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.
Matthew, Mark and Luke also report Jesus’ healing of this man. But whereas those three give a few verses to the miracle, John gives an entire chapter! So, what is
going on in chapter 9? We remember that it is John who makes all the parallels to the book of Genesis. John begins his gospel with words that explicitly draw us to the beginning pages of our bibles:
“In the beginning was the Word…all things were made through Him and without Him, nothing was made…It Him was life and the life was the light of men. And the light
shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
It should be noted that there is no account of the giving of sight to the blind in the OT, no such miracle performed by Moses or Elijah or Elisha. Nor is there any
such miracle reported in the NT as having been performed by the apostles after Pentecost. But there are more miracles of this type, giving sight to the blind, reported among the healing miracles of the Lord than of any other type of healing miracle.
In the Old Testament, giving sight to the blind was something that God alone could do and, further, something that the Messiah would do!
“Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.” [Isa. 35:5]
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight…I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind and to free captives from prison… [Isa. 42:7]
John is revealing to us Jesus the Messiah, and he intends something even more profound than just saying, “Yea, and Jesus healed blind folks too.” John is not asking
us to try and imagine being blind nor is our attention to be turned toward the man, we are not even given his name, or his family’s name. Who he is, and what happens to him subsequently are pieces of information with which John is little concerned.
We could spend time discussing the meaning of Jesus when he says in answer to the disciples question, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born
blind?’ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him…” The disciples assumed as did the friends of Job, that the reason for affliction is that the person sinned, or maybe a family sin is involved and
indeed there are those times in the bible where affliction, such as this, is the result of sinful behavior. But there are many other reasons God sends affliction, such as the perfecting of the saints, to promote loyalty and nearness to Christ, or for the testing
of our faith. Sin is but one reason that God might send affliction.
The Lord makes clear that the reason for this man’s affliction is so that the glory of God would be seen in him. He is to be a showcase for the work of God’s grace,
he is the evidence of what the Son of God is doing in the world. John is again showing us two kingdoms: There is light and there is darkness, there is sight and there is blindness, and these two worlds are in conflict, have been since the fall of man and will
be, until Jesus destroys sin once and for all. The world was created and it was dark and it had no power to change its own situation. The creation could offer no solution within itself with regard to its own emptiness, its own darkness. And then the One who
IS light, brings to the darkness, light itself.
God is again doing what he did at the beginning, interjecting himself into darkness, interjecting eternity into time, to do what only He can do, to bring light to
that which is bound in darkness. The bible makes it clear that the contrast between light and darkness is more than simply being able to physically see. It is the reality of the eternal kingdom of God that we are being asked to see, to understand and to participate
in.
The healing of this man, born blind is a look into the warfare of demons and devils against the Son of God. When Jesus hung on that cross, we find the creation revolting…the
earth shakes violently…and what do we read but that darkness covered the land in the middle of the day. Darkness seems to have won…But no…the light dawns on Sunday morning, at the break of day, the light comes, sending darkness scurrying away and yet, how
darkness wants for nothing but to put out the light.
There is nothing the enemies of heaven love more, if love can even be used by them, than to hate and oppose the light, even if at first it is just too dim the light.
So much so, that Satan himself will pose as an angel of light! Darkness must hate light, for the light threatens its very existence.
Darkness cannot exist, cannot do its will when there is light, therefore, darkness seeks to put out the light.
Therefore, we have a choice to make, to be light at home, at work, at the store, in any and every conversation. Or, we can give way to the darkness…but we cannot be
both. We must not fail to realize that darkness is set against the Christ and all who are obedient to Him…there is no neutrality, there is no compromise.
You might think, “What am I to do, the darkness is powerful?” The prophet Isaiah answers that question emphatically, Arise and shine!
But let’s continue to press the analogy that John is forcing upon us: In the beginning, at creation, there is a separation between light and darkness. The two cannot
be confused. Therefore, in Christ there is to be a separation between those who are light and those who are darkness; the two cannot be confused. Light is light and everyone knows it is light. If folks don’t know you are light, if you are not acting “light-like”
then there is an enormous problem.
And is that not what is seen in John chapter 9? In this text, don’t we see the darkness railing against the light? Does the darkness not want the light to be extinguished?
Will the darkness rest until it has thought to literally kill the light? Do you not see the devil in the Pharisees, hating the light, hating anyone who testifies to the light, hating anyone transformed by the light? We see the powers of hell, reeling as light
comes…as heaven comes.
Hell will ridicule, scoff and threaten. Darkness will hate and even try to get him to call the light, darkness. “Admit it, Jesus is a fraud, He is a sinner, give glory
to God and call Jesus a sinner.” That is what darkness says to you. “Ok, so you can see…but don’t get carried away with this whole Jesus thing… Just keep the light at home, in your book bag, you know, have it, but only if you need it…like on Sunday’s.
John does not intend to convey a grotesque cartoon figure to us by referring to darkness. He is using this common, everyday image to indicate the character of this
world’s opposition to God. He is showing us the true state of all men. He wants you to see that the man born blind is not the only blind man in the text. In fact, he is not even the main blind man in the text! Tomorrow morning, we will look at those who are
truly blind!
Prayer: Father of light, I pray that I would walk in the light of your mercy and grace so that Jesus Christ, the light of the world would shine through me to the glory
of my great God! Help me that I may not walk in the futility of darkness and deny who the Lord has made me, through Jesus Christ, Amen.
Song: Children’s Choir: Jesus is the Light of the World