Morning Message Text: John 9: 1-12, 35-41
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.
2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.
7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”
9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.
Spiritual Blindness
35 Jesus 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.”
37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
Morning Message:
It is possible to have twenty-twenty vision and still be blind to the world around us. There are so many ways for us not to see the things that should be obvious, the things that are right in front of our eyes. When Jesus and his disciples came across a blind man they saw two entirely different things. The disciples saw an object of theological curiosity; Jesus saw a man in need. Sometimes church it should be just that simple. When we see real need right in front of us we can waste time trying to figure out why the need exists, we can form a committee to have a few meetings to try and figure out exactly what we should do or how we could help, or we can, like Jesus, simply see the need and do what we can.
The way the disciples were thinking was very prevalent in those times. People still have a tendency today to think along the same lines. We see someone who is down and out, we initially feel bad for them, that is probably the proper emotion to have, but then our minds start to wonder, how did they get this way? They must have done something wrong, maybe made some bad decisions, maybe alcohol or drug abuse, gambling, or just careless living. Then in our own self-righteousness, we think maybe it’s because of their sin, maybe God is upset with them. Jesus would probably tell us that sin is the root cause of all suffering, but not because we have sinned but because sin is why the whole world is suffering.
Jesus used the metaphors of day and night to highlight His identity as the light of the world. Then He brought light to this man by healing him. We take light for granted like everything else that God provides for us every day. We don’t give a second thought to the blessing of light; it really is not something we think about until we face darkness that we are unprepared for. Have you ever experienced a power outage? You know, one of those times when you were not prepared for it and you had to fumble around trying to find flashlights and candles. That helpless feeling, the fear of not knowing exactly where you are because you can’t see. In a very physical sense when Jesus says, “I am the light of the world,” I understand the physical difference and what it must have meant to this blind man.
Now we didn’t read this part of the story today, but the church leaders were not happy with this healing. They had every excuse that they could think of as to why this healing was wrong. The usual things like: It was done on the Sabbath so it must be wrong. This Jesus was calling too much attention to himself and in their opinion was not giving God the credit. They were willing to persecute the blind man who was healed and throw him and his parents out of the synagogue along with anyone else who proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah. The light had come into the world, but the world hated the light. The world loved the darkness. Yes, the real reason that they were upset was because they hated Jesus. Can you imagine hating someone so much that you were willing to hurt yourself and everyone in your country just to prove them wrong.
Friends, we were all born spiritually blind. We are sinful the day we enter this world. Some people don’t like to hear that. They think that I am saying that a baby is sinful. I am not; they are innocent, but they are born with a sinful nature that, one day when they are of age, they will have to deal with by coming to Jesus. Every human being must answer the question that Jesus asked this formerly blind man. Do you believe in the Son of Man? Once you have learned of Him, you have a choice to make. Listen to the words of Jesus. “For judgment I have come into the world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” The Pharisees asked, “What? Are we blind too?” As is often the case with those who reject Christ, the Pharisees were blinded by their pride, not by ignorance. They chose to not understand, preferring the darkness of their own self-interests to the light of Christ. Everyone who is born into this world is given the opportunity to shed their blindness and come to the way and the truth and life, to the light of the world. Everyone is given the opportunity to become children of light. But, I guess, so many chose the darkness because they love what the darkness of this world has to offer.
Our scripture from Ephesians tells us basically the same thing. “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light.” If you have not yet given your life to Jesus, you need to listen closely to the end of this scripture and respond quickly. “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” This is where I have to be deadly serious. Time is running out. Wake up, because without Jesus you are dead and without hope. Christ is waiting to shine down on you; all you have to do is ask.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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