The Blind Witness: sent to wash, sent to witness
-John Ch. 9
Good morning, Calvary!
It’s great to be with you once again; my special thanks to Daniel for
reading that L-O-N-G passage for us. I
hope you all had a great Thanksgiving week; it was my birthday week as well. I lost about 10 pounds from food poisoning but
I am feeling all better now, thank God.
So today we’ll be looking at this exciting chapter from the Gospel of
John. But we’ll open with a prayer…let’s bow.
(Pause)
Lord God, with
our very souls we bless you. With all
that is within us, we are thankful for you, we bless your holy name! Father, be gracious to us and bless us, shine
your mercy upon us. Impassion &
empower your people make you known on earth, and your saving power among the
nations. Let Earth’s peoples praise you,
O God. Let the nations be glad &
sing for joy, for you judge its peoples with equity and guide its nations. People of God, let’s not forget all his
benefits. He who forgives our
iniquities; He who heals our diseases and opened our once blind eyes. He who redeemed us from our life of
selfishness, despair & the fear of death.
Father, we ask that you keep your people safe, shelter us and in your
steadfast love & mercy. Lord we call
on you to work your righteousness in us, to mature us & through us bring
justice and mercy to the oppressed.
Lord, you who through Moses showed us the Law & in the lives of the
Israelites your patience. Lord, you who
are merciful & gracious & slow to anger & abounding in steadfast
love; deal not with us according to our sins, or repay us according to our
iniquities. For as high as the heaves
are above the earth, so GREAT is your steadfast love toward us whom love and
worship you. Father, as far as the East
is from the West so far have you removed our transgressions from us. Therefore, show compassion on your children
for you know our weakness…build us up. As we are reminded through our illness and
diseases of our own mortality we look to you and the immortality you give to
those who trust in you. Calvary, you who
call on the name of the Lord, make yourselves into LIVING ACTS of thanksgiving
to our God. Read his word. Hear his voice. Do his works while you have time on earth to
do so. And bless the Lord; bless his
holy name, Amen.
One of the reasons I wanted to teach
on this passage was because it seems to be a bit of a paracle or a mirable (a
kind of parable & miracle hybrid).
Parables if you don’t know, are stories that describe or illumine a
spiritual truth, like the parable of the Pharisee & tax collector. And a miracle, of course, is a rare but true
even that points us to the power and glory of God, like the Lord’s transfiguration. This passage is rare as it has a bit of both
to it, as we will see. The other reason
I wanted to look at this passage together with you is because its one of the
few passages that shows in detail the aftermath of 1 of Jesus’ miracles. Looking through the first several chapters of
John you can see many of Jesus’ miracles not only show his power and abilities
but also his empathy & care for those he met from saving a wedding party
from the social faux pas of running out of wine, to the healing of an official’s
son and the invalid at the pool of Bethesda, to calming storms, walking on
water & even multiplying bread & fish, to feed the masses that skipped
lunch in order to hear Jesus preach.
In this story we will see a
microcosm of the Christian life & I hope we’ll be able to glean some lessons
from the blind man’s life for our lives today.
(Pause)
@@@
So confession time, I am a huge
movie fan, from oldies like Casablanca to Charade to the Star Wars Saga &
the Superhero blockbusters of today.
However not much on TV really impresses me. I was watching some dumb spoof cop show like
Brooklyn 99 or Reno 911 recently and on the show there was a murder and the
cops arrived to the scene pretty quick, they found an eyewitness to the crime
and began joking how easy this would be to wrap up. You know, they’ll question the witness, get
the description or ID of the suspect & he’ll be behind bars in time for the
next commercial break. What transpires
however is the cops take the witness to the police station, in the interrogation
room with the 1 way mirror & in a stereotypical good cop/bad cop skit they
begin begging him for aid in solving the case & threatening the him as an
accessory-after-the-fact if he doesn’t cough up the info they need. Well after a few minutes of the cops’
shenanigans their boss barges in & states the obvious: the witness they’ve
been hounding for the last hour was blind, deaf and mute, so he was virtually no
help to them as a witness at all.
And that in a sense is exactly what
we have here in our passage. God in his
sovereignty could have put his power on display in a million ways but God (like
me) is a bit of a fan of irony. And he chose
to shows his power in this way; using a BLIND MAN as a witness to his grace &
power & mercy. So I’ve entitled today’s
sermon: The Blind Witness and we’ll be looking at 4 main aspects: 1 – who
was healed – what can we surmise of his life; 2 – how was he healed
– is there a reason for the means used, 3 – why was he healed & 4 – what
lessons can we take from this passage?
@@@
Who was healed?
