The Blind Man

3/14/10 John 9

The Blind Man

Have you ever experience temporary blindness?  It could have been a result in being in a place that was draped with darkness or it could have been you pupils took in more light than is allowable in a moment.  Blindness puts a person at a disadvantage in many respects.  A blind person is dependent upon many things in order to get along in life. 

Jesus has just left the temple as people were seeking to kill Him and as He was leaving He noticed a blind man and the disciples that were with Jesus ask whose sinned this man or his parents to cause this blindness.  It was a popular teaching that any suffering that a person experienced was a result of sin.  There are times when sin results in suffering, but this is not exclusively so.  In fact here is a verse that I was reminded of the other day.  (Ex 4:11)¹¹The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 

Jesus has said in this chapter and the last that “I am the Light of the World” (John 8:12, 9:5).  Jesus provides light about the spiritual realities for those who follow Him.  Here in John 9 Jesus also demonstrates that He is able to provide physical sight to this man who had been born blind.  The reason for his blindness is not because of sin but that the works of God might be displayed in him.  Jesus heals the man’s physical sight so that the Pharisees might see this as a work of God and have spiritual sight to see and know that Jesus is the Christ.

 Unfortunately, the Pharisee are so spiritually blind that their concern is that one of their laws was broken and could careless that a man born blind can now see.   They were determined to prove that Jesus was not from God, because He broke the Sabbath.  The Pharisees are so tied up with their traditions and regulations that they cannot see Jesus for who He is “the Light of the World.”

We can pray for others who have been blinded by sin and have not seen “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor 4:4).  We can also pray that God who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” will be the One who will shine in their hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Cor 4:6).