Bible Text: John 9:1-41 | Preacher: Steve Wakeford | Series: Making The Father Known | One of the coolest stories from Johnâs Gospel - where Jesus heals a blind man who turns into one of the most courageous evangelists in history!
A lot of Police work revolves around incidents, interviews, and verdicts. Iâll give you an example. It was a dark and stormy night in Mounty County, and my partner and I were parked under a tree in this street in Tregear, just up the road from where a heroin dealer lived. We didnât have much on, so we thought weâd just sit there for a while and see if anyone came by. We were only there for about five minutes and this car pulled up across the road. There were two blokes in the car, and one of them got out and walked across the road. My mate started rolling down the hill toward this fellas house with no lights on.
The bloke who got out was at the door of the house, but there was no answer, so he walked back to the car. He saw us coming down the road and bolted to his car, jumped in, and took off down the street. Game on!
Lights and sirens on, adrenaline pumping, around the corner onto Aurora Drive we went off in pursuit. They turned left into another street and lost control of the car in the rain and slammed into a power pole. They both got out and ran up the street. Alan and I jumped out of the truck and chased them. He got his fella pretty quickly, mainly because he been in the job for ages and knew more than I did, so he loudly threatened to shoot this bloke if he didnât stop!
I kept going up the road and tackled my fella on someoneâs front lawn. We were both covered in mud and grass and he started swinging punches, so it was on! A short while later he was unconscious, handcuffed, and in the back of the truck. Good times!
Neither of them had been wearing seatbelts, so when they crashed into the pole, they both slammed into the windscreen. We got an ambulance to take them to the hospital. We left another officer at the hospital while we went back to the police station to start the paperwork.
About ten minutes later we heard this over the police radio: âAll cars keep a look out for two men in their 20s who have escaped from Emu Plains Detention Centre.â Their description followed. Alan and I looked at each other and realised that the two blokes weâd just arrested were these fellas whoâd escaped! So we howled back up to the hospital and mercifully they were still there, handcuffed to their hospital beds in emergency. That was the incident.
After they were treated, we took them back to the police station and interviewed them for about half an hour or so. We asked them all sorts of questions about how they escaped, where they stole the car from, and all that sort of thing. Then they were charged with a heap of different offences. Thatâs the interview.
Because theyâd escaped from gaol, they went to court the next day, and the magistrate heard all the evidence, and read through the interview. They pleaded guilty and were sentenced to an extra six months in gaol. Thatâs the verdict.
Incident, interview, verdict: John 9 is exactly like this. Thereâs an incident: Jesus meets this blind man and heals him. Then thereâs an interview where questions are asked and answered. Then thereâs a verdict.
This blind bloke is a dead-set legend! Hereâs the incident, verse 1-7:
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, âRabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?â âNeither this man nor his parents sinned,â said Jesus, âbut this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.â After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the manâs eyes. âGo,â he told him, âwash in the Pool of Siloamâ (this word means âSentâ). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. (NIV)
Jesus meets this bloke. Heâs been blind since he was born. I know a fair few people who have impaired vision or are totally blind. Nonie used to lead on a music camp for blind people. Itâs a tough life for heaps of reasons. But back then it was way worse. There was no social welfare and no job opportunities. From a young age he would have been sitting at the temple begging for food because he couldnât work. As he got older there was no chance he could get married and have kids. This man is a social outcast in every sense of the word. By the time Jesus meets him, heâs an adult, so heâs been like this for at least 20 years, maybe more.
Now, donât miss what the Disciples say: âRabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?â
These blokes have all the pastoral sensitivity of Genghis Khan and all the theological insight of Richard Dawkins. Muppets! The bloke is right there in front of them and heâs blind, but heâs not deaf! So heâs probably thinking, âAgain with the sin thing! As if I donât feel bad enough already!â
If the disciples had read Jobâand itâd be almost impossible they hadnât theyâthey certainly didnât understand what God is saying in that part of his word. Job tells us lots of things, but one of the most obvious is that there is such a thing as innocent suffering. Simply because something terrible happens to you does not mean that you have done some equally terrible sin. Sadly, some religions still teach this sort of thing and even worse, lots of people believe it. But this is not how God works in his world.
