WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.060 Well, good morning, everyone. It's good to see you here. 00:00:12.179 --> 00:00:13.939 If we haven't met, my name is Keith Knowlton. 00:00:14.140 --> 00:00:18.080 It's my pleasure to be able to lead us in the preaching of God's Word this morning. 00:00:18.440 --> 00:00:22.719 If you've been with us the last few weeks, you know that we've been walking through the book of John, 00:00:23.039 --> 00:00:25.859 and we'll be continuing to look at the Gospel of John today. 00:00:26.060 --> 00:00:28.679 We'll be looking specifically at John chapter 9. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:39.240 As we get going, though, I would imagine that there may be some Harry Potter fans in our midst. 00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:43.280 I admit that when my family and I moved to Scotland last year, 00:00:43.380 --> 00:00:46.260 I had not read a single book nor watched a single Harry Potter movie. 00:00:47.719 --> 00:00:51.700 But as part of our assimilation into the culture here, we thought it may be appropriate, 00:00:51.700 --> 00:00:56.920 so our family and I have been reading through the books together, and we've so far read through three of them. 00:00:56.920 --> 00:01:01.760 And although I'm no Harry Potter expert by any stretch of the imagination, 00:01:01.980 --> 00:01:10.000 one element of symbolism that is obvious within those books is this struggle between light and darkness. 00:01:10.460 --> 00:01:15.379 And so if you haven't picked up this already as we've started our sermon, this idea of light, 00:01:15.879 --> 00:01:18.659 this is what we see in Harry Potter. 00:01:18.659 --> 00:01:24.979 And this struggle that occurs between individual characters, a struggle that occurs between external forces. 00:01:25.439 --> 00:01:30.620 We see these symbols of darkness like the dark arts or these dark wizards or dementors. 00:01:31.479 --> 00:01:34.319 And so darkness, of course, it symbolizes death. 00:01:34.399 --> 00:01:35.459 It symbolizes evil. 00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:39.539 We have light that symbolizes life and goodness. 00:01:40.179 --> 00:01:42.920 And of course, these themes aren't specific to Harry Potter, right? 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:49.299 I mean, if you look throughout literature, the symbolism of light and darkness and the struggle between the two 00:01:49.299 --> 00:01:52.719 is prevalent in movies and books of all forms. 00:01:53.359 --> 00:02:01.799 And so today, as we look at the Gospel of John, there may be no better use of this symbolism than throughout this Gospel. 00:02:02.320 --> 00:02:07.340 It's really one of the main themes that we see over and over again repeated by John, 00:02:07.420 --> 00:02:11.199 this idea of Jesus being the light of the world. 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:16.560 So from the very beginning of the Gospel of John, we see in these very first verses, referring to Jesus, 00:02:16.759 --> 00:02:20.500 in him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 00:02:20.699 --> 00:02:24.699 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:30.280 We see the symbolism continued with Jesus and his interaction with Nicodemus in John 3. 00:02:30.359 --> 00:02:34.519 Nicodemus comes in the darkness of the night, seeking the light of the Gospel. 00:02:35.799 --> 00:02:39.199 Jesus himself says that he is the light of the world in John 8. 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:45.659 And now we are here, we're going to be looking at John 9 today, this account of Jesus healing the blind man. 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:52.259 Which appropriately takes place in the midst of the Feast of the Tabernacles, where they would be celebrating light. 00:02:52.339 --> 00:02:56.019 There would be these large oil lamps that would light up the temple, 00:02:56.539 --> 00:03:01.339 that would be used to illuminate the people in their worship in the day and also through the night. 00:03:01.340 --> 00:03:06.780 And so this symbolism that we're going to see throughout is something I want us to focus on today, 00:03:06.860 --> 00:03:11.420 that Jesus as our Messiah, he is the light of the world. 00:03:11.539 --> 00:03:19.140 He is the one who leads us from darkness into light, from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. 00:03:19.219 --> 00:03:21.980 So as we look at John 9, this is a lengthy chapter. 00:03:22.099 --> 00:03:23.379 We're going to read it in its entirety. 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:28.840 And so we can read that now, and let's see if we can make it through together. 00:03:28.840 --> 00:03:30.000 John 9, chapter 1. 00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:33.800 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 00:03:34.539 --> 00:03:38.860 His disciples asked him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:41.920 Neither this man nor his parents sinned, said Jesus, 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:45.280 but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 00:03:46.060 --> 00:03:49.360 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:51.960 Night is coming when no one can work. 00:03:52.539 --> 00:03:55.099 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 00:03:55.099 --> 00:04:00.659 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:03.539 Go, he told them, wash in the pool of Siloam. 00:04:04.459 --> 00:04:05.560 This word means sent. 00:04:06.219 --> 00:04:08.979 And so the man went and washed and came home seeing. 00:04:09.959 --> 00:04:13.099 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, 00:04:13.979 --> 00:04:16.839 Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg? 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:18.899 Some claimed that it was. 00:04:19.339 --> 00:04:21.040 Others said, No, it only looks like him. 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:24.100 But he himself insisted, I am the man. 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:28.379 How then were your eyes open, they asked. 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:33.100 He replied, The man who they called Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:34.939 He told me to go to Siloam and wash. 00:04:35.460 --> 00:04:37.620 And so I went and washed, and then I could see. 00:04:38.379 --> 00:04:39.800 Where is this man, they asked. 