02.09.2014 I was Blind, but Now I See

2.09.2014 I was Blind, but Now I See from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

We are looking at John 9 today – the story of Jesus healing a blind man – there is a famous line in it – I was blind, but now I see…
We are skipping 7-8 – because there is only so much time. The chapters are conflict and debate with the religious leaders – Jesus goes to the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths – and this conflict is completed in John 9 with the healing of the blind man.
John 9:1 As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.
This section is almost comedic – if you read it with a slight twist of your head, it can be humorous. First – they walk by a blind man and ask this question – WHO SINNED?! Him (in the womb, he was blind from birth) or his parents? The question is one of theological curiosity – no compassion for the blind man. Blindness in Jesus’ day was a significant issue. There were many blind people. Some are born blind; others become blind because of disease or even something as simple as an eye infection – they didn’t have antibiotics in those days!
The question reflects the common thinking of the day – this is just the way people thought. One writer calls it ‘Folk Theology’ – taking common thinking (and it wasn’t all wrong or bad – the Jewish people believed that if something bad happened, it was because of sin – judgment because of sin). Part of that is true – Sin DOES cause judgment.
Exodus 34: 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
God WILL judge sin; There will be consequences for sin. But they have taken a general truth in scripture and applied it to very specific circumstances. They have focused on one truth and made it an over-riding truth. It is careless to apply a basic principle to specific circumstances and situations.
DA Carson – Speaking of what the disciples have done – “When they do that they go beyond the Biblical evidence that a specific illness or experience of suffering can be the consequence of a specific sin, few would deny. That is invariably so, numerous Biblical texts flatly deny.”
When a catastrophe happens – like Katrina, people got up and said it was God’s judgment on New Orleans.
If this were true – if God were to judge every city, every city would be laid flat – and even some small towns!
We tend to take one narrow view and apply it to lots of things.
Prov. 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
A lot of times, kids in a Christian home grow up to be Christians – BUT! Here is the folk religion – When a child of Christian parents grows up and rejects Christianity, we tend to judge the parents – they must not have trained the child in the way he should go!
That is unBiblical in so many ways – we have to take into account other Biblical truths. We are all masters of selective theology! We apply passages that fit our comfort zone and ignore those that don’t – and we do that to protect our way of thinking.
With the child who rejects Christianity – there are all kinds of passages about salvation that don’t involve parenting – it is the grace of God – God has to do it! And there is freedom to choose or reject Jesus – no one has the ability to change that freedom. There is simply freedom.
This is what the disciples are doing with this question.
There is something else they are doing – they have ‘emotionally unhealthy spirituality. There is a lack of genuine faith with the disciples. When they ask this question – partly, what they are doing – we have a deep need for certainty. We want to see a situation – like where someone is suffering – say someone loses everything – and we want to go back to – certain reasons why that happened so that it won’t happen to me – so that I can avoid what took place.
This person is blind – it must be his sin – that way, I won’t have suffering if I avoid certain sins.
Another theologian said, “Whatever the case may be – the inevitable question – whose sin?— springs from human anxiety to secure ... to insure themselves that they live in a just predictable orderly world – if a sin can be identified for such a misfortune, then they (or we) can rest easier.”
If we can justify it, we are off the hook.
In reality – I think it is just wishful thinking.
After they ask the question…
He answers, “Neither! You’ve got it all wrong!” – and then He focuses on two things – born blind that the acts of God may be revealed through him. He will reveal the work of God – and He makes it clear what that is – God’s compassion and healing.
Suffering exists, but God will engage those who suffer with compassion and power. This is a reality – suffering exists - but God will engage those who suffer with compassion and power.
We need to not turn this into selective theology – not to think that whoever is sick is going to be healed to display God’s compassion and power. That power does not mean that everyone who gets cancer will be healed of cancer. In fact – the reality is true – we will all eventually die. The predominant thinking of suffering in the New Testament – when those who bear suffering with grace, faith, and faithfulness. When we see someone bear tragedy with these things – grace, patience, faith – we all think – I couldn’t do that if it happened to me – and you know what – neither can they – apart from the grace and power of God.
Night is coming when no one should work. Where is God when people suffer and hurt? Jesus is asking – where are you? Why aren’t you doing something – why aren’t you engaged?
To paraphrase John Piper - We are to engage and relieve suffering of all kinds – especially eternal suffering – that is what we have been called to.
The night is coming – the light in the darkness – as long as we are in the world, we are the light of the world – bringing light through acts of mercy, justice, compassion and bringing the gospel.
Jesus brings up the cross – the time is short – get down to kingdom work.
5 While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” 6 When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing.
You read that and think – what is the mud and saliva deal? There are a million different theories, so I won’t give you any of them. My theory is this – it has nothing to do with mud and saliva, but the guy listened and did whatever Jesus said – and it is the word of Jesus that healed the man!
Now the man is interrogated four different times by four different groups:
8 Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?” 9 Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.”
It keeps showing – he has been doing this since childhood – and they really didn’t care/pay attention/engage with this man’s life – to the extent that you are not sure if it is really the guy? Then…
He kept saying, “I am the one.”
The geek in me comes out when the Bible does this. Jesus leaves for 27 verses – this is the most he is ever gone in this gospel – and the man says – I am the one. You could guess – those two words about Jesus – I AM – and this is not “I am the one” he is saying “I am” – the exact same word. Jesus leaves – this man is healed – he has this powerful testimony – and for 27 verses, he is Jesus’ witness – His representative to the world. Now John is writing this and telling us – we are the representatives to the world. Like the saying – you might be the only Jesus someone sees…
10 So they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is He?” He *said, “I do not know.”
13 They *brought to the Pharisees the man who was formerly blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such [b]signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they *said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”
It is like he is saying – what is wrong with you people?! I was blind for so many years and you are asking me theological questions?!
18 The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, 19 and questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” 20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. 23 For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
What a powerful testimony – I don’t have a lot of theology – I don’t know what you discuss in your philosophies – but I know one thing – I was blind and now I see.
26 So they said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?”
This is cutting – they are fuming! They are angry with him – they heap insult on him!
28 They reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.” 30 The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes.
The man has a lot more theology than we realize – the sign goes back to promises about the Messiah – the blind will see! You don’t know where He is from? You are religious leaders! You have memorized the Old Testament! Read it! It is all there!
31 We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. 32 Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So they put him out.
Excommunicated.
35 Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” 38 And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him.
This is what happens when one is converted – this is about receiving spiritual sight – this blind man was blind to the truth – and he goes from ‘sir’ to ‘Lord’ – to master – God becomes master and lord of our lives and the object of our devotion. That is what it means to be converted.
So many have a respect for Jesus – but they have never gotten to the point where they went from ‘sir’ to ‘lord’ to make Him master of their lives.
39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” 40 Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but [f]since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.