Let’s think about the BC (the
“before Christ”) of this man’s actual life, this sort of congenital blindness in
1st century Israel would have condemn him to a life of a beggar (a
poor man) like Peter healing the invalid in Acts 3:1-7 (9:8-9). Can you imagine the strain on the lives &
finances of his friends and family? Think
of what a struggle his life would have been like. How hard it would have been to get around, to
learn without the invention of Braille, to help provide money for his family? Hundreds of times harder than my life today
would be if I were blind BUT a 1000 times harder would it be to be blind in 1st
century Israel rather than today without all of our electronics & modern
conveniences. He must of asked at some
time in his life the same question as we would “Why me, O God? Why am I suffering so?” And Jesus answers this question much better
than Job’s friend did. If you remember
back to Job, in the OT, Job suffered as no other person in his time did, the
physical suffering of his own body, the emotional suffering of the death of his
children, the loss he felt after the destruction of his financial empire and
even the betrayal of his wife & friends and their bad advice. And 1 of these friends said this, “you must
have some unconfessed since you are suffering so much,” likewise the disciples
ask Jesus why our blind beggar suffers so with his lifelong ailment.
But
unlike the disciples & Job’s friend implying it must be punishment for some
particular sin that he is guilty of Jesus describes it as an area of darkness
in which the glorious light of God and his mercy can shine in this miracle (vs.
3). So Point #1 if you are taking
notes – sometimes the travesties of your life are NOT due to your own
sin (citing Job Ch. 1) – so stop beating yourself up about it. BUT here is the harder lesson. Point #2 –
sometimes God INTENDS even these travesties in our lives AND intends to use
them THROUGH US for his own glory. The
prime example of that in Scripture is the death of Christ himself Peter I
believe in Acts 2:23 says the murder of Jesus Christ was a wicked deed done by
wicked people & yet it was also fully & completely known in advance by God,
carefully crafted in its scenario & executed within God’s sovereign will
& oversight.
I’ll give you two more quick examples
of suffering that is still used of God from the Old & New Testaments. In the OT, one of the greatest leaders in all
of Israel’s history, a man who verbally confronted the supreme ruler on Earth at
his time, the great Pharaoh, this man, Moses, had speech problem (Ex 4:10). So what does God call him to do? Ironically, he’s called to speak with Pharaoh
& lead his people through the desert & to the Promised Land. In the NT one of the most important, most
influential writers in all of Christianity…No, not Rick Warren, Rob Bell or
Joel Osteen…. a writer of more than half of the NT, Paul, himself had a vision
problems (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Yet God uses
a man who by his own admission when he wrote had to write in large letters due to
his own failing sight Gal 6:11 or else had to have someone else write the words
he conveyed for many of the NT books.
Now you will ask: why is all of this
the case? Well it’s the same reason the bestselling Christian artists Jars of Clay are
named Jars of Clay. The band's name is
derived from the 2 Corinthians 4:7 which says: “But we have
this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power
belongs to God and not to us.” The reason God often uses broken people is so
that when His light shines through your actions the glory obviously belongs to
him & not to you. God is glorified
by working through your weakness.
Point
# 3 –
If you think you are in some way too broken to be used by God take courage as
even the blind, the broken and the poor, can be greatly used by God if they are
willing.
How was he healed?
With Brooklyn
(our youngest) & her recent tumor surgery, Sandra & I visited lots of
doctor’s offices & hospitals; from this consult to that referral to wait a
week for test results, to explain it all to us again for the 500th
time. Doctor’s visits can be scary &
frustrating & feel like your getting nowhere and that even though doctors
today have all sorts of knowledge & tools at there disposal like MRI’s to
core samples to blood work and EKG’s.
But I did make note that there were 2 things that our physician’s found
to be of no help whatsoever & to quote my daughter on vs. 6-7,
“Ewe gross, Jesus used spit & mud to heal the blind man.”
(Pause)
Now there is much argument &
debate regarding why Jesus used these things to heal our blind man, some say as
Adam was created from the dirt of the earth (Gen Ch. 1) Jesus used earth to
literally create him new working eyes. I
find that a bit of a leap in logic, but whatever. Some say it was Jesus not the dirt that was
special so maybe the spit was a medicine & mixed with the dirt and applied
like a salve to heal his eyes. Again not
really convincing since Jesus had healed, even blindness before without NEED of
such means. Personally, I think it
reminds me of the Lord’s Supper where Point # 4 – God uses lowly means
& he elevates them for a higher usage, like bread & wine become the
Thanksgiving & remembrance of the Lord’s Supper reminding us of the
sacrifice of Christ. Also this muddy,
spit-y, dirty-eyed man was given an opportunity by Jesus because of the
muck & mire on his eyes. He could
have also said ewe gross spit & mud, wiped it off and run off INSTEAD he went
and washed himself as he was called to. An
interesting note but the pool he is told to wash in: Salome means Sent, also
being an Apostle means being a Sent One, or one sent by God. So you could say this was not only this man’s
day of healing but before he even realized he’d been converted he may have been
baptized & ordained as well being sent by God himself: sent to wash &
sent to witness, as we’ll soon see later.
