Seeing Jesus (2)
John 9
What
we we see in John 9:10-11 is that when asked how his eyes had been
opened the man's reply was “A man called Jesus” and in
John 9:12, in response to the question where is he?, the man's
reply was “I don't know.”
What a tragedy we have here that a man can be freed from his blindness and yet not know who it was that healed him, “A man”, “I don't know”. I would like to suggest that it is possible to be saved from a life of spiritual blindness and yet not know the source of the miracle.
What a tragedy we have here that a man can be freed from his blindness and yet not know who it was that healed him, “A man”, “I don't know”. I would like to suggest that it is possible to be saved from a life of spiritual blindness and yet not know the source of the miracle.
Let's
move to a different perspective for a moment. These people, this
man's neighbours, those who were questioning him, decided to take him
to the religious leaders and what we see when we read John 9:13-16
is that these men are so full of their own importance and are so
blinded by religious rhetoric, that they write Jesus off by saying he
can't be from God because he healed on the Sabbath (equating healing
with working).
What the Pharisees failed to recognise is that when dealing with the spiritual there are no boundaries of time or segments of days or weeks. When faced with the reality of a man born blind who can now see the Pharisees are divided, and rather than give God the glory, they continue to try to get answers for their own unbelieving hearts by reasoning away the miraculous work of God now evident in this man. I hope that we are not so blind?
The truth is we can never know the spiritual dimensions of life unless we have had spiritual experiences. These religious leaders thought they were spiritual but in fact when faced with reality were floundering and trying to explain away the truth, the truth that “this man Jesus” was in fact a man sent from God and indeed was God in man.
The Pharisees listened with intent to the people, the friends and neighbours of the healed blind man and weighed up there position. Here was a man going about breaking the religious law by healing on the Sabbath day, the day traditionally held as the day of rest, a day that was set in stone in Jewish custom as a day that “man” should set aside as a day to contemplate God and His creation. What Jesus is demonstrating here is that God can and should be glorified on every day of the week, not just as a ritual on one day of the week.
When asked by the church leaders about his healing the healed man says “he is a prophet” John 9:17. In his mind it is becoming clear that this Jesus is no longer just “a man” John 9:11 he is more than that and the next best description he can muster on the spot is “he is a prophet”. What we are beginning to see is the start of a spiritual progression in this man's thought process, a spiritual process that we all need to receive from the source of all spirituality. We are beginning to see that this miracle of sight to the blind is more than just physical restoration and is much more about Spiritual awakening within the life of a being created in the image and likeness of God. But still there is resistance from the “spiritual” law makers who call the parents of the man to verify he is who he says he is and that he was actually born blind, they were just not prepared to believe the man's testimony. What a sad situation it is when we do not give God the glory when he steps into the lives of men and women and changes their outlook.
We see that the blind man's parents weren't prepared to give much support because they were so fearful of being thrown out of the synagogue they abdicated and just said “we know he is our son and he was born blind, but for how he now sees, we don't know, ask him he is of age.” John 9:20-22. When it comes to standing on the truth of knowing the risen Christ there are times when we will have to count the cost, this man's parents were just not prepared to do that.
We read later on that the man himself was prepared to count the cost and categorically defends “the man, the prophet” and declares to the religious leaders that once I was blind now I see and he even goes as far as rebuking them for not knowing where Jesus is from, he concludes that after all they are the religious ones, they know the scriptures and yet they failed to see that unless Jesus was indeed God in man then there was no way he could have performed this miracle. The final straw was when he asks if they want to be his (Jesus) disciples and after a few more exchanges of words they threw him out of the place of worship. This man was prepared to take this stance because he had had an encounter with Jesus that had radically changed his life.
What the Pharisees failed to recognise is that when dealing with the spiritual there are no boundaries of time or segments of days or weeks. When faced with the reality of a man born blind who can now see the Pharisees are divided, and rather than give God the glory, they continue to try to get answers for their own unbelieving hearts by reasoning away the miraculous work of God now evident in this man. I hope that we are not so blind?
The truth is we can never know the spiritual dimensions of life unless we have had spiritual experiences. These religious leaders thought they were spiritual but in fact when faced with reality were floundering and trying to explain away the truth, the truth that “this man Jesus” was in fact a man sent from God and indeed was God in man.
The Pharisees listened with intent to the people, the friends and neighbours of the healed blind man and weighed up there position. Here was a man going about breaking the religious law by healing on the Sabbath day, the day traditionally held as the day of rest, a day that was set in stone in Jewish custom as a day that “man” should set aside as a day to contemplate God and His creation. What Jesus is demonstrating here is that God can and should be glorified on every day of the week, not just as a ritual on one day of the week.