00:04:40.320 --> 00:04:41.300 I don't know, he said. 00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:44.480 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 00:04:45.220 --> 00:04:49.240 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. 00:04:49.240 --> 00:04:52.920 Therefore, the Pharisees also asked him how he had received sight. 00:04:53.420 --> 00:04:57.300 He put mud on my eyes, the man replied, and I washed, and now I see. 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:02.120 Some of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath. 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:06.120 But others asked, How can a sinner perform such signs? 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:07.720 So they were divided. 00:05:08.620 --> 00:05:10.340 Then they turned again to the blind man. 00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:12.160 What have you to say about him? 00:05:12.460 --> 00:05:13.759 It was your eyes he opened. 00:05:14.660 --> 00:05:16.199 The man replied, He is a prophet. 00:05:16.199 --> 00:05:22.019 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. 00:05:22.819 --> 00:05:23.979 Is this your son, they asked. 00:05:24.099 --> 00:05:26.019 Is this the one who, say, was born blind? 00:05:26.819 --> 00:05:28.259 How is it that he can now see? 00:05:29.139 --> 00:05:32.860 We know he is our son, the parents answered, and we know he was born blind. 00:05:33.079 --> 00:05:36.060 But how he can see now or who opened his eyes, we don't know. 00:05:36.180 --> 00:05:36.680 Ask him. 00:05:36.759 --> 00:05:37.419 He is of age. 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:38.919 He will speak for himself. 00:05:38.920 --> 00:05:48.800 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders who had already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 00:05:49.819 --> 00:05:52.280 That's why his parents said, He is of age. 00:05:52.340 --> 00:05:52.759 Ask him. 00:05:53.900 --> 00:05:56.100 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. 00:05:56.720 --> 00:05:58.620 Give glory to God by telling the truth, they said. 00:05:58.680 --> 00:05:59.939 We know this man is a sinner. 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:03.960 He replied, Whether he is a sinner or not, I do not know. 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:06.100 One thing I do know. 00:06:06.100 --> 00:06:08.520 I was blind, but now I see. 00:06:09.740 --> 00:06:11.660 Then they asked him, What did he do to you? 00:06:11.700 --> 00:06:12.740 How did he open your eyes? 00:06:13.660 --> 00:06:16.540 He answered, I have told you already and you did not listen. 00:06:16.860 --> 00:06:18.040 Why do you want to hear it again? 00:06:18.140 --> 00:06:19.840 Do you want to become his disciples too? 00:06:21.020 --> 00:06:25.100 Then they hurled insults at him and said, You are this fellow's disciple. 00:06:25.540 --> 00:06:26.879 We are disciples of Moses. 00:06:27.340 --> 00:06:29.320 We know that God spoke to Moses. 00:06:29.939 --> 00:06:32.780 But as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from. 00:06:32.779 --> 00:06:36.139 The man answered, Now that is remarkable. 00:06:36.299 --> 00:06:37.899 You don't know where he comes from. 00:06:38.139 --> 00:06:39.599 Yet he opened my eyes. 00:06:39.899 --> 00:06:41.859 We know that God does not listen to sinners. 00:06:41.979 --> 00:06:44.139 He listens to the godly person who does his will. 00:06:44.799 --> 00:06:47.559 No one has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 00:06:48.019 --> 00:06:50.319 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:54.419 To this they replied, You are steeped in the sin at birth. 00:06:54.500 --> 00:06:55.699 How dare you lecture us? 00:06:56.219 --> 00:06:57.119 And they threw him out. 00:06:58.159 --> 00:06:59.679 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out. 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:02.240 And when he found him, he said, Do you believe in the Son of Man? 00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:03.819 Who is he, sir? 00:07:03.860 --> 00:07:04.480 The man asked. 00:07:04.780 --> 00:07:06.340 Tell me so that I may believe in him. 00:07:07.180 --> 00:07:09.980 Jesus said, You have now seen him. 00:07:10.300 --> 00:07:12.420 In fact, he is the one speaking with you. 00:07:13.220 --> 00:07:15.259 Then the man said, Lord, I believe. 00:07:15.819 --> 00:07:16.740 And he worshipped him. 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:22.540 Jesus said, For judgment I have come into the world so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind. 00:07:22.540 --> 00:07:27.580 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, What? 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:29.120 Are we blind too? 00:07:30.300 --> 00:07:33.060 Jesus said, If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. 00:07:33.140 --> 00:07:37.900 But now that you claim, now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. 00:07:38.560 --> 00:07:40.040 This is the word of God. 00:07:40.980 --> 00:07:41.660 Will you pray with me? 00:07:41.660 --> 00:07:49.800 Oh God, we pray that you will give us eyes to see and ears to hear this morning. 00:07:51.820 --> 00:07:56.120 Lord, we pray for the power of the gospel to be sent forth. 00:07:57.960 --> 00:08:00.680 We pray that I will be your humble messenger, Lord. 00:08:00.760 --> 00:08:02.840 We pray, Lord, that you will take away all distraction. 00:08:02.839 --> 00:08:15.120 That the truth of this gospel that we see in this passage today, of Jesus being the light of the world, will sink in deep into our hearts and transform us, we pray in Jesus' name. 00:08:15.979 --> 00:08:16.259 Amen. 00:08:18.539 --> 00:08:24.219 Now, as I mentioned, if you've been with us the last several weeks, you know we've been walking through the gospel of John. 00:08:24.220 --> 00:08:36.060 And we've been looking at these seven signs, these seven miracles of Jesus that John records in order that the reader of the gospel may believe that Jesus is in fact the Christ, the Son of God. 00:08:36.100 --> 00:08:40.639 And so today we come to that sixth miracle, Jesus healing this blind man. 00:08:41.220 --> 00:08:44.300 And so what we're going to do is we're simply going to walk through this passage together. 