Seeing The Light (The Man Born Blind Part 2)

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. Here in John chapter 9, a man born blind received his sight. That's praiseworthy. He says something to the effect, this has never happened in the history of the world.

No one's ever heard of such a thing. So we can praise God, I'm sure they were praising God, that this man received his sight. But how much more rejoicing is there in heaven when a person receives, spiritually they receive their sight.

The Light of the World and the Miracle as a Sign

What did Jesus say? There's more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 just persons who need no repentance. I am the light of the world. John chapter 9 verses 6 and 7, look at it.

John 9, 6 and 7, and when he had said these things, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva. He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay and he said to him, go and wash. Okay, so this is what you would call a miracle, right?

And the word sign or the word miracle, you know, it's pointing to something. So the fact that Jesus was able to heal this man said something about who Jesus was. Verse 13, it says they brought him who is formerly blind to the Pharisees.

These are the last people really he needed to talk to, but he did. Wouldn't you expect people to rejoice over this? These are people who have a critical spirit and they're always looking for something wrong.

Something wrong about Jesus really, but the Pharisees also asked him. They said how they asked him how he had received his sight and he said to them, he that is Jesus put clay on my eyes and I washed and I see.

That's how it happened. Therefore, some of the Pharisees said this man is not from God because he does not keep the Sabbath. Well, that's actually a false statement. Jesus did keep the Sabbath. He didn't just keep their legalistic version of it.

Others said, how can a man who is a sinner do such signs? So they're not really convinced by that because Jesus clearly did something amazing and there was division among them. So now there is this dispute.

Everyone in the city, I'm sure, had heard by now of this miracle or they were hearing about it. The leaders of Israel. Eventually, they can't deny that something miraculous occurred, but at first they tried to deny it at first.

Either way, they want to make the point that Jesus cannot be doing miracles by the finger of God because he is a sinner. Jesus is a sinner. And that word sign again is so important because a miracle is exactly that.

It is a sign. It's proof that the person was from God that what Jesus said about himself was true. Anyone can be a prophet. That's what the guy says that he while he's a prophet and anyone can claim anyone can claim to be a prophet.

So anyone can claim anything, but not anyone can give someone their sight. Look at verse 17. And they said to the blind man again, what do you say about him? Because he opened your eyes. What does he say?

He's a prophet. But the Jews did not believe concerning him that he had been blind and received his sight until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. And they asked them saying, is this your son who you say was born blind?

Then how does he now see? Now, why are the Pharisees you have to ask? Why are the Pharisees going through all of this? Because they want this squashed. The news of Jesus was spreading. It's a positive thing.

It's making Jesus look good. So, hey, we need to squash this little first century censorship, I guess you could say. So they want to silence the man. They want to silence his family by threatening him with excommunication from the synagogue.

And you have to understand because we live in a day and age where somebody does something and they are put out of the church. They can just go down the road, go to some other church. We just don't really appreciate how serious, and that's not the way it's supposed to be, obviously.

But we have to understand how serious this kind of thing was. For a Jew living in the first century to be put out of the synagogue was a life-changing event. Friends would turn their back on you. Family would turn their back on you.

You go to the marketplace, you'd get dirty looks from everybody. Could end your trade or your career. Certainly hurt it. Probably end it. For a first century Jew living in a religious society to be put out of the synagogue was absolutely devastating.

The Pharisees know that, so that's what they are threatening them with. You better keep quiet. Don't you say that Jesus healed this man or else. We will make sure you are put out of the synagogue. Look at verse 20.

So they are asked this question about their son. Was he really born blind? Has he really been healed? Verse 20, his parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.

But by what means he now sees, we do not know. Was that true? For who opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age. Ask him. So they recognize what's happening. They don't want to be put in this position.

They don't want to confess Christ because that will mean they get kicked out of the synagogue. So hey, let him speak for himself. He's old enough. Look at verse 22. His parents said these things because they feared the Jews.

The Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that he was the Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said he is of age.

Ask him.

And by the way, this same kind of thing can happen today. There are many certainly religious Jews. This is probably the worst thing a religious Jew could do is to confess that Jesus is the Christ. To this very day, family will turn their back on you.

If you go to synagogue, you'll be put out of the synagogue. You'll be an anathema to your own people. You know, things we read in the Bible are happening today. I mean, not everything, but a lot of the same themes are happening today.

