John 9:35-41 - Lesson #99

The religious leaders trusted in their ability to accomplish what they believed was God's requirement for righteousness. They had a system which made them feel secure. So when Jesus came claiming to be from God and upset the foundation of their beloved system, they were naturally defensive. They could not explain how the man born blind had received his sight, but neither could they allow talk that Jesus was responsible for this kind of miracle. So they cast the man out of their fellowship.

John 9:35-41
"Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, 'Do you believe in the Son of God?' He answered and said, 'Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?' And Jesus said to him, 'You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.' Then he said, 'Lord, I believe!' And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, 'For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.' Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, 'Are we blind also?' Jesus said to them, 'If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, "We see." Therefore your sin remains.'"

The man who had received his sight had been growing in his understanding of Jesus. He initially said he was healed by "A man called Jesus" (John 9:11). And when questioned more, he said Jesus was "a prophet" (v.17). The man acknowledged that Jesus was from God (v.33) - an intellectual understanding - and yet Jesus had to seek out the man for him to be brought to the point of a saving belief and worship. Salvation always requires God's initiative: "There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God" (Romans 3:11). We have no hope without Jesus.

The life and message of Jesus became a judgment to the world. Jesus came so that "the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17), but His presence has drawn a line of judgment; "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already" (John 3:18).

Jesus came to save, to give spiritual sight, to those who understand they are spiritually blind. But those who believe they can already see do not believe they need to be healed, so they remain eternally blind. Jesus clarified this basic salvation principle when the Pharisees asked, with some indignation, "Are we blind also?" Their sin remained because they believed they could already see.

The judgment of Jesus remains today. He remains lovingly ready to save, but we are people like the Laodiceans who say; "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" (Revelation 3:17a). We do not realize that we are "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked" (3:17b). And even when we recognize our need, we tend to create systems to earn our healing - and yet remain blind. He will graciously give us sight, but first we must acknowledge we are hopelessly blind and in desperate need of His healing.