The Pharisees Blindless
June 17, 2020
Commentary
Physical healing and spiritual healing are intertwined. The one leads to the other as the blind man moves from darkness to light, first physically and then spiritually. At the physical level his sight was restored. On the spiritual level he came to faith in Christ. The narrative in this chapter is uninterrupted by interpretation, which occurs only at the beginning (vv. 3-5) and the end (vv. 39-41). What is interesting about this man who Jesus healed is his refusal to be intimidated by the bullying authorities. His cocky answers so upset the interrogators that they threw him out of the synagogue. However, his expulsion was not a disaster, for he found himself in the presence of Jesus, whom he was able to worship. This once-blind man “saw” Jesus as he really was.
Jesus identified Himself as the Son of God (vv. 35, 37), and the beggar indicated that he wanted to believe (v. 36) and was saved (v. 38). “My sheep hear My voice” (John 10:27). He did not “see and believe;” he heard and believed. Not only did he trust the Savior, but he worshiped Him (v. 38). Jesus then said that He came into this world so that people who do not see may see, and those who see may be made blind (v. 39). In other words, the reason for our Lord’s coming was salvation but the result of his coming was condemnation for those who would not believe. Some of the Pharisees who heard Jesus’ words were disturbed (v. 40). Jesus responded that if they were truly blind, they would be guiltless, but since they claimed sight, their guilt remained (v. 41).
Application
The Pharisees had heard Jesus explain many times who He was and why He came into this world, but they refused to believe. I want to be like the blind beggar who believed what Jesus said.
John 9:35– 41 (NET)
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, so he found the man and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 The man replied, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus told him, “You have seen him; he is the one speaking with you.” [ 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said,] “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, and the ones who see may become blind.”
40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and asked him, “We are not blind too, are we?” 41 Jesus replied, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains.
Illustration: Martin Luther Tacks NinetyFive Theses to The Church Door
The most important figure of the Reformation was a monk by the name of Martin Luther (1483-1546). As a young monk, the corruption of the church, the debauchery of priests, and the power of the Pope disturbed, disgusted, and depressed him. The dramatic turning-point of Luther’s life occurred when he was sitting alone in his study at Wittenberg. His eyes fell on a passage from the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans. It says: “the just shall live by his faith.” He couldn’t keep to himself the simplicity of God’s path of salvation. That discovery changed the course of the church, the course of Western civilization, and the course of history. So, on October 31, 1517 Luther nailed his famous “Ninety-five Theses” onto the door of the castle church at Wittenberg, that resulted in his excommunication from the church, the start of the Reformation, and the division between the Protestant and the Catholic church. (Sermon Central).