So if youâre going through some terrible suffering, please donât assume God is punishing you. Sin came into Godâs good world in Genesis 3, and since then, nothing has worked the way God intended. Paul tells us in Romans 8 that the whole world is groaning as if itâs in the pains of childbirth under the weight of sin. Sometimes we can do things that cause us to suffer: of course thatâs true. But often times suffering is just a part of life. No one lives without it. All of us live with some measure of it. God isnât punishing you. Thatâs not his character. You and I live in a world thatâs groaning under the weight of sin and we are all caught up in it in some way or other.
So Jesus rebukes his disciples for their pastoral insensitivity and theological stupidity. Then he bends down and shows them one of the reasons he was sent by God into this broken world. He makes some mud with his spit, puts it on the manâs eyes, and sends him to the Pool of Siloam to wash it off.
Off he goes. It would have taken him ages to get to the Pool. He washes his eyes and boom, he can see! Awesome! So for the rest of the chapter, heâs the man who used to be blind but can now see. But thatâs too hard to say another 50 times, so weâll call him Geoff.
Thatâs the incident: now for the interview. The questions come thick and fast, which is perfectly understandable because miracles donât happen every day. If they did, weâd call them ânormalsâ, but theyâre not normal, theyâre miracles. His neighbours are the first to ask questions, verses 8-12:
His neighbours and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, âIsnât this the same man who used to sit and beg?â Some claimed that he was. Others said, âNo, he only looks like him.â But he himself insisted, âI am the man.â âHow then were your eyes opened?â they asked. He replied, âThe 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.â âWhere is this man?â they asked him. âI donât know,â he said.
You can imagine how this would go, canât you? Theyâve all known Geoff since he was born. Theyâve all seen him begging every day for 20 or 30 years or whatever it was. Yet now he can see, and heâs got a cracking smile on his face! Some think itâs Geoff, some think he just looks like Geoff, which is weird because if itâs not Geoff, why is he wearing Geoffâs clothes?
As for Geoff, he does his best Muhammad Ali impersonation in verse 9: âI am the man!â.
Geoff knows it was Jesus who healed him in verse 11, and the crowd want to know where Jesus is, but Geoff doesnât know. The last time he was with Jesus, he was still blind, so didnât see which way he went!
Then the Pharisees get involved. Why? Because Jesus did what he nearly always did, and made sure it was a Sabbath when he healed Geoff. Verse 14 tells us that. Donât miss this: Jesus almost always heals people on the Sabbath, because heâs intentionally picking a fight with the religious leaders. They think their standing before God is all about keeping a long list of religious rules. Jesus is saying, âNo. Thatâs not how this works. Itâs not religion. Itâs love.â
This investigation is all about spiritual sight and spiritual blindness, not just physical sight or physical blindness. As the Pharisees question Geoff and his folks, it starts to dawn on us that the religious leaders are spiritually blind. At the same time, not only can Geoff now see physically, but spiritually the eyes of his heart have been opened. It also turns out that Geoff is one massively courageous bloke! This guy has no fear. The religious leaders have all the authority and power. Geoff has none of either but he just doesnât care.
So here we go, and if you remember the dimmer switch thing from the other week, watch how the dimmer switch goes up, and light increases for Geoff. And the dimmer switch goes down and light decreases for the religious leaders.
The Pharisees ask Geoff how he received his sight. Geoff says, âHe put mud on my eyes.â Weirdly, back then the spit of famous people was thought to have healing powers, and Jesus does this three times in the Gospels Iâve always thought it was a bit grotty, but there you go. Anyway, Geoff says, âI washed it off and now I can see! Woo Hoo!â
Itâs always about rules for religious people. In verse 16, some of the Pharisees say, âIt was a Sabbath. Jesus isnât from God because if he was, heâd keep the Sabbath.â But thereâs dissention in the ranks. Others figure that Jesus canât be a sinner, since heâs clearly done a miracle!
