John 9:8-41 Seeing Christ Changes Everything: Lessons for the Sent

Thesis: Those changed by Christ are used to change others.

Last week, from John 9:1-7, we learned that we have been deployed on a mission. We are to engage the suffering around us and by faith in Jesus Christ reveal God’s glory and restore brokenness. This is why Jesus came; to atone for sins and reverse the effects of sin. This is our mission now.

To proclaim this truth Jesus used the life of a man blind from birth. Jesus uses his power to restore physical sight as an illustration of his power to restore spiritual sight.  As we work through our passage this morning we’ll see the progression of a man who regains his physical sight and as his understanding of Jesus grows he regains his spiritual sight. Seeing Christ changes everything. And as we see him grow in his understanding of Christ we’ll learn lessons to help us fulfill our mission of revealing God’s glory and restoring brokenness.

Read John 9:8-41

I) Look for God to use your restoration to influence others (8-12)

a)      Use your testimony to reveal God’s glory

In verses 8-12 we see an interaction between the man born blind and his neighbors. The people closest to you will always be the first to notice any changes in you. When something amazing like having your sight restored happens your neighbors will certainly take notice. That’s the case with the man born blind. His neighbors know him because they past by him all the time as he begged on the streets. But what happened to him was so unbelievable that some tried to make up an alternative explanation. Possibly this is just another guy who looks and talks like the man born blind but it isn’t the man born blind.  In response to their doubts, verse 9, he keeps on telling them, “I am the man.”

Alright then, if you are the man born blind how do you now see? And he tells them what Jesus did for him. And they want to know where this Jesus is. Where is the one who can make the blind see?

Church, we have been joined to Christ and empowered to fulfill the mission of God.  He has changed us so that our restored lives will be conversation starters among our neighbors. So as we seek to join in Christ’s mission of working God’s works there are two things that need to happen. First, we need to be transformed by Christ. Be faith we need to have our sins atoned for and our guilty consciences cleaned. By faith we need to joyfully endure suffering believing God will reveal his glory and restore our brokenness through Christ. We need to live transformed lives and second, we need to live transformed lives in front of our neighbors. If Jesus made every wrong right in your life tomorrow would any of your neighbors know?

If we are going to join in the mission of Christ we must build bridges into our neighbors’ lives. Reach out to them looking for God to use your restoration to influence others.

II) Be ready to boldly proclaim Christ (13-17)

a)      Some will oppose you

It is normal and natural to expect others to celebrate with you when something amazing happens to you. But unfortunately this is not the case especially when it comes to living a life transformed by Christ. You’ve been freed. You’ve been strengthened. Christ has made you a child of God and given your life purpose and power. What’s not to celebrate?

In verses 13-17 the Pharisees begin to question the man born blind but not because they want all the details so they can celebrate with him. No, they want all the details because the man was healed on a Sabbath day. We saw this in John 5 with the man paralyzed for 38 years. The Pharisees weren’t happy the man was well they were angry that the healing had broken the rules of their religion.

Now in round two of Sabbath healings there is division among the religious leaders. Some believed that Jesus could not be from God because he was healing people on the Sabbath. And as Alister Begg said, “For these people, if its the Sabbath, you can’t sneeze downstairs and go upstairs to get your handkerchief, you can’t kneed a loaf of bread of the Sabbath, and there is certainly no spitting on the Sabbath.” They had taken their application of God’s rule so far that there was no room for the true meaning of God’s rule. The Sabbath was for rest; so the people of God should intentionally stop their normal work, trust God, and rest. But the Sabbath is about more than not doing normal work its also about doing God’s work.  There is always a danger that the people of God will abandon the mission of God because of their own tradition saying “God could not do that because it doesn’t fit the tradition.”

They’re torn up. Some said Jesus was a sinner because he was healing people on the Sabbath. Some said Jesus couldn’t be a sinner because of the amazing things he was doing. The division caused them to ask the man born blind, verse 17, “What do you say about him, since he opened your eyes?”

Here we see the first step in the man’s progression toward saving faith in Jesus. In verse 11 the very Son of God was only “the man called Jesus” Now, in verse 17, the man born blind understands that Jesus is “a prophet”. He knew that Jesus was sent by God to accomplish the mission of God and he was right. In the face of opposition and division the man transformed by Jesus was boldly proclaiming Jesus. If we are going to fulfill God’s mission for us we must do the same, we must proclaim Christ. Be ready to speak.

III) Be ready for others to shrink back (18-23)

a)      Some will be afraid of the consequences

The religious leaders couldn’t handle it; they couldn’t stand for Jesus to gain influence and a following. So they had to discredit the man’s story. So what do you do? You call in the man’s parents in an attempt to prove that this man was not really born blind, Jesus didn’t really heal him, and therefore Jesus is a scam and unworthy of following. It was a perfect plan until the man’s parents began to talk. They testified that the man was actually their son. They testified that he had been born blind. And they even testified that he could now see. But when asked as to how he regained his sight they got scared.

