BLINDNESS: Do we have a choice?

S TORY S UMMARY John 9

O NE DAY, J ESUS WAS WALKING AND PASSED BY A MAN WHO WAS BLIND FROM BIRTH

J ESUS PUTS CLAY ON THE BLIND MAN ’ S EYES

T HE BLIND MAN DID AS J ESUS SAID AND WENT TO WASH IN THE POOL OF SILOAM

S O THE MAN WENT, WASHED, AND HE CAME BACK SEEING !

P HARISEES DIDN ’ T WANT TO BELIEVE. T HEY EVEN CALLED THE MAN ’ S PARENTS TO ASK THEM WHO HE REALLY WAS.

T HE P HARISEES REFUSED TO BELIEVE AND TOLD HIM TO LEAVE THE TEMPLE

J ESUS WENT TO HIM AND ASKED THE MAN IF HE BELIEVED THAT J ESUS IS THE S ON OF G OD “ L ORD, I BELIEVE ! ” AND HE WORSHIPED H IM

B LINDNESS

T WO T YPES OF B LINDNESS 1. Physical blindness: the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors. 2. Spiritual blindness

SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS when a person is not able to see who Jesus Christ really is. not believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. unable to see all the good things about God that God wants you to see

C HECK Y OUR B LIND S POTS

W HAT A RE B LIND S POTS ?

C HECK Y OUR B LIND S POTS Spiritual blind spot : when a Christian doesn’t really understand something. Disciples have a blind spot in their faith: John 9:1-2  Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

The disciples had a spiritual blind spot in their understanding of how the world works. The disciples didn’t understand why bad things sometimes happen to good people. But here Jesus takes away their blind spot. This man who was born blind from birth wasn’t being punished for a particular sin. God allowed this blindness to happen to him for a good purpose – so that the work of God might be displayed in his life, so that God might reveal his love and power in this man’s life.

SO…WHO SINNED? This man or his parents?

J ESUS ’ A NSWER : John 9:3  “Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.’” Jesus is not saying these people never sinned To Jesus, it was more important to remove evil than to speculate on its origin. Disciples: natural question Jesus: spiritual answer!

W HY D O B AD T HINGS H APPEN T O G OOD P EOPLE ?! This story reminds us why bad things sometimes happen to good people: so that the work of God might be displayed in a person’s life. Sometimes God allows bad things to happen to someone, so that he can reveal his glory through that person’s situation.

LOCATION OPTION #2: Pool of Israel OPTION #4: Pool of Siloam OPTION #1: Pool of Bethesda OPTION #3: Tower’s Pool

LOCATION OPTION #4: Pool of Siloam

S O W HAT ’ S S O S PECIAL A BOUT T HIS M IRACLE ?! …Jesus Healed Many People!

J ESUS IS T HE ULTIMATE C REATOR God’s gift to us

B REAKING THE S ABBATH ? He shouldn’t heal him on the Sabbath! The law forbids it! Please have mercy and heal my son! “ Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.” Exodus 3:15 Ask yourself: does God really mean we cannot do good deeds on the Sabbath?

R OMANS 13:9-10 For the commandments…and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

HOW? HOW? HOW? HOW? HOW?!! 1. John 9:10  “Therefore they said to him, “ How were your eyes opened?” 2. John 9:15  “Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, ‘He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.’” 3. John 9:16  “…Others said, ‘ How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?’ And there was a division among them. ” 4. John 9:18  “And they asked them, saying, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?’” 5. John 9:26  “Then they said to him again, ‘What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?’”

FEAR Fearing God vs. Fearing Man

IS THIS THE SAME GUY?! Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.”

P HARISEES John 9:16  “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” John 9:24  “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.” John 9:28-29  “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.” John 9:34  “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?”

P ARENTS John 9:20-22  “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.” “His parents said these things because they feared the Jews”

O THERS John 9:9  “This is he.” John 9:16  “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?”

B LIND M AN John 9:17  “He is a prophet.” John 9:25  “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” John 9:30-33  “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.” John 9:38  “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.

J OHN 9:35 “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?’” Jesus is dealing with his spiritual blindness and solving the problem of the man’s eternal destiny.

J OHN 9:36-38 “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.” This was a man whose spiritual eyes were opened to know the One True Living God of Creation.

B LIND M AN ’ S P ROGRESS : Calls Him a ManCalls Him a ProphetBecomes His DiscipleCalls Him a Man from GodWORSHIPS Him as the Son of God

Y OU HAVE TO DO YOUR PART TOO ! Did the blind man have to do anything to receive his sight? YESNO If the blind man didn’t go and wash, would he have received his sight? YESNO God: “hard part” Us: easy part = obey and submit to Him