00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:49.500 And as we do, I want us to look at three main aspects of this narrative. 00:08:49.500 --> 00:08:56.919 I want us to consider the disciples' question, Jesus' miracle, and the people's response. 00:08:57.100 --> 00:08:59.899 Disciples' question, Jesus' miracle, and the people's response. 00:09:00.100 --> 00:09:03.220 So let's first look at the disciples' question. 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:06.220 We see Jesus and his disciples are walking together. 00:09:06.340 --> 00:09:10.159 They come across this blind man, and the disciples immediately ask, 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:12.080 Who sinned here? Why is this man blind? 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:14.720 Did he sin, or was it his parents that sinned that caused this? 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:19.840 And we see immediately there's this false assumption that disciples make. 00:09:20.779 --> 00:09:26.680 They have this thinking in their mind that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people, right? 00:09:26.899 --> 00:09:28.680 It's this idea of karma. 00:09:29.080 --> 00:09:29.960 We've all heard this, right? 00:09:29.980 --> 00:09:33.340 We pay the consequences for our actions, whether good or bad. 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:36.920 This would have been something, an idea that would have been pervasive in their society, 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:39.899 and it's something that we even see in our society around us. 00:09:40.899 --> 00:09:41.920 I mean, it doesn't take much. 00:09:41.920 --> 00:09:44.340 We've probably all heard of instant karma, right? 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:48.340 You go to YouTube, you type in instant karma, you're going to see all sorts of video compilations 00:09:48.340 --> 00:09:51.200 of people doing something bad or doing something foolish, 00:09:51.580 --> 00:09:53.960 and immediately paying the consequences for it, right? 00:09:55.040 --> 00:09:57.420 Someone beating up someone who's helpless or defenseless 00:09:57.420 --> 00:10:01.440 for someone who's bigger and stronger to come in and hurt them. 00:10:02.200 --> 00:10:05.040 Someone who has this road rage and tries to run someone off the road, 00:10:05.139 --> 00:10:08.279 only to lose control of their own car and veer into a ditch. 00:10:08.279 --> 00:10:11.040 And we see this as automatic justice. 00:10:11.740 --> 00:10:13.720 Sometimes we get satisfaction from seeing it. 00:10:13.720 --> 00:10:16.200 That's what the disciples are seeing here. 00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:19.399 They don't offer any third option to Jesus. 00:10:19.580 --> 00:10:20.740 It's this man's blind. 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:23.080 Either he sinned or his parents sinned. 00:10:23.139 --> 00:10:29.300 They recognize that suffering must be a result of some divine punishment of God. 00:10:30.379 --> 00:10:33.940 And so we see this mindset actually in other parts of the Bible as well. 00:10:34.060 --> 00:10:36.560 If we go back to the Old Testament to the story of Job, 00:10:36.600 --> 00:10:38.240 we know that Job was a man of God. 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:41.659 He had great riches, and yet he loses them all. 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:45.320 We see that his children die. 00:10:45.960 --> 00:10:47.279 His livestock is stolen. 00:10:47.399 --> 00:10:49.340 His possessions are destroyed. 00:10:49.460 --> 00:10:53.659 Even himself, he's covered with these painful sores all over his body. 00:10:53.659 --> 00:10:56.879 And so what happens is friends come to him and say, 00:10:56.980 --> 00:10:58.219 you must have done something wrong. 00:10:58.600 --> 00:11:03.919 God must be angry at you for some reason because of all this bad stuff that's happened to you. 00:11:04.719 --> 00:11:06.939 And so I think we may look at our lives sometimes, 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:08.939 and we may be tempted to think the same thing, right? 00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:12.120 When things bad happen to us, when things are not going our way, 00:11:12.179 --> 00:11:14.620 we think, God must be angry at me for some reason. 00:11:14.699 --> 00:11:15.779 We must have done something wrong. 00:11:15.819 --> 00:11:19.299 I need to confess my sins so things turn around in my life. 00:11:19.299 --> 00:11:23.479 But we need to understand that this, 00:11:23.719 --> 00:11:29.039 though we see examples even in the Bible of personal sin resulting in personal suffering, 00:11:29.659 --> 00:11:32.099 that connection is not absolute. 00:11:33.339 --> 00:11:38.419 And so certainly we recognize that suffering comes because we have sin in the world generally, right? 00:11:39.439 --> 00:11:41.719 But that point isn't even what Jesus is making here. 00:11:41.799 --> 00:11:44.079 I mean, when he's answering the disciples, he could have just said, 00:11:44.159 --> 00:11:46.819 look, this guy's blind because we live in a fallen world. 00:11:46.820 --> 00:11:50.879 And that's an accurate answer, but he doesn't, that's not his point. 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:52.180 He goes further in verse 3. 00:11:52.300 --> 00:11:52.580 He says, 00:11:52.840 --> 00:11:54.820 Neither this man nor his parents sinned, 00:11:55.820 --> 00:12:00.300 but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in him. 00:12:01.760 --> 00:12:07.480 This man was born blind so that God could receive the glory through his healing. 00:12:08.680 --> 00:12:13.420 Jesus making the point here that our suffering is not about us. 00:12:13.419 --> 00:12:19.799 We need to recognize that there is a reason and a purpose for our pain. 00:12:19.899 --> 00:12:22.740 God can use suffering in our lives in order to refine us, 00:12:22.839 --> 00:12:26.199 in order that he may ultimately receive the glory. 00:12:27.319 --> 00:12:31.199 And so this doesn't mean that he's always going to take our struggle away, right? 00:12:31.219 --> 00:12:32.419 This is what he does in the passage. 00:12:32.519 --> 00:12:34.759 He heals the man in order to receive glory. 