Verse 22 tells us that his parents were afraid of the Pharisees; they were afraid that the Pharisees would cut them off from the synagogue.  The synagogue was the gathering of the Jews mainly for the worship of God and the teaching of the law; to be a Jew was to be a part of the synagogue. To be put out of the synagogue was to be considered not a Jew, an outsider, unclean, and unworthy. This would ruin a person, destroy a family, and cut that person off from religious, business, and relationship potentials. This man’s parents feared that their lives would be destroyed by testifying to the fact that Jesus had healed their sons so they shrunk back.

Church, let’s be honest for a moment. When we live life looking for ways for God to use our transformation to transform others there will be those who oppose us and there will be those close to us who will shrink back when we expect them to stand firm.  This is why we must decide now why we follow Christ. Do we fulfill God’s mission through faith in Christ because it’s popular, normal, traditional, or something expect of us by our parents? Will we fulfill God’s mission through faith in Christ when it’s not popular, abnormal, and even our parents abandon us? This man did and we’ll soon learn how he did and how we can do. But there’s another lesson to be learned. Be ready for opposition, be ready for others to shrink back, and

IV) Be ready to persevere as you proclaim Christ (24-34)

a)      Some will pressure you to stop (24)

It had become clear to the leaders that they could not stop the fallout from the obvious miracle so they shift gears. We’re going to go all-out in an attempt to destroy the character of Christ in the eyes of the people. They’re looking for fuel for a character defamation scheme. They call the man born blind back in and say, verse 24, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”  Give glory to God is a statement used to force the person being questioned to tell the truth. Joshua used the same phrase when question Achan about stealing the goods from Jericho. Give glory to God by telling the truth no matter how badly it hurts you. And what do they leaders want the man born blind to say? They want him to say that Jesus is a sinner; stop saying that Jesus is a prophet who faithfully fulfilled God’s mission. When people pressure you to stop sharing your testimony of transformation

b)      Keep proclaiming (25-27)

This guy is faithful and quick on his feet. He doesn’t know much about Jesus or Jesus’ past but what he does know he is quick to proclaim, verse25, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” So the leaders ask him again how it happened. They’re probably hoping that he’d contradict himself but what he does is faithfully proclaim Jesus and how he’s worthy to be followed.

Verse 27, “He answered them, ‘I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?’” Here is another sign of this man’s progression in his understanding of the person and worth of Jesus. First, Jesus was just the man who healed him. Then, Jesus was a prophet. Now, Jesus is worth following, worth dedicating your life to in order to learn from him.

Make up your mind right now. When people oppose you as you seek to reveal God’s glory and restore brokenness be ready to persevere. Keep proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ. But know this:

c)      Some will mock you (28-29)

The religious leaders know what is at stake in claiming to be a disciple of Jesus. They claim to be disciples of Moses. They knew God had spoken to Moses and sent Moses on a mission to bring relief to suffering people. But as for Jesus? They didn’t know who had sent him. They didn’t know his authority base. So they think they are cutting down the man born blind by reviling him with the words, “You are his disciple.” They’re trying to mock him and make fun him so they can discredit him and his testimony. What would you do? What are you going to do?

d)     Keep proclaiming (30-33)

Verse 30, “the man answered.” The man keeps proclaiming the truth, he keeps telling them what he has seen in Jesus. And he attempts to defend Jesus by appealing to what the religious leaders know about the way God works. Trace the argument through verses 30-33.

First, the miracle is undeniable. Jesus really did honestly restore the sight of a man born blind. So the question remains, “Who could do something like this.” It is beyond doubt that something miraculous has happened.

Second, God does not listen to sinners. Sit down this afternoon and follow all the cross-references for this one so I’m going to give you just one, Psalm 66:18, “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” The biblical truth is this: if you willing continue doing what you know is sin God will not listen to your prayers. The only prayer God hears is the prayer, “Father, forgive me I have sinned against you.” If you are in sin God won’t answer your prayers.

But if you treasure God, if you worship Him, and commit yourself to his mission then because of your purity God will listen to you. God doesn’t listen to sinners He listens to the pure. You need Jesus. You need his purity. Without the purity of Christ God will not listen to you. This is why we pray in Jesus’ name. We make our requests to God not because we have rights or pain but because Christ has made us pure.

Back to the argument: an undisputable miracle has occurred and God only listens to the prayers of the pure. Third, NEVER has it ever happened that a man born blind has had his sight restored.  This miracle is not the happen-stance proclamation of a “fortune teller” whose prophecy is so broad it can’t possibly fail. No the specifics of and odds-against this miracle are infinitely high.

