Download They meet the Master - A blind man meets Jesus

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-- Jesus heals a Man Born Blind
-- Spiritual Blindness
-- John 9:1-38
-- Sunday, July 17, 2016
--- THEY MET THE MASTER (Sixth Episode)
-- CCC
-- CA – 10
Main focus: How this blind man met the Master, saw Jesus, and came to believe … and how
we can meet him too, coming out of our blindness and believe.
Good morning! I’m intrigued by stories in the Bible about how “They Met the Master”, how
men and women had a life-changing encounter with Christ. It teaches us so much about them,
about Christ, and about us! Today we look at the episode of the healing of a man born blind
(John 9). This man had never witnessed a sunrise, or a sunset. He had never gazed off in
wonder into the star-studded night sky. He had never been amazed by the sight of a waterfall,
or marvelled at the beauty and intricacy of the plants or trees. It’s very instructive because the
Scriptures teach that we are all born spiritually blind and we all need the gift of Divine healing
in order to see the glory of God. The natural man knows nothing of the glory of God, or the
beauty of Christ, or the marvel of forgiveness and eternity. The gift of light and sight is ours
through Jesus, just like it was for this man born blind.
1) People with liabilities and sicknesses were considered cursed by God for some sin.
The Jewish disciples evidently shared this popular opinion. 2 And His disciples asked
Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” But it
didn’t make sense. If he was born blind, he had no chance to sin. It didn’t seem right
for be punished for a sin by being born blind. He had no chance to sin before his
punishment. So they reasoned, either God punished him before his sin, knowing what
he was going to do, or God punished him because of some sin of his parents.
2) Jesus had a larger and more comprehensive view of suffering and human tragedy. He
always does! 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents;
but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. Sometimes human
tragedy is the opportunity for God to display and demonstrate his compassion, His
power, and His glory. Be careful how you interpret your own, and other’s suffering.
We’re prone to misread human pain. God often has a different “take” on things.
3) Jesus seizes the opportunity to teach his disciples to “seize the day” (Carpe DIEM).
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We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming
when no one can work. 5 Night is coming when no one can work. If we could only see
how close we are to the end, we might be more inspired to “seize the day”. Jesus
dignifies his disciples and us by being co-laborers with Him. “We must work the
works of Him who sent me”. What a truth! Working with Jesus, doing the will of the
Father! With the blind all around us, needing Divine light.
4) What a strange way to heal! Why this methodology? 6 When He had said this, He spat
on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, 7 and said
to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away
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and washed, and came back seeing. Seizes Couldn’t Jesus have simply touched his
eyes, or simply spoken a healing word? Of course. So why this MO? Allow me to
suggest a couple of reasons.
a. Sometimes we need to humble ourselves before we can receive spiritual sight.
Perhaps this humbling process was meant to teach us that we should not
question God’s ways of healing. The cross may be offensive to some, but if it
works, why complain?
b. The word “Siloam” means “sent”. There is a rather significant number of
references to Jesus as the “sent one”. Could this be a play on words? Healing
and sight comes by the washing of the “sent” one!
5) What follows are a series of interviews, first with his neighbours and friends, secondly
with the Pharisees. The neighbours were skeptical about whether or not he was the
same one they had seen begging for years. The Jews were skeptical about the Divine
nature of this apparent miracle because it was done on the Sabbath. In some of their
minds, this healer was breaking the Sabbath by healing, and certainly that meant that
he wasn’t from God, for God ordered the Sabbath to be kept, not broken by a work of
healing. They try and discredit the healing, by interviewing the blind man, raising
questions about whether he was truly born blind by brining in his parents, and then reinterviewing the blind man. The blind man gives a crystal clear testimony of his
healing and has some provocative questions for the religious establishment. He ends
up being expelled.
a.
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We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know
where He is from.” 30 The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is an
amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my
eyes. 31 We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing
and does His will, He hears him. 32 [d]Since the beginning of time it has never
been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man
were not from God, He could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were
born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So they put him out. being
expelled. The phrase “they put him out” may mean simply that they dismissed
him, but since verse 22 clearly refers to the decision of the Jesus to
excommunicate from the synagogue any who confessed faith in Jesus, it is
quite likely that this man was excommunicated. The religious establishment
barred, excluded and removed this man from the religious community,
inflicting upon him the disgrace, shame, humiliation and embarrassment of
being shunned by the religious community.
b.
6) This is where we want to pick up the story again. 35 Jesus heard that they had put him
out, and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered,
“Who is He, [e]Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have both
seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” 38 And he said, “Lord, I
believe.” And he worshiped Him.
a. The attitude of Jesus towards this blind man, now healed, is truly remarkable.
Notice the particular compassion and interest Jesus demonstrates towards this
man.
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i. We see this right from the outset of the story. Verse one of our text
reads. 9 As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. Jesus saw
him. The initiative is with Jesus, not the blind man.
ii. And now, after the excommunication, we read “35 Jesus heard that they
had put him out, and finding him, He said, …”. He didn’t just happen
to bump into him. He went out and searched for him until He found
him. That’s grace. Put out by the religious establishment but sought
out by Jesus. Excommunicated by men of God, but sought out and
embraced by God.
b. He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “Who is He,
[e]
Lord, that I may believe in Him?”
i. This blind man still doesn’t have the full picture. He’s been healed, he
knows it was by “the man they call Jesus” (11) but he’s obviously not
fully informed about who has healed him, and about what’s really going
on.
ii. So when Jesus says “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He
answered, “Who is He, [e]Lord, that I may believe in Him?” He wants to
believe, but he’s unaware of what’s really going on, about who Jesus
really is.
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c.
Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking
with you.” 38 And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him.
i. Jesus clarifies who HE is, and that’s enough.
ii. He believes.
iii. He worships.
7) The evolution of faith in this blind man.
a. It’s fascinating to track the development of faith in this blind man.
i. He refers to his healer as “the man who is called Jesus” (11)
ii. When asked by the religious establishment, he refers to him as a
prophet (17)
iii. In his dialogue with the Jews, he reasons “sinner or no, I don’t know.
One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.” (25)
iv. He reasons with the Jews that this man must be God-fearing (31)
v. He also affirms that Jesus must be “from God” (33).
vi. But all of that is not going far enough for saving faith. It’s finally when
Jesus fully reveals Himself to him that he confesses his faith: And he
said, “Lord, I believe.”
vii. And he worshiped Him.
CONCLUSION: -
I mentioned at the outset that this man, in a sense, represents us all. All of us are born
blind, spiritually. We all need the “healing” touch of Jesus. The Bible clearly teaches
that the god (small g) of this world has blinded the eyes of them which believe not (Ii
Cor. 4:4). Just as Jesus touched this particular blind man, he can touch and give you
spiritual sight.
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
Sometimes there is an evolution in our belief process. Like this blind man, we go
through a process of understanding of who Jesus is before we come to a clear and
compelling conviction that Jesus is truly Divine and worthy of our full belief,
obedience and worship. Where in this belief process are you? Have you come to that
culminating point where you recognize that Jesus is indeed Deity and worship of your
unswerving belief, obedience and worship?