Are You Blind?

Jesus gives us a tangible example between someone that knows they are blind and someone who thinks they can see.

[John 9]

⁹Then Jesus told him,^[d] “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see^[e] that they are blind.” (John 9:9 NLT)

Which one are you?

Check out the details of the major characters of this story:

1.The details about the man:

a man who had been blind from birth (v.1)
So the man went and washed and came back seeing! (v.7) (obeyed Jesus!)
“c. Yes, I am the same one!” (v. 9) – he was so changed people didn’t recognize him
¹¹He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!” – he shared what happened (v.15 too)
12- “I don’t know,” he replied. – honest about his situation (where is Jesus)
17 The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.” (honest and incomplete opinion of Jesus)
²⁵“I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” – I don’t understand your theology but I can tell you what He did for me.
²⁷“Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” – Mr. sarcastic I’m not playing your games. (and v.30
³⁴“You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” (v.33 – explaining what he knows) And they threw him out of the synagogue. (questioning authority. Speaking honestly)
36 - The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” – all of this happened BEFORE he even truly trusted in Jesus…

³⁸“Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus. – belief comes later

Details about the other people in this story

Disciples
1. “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” v. 2. - Asking a religious question based on a false assumption…. Or reading it as if they think they can see, asked Jesus a simple question based on something they read in the Bible

Neighbors and Others
1. His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”
2. ¹⁰They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”
3. They labeled the man by his condition (couldn’t see him any differently)… Or reading it as if they think they can see They knew who this man was and how to deal with him.

Pharisees
1. ¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” – judges people based on their visible actions
  1. Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.
2. “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?” – wants to catch all the people that disagree with them and tell them they are wrong.
3. “God should get the glory for this,^[b] because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”… as much as jesus claimed to be God they did not have a category for it.
4. ²⁶“But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?” – cared more about what rules someone was breaking than what God was doing.
5. ²⁸Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! ²⁹We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.” – stood on their scriptures.
6. ³⁴“You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” - know it all. We can’t learn anything! You are the sinner.
7. And they threw him out of the synagogue. –. Get away from me.
8. ⁴⁰Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?” – continued hard heart
9. As if they can see…Able to discern if someone is doing the right or wrong thing. Kept the focus on God for He deserves all glory. Focused on upholding the principles of the Word of God and stands on the authority of Scripture. They protected the religious community from allowing someone who actively promoting sin to be a part of it.

Parents of man
1. ²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue.
2. They were afraid of getting in trouble so they said the politically correct thing to say. …. Or reading it as if they think they can see …They knew how to behave in order to keep their good standing within the religious community.

Given these two scenarios… which one do you want to be?

Conclusion:

Without Jesus, all we are left with is subjective morality. Ailments are a result of sin or bad choices. So, we must figure out what is sin. Can we avoid sin? We need the answers to these questions so that we can make sure our life is better by avoiding the sins that make things bad. We also learn how to manage sin so that its effects don’t impact our lives.

With Jesus – he makes us see!