Spiritual Sight? Or Spiritual Blindness? (John 9:35-41)
1
In many cultures the mole is an important friend to medicine men and shamans. It is associated with the Greek Asclepius and the Indian Rudra, both gods of healing.
In Native American mythology the mole is the first Shaman. He is associated with the underground "Crack in the World" which he taught medicine men to penetrate in order to discover the cures for many diseases.
Yet, Moles have terrible eyesight and are symbols of spiritual blindness and deafness. La Fontaine and others have noted that we tend to view our neighbors with the sharp eyes of a lynx while acting as the dim-sighted mole toward our own faults.
Some Christians associated this lynx with Satan, the Prince of Darkness, because his tactics blinded the soul and his abode was beneath the earth like that of the mole.
An old Hungarian proverb says: "The stupidest of all stupids is that stupid who does not know that he is stupid."
In Genesis 3, the serpent tempted Eve, saying, "When you eat the fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Adam and Eve wanted to gain the wisdom that God had; they wanted to gain spiritual sight to be like God, knowing good and evil, so they ate the fruit and they plunged themselves and the human race into spiritual blindness. How stupid were they?
It is unbelievers' arrogant assumption that they know more than God and they need neither His Son Jesus nor His word. How stupid are they?
Even though we say that we believe in God, we selectively decide what to follow and what not to follow among God's Words, thinking that we are better than God.
How stupid are we?
In Native American mythology the mole is the first Shaman. He is associated with the underground "Crack in the World" which he taught medicine men to penetrate in order to discover the cures for many diseases.
Yet, Moles have terrible eyesight and are symbols of spiritual blindness and deafness. La Fontaine and others have noted that we tend to view our neighbors with the sharp eyes of a lynx while acting as the dim-sighted mole toward our own faults.
Some Christians associated this lynx with Satan, the Prince of Darkness, because his tactics blinded the soul and his abode was beneath the earth like that of the mole.
An old Hungarian proverb says: "The stupidest of all stupids is that stupid who does not know that he is stupid."
In Genesis 3, the serpent tempted Eve, saying, "When you eat the fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Adam and Eve wanted to gain the wisdom that God had; they wanted to gain spiritual sight to be like God, knowing good and evil, so they ate the fruit and they plunged themselves and the human race into spiritual blindness. How stupid were they?
It is unbelievers' arrogant assumption that they know more than God and they need neither His Son Jesus nor His word. How stupid are they?
Even though we say that we believe in God, we selectively decide what to follow and what not to follow among God's Words, thinking that we are better than God.
How stupid are we?
2
A man blind from birth having been healed by Jesus went to his neighbors to show them what had happened. They were astounded. "Hey, what's going on here? How did this all happen?" And besides that, it happened on the Sabbath and that's not right.
So they reported it to the Pharisees for a judgment. The blind man was sought by the Pharisees and was questioned by them. Then, his parents were questioned. Then he was questioned again. But the Pharisees refused to believe that Jesus had done it because the Pharisees had already concluded that Jesus was a sinner.
How did they know that?
They just decided it, they didn't have to be told. They thought that they knew everything. They had decided that Jesus was not the Son of God, He was a fake and that He couldn't have done this miracle. So they denied the testimony of the blind man and they kept harassing the blind man. And then they picked him up bodily and threw him out of the synagogue. They could not tolerate his testimony for Christ. They would not tolerate it because they said...they made a rule: if anybody said Jesus is the Messiah, they're out of the synagogue.
They had just cast him out in verse 34. Verse 35 begins and Jesus found him.
Jesus has already healed his physical sight and now He's about to heal his spiritual blindness. He's about to give him spiritual sight.
The passage divides into two parts: the first part is about spiritual sight in verses 35 to 38, and the second part is about spiritual blindness in verses 39 to 41. Spiritual sight is illustrated by the beggar and spiritual blindness illustrated by the Pharisees.
There are four features of spiritual sight found in verses 35 to 38. A person who can see spiritually really has these four features involved in that sight.
Firstly, spiritual sight rises in divine initiative.
Verse 35. "Jesus heard that they had cast him out." "And when He had found him, he said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
Jesus actually went after the man. That is divine initiative. It rises out of divine sovereignty. Jesus sought that man. Even that man's physical sight was purely an act of divine sovereign grace. He was blind sitting by the temple, begging. Jesus walked by, bent down, put clay in his eyes, said go wash in the pool of Siloam and he saw.
Secondly, spiritual sight requires faith.
Spiritual sight comes from divine initiative and God's ability to give it. But we must respond. Verse 36 says, "He answered and said, Who is He, Lord? Tell me so that I may believe in Him?"
His faith is the necessary complement to the sovereignty of God.
It is true that divine initiative brings spiritual sight; it is true that Christians are elected, predestined, chosen before the foundation of the world; and it is true that your name was written in the lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world was ever laid; and yet, it is still true that you must respond by personal faith to Jesus Christ.
Paul in Romans 10:10 says, "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
Thirdly, spiritual sight recognizes Jesus Christ.
