Classic
This is a
classic chapter in the Gospel of John, although it is admittedly not a chapter
that is taught very often. Here we have
all of the classic interactions between Jesus and the world. Jesus teaches His disciples. We also have Jesus teaching the willing but
the uninformed (blind man). We have the
wrongly informed (Jewish leaders) mocking the newly informed (blind man). We have Jesus teaching the unwilling and
wrongly informed (Jewish leaders). We
have the wrongly informed (Jewish leaders) putting fear into the weak minded
(blind man’s parents). In the end, we
ultimately have the classic rejection of truth (Jewish leaders). Indeed, this is a classic chapter in the
Gospel of John.
The Healing
Let’s
start where the chapter starts. Jesus is
with His disciples. They see a man born
blind, so they ask Jesus about sin. In
those days – much like today – people believed that bad things happen to people
because they deserve it. Jesus teaches
them differently. It isn’t sin that
brought about this man’s condition – well, it’s not a specific sin from the man
or his parents, at least. Simply living
in a world corrupted by the touch of original sin is enough to bring about bad
things. Sometimes bad things just happen
and they aren’t the result of any specific evil.
So Jesus
plans on using this point to teach a lesson – and it is a lesson far too few
Christians actually learn. The presence
of bad things does not have to be viewed as evil in our life. A bad thing can be viewed as an opportunity
for God to demonstrate His grace to us.
Bad things can be an opportunity for God to be glorified. That doesn’t mean that God plans or desires
the bad things at all. But it does mean
that He is willing to take the bad things in life and use them for His
plan. All we need to have is the proper
perspective. As they say, perspective is
everything.
So Jesus
heals the man. Think about this for a
second. Had the man not been born blind,
would he have had this experience with Christ?
Had the man not been in a position of needing Christ, would he have been
as open and as sensitive to the presence of Christ as he is while being
blind? I’m not saying the man was born
blind so that Jesus could work this miracle.
What I am saying is that this man’s condition is actually a blessing in
his life because it is something God can use to reveal His glory. As I said, it’s all about perspective. Humanity can learn much about learning to
appreciate adversity, suffering, and unfortunate events. I’m not saying it’s easy; but I am saying
that God often brings about incredible good from events in our life that seem
quite bad at the time.
Before The Religious Elite
At this
point the man is brought before the Jewish leaders. The Jewish leaders look straight past the
miracle and get angry at Jesus. Never
mind that a person who once was blind can now see; all they see is that Jesus
“worked” on the Sabbath. Again,
sometimes perspective is everything.
Human beings are really good at seeing what they want to see instead of
seeing what God is really doing.
Fortunately,
there are a few who realize that if Jesus was such a sinner that He wouldn’t be
able to work incredible miracles through the power of God. Although many of the Jewish leaders do not
see, at least a few are willing to try and perceive. Thank goodness that there are the Nicodemuses
and the Josephs of Arimathea out there.
The Simple Parents and Their Poor Perspective
Then the
parents of the blind man get involved.
The Jewish leaders don’t believe the blind man’s testimony, so they call
in his parents. Here’s where the fun
begins. Notice how afraid the parents
are of the Jews. They don’t want to do
anything that might result in them being shunned from their community. They take no stance whatsoever. Peer pressure and power are horrible social
dynamics when used by the unscrupulous and the “blind.”
At the
same time, I don’t really want to cut the parents any slack, either. They display the typical human knack of
“passing the buck.” They could have
said, “Yes, he was born blind.” They
could’ve stood up for their son. They
could’ve stepped forward in faith and used this unfortunate incident of
examination as a great first step in faith.
But they don’t. They tuck their
tails. To use a war analogy, they sink
deep into their foxhole and keep their heads low. This is clearly a missed opportunity for
them. They could have been known as the
parents who stepped out and supported the faith of their son. Instead they will be remembered as the
parents who hung their son out to dry to save their own social status. I know that sounds a bit harsh, but that is
precisely what happens in this part of the story.
The Blunt Blind Man
A second
time the blind man is called in to see the Jewish leaders. This time, he is prepared. The blind man is able to stand up to their
questions with more strength. He
confesses that he is not qualified to speak to Jesus’ status of
sinfulness. When the Jewish leaders
press in on him, he snidely asks if they are so curious about Jesus because
they want to become Jesus’ disciples.
When they recoil in horror, the blind man continues the assault by
telling them how ironic it is that the man who was once blind can see Jesus for
who He is while those who can see are proving how spiritually blind they
actually happen to be. What an
incredible step in bold faith. Clearly
this blind man did not learn this from his parents; this is a part of the man
that is changed through an encounter with the living God in the form of Jesus
Christ!
Notice
that he is cast out. I seem to recall
Jesus speaking fairly frequently about the world’s desire – or lack thereof –
to endure truth. Here we see it again.
Jesus Comes
When the
man is cast out on account of his faith, notice who it is who comes to his
side: Jesus. He does not abandon
us. He does not forsake us. When the world forsakes us because of Him, He
is there. What a powerful testimony to
the ability of Jesus to come to us in our moment of need!
Finally,
we have a minor confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish leaders. Notice that Jesus is bold. His time is quickly approaching. It is time to profess truth and not hold
back. Jesus tells the Jewish leaders
that if they are so bold as to claim that they can see, then they are also able
to be held accountable for their actions.
Their guilt remains. Conflict is
imminent.
John 9:39
I’m going
to leave with one final thought – and this thought is completely separate from
the rest of the thoughts that I have in this post. We often hear John 12:47 quoted, which is
where Jesus says, “for I did not come to judge the world but to save it.” We hear that lifted up again and again as
proof of God’s “universal” love. {I put
universal love in quotes there because many people use that quote in an effort
to express some kind of thought along the lines of universal salvation.} Yet, we seldom if ever hear John 9:39
quoted. Here Jesus says, “For judgment I
came into this world, that those who do not see may see and those who see may
become blind.” Isn’t it interesting how
we as human beings gravitate towards the words of Jesus that promote feelings
of peace and reduce our internal angst?
Isn’t it interesting that we gravitate towards words that allow us to
focus anywhere except for the reality that one day Jesus will judge the world?
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