When asked by the church leaders about his healing the healed man says “he is a prophet” John 9:17. In his mind it is becoming clear that this Jesus is no longer just “a man” John 9:11 he is more than that and the next best description he can muster on the spot is “he is a prophet”. What we are beginning to see is the start of a spiritual progression in this man's thought process, a spiritual process that we all need to receive from the source of all spirituality. We are beginning to see that this miracle of sight to the blind is more than just physical restoration and is much more about Spiritual awakening within the life of a being created in the image and likeness of God. But still there is resistance from the “spiritual” law makers who call the parents of the man to verify he is who he says he is and that he was actually born blind, they were just not prepared to believe the man's testimony. What a sad situation it is when we do not give God the glory when he steps into the lives of men and women and changes their outlook.
We see that the blind man's parents weren't prepared to give much support because they were so fearful of being thrown out of the synagogue they abdicated and just said “we know he is our son and he was born blind, but for how he now sees, we don't know, ask him he is of age.” John 9:20-22. When it comes to standing on the truth of knowing the risen Christ there are times when we will have to count the cost, this man's parents were just not prepared to do that.
We read later on that the man himself was prepared to count the cost and categorically defends “the man, the prophet” and declares to the religious leaders that once I was blind now I see and he even goes as far as rebuking them for not knowing where Jesus is from, he concludes that after all they are the religious ones, they know the scriptures and yet they failed to see that unless Jesus was indeed God in man then there was no way he could have performed this miracle. The final straw was when he asks if they want to be his (Jesus) disciples and after a few more exchanges of words they threw him out of the place of worship. This man was prepared to take this stance because he had had an encounter with Jesus that had radically changed his life.
As
I pointed out earlier it is possible to encounter Jesus and yet not
know him. In John 9:25 we find that, upon further questions, the man
clarifies that he does not know if the man who healed him is a sinner
(not sure how he would know that or even how the Pharisees knew
that), presumably they came to that conclusion because Jesus had
continually made them feel uncomfortable and had continued to engage
with people whereas the Pharisees had tried to manipulate and enforce
some kind of power and fear over the people and their spiritual
destiny. Interestingly what the man says is “one thing I know, I was
blind and now I can see”. Spiritually, of course, that is all we
need to know, “once I was blind but now I see” and when I see
through God's eyes, through the indwelling life of the Holy Spirit, then everything else becomes insignificant compared to the freedom
and ability we have in knowing Jesus.
As we read on we find that this man becomes bolder in his response to the questions, he is able to give unequivocal answers about his healing. In exactly the same way we will be able to be bold and give unequivocal answers to those who try to demean or dissuade us that spirituality and belief in Jesus as God's Son is futile. It may cost us as it cost this man when they threw him out of the synagogue and out of worship.
As we read on we find that this man becomes bolder in his response to the questions, he is able to give unequivocal answers about his healing. In exactly the same way we will be able to be bold and give unequivocal answers to those who try to demean or dissuade us that spirituality and belief in Jesus as God's Son is futile. It may cost us as it cost this man when they threw him out of the synagogue and out of worship.
The concluding part to this great chapter is that Jesus heard that
the man had been “cast out” and in John 9:35 we read “...and
when He found him”, he asked him if he believed in the Son of God.
The man had enough about him to respond with the words “who is he
Lord that I might believe on him” (this word on, in the original
Greek is the Greek word eis which means into) so what he is saying
is “that I might believe into Him”. Jesus responds in John 9:37
“you have both seen him and it is he that talks with you now”.
The man's only response is “Lord I believe” and he worshiped Jesus. What
is our response when Jesus opens our eyes? Is it one of thanks but no
thanks or is it one of declaring the truth of Christ and standing on
the promise of salvation in order that we may enter into all that God
has for us, all that He purposed at the outset of creation. Remember
we are alive in order that the works of God should be made manifest
in us. We are here for God's glory not our own. It is time that we
recognise that there is so much more to life in Christ and life lived
by and in the Spirit. Let us not be like the Pharisees in this
passage who, after experiencing the miracle of restored sight, ask
the question “are we blind also?” and by inference they remained
in ignorance of sin. It is only by recognising our blindness and our
need and by falling prostrate at the feet of Jesus and declaring
“Lord I believe”, that we really become free and complete to live
a life that makes a difference.
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