The Works of God
Spiritual blindness is rampant today, just like it was in the times of Jesus. Sadly, the blind in spirit cannot see their need for sight. King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 4:18-19, “18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.”
Jesus used a powerful sign to display the works of God both in healing blindness and bringing the judgment of blindness to the seeing. Whether one’s sin is false religion like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day or the vileness of today’s wicked- may all the blind see and believe in Jesus before it is too late!
THE SEVEN SIGNS OF JOHN
- Changing water into wine (John 2:1-11).
- Healing the royal official’s son (John 4:46-54).
- Healing the paralytic (John 5:1-15).
- Feeding the 5000 (John 6:5-15).
- Jesus walking on water (John 6:16-21).
- Healing the blind man (John 9:1-41).
- The raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-45).
John 20:30-31, “30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
SERMON TEXT
John 9:1-41, “1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. 17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” 20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” 25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” 26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” 28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” 41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”
BREAKDOWN
- God didn’t directly cause evil (man did by his own free will) but rather He allowed it to exist so that His glory might be seen through Jesus’ good works (vs. 1-5).
- Jesus used dirt, similar to what He used to make Adam in the Garden of Eden, to heal the man’s blindness (vs. 6-7).
- God healed the man when he was obedient to Jesus and operated in faith (vs. 7-15).
- The same Jewish people that had been given Jesus problems in previous chapters troubled the man because they doubted he was healed and were mad the miracle happened on the Sabbath (vs. 13-17).
- When the Pharisees brought in the man’s parents they were afraid of what they would do to them but nonetheless they couldn’t deny that their son was born blind and was healed (vs. 18-34).
- During the interrogation the man boldly said to the Pharisees, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (v. 25)
- The Pharisees mistreated the man and threw him out but Jesus came to Him and revealed His identity (vs. 33-37).
- The man believed who Jesus said He was and worshipped Him (v. 38).
- Jesus rebuked the Jewish leaders in v. 39, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind,” and further exposed their spiritual blindness.
APPLICATIONS (DO’S & DON’TS)
- DO REMEMBER GOD IS GOOD: James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
- DON’T BE FREAKED OUT BY JESUS: Isaiah 55:8-9, “8 ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. 9 ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.'”
- DO WHAT JESUS SAYS: John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commands.”
- DON’T BE AFRAID OF PERSECUTION: Matthew 10:28-33, “28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 32 Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”
- DO BELIEVE AND WORSHIP JESUS: John 9:38, “Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him.”
- DON’T BE PRIDEFUL AND BLIND: Revelation 3:15-18, “15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”
The same power that can make the blind to see can make the seeing blind in judgment. Choose today to believe in Jesus and sing, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see.”