(Pause)
Likewise friends YOU, yes you. Your life is full of sin. Sin as dirty as mud & spit & earth
combined. Dirty sin described in the OT
as a pile of used feminine napkins in the sight of the holiness of God (Isaiah
64) or as the NT describes as a pile
of disgusting animal droppings (Philippians 3) in the presence of the perfection of our Lord. And you dirty, disgusting you too are called,
called to wash yourself in the blood of the Lamb of God, to bathe in
baptism. You too are called to use the
simple means that HE has ordained of faith or trust in all of his works
done for you and in repentance – a turning, a turning FROM living a life
for you and turning TO living a life for him.
Why was he healed?
Why questions
in the Bible are hard, unless the answer is specifically described in the
passage. However I think we can glean a
few insights from the events that follow this healing. As I mentioned leading into this message one
of the things I really like about this passage is being able to see the
aftermath of this healing on the life of our blind man. So what do we learn? Initially, people don’t believe it or don’t
believe he’s the same guy as the transformation is so extreme (vs. 8-11). Second, the Jewish leaders (the Pharisees)
are upset he’s even been healed & they look into the claim in order to
rebuke it (vs. 13-34). And this part is
pretty sad, but the man’s own parents are willing to throw their own son under
the bus rather than upset the Pharisees (vs. 18-23). YET the man’s healing is so intense that he’s
not ashamed or embarrassed to defend Jesus, who he barely knows, against the
religious leaders (vs. 15-17 & 24-34).
What we can see when we tie
several other verses together is the blind man’s spiritual progression 1st
he starts in vs. 12 not knowing much, then he begins stating the facts (vs.
15), then in vs. 17 begins calling Jesus a “prophet,” & as he is confronted
this unschooled beggar from the streets begins to debate the religious leaders
of his day (vs. 25-34), then we see him defending Christ as a theologian would
calling on fulfillment of OT prophecy & confirmed miracles to back up his
case, later this man is described as a disciple (vs. 27-28) & by the end of
our chapter we can see him expresses his own genuine faith in Jesus as the Messiah
& Son of God. These steps illustrate
what John wants for ALL of his readers, even YOU (from John 20:31 – the point
of John’s gospel). This nameless man is honored in Church History as the very
first known Jew willing to be excommunicated from his Synagogue specifically
for his faith in Jesus Christ.
Conclusion – So what can we take from the passage?
#1 God heals, so you can call on
him for healing
#2 Sometimes God has a purpose in
our struggles that we can’t see
#3 When God gives, he gives more:
not just eyesight but spiritual insight
#4 Being a Christian IS being
thankful: from worship, to fearless public profession, to gospel proclamation & even baptism in obedience to Christ
#5 That even the blind, the
broken, the poor & the unlearned can be greatly used by God if they are willing.
The button on this scene is Jesus
could have left & let the blind man & Pharisees argue it out, but Jesus
follows up with the man like a good physician, like a doctor of the soul &
builds up his faith (vs. 35-38). And by
vs. 39, its decision time – 100% of you will realize your need of him, call on
him by faith, repent of your various sin, & cling to HIS righteousness to
save you or you will remain blind, live your life of sin, & be justly
condemned for it.
All of this may seem like an odd story
to dwell on leading into the Xmas season but in truth the Triumph of Xmas is
this, the 1 that the OT continually prophesied that would come: the Christ, or
Messiah, one of the ways he’s MOST offed described in Isaiah, in Psalms &
even by Jesus himself to John the Baptist is as the one who would open the eyes
of the blind! So if you need 1 more
thing to be thankful for this holiday season it’s this: God keeps his
promises. God is even more
trustworthy than the best of you. THAT
is why you can trust in Him, believe in Him and call on Him. So do so today.
Closing
Prayer
Let’s
close in prayer…..Lord, St. Augustine saw from this same passage an INDICTMENT against
the whole people of Earth as those born blind to their own spiritual need. The most dangerous prognosis you can receive
is not finding out that your sick but blindly stumbling through life not ever realizing
you’re already in critical condition.
Today Lord we’ve seen your work through 1 man’s life in which we can see
ourselves: we did not come seeking you, but you sought us out. We did not heal, but you healed us
spiritually and have promised us a place in that future kingdom which you have described
as a place without sadness, sickness or disease forevermore. Lord we were blind and you gave us sight to
see our need of you, we were deaf to your voice & you unstopped our ears,
we were once dumb NOT to shout your praises but now we are eager to share your
name & your GRACE. You Lord have
brought life to our dead souls and through us Lord we pray you do so for
others. Like the blind man let us not
waste this newfound life & sight & voice & in fear remaining
silent, but in thanksgiving let us share you with others. Let us contend, defend & proclaim your
work like the blind man did even in the face of sure persecution & exile
from the world. And likewise let us
above all be thankful & praise you for the many blessing we’ve already
received & for those we know are yet to be revealed. We are thankful for you, Lord. Amen.
