Flashback Episode — Life’s Big Lesson: John 9:1-41

As we continue our year moving through the gospels looking at events within Jesus’ life and ministry, we come to an event where Jesus shares some profound truths, but also an event that could make us wonder about God’s plan and God’s character.

In this passage, Jesus shares two profound pieces of information about God, and He ties these two details together with a miracle. Unfortunately, the truths and the miracle are often looked at separately, even though they are contained as part of one continuous event. I suspect this is because this event is a little longer than most, and it is easier to pull specific details out of it than read the whole thing.

However, while I would like to include this entire event in the reading of our passage, that would leave no time for what I want to share with you about why this event is amazing in my mind. Because of this, I encourage you to read this entire event on your own, and I will pull out the three profound sections in it that I want to draw our attention to.

Our passage for this episode is found in the gospel of John, chapter 9, and we will read it using the New Living Translation. Starting in verse 1, John tells us that:

¹ As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. ² “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”

³ “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. ⁴ We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. ⁵ But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Then, summarizing what happens next, Jesus proceeds to heal the man. Picking back up a little later in this event, we continue in verse 13:

¹³ Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, ¹⁴ because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. ¹⁵ The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.

Then after much debate, the Pharisees kick the formerly blind man out of the synagogue. We pick back up at the end of this event, continuing from verse 35:

³⁵ When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

³⁶ The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”

³⁷ “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”

³⁸ “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.

³⁹ Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”

⁴⁰ Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”

⁴¹ “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.”

From start to finish, this entire event is designed to teach us something about God and something about ourselves. The event begins with the question, do bad things happen because we did something wrong, or because our parents did something wrong?

While each of these responses wants to direct blame towards someone, even if the someone is ourselves, Jesus’ clear response is neither, and He adds a third category that is perhaps a little more challenging than the first two. The first category allows us to place the blame on ourselves, while the second category allows us to place the blame on our parents. But this third category points to God.

While we like to point the finger and assign blame to God for the evil we see in today’s world, I wonder aloud how much of what happens in the world today is being allowed by God as an opportunity for the people of God to show the power of God to those living today?

The third category Jesus shares might make us think we should point our fingers at God for allowing the bad, but what if He returns the favor by pointing His finger back at us while saying, “This happened so that you could have the opportunity to teach others about Me and join me in helping fix this problem.”

In our passage, the immediate context for the disciples’ question is the disability of blindness in one individual, but I believe that the truth Jesus shared could extend to any area of culture or humanity that has deviated from God’s original plan.

This whole event is fascinating to me. It seems as though God orchestrated all the pieces together to help teach a truth. After Jesus has healed the blind man, we learn another key detail: Jesus did this on the Sabbath, on the nation’s official day of rest, and that means that the spiritual leaders get involved.

Through this event, not only does Jesus give a third category to why things happen as they do, He also splits up the Pharisees: One group is certain that Jesus cannot be from God, while the other group asks the insightful question about how Jesus could perform any miracle without having God’s approval in the first place. While the primary truth given throughout this event is relating to blindness, the secondary, subtle one is related to how God views the Sabbath day. We shouldn’t ignore the details present in this passage if God planned all these details out.

While I’d love to spend more time focusing on the detail of the Sabbath, it would leave us with no time left for the bigger truth present at the end of this passage.

Concluding this event, we now get to the heart of why this man was born blind, and the truth that His life was meant to be an illustration. Verse 39 is the key truth behind this whole event: “Then Jesus told him, ‘I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.’”

According to Jesus, this man was born blind to be a living witness that eyesight alone does not give someone spiritual sight. Throughout the Bible, as well as history, God has often used people’s lives as a witness to lead people to Him. This formerly blind man is an example of this: His life before meeting Jesus was filled with blindness, and after His encounter with Jesus, He had a completely new perspective.

The passage concludes with a follow-up truth to Jesus’ key point: “‘If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,’ Jesus replied. ‘But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.’”

Spiritual blindness does not equal guilt in the same way that a physically blind person cannot be charged with ignorance over breaking the speed limit. A blind person isn’t allowed to drive, so there is a bigger issue in this example that takes precedence over the knowledge of the speed limit.

The bigger issue in Jesus’ follow-up truth is that there is a group of people who claim they can see even though they are blind. Acknowledging one’s blindness allows God to work in one’s heart, while claiming sight stops God from moving. This difference is seen in the two Pharisee responses: The first group claimed sight by stating they were certain Jesus could not be from God, while the second group acknowledges the dilemma about miracles coming from a source other than God. This question admits a level of blindness, and it is a position God can use to lead people closer to Him.

This whole event is a unified teaching about God, and God’s power working in this formerly blind man’s life gave way to Jesus helping us see our blindness. I will be the first to say that while I have insights in these passages, I don’t have answers to all challenging questions. However, I know that when I lean on God for spiritual sight, He gives me the insights I need to face each day moving forward with Him.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life, and also choose to acknowledge your blindness. Ask God for help with your spiritual blindness and for eyes to see the world as He sees it.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself in order to discover who God is and what He is really like. Choose to study with an open mind and allow God’s Holy Spirit to lead you into God’s truth.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!