August 7th, 2024
The Upward Look, by Jon Forrest
I Was Blind, But Now I See!
Based on John 9:1-41
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine, they lay down for the night and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend. "Watson, look up and tell me what you see." Watson replied, "I see millions and millions of stars." "What does that tell you?" Watson pondered for a minute.
"Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all-powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Why, what does it tell you?" Holmes said, "Watson you idiot, someone has stolen our tent."
Sometimes we are blind to what is going on right in our midst, and in a spiritual sense, we can be blind to what God is doing so well for us. Vision isn’t just about making out images with our eyes. It is more about discerning what has been observed by the mind.
There are issues in the eye that can cloud physical vision. In the same way, there are issues in our minds and lives that can interfere with spiritual and mental vision. Prejudice, preconceived ideas, anger, hatred, love, arrogance, false beliefs and all kinds of sin can keep us from perceiving what God is trying to show us.
In the days when Jesus walked the earth, it was common for people who were dealing with physical disabilities to be begging for alms in the Temple. With no government subsidies or work programs for the disabled, love offerings from God’s people were their only means of income. As Jesus and his disciples were entering they saw this man who had never watched the beauty of a sunset over the desert. He had never seen the rich colors in a bouquet of roses. He had never seen his parents’ faces.
Rather than showing compassion on his struggle, the disciples decided to use his disability to open a theological discussion with Jesus. "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” The disciples’ lack of compassion and vision resulted in their insensitive comment. Jesus had already spotted him. He didn’t rebuke them, but quickly refuted their false doctrine that all human pain is the result of sin by saying, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, "but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
The Disciples saw an example of sin and Jesus saw an opportunity for God to be praised.
What a difference in vision.
Jesus went on to share some important aspects of the brevity of his ministry and the fact that so long as he was in the world, he would be its light. Then he did something strange. He spit on the ground, made a little mud solution and rubbed it in the man’s eyes. He told the blind man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. Even though our text indicates that the man didn’t even know who Jesus was, he obeyed the command and went to the pool and washed. When he did, the NIV text says after he washed, “he came home seeing.”
This miracle caused a ruckus in the community. People who knew him were amazed that he was the same man whom they had seen begging for years, while others tried to talk around him by saying, “Naw! He just looks like him." But the man said, “Hey I can speak for myself! I’m the one!”
John 9:10-12
“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
“Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
When the Pharisees learned about this they were angry to learn that Jesus had healed the man on the Sabbath. In fact they didn’t seem to care that the man born blind could now see, nor that a great miracle had been performed in the Temple. They just wanted to accuse Jesus of doing it on the Sabbath. Their spiritual blindness was caused by their religious dogma. They didn't see the joy of the healed man or the glory of God! How sad to miss the glory of God because of your personal doctrinal bias.
The man who was made to see had more than his physical sight restored. After explaining what had happened to him, he was asked what he thought about Jesus. His answer? “He’s a prophet.”
Following a useless discussion between the Pharisees and the man’s parents, they turned back to the man and said. “Give glory to God by telling the truth, we know this man is a sinner.”
John 9:25-34
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
What further explanation was needed? By his own experience, he knew that Jesus Christ had transformed his life. He had been blind, but now he could see. He had been lost in the system, but found by God.
Read with me the next discussion between the Pharisees and this man.
Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”
Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
Growing up blind in his culture, he could not have been well educated, but he had been educated that day by the Spirit of God. He spoke with innocence and incredible insight. He so angered his highly educated religious critics that all they could do was demean him with insults. He most definitely had opened his spiritual eyes to see God’s glory!
When Jesus heard about the mistreatment of the man, whose name is never mentioned in our text, he came looking for him. He had more legitimate questions to ask.
John 9:35-41
He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
In the final three verses of chapter 9, Jesus put it all into perspective.
Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."
When God works in our lives and performs his great work in us we are given his perspective and vision. He breaks through all of those obstacles to our vision and shows us his glory. When Christ does that we can say, “I was blind, but now I see!”