So they ask Geoff what he thinks of Jesus. âHe is a prophet.â Thereâs a bit of spiritual light creeping in, isnât there? The Pharisees arenât satisfied, so they send for Geoffâs parents, verse 19:
âIs this your son? Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that he can now see?â
I donât want to be harsh to Geoffâs, folks but theyâre gutless. They know heâs their son. They know full well he was born blind. Their whole life turned upside down the day he was born. A blind son changes everything. How many times did he hurt himself or burn himself when he was growing up? How many bones did he break because he couldnât see? How often did he cry himself to sleep because he wasnât able to play with his mates? He had to be fed, washed, and dressed by his mum or dad for so long. Geoff had an unimaginably hard life.
Yet there he is standing in front of them, his eyes healed. He can see what his mum and dad look like now. He can see them looking at him. Can you imagine the emotions running through their hearts? Just let that sit with you for a moment. This should be so joyful, but instead of joy in Geoffâs folksâ hearts, thereâs fear.
The religious leaders had the power to put people out of the synagogue to excommunicate them. That meant they would be cut off from all the religious festivals from their community of faith, from their friends and neighbours. It was a massive punishment, and the parents feared it. So sadly, they left their son high and dry, verse 20:
âWe know he is our son and we know he was born blind. But how he can see or who opened his eyes, we donât know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.â
They feared being kicked out of the synagogue more than they wanted to stand with their son. Thatâs heavy stuff. I wonder if Geoff understood his parents here? Heâs an adult and heâs obviously used to hardship. His whole life has been hard. Maybe he cut them some slack and forgave them. Either way, he isnât about to back down!
The Pharisees get stuck into Geoff again with more questions. In verse 21, when they say, âGive glory to God by telling the truth. We know this man is a sinner!â Thatâs the equivalent of one of us standing in a court with our hand on the Bible and being charged to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So this is a serious thing.
Geoff is just getting warmed up. âWhether heâs a sinner or not, I donât know, but one thing I do know, I was blind and now I can see!â âWhat did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?â I love this: âIâve already told you and you didnât listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you blokes want to become his disciples as well?â Classic! These religious leaders think they hold Geoffâs immediate future in their hands, and he simply doesnât care! Donât miss what he just said: âThis Jesus can do miracles. He did one for me! I reckon I want to follow this Jesus if He can do stuff like that. Do you guys want to follow him as well?â
Can you see how Geoffâs spiritual eyes are opening wider and wider, and how at the same time the spiritual eyes of the religious leaders are almost closed shut?
âYou are this fellowâs disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we donât even know where He comes from!â
âNoâ, he says, âNow that is remarkable! You donât know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.â
For a bloke who was physically and spiritually blind that morning, heâs doing a cracking job at being an evangelist in whatâs got to be the hardest place on earth to be one! Geoffâs a verbal processor. Heâs figuring out what he really thinks of Jesus as he speaks, and thereâs no doubt in his mind at all that Jesus is from God. Itâs the only logical conclusion, and the Pharisees should see it as well. But like anyone losing an argument, they just start with the insults: âYou were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!â And they threw him out.
The interview is over. The Pharisees think they are the judges, and theyâve passed their verdict down. But in a classic twist, it turns out that Jesus is the judge, and it wasnât Geoff who was on trial: it was the Pharisees. There are none so blind as those who will not see.
You and I need to be careful here. There are plenty of times when we donât realise weâre exactly like these Pharisees. We have certain expectations of what church should be like, or what preachers should sound like, or how young people should dress for church, or what you should do when you sing in church, and we often try to force those expectations onto other people. Those expectations then become rules, and we get angry when theyâre broken. Letâs make sure we donât turn our personal preferences into religious rules.
Now, hereâs the real verdict given by the real judge, the Lord Jesus. And this is beautiful.