In verse 37 and the first part of verse 38, "Jesus said, 'You have now see Him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.' Then the man said, 'Lord, I believe.'"
No hesitation at all.
"Oh, Lord, how do I know? Prove that you are the Messiah, How can I be so sure that you are the Messiah?"
Instead, he immediately said: "Lord, I believe."
All he wanted to do was to know who the Messiah was. He was so ready. The initiator of sight is Christ. The object of faith is Christ.
Christ said, "I'm the one." He said, "That's right, You are, I believe."
He recognized Christ right away.
Fourthly, spiritual sight results in worship.
The second half of verse 38 says: "And he worshiped Him."
He just fell on his knees, worshiped Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, started with that man and followed him around until He found him again and completed His work.
He was sought by the Lord, he was given sight, he went and testified to his friends. The Pharisees got him. They turned him down, and threw him out of the synagogue. Yet, Jesus found him and he fell at Jesus' feet and worshiped Him.
Then, Jesus illustrates spiritual blindness in verses 39 to 41.
Spiritual blindness has four features: it receives judgment, refuses to admit its blindness, rejects the sight when it is offered and results in doom(파멸).
First of all, the man who is spiritually blind receives judgment.
In verse 39 Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."
Jesus came to give sight to those who knew they couldn't see.
If a man won't recognize his blindness, Christ can't give him sight.
And that was the Pharisees' problem. They would not admit their blindness.
Jesus came down to bring salvation to us. But, it became judgment to those who refused salvation that Jesus brought.
Jesus did not come to judge but to save us, but if anyone does not believe in Him he'll be judged by his own unbelief.
Secondly, spiritual blindness refuses to admit its blindness.
Verse 40 says: "Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, 'What? Are we blind too?'" "You must be joking. How could we, the super leaders of religious matters of Israel, be blind?"
Jesus says, "Yes, you're blind."
But the saddest case is to be blind and not know it. They did not know they were blind. God cannot do a thing with you if you do not know that you are blind.
Thirdly, the spiritually blind people reject sight even when it is offered.
Of course they would reject it since they don't know they're blind. Jesus said to the Pharisees in verse 41: "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin."
They were so blind to sin and they didn't know it and Jesus says I can't help you...I cannot do a thing with you if you don't recognize your blindness.
It is a tragic thing to meet men and women and young people who don't understand that they don't know God, who don't understand that they're in sin, who don't understand that they're spiritually blind and you can't show them sight because they don't even know they can't see. So, spiritual blindness receives judgment, refuses to admit its blindness, rejects sight.
Fourthly, spiritual blindness results in doom.
Jesus said to the Pharisees in verse 41b: "But now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains." That is, they will die in their sins.
God told Isaiah in Isaiah 6:9-10: "Go and tell this people: 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."
They thought that they knew God and their sacrifice and worship for God was sufficient.
What was the problem with the Israelites in the time of Isaiah?
Their stubbornness and hardness.
So they reported it to the Pharisees for a judgment. The blind man was sought by the Pharisees and was questioned by them. Then, his parents were questioned. Then he was questioned again. But the Pharisees refused to believe that Jesus had done it because the Pharisees had already concluded that Jesus was a sinner.
How did they know that?
They just decided it, they didn't have to be told. They thought that they knew everything. They had decided that Jesus was not the Son of God, He was a fake and that He couldn't have done this miracle. So they denied the testimony of the blind man and they kept harassing the blind man. And then they picked him up bodily and threw him out of the synagogue. They could not tolerate his testimony for Christ. They would not tolerate it because they said...they made a rule: if anybody said Jesus is the Messiah, they're out of the synagogue.
They had just cast him out in verse 34. Verse 35 begins and Jesus found him.
Jesus has already healed his physical sight and now He's about to heal his spiritual blindness. He's about to give him spiritual sight.
The passage divides into two parts: the first part is about spiritual sight in verses 35 to 38, and the second part is about spiritual blindness in verses 39 to 41. Spiritual sight is illustrated by the beggar and spiritual blindness illustrated by the Pharisees.
There are four features of spiritual sight found in verses 35 to 38. A person who can see spiritually really has these four features involved in that sight.
Firstly, spiritual sight rises in divine initiative.
Verse 35. "Jesus heard that they had cast him out." "And when He had found him, he said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
Jesus actually went after the man. That is divine initiative. It rises out of divine sovereignty. Jesus sought that man. Even that man's physical sight was purely an act of divine sovereign grace. He was blind sitting by the temple, begging. Jesus walked by, bent down, put clay in his eyes, said go wash in the pool of Siloam and he saw.
Secondly, spiritual sight requires faith.
Spiritual sight comes from divine initiative and God's ability to give it. But we must respond. Verse 36 says, "He answered and said, Who is He, Lord? Tell me so that I may believe in Him?"
His faith is the necessary complement to the sovereignty of God.