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:40.259 But we need to recognize that's not the only way that God can receive glory through our suffering and pain. 00:12:40.259 --> 00:12:44.000 He can receive glory in the midst of our pain and suffering. 00:12:45.220 --> 00:12:48.419 And so I think we could talk a lot about this point. 00:12:49.600 --> 00:12:52.220 But the fact is, I think there's people in our midst, 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:55.580 maybe you are experiencing suffering or pain or loss. 00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:59.039 Maybe that's spiritual or emotional or physical. 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:02.639 And so we need to ask the question, 00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:05.759 what is God's purpose in our pain? 00:13:07.099 --> 00:13:11.679 Is he doing this in order to teach greater dependence on him? 00:13:13.179 --> 00:13:14.679 Does he want us to demonstrate, 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:17.159 he wants to demonstrate his strength in our weakness? 00:13:17.399 --> 00:13:19.819 Is this opportunity for us to encourage others 00:13:19.819 --> 00:13:24.319 or opportunity to profess that even though the physical world around us has failed us, 00:13:24.319 --> 00:13:27.719 that our strength is still in God alone? 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:30.819 Jesus continues in verse 4. 00:13:30.919 --> 00:13:31.379 He says this, 00:13:31.719 --> 00:13:34.199 As long as it is the day, 00:13:34.299 --> 00:13:36.679 we must do the work of him who sent me. 00:13:37.939 --> 00:13:39.120 And it's really interesting there. 00:13:39.179 --> 00:13:40.779 He's using the first person plural. 00:13:40.919 --> 00:13:41.799 He's saying we, 00:13:42.219 --> 00:13:45.019 and he's including his disciples in that mission. 00:13:47.419 --> 00:13:51.240 We need to be about God's mission in bringing light into darkness. 00:13:51.319 --> 00:13:53.139 So he's calling us into that too. 00:13:53.139 --> 00:13:55.539 And so he's saying in your suffering, 00:13:55.879 --> 00:13:57.059 in your hurting, 00:13:57.240 --> 00:13:58.179 in your pain, 00:13:58.399 --> 00:14:05.899 there is opportunity for you to shine light into this dark world around us. 00:14:07.100 --> 00:14:09.019 And so that brings us to our second point then, 00:14:09.259 --> 00:14:10.659 looking at the disciples' question, 00:14:10.779 --> 00:14:13.539 but then also focusing on the miracle itself. 00:14:14.319 --> 00:14:15.139 In verse 6 it says, 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:16.059 After saying this, 00:14:16.139 --> 00:14:17.120 Jesus spit on the ground, 00:14:17.200 --> 00:14:18.439 he made some mud with saliva, 00:14:18.659 --> 00:14:19.960 and put it on the man's eyes. 00:14:19.960 --> 00:14:20.860 Go, he told him, 00:14:20.900 --> 00:14:22.660 and wash in the pool of Siloam. 00:14:23.300 --> 00:14:24.620 The word that means sent. 00:14:25.320 --> 00:14:28.060 And so the man went and washed and came home seeing. 00:14:29.060 --> 00:14:33.240 Now this isn't the first time that Jesus has done a miracle like this on the Sabbath 00:14:33.240 --> 00:14:35.180 that's recorded in the Gospel of John. 00:14:35.220 --> 00:14:36.540 We can go back to John 5, 00:14:36.620 --> 00:14:39.420 and we see the story of John healing the invalid. 00:14:39.560 --> 00:14:40.740 He tells him to stand up, 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:41.780 take up his mat, 00:14:42.019 --> 00:14:43.800 and walk and go home, right? 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:48.079 And we also record the response of the Pharisees here. 00:14:48.359 --> 00:14:50.019 Rather than rejoicing in this miracle, 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:51.679 they get angry at Jesus 00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:54.419 because they recognize that he's breaking their little rules 00:14:54.419 --> 00:14:56.779 that they've created surrounding the Sabbath. 00:14:57.240 --> 00:14:57.959 And so Jesus, 00:14:58.299 --> 00:14:59.859 when he comes here to this blind man, 00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:02.000 he certainly knows what he's getting himself into. 00:15:04.079 --> 00:15:05.000 There's nothing, 00:15:05.179 --> 00:15:09.519 and so I think it's important then to focus on the method in which he heals somebody 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:14.539 because there's nothing that requires him to put mud on his eyes 00:15:14.539 --> 00:15:16.759 or send him away to a pool to get cleansed, right? 00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:18.919 Jesus, by the power of his own voice, 00:15:19.159 --> 00:15:19.840 his own words, 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:21.460 could have healed this man. 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:22.460 He's done it in the past, 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:23.500 over and over again. 00:15:23.559 --> 00:15:25.100 We see examples of Christ healing, 00:15:25.379 --> 00:15:27.299 even people that aren't even in the same city as him. 00:15:28.939 --> 00:15:31.639 But here we see there is reason for God, 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:33.179 or for Jesus doing this. 00:15:33.179 --> 00:15:34.779 He makes this mud, 00:15:35.039 --> 00:15:36.379 he puts it on his eyes, 00:15:36.460 --> 00:15:39.139 he tells him to wash in the pool of Siloam, 00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:43.840 and he's doing it essentially to break the tradition of the Pharisees. 00:15:43.939 --> 00:15:44.519 We know that, 00:15:44.860 --> 00:15:45.199 first of all, 00:15:45.259 --> 00:15:47.720 performing a miracle at all would be considered work. 00:15:47.819 --> 00:15:48.720 That's breaking the Sabbath. 00:15:49.340 --> 00:15:50.919 The fact that he kneads this mud, 00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:51.740 any sort of kneading, 00:15:51.799 --> 00:15:52.659 like the kneading of dough, 00:15:52.740 --> 00:15:54.059 would have been a violation of the Sabbath. 00:15:54.519 --> 00:15:54.919 Again, 00:15:55.559 --> 00:15:57.019 another violation of Jesus. 00:15:58.720 --> 00:15:59.419 Not only that, 00:15:59.480 --> 00:16:00.720 but he anoints this man, 00:16:00.779 --> 00:16:02.079 he puts that mud on his eyes, 00:16:02.079 --> 00:16:03.659 yet another violation. 