Oh Lord! I believe!

John 9:35~41

35Jesus 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."

37Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."

38Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

39Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."

40Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?"

41Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

I. Message:

Content:

1. Jesus heard that they had thrown out the blind man that was healed. (v. 35a)
2. Jesus helped the blind man that was healed to get to know Him better. (v. 35b~38)
3. Jesus announced what He will do in the future. (v. 39)
4. Jesus points out the sins of the Pharisees while answering their question. (v. 40~41)

Themes:

1. Oh Lord! I believe!
2. Proper eyesight; spiritual blindness

II. Who is God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit?

1. Jesus Christ, the Son of God (v. 35)
2. Jesus Christ, worthy of our trust (v. 35~38)
3. Jesus Christ, judge of the world (v. 39)

III. What does the passage teach us (about commands, promises, examples, exhortations and warnings)?

1. Rejected by men; accepted by the Lord

This blind man that was healed got thrown out by the Pharisees because he chose to testify to the Lord faithfully based on his moral courage and conscience in faith. However, Jesus approached and accepted him to teach him and to help him know that Jesus is the Son of God.

Most faithful servants of the Lord will face sacrifices including the loss or misunderstanding of close and loved ones. However Jesus does not abandon us and will bless us even more with new revelations.

Reflections: do I have enough courage and faith to hold on to the end when faced with tough challenges in faith?

2. Knowing Jesus one step at a time

Looking back at the string of events, we understand that this man got to know Jesus one step at a time. The way he called Jesus developed in this order: a man (9:11), a prophet (9:17), God sent (9:33) and the Son of God (9:35~39)

Even though we have inadequate understanding of Jesus due to our limited wisdom, as long as we believe and obey, the Lord will help us and lead us to know Him more through deeper revelations.

Reflections: how much do I know Jesus? Is He a man (hero) or prophet or God sent or the Son of God?

3. Revealing right from wrong; sin due to one’s own downfall

Jesus revealed to this blind man that was healed that He is the Son of God and came to this world to judge. Judgment is different from condemnation; it shows the discernment of right from wrong. Jesus said He did not come to condemn the world. (John 3:17)

However, the world’s acts and reception of Jesus lead to this judgment. “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (John3:19) Therefore sin is not a label added upon by Jesus; sin originates from our words, deeds and attitude towards Jesus (belief or unbelief). Jesus’ role is like light revealing darkness.

Reflections: can I be accountable to my words and deeds as these are plainly exposed to the public?

4. Proper eyesight, spiritual blindness

In this passage, the Pharisees claim to be able to see but rejected Jesus. In fact, they are spiritually blind, unable to see their weaknesses, their sins, the divinity of Jesus and salvation. Therefore, on a spiritual level, they are blind.

In contrast, this blind man that was healed knows his weaknesses, sins and need of salvation. This kind of people has proper spiritual eyesight as they encounter Jesus and receive His blessings.

Reflections: am I spiritually blind?

5. Physical and spiritual healing

The blind man that was healed believed and obeyed and received physical healing. Moreover, because of this man’s integrity and his courageous witness of the Lord, Jesus got closer to him and told him that He is the Son of God. The man did not only believe but worshipped Jesus immediately.

It’s clear that this man received salvation. Therefore he received both physical and spiritual healing.

Reflections: do I long for both physical and spiritual healing? Did I have such experience?

Translated by 顏偉哲