Have you seen God’s Glory in your life?
I Was Blind, But Now I See!
Based on John 9:1-41
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine, they lay down for the night and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend. "Watson, look up and tell me what you see." Watson replied, "I see millions and millions of stars." "What does that tell you?" Watson pondered for a minute.
"Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all-powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Why, what does it tell you?" Holmes said, "Watson you idiot, someone has stolen our tent."
Sometimes we are blind to what is going on right in our midst, and in a spiritual sense, we can be blind to what God is doing so well for us. Vision isn’t just about making out images with our eyes. It is more about discerning what has been observed by the mind.
There are issues in the eye that can cloud physical vision. In the same way, there are issues in our minds and lives that can interfere with spiritual and mental vision. Prejudice, preconceived ideas, anger, hatred, love, arrogance, false beliefs and all kinds of sin can keep us from perceiving what God is trying to show us.
In the days when Jesus walked the earth, it was common for people who were dealing with physical disabilities to be begging for alms in the Temple. With no government subsidies or work programs for the disabled, love offerings from God’s people were their only means of income. As Jesus and his disciples were entering they saw this man who had never watched the beauty of a sunset over the desert. He had never seen the rich colors in a bouquet of roses. He had never seen his parents’ faces.
Rather than showing compassion on his struggle, the disciples decided to use his disability to open a theological discussion with Jesus. "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” The disciples’ lack of compassion and vision resulted in their insensitive comment. Jesus had already spotted him. He didn’t rebuke them, but quickly refuted their false doctrine that all human pain is the result of sin by saying, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, "but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
The Disciples saw an example of sin and Jesus saw an opportunity for God to be praised.
What a difference in vision.
Jesus went on to share some important aspects of the brevity of his ministry and the fact that so long as he was in the world, he would be its light. Then he did something strange. He spit on the ground, made a little mud solution and rubbed it in the man’s eyes. He told the blind man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. Even though our text indicates that the man didn’t even know who Jesus was, he obeyed the command and went to the pool and washed. When he did, the NIV text says after he washed, “he came home seeing.”
This miracle caused a ruckus in the community. People who knew him were amazed that he was the same man whom they had seen begging for years, while others tried to talk around him by saying, “Naw! He just looks like him." But the man said, “Hey I can speak for myself! I’m the one!”
John 9:10-12
“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
“Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
When the Pharisees learned about this they were angry to learn that Jesus had healed the man on the Sabbath. In fact they didn’t seem to care that the man born blind could now see, nor that a great miracle had been performed in the Temple. They just wanted to accuse Jesus of doing it on the Sabbath. Their spiritual blindness was caused by their religious dogma. They didn't see the joy of the healed man or the glory of God! How sad to miss the glory of God because of your personal doctrinal bias.
The man who was made to see had more than his physical sight restored. After explaining what had happened to him, he was asked what he thought about Jesus. His answer? “He’s a prophet.”
Following a useless discussion between the Pharisees and the man’s parents, they turned back to the man and said. “Give glory to God by telling the truth, we know this man is a sinner.”
John 9:25-34
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
What further explanation was needed? By his own experience, he knew that Jesus Christ had transformed his life. He had been blind, but now he could see. He had been lost in the system, but found by God.
Read with me the next discussion between the Pharisees and this man.
Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”
Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
Growing up blind in his culture, he could not have been well educated, but he had been educated that day by the Spirit of God. He spoke with innocence and incredible insight. He so angered his highly educated religious critics that all they could do was demean him with insults. He most definitely had opened his spiritual eyes to see God’s glory!
When Jesus heard about the mistreatment of the man, whose name is never mentioned in our text, he came looking for him. He had more legitimate questions to ask.
John 9:35-41
He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
In the final three verses of chapter 9, Jesus put it all into perspective.
Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."
When God works in our lives and performs his great work in us we are given his perspective and vision. He breaks through all of those obstacles to our vision and shows us his glory. When Christ does that we can say, “I was blind, but now I see!”
Have you seen God’s Glory in your life?
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