Jesus hears that Geoff has been thrown out of the synagogue. He looks for him and finds him: âDo you believe in the Son of Man?â
Remember that Geoff hasnât seen Jesus yet. Heâs heard his voice but not seen him. I wonder if you can sense the excitement in Geoffâs voice here?
âWho is he, sir? Tell me so that I may believe in Him?â
My guess is that Geoff is about 95% certain that the man speaking to him is Jesus, but wants to be sure.
Jesus graciously and kindly says, âYou have now seen him with eyes that see physically and a heart that sees spiritually. In fact, he is the one speaking with you!â
Geoff says, âLord, I believe.â And he worshipped Jesus as Lord. Thatâs the moment Geoff became a follower of Jesus. Beautiful. Donât miss this. Who is the only one whoâs supposed to be worshipped in the Bible? God. Hereâs Jesus being worshipped and he doesnât try to stop Geoff from worshipping. This is a big moment. Jesus is being worshipped as God. Those of us who also worship Jesus will get to meet Geoff one day, and weâll find out his real name, which I think will be a more Jewish name. But heâs a bloke I am busting to meet!
The Pharisees, well, weâre probably not going to meet heaps of them. Hereâs Jesusâ verdict on them, verse 39:
âFor judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.â Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, âWhat? Are we blind too?â Jesus said, âIf you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.â
Spiritual sight hinges on one thing and one thing only: do you believe Jesus is sent from God as the Saviour of the world? Geoff believes that, so the verdict for him is that he can see spiritually and his sin is forgiven. The Pharisees do not believe that the verdict for them is that they are spiritually blind, so the guilt of their sin remains.
I think thereâs heaps we can take out of John 9 but Iâm just going with one: courage.
When I became a Pastor about 20 years ago, the world was quite different to what it is now. So much has changed in these past 20 years. I remember preaching on Burwood Road in the late 80s. A bunch of people from our church used to go down there and preach on the street back then.
But over the past couple of years several street preachers have been arrested and detained by police in London, in Canada, in the USA. And on the Gold Coast here in Australia a few street preachers have been arrested for preaching on the street. This is going to happen more and more over the next few years I would imagine.
It has always taken courage to follow Jesus. Sure enough, there have been times and places where itâs not taken much courage to follow Jesus and speak about him openly, but unfortunately, history shows us that when itâs easy to call yourself a Christian, churches shrink and make less impact on their communities. When it takes more courage, when itâs harder to openly confess your faith in Jesus in places where Christians are persecuted, churches grow and make a massive impact on their community.
I think itâs easy to get fearful about where we are going with all this as a nation. But Iâm excited. I look at John 9 and see an uneducated bloke whoâs eyes have only been working for a few hours, stand up to the authorities with incredible courage, fearlessly talk about Jesus and boldly invite those who oppose him to follow Jesus.
You and I are going to need much more courage over the next few years. Freedoms and protection for Christians and pastors are going to decline. Itâs going to get harder and harder to speak about Jesus publically. But with persecution comes growth. People arenât attracted to Jesus when it costs nothing to call yourself a Christian. But my goodness, when being a Christian is hard, when Christians hold the line and persevere in their faith, that attracts people to Jesus more than anything.
Mao-Tse-Tung kicked all the Western Christian missionaries out of China in the early 60s. There were less than a million Chinese Christians. His intention was to entirely eradicate Christianity from China, like a good Communist would. Mao died in 1976. The West didnât really know much about Christianity in China for a long time. It took more and more courage to follow Jesus. Regular Christians were persecuted. Pastors and preachers were gaoled, tortured, and often murdered. And the result: there are now roughly 130 million Christians in China. Chairman Mao failed spectacularly! Why? Chinese Christians were courageous and the gospel just kept spreading.
You and I will need more courage to keep following Jesus as the years go by. When that happens, letâs read John 9 often and be inspired by a man who had only known Jesus for a few hours, yet with immense courage stood fearlessly against strong opposition.