Therefore, verse 33, “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” The man born blind offers up a tight argument in explain the transformation in his life. I wonder how many of us when opposed and mocked could give such a faithful testimony to the nature of Jesus Christ? Study your bible. Plug into Sunday School. Dig deep into the truth of God concerning His Son so they you can keep proclaiming Christ. But know this, when you do,

e)      Some will attempt to hurt you (34)

Verse 34, the leaders cut him as deeply as they know how, “You were born in utter sin.” You are a wretched good for nothing God-forsaken individual. There is nothing good about you and you will never amount to anything. Some will attempt to hurt you with their words.

Then they cast the man out. They grab him by the scruff of the neck and throw him out into the street. They forcibly remove him from their presence. They want to hurt him, to shut him up, and be rid of him.

What would you do? Would you give up? This man doesn’t and how is was it possible for him to continue? What can we learn about him and his life so that when we face similar difficulties we will keep going as well? How can we fulfill such a mission?

V) Believe in Christ (35-41)

a)      Trust the One who comes to you in your need

Verse 35 is a testimony to the love of the good shepherd as he pursues his own. When Jesus heard what the religious leaders had done to the man he found him. Aren’t you glad that our Jesus is always bigger than our sufferings and difficulties?  Have you thought about Psalm 139 in connection with your suffering and difficulty?

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? ⁸If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! ⁹If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, ¹⁰even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. ¹¹If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” ¹²even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

No matter where you are Jesus is able to find you and restore you. Trust the One who comes to you in your time of need. Cry out to the only One who is able to sustain you and strengthen you for the mission God has given you. If you don’t believe Christ is able to find you and strengthen you then you won’t trust him. If you don’t trust him you will trust your weak self and fail. You simply are not big enough to fulfill God’s mission on your own. Trust him and

b)      Faithfully worship Christ out of your need

Jesus asked him in verse 35, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” It’s the divine name Jesus has taken for himself. It’s the equivalent of the question “Do you believe in the Son of God?” Verse 36 is an honest question from a man who wants to believe, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” And then Jesus does something amazing. Jesus opens the spiritual eyes of the man born blind. Previously Jesus had undone the man’s physical blindness; he could now see the physical world around him. Now, in a moment of sovereign grace Jesus undoes the man’s spiritual blindness; he can now see the spiritual world around him. Namely he can see that Jesus is not just a man, not just a prophet, not just worthy to be follow. No, Jesus is more than that. Jesus is the Son of God.

And what does he do? He confesses the fact that he believes that Jesus is the fully divine Son of God and then falls down and worships Jesus. Jesus is the cure. Jesus is the source of strength. He’s the one worth losing everything over. Your friends may not believe you. The people you thought were religious may call you a liar and oppose you. Even your parents may turn your back on you. But through faith you see that Jesus is worth it so you worship him.

What is the fuel of persevering faith? Trusting the One who can meet your needs and worshipping the One who is infinitely better than all the rest.

VI) Seeing Christ changes everything; that’s the point

a)      Jesus came to separate all those who are devoted to him and his mission from those who are not

Jesus ends this amazing interaction by reminding us of our need and his sufficiency (vs 39-41).  He tells us in verse 39 that the reason he came into this world is for judgment. This is not a mission of condemnation but a mission of separation. The very presence and proclamation of Jesus calls people to make a decision regarding him. And that decision separates the blind from the seeing.

Jesus came that those who do not see may see. The ones who are blind are those people who do not see the glory of God because of the blinding effects of sin.  When confronted with Jesus these blind people are confronted with their sin, with brokenness they repent of those sins, and with joy they become disciples of Christ. I once was blind because of sin, I could not see the glory of God, but now by faith in Jesus Christ I see.

Jesus also came, verse 39, so that those who see may become blind.  We should tremble at this truth. There are those, like the Pharisees, who think they see God but they don’t. By claiming, “We see” they are claiming that they are right with God; they see God’s glory unhindered by their own sin. In their pride these people see their own good deeds and see no need for Jesus. Since they are full of trust in themselves they reject Jesus and their guilt remains.

Jesus is here this morning through the preaching of his word and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is here to judge, to separate.  Which group do you belong to? Are you willing this morning to humbly admit your sin, your blindness, and trust in the only One who by his righteous life and atoning death can bring you to God? Or, are you fine by yourself? Are you trusting in your religious tradition, your baptism, your church attendance, and your conscience that leaves you at peace even in your sin?  If you belong to Jesus, if your eyes have been opened to see his glory, glory as of the only begotten Son of God, then you have a mission. It’s Jesus’ mission. Go from this gathering of God’s people and look for God to use your testimony to transform others. While you are working to reveal God’s glory and restore brokenness boldly proclaim Christ, expect some to shrink back, and persevere even though many would oppose you. God has works for you to do. By faith in Jesus Christ let’s go and do them.

May 23 Day of Prayer and Fasting for Unreached