John 9:1-11
Jesus came into this world and accomplished many great and miraculous things, yet His primary purpose was to dispel the spiritual darkness that shrouded the earth. He came to be the Light of the world.
Notice three great truths from John 9:1-11
that reveal Jesus as the Light of the world.
I. THE MISERY OF THE SIGHTLESS MAN
A. His blindness (verse 1). According to the
Scriptures, this man was born blind. In my way
of thinking, blindness would be one of the most
horrible of physical handicaps. To never see a
sunset, the face of a child, or the face of a loved
one would be a terrible thing. Yet, this man had
lived his entire life in a state of darkness.
But there is a blindness that is far worse
than having sightless eyes. It is far worse to be
in spiritual darkness, and that is where the entire
world, apart from Jesus, finds itself (2 Cor. 4:4).
If you have never received Jesus as your Savior,
you are in deep spiritual darkness, but there is
hope for you!
B. His birth (verses 2, 3). The Scriptures
seem to indicate that not only was this man born
blind, he was also in poverty. Many would say
that this man would have been better off if he
had never been born; however, Jesus felt otherwise.
He told the disciples that God allowed this
man’s handicap so that the man could glorify
God through his life.
What a wonderful truth! People need to realize
that God can take any life—regardless of
how that life has been ruined by sin—and save
it by His grace and turn it into a thing of endless
blessing and joy. After all, our purpose is to fellowship
with and give glory to God (Isa. 43:7).
Jesus specializes in salvaging old, wasted lives
(2 Cor. 5:17).
C. His begging (verse 8). Because of his
blindness, this man was unable to find employment.
As a result, he was reduced to begging for
food and money. How sad! This man was not
rich, and it appears that even his parents were
not interested in his well-being (verses 20-22).
This is a picture of absolute poverty.
Jesus endured spiritual and physical poverty
so that we might enjoy God’s richest spiritual
blessings.
II. THE MINISTRY OF JESUS
A. He was exposed to the light. When Jesus
came along, this man’s life was forever changed. First, Jesus healed him of his physical
handicap. When the man went to Siloam
and washed his eyes, he was healed of his
blindness. Notice that when the people asked
him what had happened, he never mentioned
the spittle (verse 11). Why not? Because he
had not seen what Jesus had done! The man
was blind! There is a lesson here for us. There
are times when God is working in our lives,
trying to bring us to Him. Often, we cannot see
the Lord’s work, and even after we are saved,
we may never realize all the little things God
did to bring us to the place of salvation.
Now notice the progression this man went
through as the light began to dawn in his life.
1. A man who is called Jesus (verses 10- 12). When the people asked this man who had healed him, all he knew was that it was a fellow named Jesus. It could have been any of a thousand men, but all he knew was that it was some guy named Jesus.
2. He is a prophet (verses 13-17). When the Pharisees heard of the miracle, they called the blind man to them and tried to figure out what had happened. Some of them were upset that Jesus had performed this miracle on the Sabbath. They concluded that if He had done something on the Sabbath that they considered to be work, He must be a sinner. They quizzed the man who had been blind, and he said that Jesus was “a Prophet.” In other words, “He is a man to be listened to.” This man had listened to Jesus once, and that obedience had resulted in his healing. Therefore, he concluded that Jesus was worthy of being listened to.
3. He is a man of God (verses 18-33). Through a series of questions from the Pharisees and some pretty good preaching on the part of the man who had been blind, the man concluded that Jesus was a man of God. That is, He was a man to be followed. The man even asked the Pharisees if they wanted to follow Jesus, too.
4. He is the Son of God (verses 34-38). Finally, Jesus came to the man personally. When He did, He revealed His true identity to him. At this point, the man confessed that Jesus was the Son of God, and he was gloriously saved. This man had progressed from seeing Jesus as one among many, one to be listened to, or one to be followed. He now saw Jesus as Someone who was worthy of faith and worship. He saw Jesus for who He truly was!
B. He was expelled by the leaders (verse 34). When this man refused to bow to the pressure from the religious leaders, he was cast out of their synagogue.
C. He was excited about his new life
(verse 25). This man was not a theologian, but
he knew what had happened to him personally!
He couldn’t explain what had happened,
but he knew that he had met someone who
had the power to make an eternal difference in
his life. When he looked at where he had been
and saw what Jesus had done in his life, he
was more than a little excited!
III. THE MESSAGE OF A SUPERNATURAL
MIRACLE
A. Jesus is a shining light (verse 5). When He walked upon this earth, Jesus was in the business of delivering men from darkness. May I say that He is still doing that today? He is still a shining light and Savior for all who will come to Him (Matt. 11:28; Rev. 22:17).
B. Jesus is a seeking light (verse 35). After this man had been cast out by the Jews, Jesus went looking for him. This is why He came (Luke 19:10). He is still seeking souls to save!
C. Jesus is a saving light (verse 38).
When this man bowed and received Jesus, I
am sure he forgot about his days of blindness
and the pain of being removed from the synagogue.
When he called on the name of Jesus,
he was received into a family from which he
would never be removed!
CONCLUSION
When this man had gotten up that morning,
he never expected that he would be healed
and saved that day. I am sure he planned to
live that day like every day before—in the
blackness of darkness. He did not realize that
there was a man named Jesus who would
drive the darkness from his life forever.
Many are in the same condition today.
They are lost and in the depths of great spiritual
darkness, and they do not even realize
that Jesus can set them free. The question
is: Which do you prefer, darkness or light? If
you are tired of the darkness, come to Jesus
and step into the light of His glorious salvation.