March 19, 2023
Pastor Gunnar Ledermann
John 9:1-7,13-17,34-39
John 9:1-7,13-17,34-39
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.
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.”
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.”
Have you seen my glasses? I have been looking for them all morning, but I have not seen them anywhere. Oh, thank you! They were on my head the whole time. I am so thankful when someone helps me see something I was missing. I am also thankful when someone fixes something for me. There are some things that are easy to find or fix, but other things are not easy.
Blindness is not easily fixed. Today there are some treatments for blindness, but to say we have cured blindness would be going too far. Blindness can be caused by a person’s genetics or result from unfortunate circumstances, which means there are many different treatments needed. In our Gospel reading from John 9, we hear about a man who was born blind. Jesus’ disciples wondered what caused the man’s blindness, so:
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.”
John 9:2-5
Jesus quickly corrected the disciples’ thought that a specific sin had caused the man’s blindness. Instead, the man’s circumstances gave Jesus the opportunity to perform a miracle. And this miracle was one of many proofs that Jesus was the Light of the world, the Savior. As with many of his miracles, Jesus took a unique approach as we continue reading in John 9, 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. We are not told why Jesus performed the miracle in this way. There are other instances where he simply spoke and a person was healed. We do know that in this instance, the blind man could not see Jesus, but would have heard Jesus spit and felt his fingers spread the mud on his eyes. The man also showed his trust in Jesus’ words by going to wash, and by listening to Jesus, he was healed. Jesus had done something impossible at the time and even by today’s standards by curing a man born blind, and this caused quite a stir among the people.
After, Jesus’ miracle was brought to the attention of the Pharisees, it caused a division. We continue reading in John 9:
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.
John 9:13-16
The Pharisees were told of the miraculous incident because they were the spiritual leaders. It was natural for the people to want an explanation as to what had happened. But the Pharisees did not agree because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. In their eyes, Jesus broke the Sabbath by working, but his work was good. So, some saw Jesus as evil for breaking the Sabbath, while others struggled to see how someone evil could do such a good thing for someone else. Plus, Jesus had not billed the blind man or his insurance. Nor had Jesus broadcast the healing to see how many likes it would get. So, the supposed spiritual leaders were blind to who Jesus was.
Spiritual blindness is unbelief. The Pharisees did not believe in Jesus, so they remained divided and blind to Jesus as their Savior. They had a different picture of the Savior in their minds and when Jesus did not match their picture, they rejected him. Even a clear, gracious miracle did not sway them. Instead, it fueled their blind hatred of him and eventually their hatred along with many others put Jesus on the cross. Spiritual blindness is unbelief, but you have been given spiritual sight. You have been given faith. You see Jesus as your Savior. But when asked what your Savior has done to save you, your answer may be blurry compared to the crystal-clear confession you have about other things in your life. Your sight may be blurry if you would fumble along with your response to someone who asked you to point to passages in the Bible or even recite Bible passages to back up your claim that Jesus is your Savior. Relying on recycled phrases or what someone told you about Jesus is dangerous if they stop being part of your life or if what they have told you does not match what the Bible says. You may be able to list the top athletes in hockey, baseball, basketball, football, tennis, swimming, CrossFit, etc. or the top musicians in country, pop, rock, R&B, etc. but not be able to list the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve disciples. And it is not that you need to know the twelve tribes or twelves disciples to get into heaven. The point is a heart that is satisfied with a faint, squinting view of Jesus from a distance straining to see him through a crowd of other things is in danger of losing sight of him. And God does not want you to lose your faith, which connects you to the Light of the world, the miracle worker, the one from God, the one without sin, your Savior Jesus.
Like the man born blind that Jesus cured, Jesus opened your eyes to see all the details of what he has done for you. While the Pharisees were divided about who Jesus was, 17 … 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.” 34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. Despite the Pharisees’ hostility and rejection of Jesus, the blind man remained confident in what Jesus had done for him. He also recognized Jesus must be from God to cure him of a lifetime of blindness. And Jesus wanted this man to see clearly who he was. We read again from John 9:
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.”
John 9:35-39
Here we see the reason Jesus came into the world. His miracles pointed to him as the Son of Man. He was the promised Savior who became a sinless human being. He was born what God wanted all of us to be. Jesus opened this man’s eyes to believe in him as the promised Savior of all people because all people, not just a few, are steeped in sin from birth. This man’s faith would grow as he saw the many details prophesied in the Old Testament come true in Jesus, which have been recorded for us in the New Testament. Jesus has opened your eyes to see all those details as well.
Each year we focus our eyes on the work Jesus did to save us. In the Advent season you heard that a greater King than David would be born to rule his people forever. At Christmas, the Savior King was born, and good news of great joy was proclaimed by the angels to the shepherds. During Epiphany, Jesus’ miracles proved he was the Chosen One and he shined with his own glory on the Mount of Transfiguration. And now in Lent, we see Jesus going to people like the Samaritan woman last week who was hopeless and without peace, and the blind man this week who begged for a living, and Jesus took the time to tell them he was their Savior. As this season of Lent ends, we will see all the details of Jesus’ betrayal, trial, beatings, crucifixion and burial. Your eyes have been opened to all of this to see that Jesus sacrificed his life for you to save you from your sins. He also puts you face to face with the empty tomb and his many appearances afterward showing he came back to life, and through him you will be resurrected to eternal life in heaven. Your faith is in the Savior who is alive and rules all things with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever, which we rejoice in every Sunday.
God always works out impossible situations to save his people. In our Old Testament reading from Isaiah 42, we see God’s grace to the people of a country worried it would be swallowed up by war, which you may be able to relate to. Isaiah served the Southern Kingdom of Judah at a time when the Northern Kingdom of Israel was decimated by the Assyrian Empire. Assyria threatened them as well, but God protected Judah and Jerusalem. But because of their sins, God would allow Babylon to overtake them. God allowed Babylon to punish Israel, but it was temporary. He made good on his word recorded in Isaiah 42 and allowed a remnant of the Israelites to return to rebuild Jerusalem, 16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. God did not forsake or abandon Israel to the devastation of losing a war or worse to their sins. He guided the blind with his light. God has not abandoned you to the situations of your life, nor has he left you in your sins. He has opened your eyes to see your Savior who cured you of your sins, who will give you eternal life in heaven and is with you as the Light as you walk through this dark world. God’s gift of faith is like getting a pair of prescription glasses. With faith you now clearly see your Savior Jesus. With the eyes of faith, you are encouraged to live in the light and avoid the darkness as we heard in our New Testament reading from Ephesians 5, 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. Like the man Jesus healed, look only to Jesus, and continue to discover what pleases God in Scripture. Also, as he stood his ground confessing confidently what Jesus had done for him, even when opposed by the Pharisees, hold on to Jesus when faced with opposition and you will remain on the side of goodness, righteousness and truth. After Jesus had finished his work to give the man his sight and assure him he had seen his Savior, the man worshiped Jesus. You were once spiritually blind, but now you join in worshiping because Jesus worked so that the blind may see. Amen.