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:05.259 It's like if you have kids, 00:16:05.299 --> 00:16:06.980 or maybe you remember when you were a kid yourself, 00:16:07.059 --> 00:16:09.500 there's no one better that can get under your skin 00:16:09.500 --> 00:16:10.559 than your own sibling, right? 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:13.200 I think I see it in my house on an hourly basis. 00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:14.840 Kids get under each other's skin, 00:16:14.899 --> 00:16:16.100 they know how to push each other's button, 00:16:16.279 --> 00:16:18.700 even by one child looking at the other child the wrong way, 00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:20.460 is enough to set somebody off, right? 00:16:21.620 --> 00:16:23.799 And so this is kind of what Jesus is doing here. 00:16:23.860 --> 00:16:26.799 He's purposefully triggering this controversy 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:29.519 in order to point out the Pharisees' hypocrisy, 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:33.580 in order to demonstrate his true purpose in coming. 00:16:33.580 --> 00:16:36.080 And so even in the name of this pool, 00:16:36.220 --> 00:16:36.759 Siloan, 00:16:36.840 --> 00:16:37.560 it means sent. 00:16:37.920 --> 00:16:39.060 Surely it isn't a coincidence 00:16:39.060 --> 00:16:41.280 that's lost on John here. 00:16:42.379 --> 00:16:45.000 He's pointing out that Jesus was sent by the Father 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:47.460 to provide sight for the blind. 00:16:48.740 --> 00:16:50.680 And so the important part of this miracle then 00:16:50.680 --> 00:16:54.500 is not just the physical aspect of the healing. 00:16:55.300 --> 00:16:57.020 It's much more the spiritual aspect. 00:16:57.180 --> 00:17:00.960 This physical healing points to the spiritual healing 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:01.840 that Jesus offers. 00:17:02.660 --> 00:17:04.140 This water represents, 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:04.840 in the pool here, 00:17:04.940 --> 00:17:06.819 represents the living water of Jesus 00:17:06.819 --> 00:17:08.039 that cleanses us. 00:17:09.500 --> 00:17:10.160 And so really, 00:17:10.220 --> 00:17:11.380 once we look at this miracle, 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:12.759 it's really a microcosm 00:17:12.759 --> 00:17:14.720 of the state of man in general. 00:17:16.019 --> 00:17:18.579 We as humans are sinful. 00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:20.819 We all are blind. 00:17:20.920 --> 00:17:22.160 It says in Isaiah 57, 00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:23.779 we walk in darkness. 00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:25.980 We grope as if we have no eyes. 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:28.579 We stumble at noonday as if it's night. 00:17:28.579 --> 00:17:30.859 So the fact is, 00:17:30.939 --> 00:17:34.199 we have no ability to see Christ. 00:17:34.839 --> 00:17:36.240 We have no desire. 00:17:36.379 --> 00:17:38.899 We have no ability to save ourselves. 00:17:38.980 --> 00:17:40.419 Yet Jesus comes in 00:17:40.419 --> 00:17:43.839 to this man's helpless state. 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:46.039 And as it says in Colossians, 00:17:46.119 --> 00:17:48.240 he rescued him from the dominion of darkness 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:51.439 and welcomed him into the kingdom of light. 00:17:52.899 --> 00:17:55.659 And so the miracle that happens in this man's life 00:17:55.660 --> 00:17:59.500 is the same miracle that can happen in each of our lives 00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:01.640 when we are empowered by the spirit 00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:05.380 to recognize that Jesus is the son of God. 00:18:05.480 --> 00:18:08.880 It is Jesus alone who saves. 00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:12.580 And so this brings us then to our final point. 00:18:12.840 --> 00:18:15.620 Is this how the people in this story responded? 00:18:16.200 --> 00:18:17.060 With rejoicing, 00:18:17.180 --> 00:18:19.240 with recognizing that Jesus was the Messiah? 00:18:19.360 --> 00:18:22.100 Well, we actually see four different responses here 00:18:22.100 --> 00:18:23.259 throughout the story. 00:18:23.259 --> 00:18:26.000 We see, first of all, the response of the neighbors 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:27.599 that the blind man goes to, 00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:29.160 the response of the Pharisees, 00:18:30.220 --> 00:18:32.220 the response of this blind man's parents, 00:18:32.279 --> 00:18:34.480 and then the response of the blind man himself. 00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:37.440 And so I want us to consider each one of these just briefly. 00:18:37.779 --> 00:18:39.259 First, the response of the neighbors. 00:18:39.420 --> 00:18:42.339 When this blind man goes to his neighbors at first, 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:43.740 many of them have unbelief. 00:18:43.819 --> 00:18:45.819 This can't be the guy who was blind before. 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:47.839 He must just look like him. 00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:50.519 They get to the point of recognizing, 00:18:50.639 --> 00:18:51.619 okay, this is the man, 00:18:51.679 --> 00:18:52.519 but they ask the question, 00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:54.339 well, how are your eyes opened? 00:18:54.559 --> 00:18:56.720 And we need to take you to go see the Pharisees. 00:18:58.000 --> 00:18:59.419 You can see their error here. 00:18:59.500 --> 00:19:01.659 They don't ask who healed him. 00:19:01.720 --> 00:19:03.079 They ask how he was healed. 00:19:03.159 --> 00:19:06.720 They're more concerned about the mechanics of this miracle 00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:08.519 than the meaning of the miracle. 00:19:08.819 --> 00:19:10.339 Who was behind this miracle? 00:19:10.339 --> 00:19:13.379 And when the man tells them, 00:19:13.480 --> 00:19:16.399 it was Jesus, it was Jesus who healed me. 00:19:17.179 --> 00:19:18.240 You would think immediately 00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:20.319 they'd try to go find this miracle worker, Jesus, 00:19:20.579 --> 00:19:21.740 to learn more about him. 00:19:22.519 --> 00:19:25.319 But instead, they take this man to the Pharisees. 