A Study of John's Gospel. Pt. 54 The Blind Man Meets Jesus Again and Starts His New Life!

Good morning to all....

This morning we come to the end of John 9. We have 12 more chapters of John's gospel to go before we finish the book, but what I would like to do next is take a brief break from our study of John's gospel so we can look at some other books of the Bible. 

We will return to our studies of John after our break and I plan to divide it into two sections each containing 6 chapters to cover in a series. 

Jesus found the blind man a second time.

John 9:35-38  Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? 36) He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? 37) And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. 38) And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. 

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, once again went looking for the blind man who received his sight. Why? Jesus heard that the religious leaders had cast him out. The word "found" means finding something valuable after carefully searching for it. Jesus sought for the man initially so that He could give him sight. This time, Jesus diligently looked for him to give assurance of his salvation and encouragement for his bold stance when he faced enormous pressure.

Jesus asked the most important question that anyone will ever be called upon to answer. The words "Do you" are emphatic in the Greek and this means there is a call of commitment to the blind man.

"Do you believe on the Son of God?" Our answer to this question will seal our eternal destination. Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ means being born again and changed into a new creation. It means having a relationship with the One, true living God and Creator of all.

Remember, the first time this man met Jesus he was still blind and did not recognize Jesus when he first saw him after receiving his sight. However, he left no doubt about his faith in Jesus. "Who is he Lord, that I might believe on him?" He is ready to believe on Jesus Christ.

Jesus answered him by saying that He is the Son of God, standing there talking with the man who received his sight. How his heart must have been stirred over seeing face to face the One who healed him and who said He was the Son of God. His response to Jesus was one of joyous faith. I say joyous because he had been blind since birth and was experiencing seeing so many things for the very first time. 

He responded by declaring "Lord, I believe." The word Lord is a title applied to God or to the Messiah. It means that Jesus is the sovereign owner of all things. 

The following two texts illustrate the Lordship of the Godhead.

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 

Psalm 50:10-12  For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. 11) I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. 12) If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. 

The man who received his sight said that he believed on the Son of God. The word "believe"is a verb and the object of the verb of Jesus Christ. He has committed his life to Christ and fully trusted in Him for salvation. 

James tells us that faith without works is a dead faith. This means that if we are truly born again and regenerated by the Spirit of God, then our life will be very different from what it used to be. We will be walking in newness of life and being led by the Spirit. 

How did faith or believing on Jesus Christ impact this man? He bowed down to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. He worshipped the One who set him free from physical blindness and also liberated him from spiritual darkness.

The blind man saw his Savior but the Jews did not.

John 9:39-41  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. 40) And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? 41) Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. 

Jesus gave an interpretation of the significance of the blind man receiving his sight. Jesus said "that they which see not might see". This is why he sought out the blind man in the first place. He wanted to bring him both physically & spiritually out of darkness and into light.

Jesus came for judgment. First, that the sins of all humanity for all ages might be placed upon Him at the cross and judged by the Father. Jesus had no sin and therefore our sins were judged on His cross. 

The Pharisees were religious conservatives and the Sadducees were religious liberals. Both groups thought that they had correct theology. Another portion of Jesus' judgment was that those who claimed to have the way of salvation when they did not, would be blinded. 

The Pharisees picked up on what Jesus said and they asked "Are we blind also?" Christ's answer was if they truly were blind then they would not have sins to be accountable to God for. However, because they said "we see" when they did not know the way to God, they were still in their sins. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

Jesus went seeking the blind man after He heard about his expulsion from the synagogue. This reminds us that when we are born again, our Savior will always be seeking for us when we fail or have gone astray.

We learn from the blind man who received his sight that real, genuine faith produces a vibrant change of life and an immediate desire to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Belief leads to God centered activities such as worship and the study of God's Word.

We never hear anymore about this man that Jesus gave sight to but what we saw in his life after he encountered Jesus Christ reminds us that we are a new creation in Christ, old things are passed away and all things made new. We are granted a new beginning and a fresh start when the Spirit of God regenerates our heart. 

Let us praise God for calling us out of the darkness of sin and the bondage of Satan because He has called us into His marvelous light, Jesus Christ the Light of the World. 

Let us pray to God confessing our sins and failures and seek the restoration that He promises to always give to us when we repent. 

Let us ask God for fresh zeal and a renewed passion for the things of God in our heart and may He be glorified with our response to His word.

Bob