that light, as he walks in that light, he discovers sight at a far more significant level. His eyes begin to open. And he begins to see reality. And what Jesus said would happen did happen. That he does not walk in darkness.

24:58 But he finds light that leads to life and eyes that are able to see it. In other words, coming to see with full conviction that Jesus is the Son of God is a miracle. It doesn't happen naturally. It's not something that this man can produce in the same way that he can't produce sight naturally. He can't produce physical sight. Seeing Jesus with full conviction as the Son of God is not the result of simply deductive reasoning or philosophy, no matter how good it might be. It requires a supernatural miracle, a revelation of God giving us eyes to see. That's what Jesus said to Peter when he confessed Jesus Christ.

25:43 Flesh and blood has not brought this about, but my Father in heaven has revealed it to you. But just because it requires a sovereign and supernatural revelation from God doesn't mean that God doesn't employ methods or means to bring that revelation about in a person's life or experience. It doesn't mean that we're just to sit around and do nothing and maybe God will one day arbitrarily give us sight and some people might not get that experience but there's nothing we can really do about it. That's not what happened with this man. Jesus, if I can put it this way, gave him an experiment to do. He anoints this man's eyes, who knows nothing about Jesus, who's not a Christian at this point, and he tells him to go and wash in the pool because Jesus knows that although this man's eyes aren't working, his mind is working and his moral judgment's working. And he gives this man the dignity of using that mind and moral judgment to decide, even at this immediate level of one simple command, to decide whether he's going to trust what Jesus says and walk in that light as best he knows. At one point, this man stands with mud covering his eyes and a command from Jesus to go and wash in the pool.

27:10 And he has a decision to make. Do I put Jesus' words to the test? Do I walk in the light of this promise, even if it's just out of curiosity or even just so that I can decide fully based on evidence that Jesus cannot be trusted at all. Do I trust Jesus even at this little level? He had no idea if it was going to work, but he's prepared to put Jesus' words to the test. And there are probably plenty of people along the way who thought he was crazy for even taking Jesus seriously at that little investigative level. But he's prepared to take the first Christianity explored course in history. To test the validity of one simple command of Jesus.

27:59 And he discovers when his eyes are opened. Something even bigger than just that he can see. He steps out of that pole. Not simply as a man who can see at a physical level. But he steps out of that pole as a man who can see. and who knows even just one simple thing, that there's something significant about Jesus. Because no one's ever done this before. That the miracle must mean something, and he's not prepared to leave it at just the healing.

28:34 Because John begins to show us the journey that this man takes in continuing to follow Jesus and walk in the light of his life and actions, thinking rigorously about what it means. He's not a Christian yet. He's not a follower of Jesus. He doesn't believe Jesus is the son of God. He's only certain about one thing. And he says that in verse 25. Whether he's a sinner or not, I don't know. But all I do know is this.

29:00 I was blind and he made me see. But that's enough to get started. He's agnostic about so much when it comes to Jesus. But he's not prepared to just settle for that agnosticism if there's more that can be known. he's prepared to think and explore and use his faculties to decide what's true and what's not and the context for that explanation is an interrogation with the Pharisees there's a really deliberate contrast or juxtaposition in this passage between a man who knows his blindness so well but is prepared to test Jesus' claim and work it out and those who claim to see better than all others, but are so full of pride and prejudice that they remain in total spiritual blindness and guilt. The Pharisees explore the same miracle as the man, but they aren't investigating it objectively or honestly.

30:08 They start from the position of being convinced that Jesus is a fraud, and even though they claim to be investigating it, All they're doing is an exercise in confirmation bias. Trying to look for reasons to confirm the position on Jesus they already hold. So although they're exploring what Jesus has done, they're doing so with eyes wide shut. So much so, that when this blind man begins to explore the weakness of their logic and position, simply by asking questions, And making rational observations, they resort to attacking him and to verbal abuse and to shutting him down. De-platforming and cancel culture has a long history. But the blind man couldn't be more different. All he knows is that Jesus gave him the ability to see. But he knows that that comes with the responsibility.

31:07 That if there's anything significant about Jesus, it is worth investigating. And that is what he does. And we see his progress. His eyes open along this passage as he engages and thinks more and more. All he knows is the fact that Jesus opens his eyes. But he wrestles with what that might mean. And then he begins to see him as a prophet. And then he begins to see him in the context of questions and criticism.

31:33 He begins to see that Jesus must be from God, that he can't be a sinner. And he's prepared to associate with Jesus. He still doesn't believe that he's the son of God. But he's prepared to be honest with the truth. And it's an honesty that costs him. Because it requires him to go against his family who know exactly who's been involved in this miracle. But they're not prepared to admit it because they're afraid of the social cost. This man's being honest with the truth.

