“What Do You See?” (John 9:1-7) - Seven Signs of Christ VI -

What Do You See?

Who sees a young lady? And who sees an old lady? Who sees both? Yes, both are there! In many cases there are different but equally valid ways to see a situation. But in some cases there is the right perspective. For instance, in 1 Samuel 17 when Goliath came against the Israelites, the soldiers all saw him and thought, "He's so big we can never kill him!" But David saw the same giant and thought, "He's so big I can't miss!" Faith perspective. God’s perspective.

What Do You See in the Blind Man?

One day Jesus and his saw him and asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” Their question obviously reflects the assumption that suffering could be traced to sin, which was a common perspective in ancient Judaism. Jesus answered, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here (MSG). This happened so the power of God could be seen in him (NLT).” Jesus makes clear that suffering is not always a direct result of a person’s sin (ex. Luke 13:1-3a; 2 Cor 12:7; Gal 4:13). In his mysterious and wise providence God sometimes allows us to go through hardship and suffering so that we can experience God’s mercy and power in our lives. The disciples saw the man and said, “He is blind. He must have done something terribly wrong.” Jesus saw the man and said, “He is blind, so that God’s work might be revealed in him!”

disciples were walking down the street. And there was a man blind from birth, begging for money. The disciples

What Do You See in Jesus?

Jesus said this and healed the blind man. He spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and rubbed the mud over the blind man’s eyes. This reminds us of God’s creative activity when he formed the man from the dust of the ground (Gen 2:7). And now the Creator Jesus is re-creating. Jesus said, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam.” So the man went and washed and saw! After this, the whole town was buzzing. Finally, the people in town took the man to the Pharisees because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had healed the man. The Pharisees saw the man and said, “Obviously, this man Jesus can’t be from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” At that time there were 39 classes of work forbidden on the Sabbath in the Jewish religious tradition (Mishnah, Shabbat 7.2). So what Jesus did – to make mud with his saliva – fell under one of the forbidden works according to their tradition. Unfortunately, they failed to see the man had been blind and could now see. They failed to see the sign. All they saw was that Jesus was working on the Sabbath. And they were offended. They saw Jesus and said, “This man Jesus is a Sabbath breaker. He is a sinner (24). He is less than the prophet Moses (28). He is nothing. He is from Galilee. No prophet ever comes from there!” (cf. 29; 7:52). But the blind man saw Jesus and said, “He is a prophet (17). He is a healer who does only what God can do (32). And he is a liberator who set me free from darkness (25).”

It’s a Process

It’s interesting to see how titles that are used to refer to Jesus change in this story. At first, after the man was healed, the people around him asked, “Who healed you? What happened?” The man told them, “A man named Jesus healed me” (11). He called Jesus a “man.” Then, he was brought to the Jewish religious leaders. They asked, “What do you say about Jesus?” He said, “He is a prophet” (17). The man called Jesus a “prophet.” But they didn’t believe it. They called his parents and asked questions. And then, they called the man back a second time and said, “Give glory to God, not to Jesus, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” And the man said, “I don’t know whether he is a sinner. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind, but now I see!... He must be more than just a prophet, greater than Moses, the One sent from God” (25-33). The man called Jesus the Chosen One from God (cf. Isa 42:1). Eventually, he was excommunicated. After this, Jesus found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have seen him and he is speaking to you.” The man said, “Lord, I believe (38).” And he worshiped Jesus. Do you see? It’s a process. This man calls Jesus a man, then a prophet, then the one sent from God, and then the Lord, the Son of God. His faith grows with use. His eyes are open not just once, but again and again.

Some of us in this room have a dramatic conversion. Some have rather gradual conversion. But whether it is dramatic or gradual, it is a process. There was a man who was a slave trader. During the voyage home, the ship was caught in a horrendous storm. He took this as a warning sign from God. He repented and had a radical conversion. But he did not radically change his ways at once. His total reformation was more gradual. He did begin to read the Bible and to see his slaves with a more sympathetic view. But he continued to make the voyages as the captain of slave vessels for a while. In fact, it took 34 years for him to publicly renounce his former slaving profession. In his old age, he made a pubic statement to end the slave trade practice. He shared his story by writing hymns. One of them was this: “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.[1]

The First Step

It’s a process. It’s such a long journey to clearly see Jesus, to rightly believe in Jesus. But the first step is the most important, because it will initiate the direction we have chosen. The first step to open our eyes is to know and confess, “I am blind.” Then, Jesus can come and heal us. In today’s scripture Jesus said to the man, “People don’t see will see. People who pretend to see will be exposed as blind.” Some Pharisees overheard this and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?” Jesus replied, “If you were really blind, you would be blameless. But since you claim you can see everything so well, you’re accountable for every fault and failure” (39-41, MSG). There is a time for everything. There is a time to believe. There is a time to renounce our pretense. The night is coming. While it is day, we must repent and believe. Now is really the right time! Today is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2). Let us come to the light and believe in the light (John 12:36), and we will know one thing for sure: “I was blind, but now I see.” Amen.

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[1] “John Newton: Reformed Slave Trader,’ Christianity Today, http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/pastorsandpreachers/john-newton.html