What Do You See?

We’re ready to complete the 9th chapter of the Gospel of John. Please read the chapter three times: once for your eyes, twice for your mind, and third for your soul.

Now what do you see?

Jesus’ Presence

Jesus did not just pass by as if He had never been there. His presence made a difference: a man born blind sees!

Jesus left the scene.

Now, no one could explain what happened. The neighbors, the people around the Temple, and even his parents knew he was the man. They could not explain how he could now see.

Maybe the religious leaders would have the answer. Wasn’t this done on the Sabbath? They thought that this was not right, so someone sinned. Surely, this was fake, and Jesus set this man up to lie.

The Truth

Not a lie. Not a fake.

The truth lies in the testimony of the man born blind. He could see what they could not. Listen to his testimony all the way through:

“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see…He is a prophet…Whether He is a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see… I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?… Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began, it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

This man was born blind, and now he could see. That alone should make us celebrate and praise God.

Blind leads the Blind

That’s not happening here. The Blind will always lead the Blind. The blind Pharisees were so prejudiced that they could not see that Jesus is the Messiah sent from God. They were not ignorant of the prophecies nor the word of God. Had they looked closer, they would have seen.

Prejudice and pride are sins that always blind even the most enlightened. So, instead of accepting the truth, they got rid of the “eyesore.”

They excommunicated him.

The man born blind did not change his testimony – he could not change it even for the religious leaders. They abused him, insulted him, and threatened him before ultimately kicking him out of the synagogue. This meant social isolation and economic disaster. What now?

Jesus Returns

It’s interesting to note that this man born blind was so inconsequential to the neighbors, passersby, and even the Pharisees that he remains nameless. But to Jesus, he was precious in His sight.

Jesus heard what had happened to him and found him. Not to get him back in the synagogue, but to reveal the truth: He was the one who healed him, and He is the Messiah.

Now we see the man born blind bring it all together:

“Who is the Lord, that I may believe in Him? Lord, I believe!”

Jesus’ presence makes all the difference in the world. Now this unnamed man, born blind but now able to see, worshiped Jesus Christ.

Sin blinds the eyes

Jesus must have watched with joy, for his next words tell us exactly what is going on here.

“For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may be made blind.” John 9:39 NKJV.

Some of the Pharisees witnessed this and still couldn’t believe it. They asked Jesus if He thought they were blind also.

So this chapter concludes with these words from Jesus: If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ There your sin remains.

Sin Blinds

Throughout this chapter, everyone is trying to identify who sinned: the parents, the man born blind, Jesus, or the Pharisees.

Sin is serious business. It separates us from God. Only the Lord knows the hearts and minds. He knows the sinner and the saved. We do not.

The worst mistake we can make is overestimating our spiritual condition. You can’t fake it until you make it. False confidence is a sin.

Jesus, in the end, answers the question as to who is sinning. Thinking we’re healthy when we’re walking in sin is surely a tragedy. The Pharisees were not only spiritually blind, but they were also sinning against God and did not know it.

In Conclusion

Why is this incident so central in the Gospel?

We do not know what ultimately happened to the man born blind. I can imagine that he left his hometown to follow Jesus. Was he there when others were healed? Was he there when Jesus was crucified, raised again, and ascended to the right hand of God? Was he there at Pentecost, and did he follow the disciples on their mission trail?

I don’t know. But one thing I do know: the presence of Jesus makes all the difference in the world. He comes to tell us that He is the One. Our experience is so intimate and personal that we can see what others cannot.

Once we were blind, but now we see.

Go ahead, read the chapter again. Now what do you see?