I once was blind, but now can see

John 09: 13-23

¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. ¹⁴Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. ¹⁵Therefore 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."

¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath."
But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided.

¹⁷Finally 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."

¹⁸The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. ¹⁹"Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?"

²⁰"We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. ²¹But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." ²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ^a]">[a] would be put out of the synagogue. ²³That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

I Content

1. They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. (v13)
2. Pharisees doubted, and therefore kept asking questions, leading to a quarrel. (v14-17)
3. The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents (v18-19)
4. The parents were afraid of the Pharisees, afraid that they will be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, they tried to relinquish their responsibility. (v20-23)

Theme:

1. I once was blind, but now can see.
2. Four different types of responses
3. To be blind hearted is much worse than to be physically blind

II Who’s God, Jesus and Holy Spirit?

1. Jesus opened the blind man’s eyes (He has the power of healing) (v14)
2. Jesus healed the man on Sabbath (He recovers the true meanly of Sabbath) (v14-16)
3. Jesus, the prophet. (v17)
4. Jesus, rejected by the Jews. (v22)

III What are the lessons to be learned (Command, Promises, Role Model, Rebuke, Warning)?

1. Recovering a lost spirit

The day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath (v14).

Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." (v16)

Jesus often performed acts of healing and benevolence during the Sabbath. Yet, these acts angered the Pharisees and the religious leaders. All of these people rebuked Jesus, saying that he did not follow the laws of Moses, that he was a sinner.

In fact, the one that was at fault was not Jesus, but rather the religious leaders. They followed the laws given to them to the letter, yet because of their rigidity, they’ve lost their freedom, love and the original spirit of the law. Not only did they not find joy in the fact that the blind man was healed, they actually used the passages of the law to question and to pursuit Jesus, falsely accusing him. On the surface, they seemed to be trying to uphold the law. In reality, they had already lost the true spirit behind those laws. Whether or not one is allowed to perform work during the Sabbath was of no concern for Jesus, for he was the lord of the Sabbath. All Jesus did, he did so in order to return the true spirit of the Sabbath.

Reflection: In my own life of faith, including faith, love, hope, passion, commitment to God, etc. Are any of these just becoming like a routine, have they lost their original spirit and intent?

2. Blind hearted and blind sighted

Although the man was physically blind, his heart was not blind. He had personally experienced the awesome power of Jesus’ healing. Although he was constantly being questioned and interrogated, he was not afraid. Instead, courageously told all of his own experiences and proclaimed that Jesus was a prophet.

The Pharisees and the religious leaders, on the other hand, although they can see and hear just fine, their hearts had been obscured. Their hearts had become blind, and that was more tragic than being physically blind.

Reflection: Although I can physically see and hear, but what about my heart? Do I really believe in Christ? Do I really understand the Truth told by the gospels? Or am I like the religious leaders and Pharisees in the past?

3. Four types of responses

Regarding Jesus’ act of healing on the man blind since birth, there are for different types of reactions coming from four different kinds of people.

1. The blind man’s neighbors: they were amazed, argued amongst themselves and ultimately brought this man before the Pharisees.
2. The Pharisees: in order to preserve their own authority and benefit, they refused to believe in Jesus. Furthermore, they even prevented others from believing.
3. The blind man’s parents: although they believed in Jesus, their fear towards the Pharisees caused them to shy away and cut off all responsibilities.
4. The blind man: he obeyed and believed in Jesus, thus he received blessings. Furthermore, he told others of his blessings.

Reflection: If this even was to happen to me, which character would I be?

4. The quarrelsome Pharisees

Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." (v16)

The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. (v18)

Already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. (v22b)

Back in the day, all the things that the Pharisees and the religious leaders did were topics of discussions amongst the people. Regarding the event of the healing of the blind man, these leaders knew the details better than anyone else. Yet, they insisted on interrogating any and everyone involved in this event, including the once-blind man and even his parents. Worst of all was the fact that the Pharisees and the religious leaders misused their authority to prevent people from believing in Jesus. They decided amongst themselves to put out any and all those who believed in Jesus from the synagogue. Such an act is an example of someone who only thinks of his or her own benefit.

Reflection: When I’m dealing with other people, to only think about my own benefits without regards for right or wrong?

5. The Apprehensive and Irresponsible Parents

The parents of the blind man lacked of moral courage. They were fearful of the wicked and were to testify to the truth. They knew full well that Jesus healed their son. Yet they were so afraid that they would be put out of the synagogue that they declared: “But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age.” This is a typical example of people who are fearful of the wicked and who consider only their own safety and benefits.

Reflection: What are my principles when dealing with people or with matters?

IV Prayer and Application

Translated by 李凱平