The Bible is applicable to the modern day. Whatever they were going through, chances are somebody today is going through something like that. There are people today, if they confess Jesus, if they confess what the Bible teaches about a variety of certain subjects, you're going to lose friends.

You're going to have some family mad at you. You might lose your job. There's some things that you could say that, well, the Bible teaches this. You'll get dragged into the HR department and you'll be out of there.

Like we understand the same type of thing happens in our society. So this is a divisive thing. The name of Jesus and confessing the truth. There are a lot of people who hear this statement Jesus made.

I am the light of the world. And that sounds nice. And yeah, we like that.

That sounds good.

Especially around Christmas time. This is a popular phrase. And many will profess to believe. And yet, so many will hold to beliefs that are totally inconsistent with what Jesus taught. When we say or affirm Jesus's words, I am the light of the world, we're affirming everything that he taught.

To say I'm a believer in Jesus is to affirm not only him and his death and resurrection on the cross. Understand to say I believe in Jesus means I believe everything he taught. If you only believe half of what Jesus taught or a third of what the Bible teaches or two thirds, you don't really believe.

It's a package deal. And if you confess those things, you will be in the same position as, I'm just telling you the truth. Because we're living, entering into a time where you need to know this. And most of you, I think, already do.

But if you confess Jesus and all that he taught, it's just as divisive today. If you tell someone, hey, God loves you, has a wonderful plan for your life, that's not really all that controversial. But there are other things that are deeply offensive.

So this man's parents were not willing to confess the truth.

Why?

Because of fear.

Right?

It says they feared the Jews. This is why the book of Revelation chapter 21 puts cowardice on the same level as other grievous sins. Jesus said, the person will not confess him before men. What?

What did he say?

I won't confess them before my father in heaven. You're either all in or you're all out. That's the day and age we're living in. A believer is either all in. We're not saying, oh, you've got to be perfect.

No, we're not talking about that. We're talking about faithfulness to the Lord. We're either all in or we're all out. This man's parents were cowardly. They were trying to save their own skin. They didn't want to be put out of the synagogues.

They were not willing to confess Christ.

Not so, though.

Here's the good news. Here's the good part of it. Not so with the man born blind. After what Jesus did for him, he was willing to boldly stand up to the rulers of the nation. Look at verse 24. So they again called the man who was blind and said to him, give God the glory.

Of course, if you give Jesus the glory, you are giving God the glory. But we know that this man, Jesus, is a sinner. And he answered and said, whether he is a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing I know is though I was blind, now I see.

That's what I know for sure. And he did it. Then they said to him again, what did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? And he answered, I already told you. And you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again?

Do you also want to become his disciples? He's being sarcastic, okay? Verse 28. And they reviled him and said, you are his disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses. As for this fellow, we do not know where he is from.

The man answered and said to them, why is this a marvelous thing that you do not know where he is from? Why do you care about that? After all we're talking about, you're worried about what town he came from.

He opened my eyes. The man continues, now we know that God does not hear sinners. But if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, he hears him. Since the world began, it has been unheard of that anyone open the eyes of one who is born blind.

If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. And they answered and said to him, you were completely born in sins. And you are teaching us. In other words, you were born blind. It's your fault. Somehow you did something.

Your parents did something.

You're trash.

Who are you to speak this way to us? Because we're so proud. We're so... It's the other way around in reality. And you are teaching us. And they cast him out. And it's a pretty forceful word in the Greek.

They probably literally threw him out. So, it appears that because the Jewish leaders didn't really have a good response, they had to resort to ad hominem attacks. And that's often what will happen if someone is losing an argument.

They can't really defend themselves. They just call you names. You're a sinner. And by the way, don't feel bad if anyone calls you names.

It's probably...

Well, I mean, sometimes we do bring things on ourselves.

That's true.

But hey, if you're following Christ and you get called names for following Christ, it's because they have no legitimate response. So, don't feel bad. But they call this man a sinner and they throw him out.

Look at verse 35. Jesus heard about this. Jesus heard that they had cast him out. And when he had found him, he said to him, Do you believe in the son of God? And he answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?

Remember, he was born blind. He had never seen Jesus before. This is the first time he's looking at him. Verse 37. And Jesus said to him, You have both seen him and it is he who is talking with you. And he said, Lord, I believe.

And he worshipped him. Thanks for listening. I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornick Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message, or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, MorrisCornickChurch .com.

And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett. Until next time, may the grace of God be with you.