It is true that divine initiative brings spiritual sight; it is true that Christians are elected, predestined, chosen before the foundation of the world; and it is true that your name was written in the lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world was ever laid; and yet, it is still true that you must respond by personal faith to Jesus Christ.
Paul in Romans 10:10 says, "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
Thirdly, spiritual sight recognizes Jesus Christ.
In verse 37 and the first part of verse 38, "Jesus said, 'You have now see Him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.' Then the man said, 'Lord, I believe.'"
No hesitation at all.
"Oh, Lord, how do I know? Prove that you are the Messiah, How can I be so sure that you are the Messiah?"
Instead, he immediately said: "Lord, I believe."
All he wanted to do was to know who the Messiah was. He was so ready. The initiator of sight is Christ. The object of faith is Christ.
Christ said, "I'm the one." He said, "That's right, You are, I believe."
He recognized Christ right away.
Fourthly, spiritual sight results in worship.
The second half of verse 38 says: "And he worshiped Him."
He just fell on his knees, worshiped Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, started with that man and followed him around until He found him again and completed His work.
He was sought by the Lord, he was given sight, he went and testified to his friends. The Pharisees got him. They turned him down, and threw him out of the synagogue. Yet, Jesus found him and he fell at Jesus' feet and worshiped Him.
Then, Jesus illustrates spiritual blindness in verses 39 to 41.
Spiritual blindness has four features: it receives judgment, refuses to admit its blindness, rejects the sight when it is offered and results in doom(파멸).
First of all, the man who is spiritually blind receives judgment.
In verse 39 Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."
Jesus came to give sight to those who knew they couldn't see.
If a man won't recognize his blindness, Christ can't give him sight.
And that was the Pharisees' problem. They would not admit their blindness.
Jesus came down to bring salvation to us. But, it became judgment to those who refused salvation that Jesus brought.
Jesus did not come to judge but to save us, but if anyone does not believe in Him he'll be judged by his own unbelief.
Secondly, spiritual blindness refuses to admit its blindness.
Verse 40 says: "Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, 'What? Are we blind too?'" "You must be joking. How could we, the super leaders of religious matters of Israel, be blind?"
Jesus says, "Yes, you're blind."
But the saddest case is to be blind and not know it. They did not know they were blind. God cannot do a thing with you if you do not know that you are blind.
Thirdly, the spiritually blind people reject sight even when it is offered.
Of course they would reject it since they don't know they're blind. Jesus said to the Pharisees in verse 41: "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin."
They were so blind to sin and they didn't know it and Jesus says I can't help you...I cannot do a thing with you if you don't recognize your blindness.
It is a tragic thing to meet men and women and young people who don't understand that they don't know God, who don't understand that they're in sin, who don't understand that they're spiritually blind and you can't show them sight because they don't even know they can't see. So, spiritual blindness receives judgment, refuses to admit its blindness, rejects sight.
Fourthly, spiritual blindness results in doom.
Jesus said to the Pharisees in verse 41b: "But now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains." That is, they will die in their sins.
God told Isaiah in Isaiah 6:9-10: "Go and tell this people: 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."
They thought that they knew God and their sacrifice and worship for God was sufficient.
What was the problem with the Israelites in the time of Isaiah?
Their stubbornness and hardness.
3
The super religious Pharisees who claim that their righteousness has no rivals and that their spirituality is far better than anybody else will die in their sins.
Why is that?
Their arrogance and stubbornness blinded them and so could not see God and His True Light and denied their blindness.
They were confined in their spiritual blindness.
Spiritual blindness is found not only among unbelievers outside the church but also among church people inside the church.
If you say to your brother, "let me take the speck out of your eye," when all the time there is a plank in your own eye(Matt. 7:5), you may be the spiritual blind.
However, you have a choice between spiritual sight and spiritual blindness.
To get spiritual sight, you need to stand before God with humble heart and confess that you cannot see and ask God for His help to get sight.
To remain in spiritual blindness, you may maintain your stubbornness and hardness and keep judging others as the Pharisees did.
The result of spiritual sight is worship and salvation; and the result of spiritual blindness is doom.
I believe that no one wants to remain in spiritual blindness but that everyone wants to see spiritually.
Let us ask God for spiritual sight with our humble hearts.
Why is that?
Their arrogance and stubbornness blinded them and so could not see God and His True Light and denied their blindness.
They were confined in their spiritual blindness.
Spiritual blindness is found not only among unbelievers outside the church but also among church people inside the church.
If you say to your brother, "let me take the speck out of your eye," when all the time there is a plank in your own eye(Matt. 7:5), you may be the spiritual blind.
However, you have a choice between spiritual sight and spiritual blindness.
To get spiritual sight, you need to stand before God with humble heart and confess that you cannot see and ask God for His help to get sight.
To remain in spiritual blindness, you may maintain your stubbornness and hardness and keep judging others as the Pharisees did.
The result of spiritual sight is worship and salvation; and the result of spiritual blindness is doom.
I believe that no one wants to remain in spiritual blindness but that everyone wants to see spiritually.
Let us ask God for spiritual sight with our humble hearts.
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