00:19:25.439 --> 00:19:28.119 We recognize they are asking the wrong questions 00:19:28.119 --> 00:19:30.139 and seeking the answers in the wrong places. 00:19:31.740 --> 00:19:33.419 And so I think we need to consider ourselves. 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:34.179 When this happens, 00:19:34.259 --> 00:19:36.319 when we face controversy or question our lives, 00:19:36.419 --> 00:19:38.139 where are we seeking answers? 00:19:38.140 --> 00:19:42.020 Are we looking for answers from ourselves, 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:44.360 from society, from science, 00:19:44.360 --> 00:19:47.080 or are we looking for true solutions, 00:19:47.220 --> 00:19:52.360 for truth that comes from the giver of all truth, Jesus? 00:19:54.420 --> 00:19:56.780 Well, the Pharisees have a very similar response, right? 00:19:57.980 --> 00:19:59.840 Now, if you're not familiar with Pharisees, 00:19:59.880 --> 00:20:02.280 we know that these guys are the religious leaders of the time. 00:20:02.360 --> 00:20:04.120 These would have been respected and honored 00:20:04.120 --> 00:20:06.320 by the Jewish community. 00:20:06.319 --> 00:20:09.079 We know they're very good at keeping laws. 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:12.039 In fact, they would create these little rules around the laws 00:20:12.039 --> 00:20:14.339 so they wouldn't ever get close to breaking the laws, 00:20:14.679 --> 00:20:16.500 and they enforced those rules 00:20:16.500 --> 00:20:18.200 as if they were the law themselves. 00:20:18.359 --> 00:20:20.359 And so here, we recognize 00:20:20.359 --> 00:20:23.740 that what happens here 00:20:23.740 --> 00:20:26.899 when someone transgresses their little rules, 00:20:27.139 --> 00:20:29.379 immediately called a sinner. 00:20:29.380 --> 00:20:32.000 So rather than recognizing this miracle 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:34.940 and offering praise and awe to Jesus, 00:20:35.760 --> 00:20:39.260 they respond with suspicion and accusation. 00:20:39.380 --> 00:20:41.560 Jesus must be a sinner. 00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:44.720 And so we follow them in this story on this witch hunt, right? 00:20:44.880 --> 00:20:46.180 They're approached by these neighbors. 00:20:46.320 --> 00:20:47.460 They talk to the blind man. 00:20:47.600 --> 00:20:48.360 They're not satisfied. 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:49.840 They go to the blind man's parents, 00:20:50.160 --> 00:20:51.360 still don't get the answers they want, 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:52.640 come back to the blind man. 00:20:52.640 --> 00:20:56.720 And we see all the while this dilemma that's building. 00:20:56.920 --> 00:21:01.660 It's this line of logic that's confronting them 00:21:01.660 --> 00:21:04.020 that they don't really know what to deal with. 00:21:04.220 --> 00:21:05.280 Because the fact is, 00:21:05.340 --> 00:21:07.440 they recognize that it's only God 00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:08.600 who can heal a blind man. 00:21:09.620 --> 00:21:11.540 And so if Jesus healed this man, 00:21:12.220 --> 00:21:13.880 then Jesus must be from God. 00:21:14.540 --> 00:21:16.300 And if Jesus is from God, 00:21:16.360 --> 00:21:18.000 then he must have authority over us. 00:21:18.020 --> 00:21:19.259 And if he has authority over us, 00:21:19.280 --> 00:21:20.540 we must submit to him. 00:21:20.539 --> 00:21:24.299 It's a logical conclusion they're not willing to accept. 00:21:26.579 --> 00:21:29.940 They recognize that it's a threat to their way of life. 00:21:30.039 --> 00:21:34.519 It's a threat to all that they have built up about themselves. 00:21:34.659 --> 00:21:36.480 Their position and their priorities 00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:40.119 blind them from recognizing that Jesus is the Christ. 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:45.619 And so again, is this something that may describe us at times? 00:21:46.059 --> 00:21:47.200 Maybe if you're not a believer, 00:21:47.319 --> 00:21:49.139 you're looking for reasons not to believe. 00:21:49.140 --> 00:21:51.600 If you don't want this whole Christianity thing 00:21:51.600 --> 00:21:53.240 to disrupt your way of life, 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:56.540 you worry about what people may think, 00:21:56.680 --> 00:21:59.180 what changes you might have to make, 00:21:59.340 --> 00:22:02.460 how you've already invested in this carefully curated life, 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:07.180 you're concerned about how submission to Jesus as Lord 00:22:07.180 --> 00:22:08.840 may change that. 00:22:09.560 --> 00:22:12.940 What is the cost of following Jesus? 00:22:12.940 --> 00:22:16.519 And so we see by the end of this investigation 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:19.799 that the Pharisees are just in this hot mess, right? 00:22:21.019 --> 00:22:24.480 We've witnessed arguments like this before, right? 00:22:24.519 --> 00:22:25.980 When two people are arguing, 00:22:26.100 --> 00:22:27.840 you see one side that's starting to lose, 00:22:28.680 --> 00:22:31.019 we can kind of see civility go out the window, right? 00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:33.600 They stop attacking the question itself 00:22:33.600 --> 00:22:34.880 or the points of controversy 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:36.820 and just start attacking the other person. 00:22:38.100 --> 00:22:40.660 Unfortunately, we see this in politics a lot, right? 00:22:40.660 --> 00:22:44.200 We see politicians or those who hold to certain political views 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:44.920 rather than saying, 00:22:45.040 --> 00:22:47.040 oh, your policy is bad for this reason. 00:22:47.240 --> 00:22:50.240 We say, no, you are bad for supporting that policy. 00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:53.540 And so that's what we see here in verse 28. 00:22:53.600 --> 00:22:54.380 The Pharisees, it says, 00:22:54.460 --> 00:22:56.180 they hurled insults at this man. 00:22:57.220 --> 00:22:59.259 Verse 34, they said, 00:22:59.340 --> 00:23:01.460 you are steeped in sin. 00:23:01.620 --> 00:23:03.680 You were steeped in sin at birth. 