32:08 And he's prepared to be rejected and misrepresented simply for being committed to what he knows is right. And that takes real courage. Remember my late friend Nabeel Qureshi talking about the kind of social cost and stigma of having grown up in a staunchly Islamic home. But when he began to look at the evidence for Jesus, He could not deny where the evidence was leading. And it cost him. It can be an extremely lonely experience, even just to be serious about investigating Jesus among people who want nothing to do with him. He's courageously honest with what he can see. And he's not going to deny that because this is not about tribes.

33:01 This is about the truth. and when everybody else rejects him Jesus comes to him and now he sees Jesus for the first time it's remarkable the amount that this man sees about Jesus before he actually sees him physically Peter says about Christians you love him you believe in him even though you've never physically seen him that's this man's experience he's got so far without the empirical evidence of physically seeing Jesus. But Jesus asks him a sincere question. He says, do you believe in the Son of Man? And he responds and said, who is he that I might believe in him? And Jesus phrases the answer very, very deliberately. He says, you have seen him and it is he who's talking to you.

34:02 that's not arbitrary jesus said to the samaritan woman in john 4 who no one would talk to who no one would engage with do you believe in the messiah i am he it is he who is talking to you and she realizes that the son of god is someone who's prepared to sit down and engage with her when nobody else will. And this blind man sees that the Son of God is a Messiah who's prepared to let himself be seen, to be known and discovered. And if that doesn't say something about the heart and the character of the God of the Bible, I don't know what does. This is a God who comes among us, who is prepared to talk and engage when others won't. And let us ask questions and explore. He's a God who's willing to let himself be seen without filters, to be considered and to be investigated. And despite our inherent spiritual blindness, he's willing to give us eyes to see him as he truly is. And as we follow the evidence, we can come to see what this man saw for the first time, that Jesus truly is the son of God.

35:27 and by believing you can have life in his name. One last thought. Jesus, at the beginning of this chapter, refused to allow the disciples to make a connection between the physical condition of blindness and sin and guilt. But now at the end of this chapter, Jesus does connect the two. Now he's talking about spiritual sight end of the chapter he says for judgment I have come into this world that those who may see that those who are blind may see and that those who claim to see may become blind that's the effect that the light of the world has on the people he encounters in this passage on the one hand this man receives his sight physically but far more importantly spiritually but on the On the other hand, Jesus' light has exposed the blindness of the Pharisees who claim to see the truth but have their eyes closed the whole time. And if Jesus truly is the Son of God, all that does prove about the Pharisees is how blind they are. And they get it because they turn to Jesus and say, "What, are we blind?"

36:48 And Jesus says this, If you were blind, you would have no guilt. But now that you say you see, your guilt remains. When talking about spiritual sight, Jesus does connect the issue of blindness and moral accountability. If you were blind, Jesus said, if you had no capacity to see whatsoever, you wouldn't have guilt. In other words, God will not hold people morally responsible for not seeing what they cannot see. That's a whole other talk. But they did have evidence. The light of the world came among them.

37:30 He talked to them openly and honestly like he did with Nicodemus. He demonstrated his power and authority. And people saw, but they wouldn't see it. They claimed to see the truth about Jesus. but they were determined not to let that light lead them to where it was ultimately going. And it's possible for us, even if we don't have the same hostility or antagonism with the Pharisees, it's possible for us to fall into the same trap. Because we have evidence too, loads of evidence. But it's possible for us as well, even though we have a mind that could engage with that evidence and think about it, to still decide that Jesus is not the Son of God.

38:23 Or even if you're not as going to say it as strong as that, to just think that Jesus is not worth the search. He's not that relevant. He's not worth that investigation. And that, whether we say it consciously and deliberately or not, that is to make a claim of sight when it comes to Jesus. and God won't hold us guiltless for what we do with his son. Could I encourage you to do what this man did, to make the experiment that if one person who stands out in seven billion is called Jesus, he's worth the investigation. He's worth exploring.

39:12 Even if it's just a curiosity stage. Even if it's just to have a basis for saying, you know what, I don't believe, but at least I can say I don't believe on the basis of what I've looked into, rather than just assumed. I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. It's a testable claim. Why don't you test it out this morning? Let's pray. Father, thanks for the opportunity to explore your word.

39:48 Thank you that you are the God who gives us sight. Pray that you would give us the same kind of courage, the same kind of intellectual honesty that this man has to do the investigation, to walk in the light of who you are, to test your claims and see what they do, And then make our judgment about who you are based on the evidence. Give us courage. Give us openness. Give us honesty. Give us willingness to follow in your light, knowing that it will lead to sight at the greatest level in Jesus' name. Amen.