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:08.600 And so we see their argument simply devolves into name calling. 00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:11.360 But it's funny though, 00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:15.880 this accusation they throw on this blind man, 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:17.759 it really is essentially an admission 00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:19.720 that he was born a blind, 00:23:19.820 --> 00:23:22.160 something that they were trying to deny initially. 00:23:22.360 --> 00:23:24.680 We see their argument is just completely shocked. 00:23:26.680 --> 00:23:29.120 Well, unfortunately, if we turn to the response of the parents, 00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:33.080 they did very little to push back on these Pharisees. 00:23:33.079 --> 00:23:34.139 The Pharisees come to them, 00:23:34.199 --> 00:23:34.839 they ask him, 00:23:35.019 --> 00:23:35.980 is this really your son? 00:23:36.079 --> 00:23:37.779 Was your son really born blind? 00:23:38.579 --> 00:23:39.519 And they respond, 00:23:39.819 --> 00:23:41.019 yes, he was born blind. 00:23:41.220 --> 00:23:42.199 We know that. 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:43.759 But as you can see now, 00:23:43.819 --> 00:23:44.799 we don't know who did it. 00:23:45.659 --> 00:23:47.399 We don't know who opened his eyes, 00:23:47.460 --> 00:23:48.079 how it happened. 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:49.139 You need to ask him. 00:23:49.199 --> 00:23:49.639 He's of age. 00:23:49.679 --> 00:23:50.519 He can speak for himself. 00:23:52.259 --> 00:23:53.939 And it's really a shocking response 00:23:53.939 --> 00:23:54.799 if we think about it, right? 00:23:55.259 --> 00:23:56.179 I mean, if you're a parent 00:23:56.179 --> 00:23:58.319 and your child who's been blind their whole life, 00:23:58.639 --> 00:23:59.699 receives their sight, 00:23:59.759 --> 00:24:01.339 and tells you how it happened, 00:24:01.339 --> 00:24:03.019 you'd naturally believe them. 00:24:03.339 --> 00:24:05.399 There'd be no reason to discount them. 00:24:05.500 --> 00:24:06.799 And yet these parents here 00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:08.839 aren't willing to confess 00:24:08.839 --> 00:24:10.159 what their son has told them. 00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:11.459 And say, we don't know. 00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:11.899 Ask him. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:12.539 He's of age. 00:24:14.459 --> 00:24:16.799 And so we see John gives the reason for this. 00:24:16.899 --> 00:24:17.539 They were afraid 00:24:17.539 --> 00:24:18.819 because the Jewish leaders 00:24:18.819 --> 00:24:20.159 had already threatened 00:24:20.159 --> 00:24:22.119 that whoever acknowledged Jesus the Messiah 00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:23.179 would be kicked out of the synagogue. 00:24:24.179 --> 00:24:25.579 And so this is a really big deal. 00:24:25.579 --> 00:24:28.619 In a deeply religious society and culture, 00:24:28.759 --> 00:24:30.359 to not be able to worship in the synagogue 00:24:30.359 --> 00:24:33.119 is basically being excommunicated from society, 00:24:33.539 --> 00:24:35.319 being kicked out of your community, 00:24:36.119 --> 00:24:37.379 all because they recognized 00:24:37.379 --> 00:24:39.899 that it was Jesus that healed their son. 00:24:41.659 --> 00:24:42.319 And so again, 00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:44.000 it's one of these urges 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:45.159 that we can feel sometimes. 00:24:45.159 --> 00:24:47.460 We just want to fit in. 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:49.539 We don't want our faith 00:24:49.539 --> 00:24:51.339 to ruin this normal life 00:24:51.339 --> 00:24:52.519 that we think we have, right? 00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:55.019 Because if we recognize in our day and age, 00:24:55.099 --> 00:24:56.579 recognize that Jesus is Messiah 00:24:56.579 --> 00:24:58.519 is nearly just as extreme 00:24:58.519 --> 00:25:00.240 as it was back in the New Testament time. 00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:02.660 I mean, you want to feel like an outcast. 00:25:02.740 --> 00:25:03.599 University students, 00:25:03.799 --> 00:25:04.579 go to your classmates 00:25:04.579 --> 00:25:05.920 and tell them that you're a Christian. 00:25:08.279 --> 00:25:09.879 Go to your coworkers 00:25:09.879 --> 00:25:11.000 or your family or your friends 00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:12.039 and tell them you're a follower of Christ 00:25:12.039 --> 00:25:12.799 and see what happens. 00:25:12.799 --> 00:25:14.319 You want to feel ostracized. 00:25:18.299 --> 00:25:19.319 But we see 00:25:19.319 --> 00:25:23.720 the response of this man. 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:28.919 This man who is blind from birth. 00:25:29.740 --> 00:25:32.500 We recognize how excited he must have been. 00:25:32.579 --> 00:25:33.000 And the thing is, 00:25:33.019 --> 00:25:35.339 it doesn't really say his age here, 00:25:35.879 --> 00:25:36.899 but we can kind of tell 00:25:36.899 --> 00:25:38.759 from the fact that the parents respond 00:25:38.759 --> 00:25:40.039 and say he's of age, 00:25:40.099 --> 00:25:40.639 go ask him, 00:25:40.679 --> 00:25:41.599 he can talk for himself, 00:25:42.019 --> 00:25:42.480 makes us, 00:25:42.659 --> 00:25:44.319 it's reasonable to assume the fact 00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:45.939 that he must have been young himself. 00:25:46.659 --> 00:25:48.039 Probably a young adult 00:25:48.039 --> 00:25:49.079 or a teenager. 00:25:49.220 --> 00:25:50.159 And so it's interesting 00:25:50.159 --> 00:25:51.799 to see his growth. 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:53.859 It's what I like most about the story 00:25:53.859 --> 00:25:55.039 is to see this progression 00:25:55.039 --> 00:25:56.399 in his own emotion, 00:25:56.799 --> 00:25:58.460 in his own belief in the story. 00:25:59.879 --> 00:26:01.079 And so you can imagine, 00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:01.579 like I said, 00:26:01.619 --> 00:26:02.899 how excited he must be 00:26:02.899 --> 00:26:03.819 to now receive sight 00:26:03.819 --> 00:26:04.779 for the first time in his life. 00:26:04.899 --> 00:26:05.859 He wants to run about, 00:26:05.940 --> 00:26:07.079 he wants to experience things, 00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:08.720 and yet he's getting pulled in 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:10.139 to this interrogation 00:26:10.139 --> 00:26:10.980 from the Pharisees. 00:26:11.319 --> 00:26:13.039 And so we see this growing frustration 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:13.980 that occurs 00:26:13.980 --> 00:26:15.659 when all these people 00:26:15.659 --> 00:26:17.039 hurl false accusations 00:26:17.039 --> 00:26:18.220 at him or at Jesus 00:26:18.220 --> 00:26:18.799 and they're repeating 00:26:18.799 --> 00:26:20.839 the same questions, 00:26:21.019 --> 00:26:22.119 the same talking points 00:26:22.119 --> 00:26:23.079 over and over again. 00:26:23.960 --> 00:26:25.440 We get down to verse 25, 00:26:25.559 --> 00:26:26.599 the Pharisees have again 00:26:26.599 --> 00:26:27.639 called Jesus a sinner. 00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:30.039 And this is how he responds, 00:26:30.159 --> 00:26:31.859 whether he is a sinner or not, 00:26:31.920 --> 00:26:32.599 I don't know. 00:26:33.259 --> 00:26:34.819 One thing I do know, 00:26:34.920 --> 00:26:35.899 I was blind, 00:26:36.440 --> 00:26:37.519 but now I see. 00:26:39.279 --> 00:26:40.500 What a wonderful, 00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:41.759 simple, 00:26:42.579 --> 00:26:43.799 obvious statement. 00:26:43.799 --> 00:26:45.379 In the midst of all these Pharisees, 00:26:45.379 --> 00:26:46.819 he's trying to figure out 00:26:46.819 --> 00:26:48.279 exactly how Jesus broke 00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:49.579 their nitpicky little rules. 00:26:50.579 --> 00:26:51.599 He points out 00:26:51.599 --> 00:26:53.000 what's most important here. 00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:55.799 I can see my life 00:26:55.799 --> 00:26:56.680 has been transformed 00:26:56.680 --> 00:26:58.659 and you guys don't get it. 00:27:02.079 --> 00:27:02.599 You know, 00:27:02.619 --> 00:27:03.779 he responds it in a way 00:27:03.779 --> 00:27:05.079 that I would think 00:27:05.079 --> 00:27:06.220 would probably be really typical 00:27:06.220 --> 00:27:07.700 of a teenage response, 00:27:07.819 --> 00:27:08.859 certainly in that time, 00:27:08.940 --> 00:27:09.460 certainly today. 00:27:09.460 --> 00:27:10.400 And it's this wonderful 00:27:10.400 --> 00:27:11.559 kind of snarkiness 00:27:11.559 --> 00:27:13.840 that I think is so humorous. 00:27:14.460 --> 00:27:15.519 When he's asked again, 00:27:15.600 --> 00:27:16.960 well, how did Jesus heal you? 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:17.360 He says, 00:27:17.640 --> 00:27:19.480 why do I have to repeat myself again? 00:27:20.279 --> 00:27:21.019 Do you want to be 00:27:21.019 --> 00:27:22.079 one of his disciples too? 00:27:23.360 --> 00:27:24.340 And so you can kind of 00:27:24.340 --> 00:27:25.940 just feel that answer 00:27:25.940 --> 00:27:26.779 kind of just dripping 00:27:26.779 --> 00:27:27.880 with sarcasm, right? 00:27:27.940 --> 00:27:28.720 And so if you're a teenager, 00:27:28.740 --> 00:27:29.819 like this has got to be 00:27:29.819 --> 00:27:30.600 one of your favorite verses 00:27:30.600 --> 00:27:31.100 in the Bible. 00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:33.500 He's fed up with these Pharisees. 00:27:33.579 --> 00:27:35.120 He's baffled by their ignorance. 00:27:35.299 --> 00:27:36.460 And so that leads him 00:27:36.460 --> 00:27:38.200 to actually lecture the Pharisees. 00:27:38.200 --> 00:27:39.420 We see this in verse 30. 00:27:40.059 --> 00:27:40.299 He says, 00:27:40.500 --> 00:27:41.460 now that is remarkable. 00:27:41.680 --> 00:27:42.059 You don't know 00:27:42.059 --> 00:27:42.840 where he comes from, 00:27:42.900 --> 00:27:43.720 yet you opened his eyes, 00:27:43.980 --> 00:27:45.420 yet he opened my eyes. 00:27:46.200 --> 00:27:46.880 We know that God 00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:47.840 does not listen to sinners. 00:27:47.960 --> 00:27:49.200 He listens to the godly person 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:49.920 who does his will. 00:27:50.319 --> 00:27:51.120 No one has ever heard 00:27:51.120 --> 00:27:52.039 of opening the eyes 00:27:52.039 --> 00:27:53.080 of a man born blind. 00:27:53.400 --> 00:27:54.740 If this man were not from God, 00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:55.519 he could do nothing. 00:27:57.539 --> 00:27:58.559 And so this is the point 00:27:58.559 --> 00:27:59.059 that we see 00:27:59.059 --> 00:28:00.240 that this transformation, 00:28:00.559 --> 00:28:00.960 this miracle 00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:02.960 is not only physical in nature. 00:28:03.299 --> 00:28:05.080 This is a spiritual awakening 00:28:05.080 --> 00:28:06.420 where this man sees 00:28:06.420 --> 00:28:08.180 that Jesus is the son 00:28:08.180 --> 00:28:08.700 of God. 00:28:09.019 --> 00:28:09.940 And so we see this progression 00:28:09.940 --> 00:28:11.180 because at the beginning 00:28:11.180 --> 00:28:11.700 where he's talking 00:28:11.700 --> 00:28:12.120 to his neighbor, 00:28:12.200 --> 00:28:12.380 he said, 00:28:12.539 --> 00:28:14.440 this man named Jesus healed me. 00:28:15.860 --> 00:28:17.420 When the Pharisees approach him 00:28:17.420 --> 00:28:17.759 and say, 00:28:17.820 --> 00:28:18.320 well, what do you think 00:28:18.320 --> 00:28:18.759 about this man? 00:28:18.779 --> 00:28:19.039 He says, 00:28:19.060 --> 00:28:19.799 he's a prophet. 00:28:21.039 --> 00:28:22.460 And now the second time around 00:28:22.460 --> 00:28:23.500 when the Pharisees come back 00:28:23.500 --> 00:28:24.220 and question him again, 00:28:24.279 --> 00:28:24.759 he says, 00:28:25.080 --> 00:28:26.180 he is divine. 00:28:27.740 --> 00:28:28.960 But it doesn't end there 00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:31.440 because Jesus returns 00:28:31.440 --> 00:28:32.240 in verse 35. 00:28:32.460 --> 00:28:33.420 He comes back to this man 00:28:33.420 --> 00:28:33.980 after he hears 00:28:33.980 --> 00:28:34.960 he's been thrown out 00:28:34.960 --> 00:28:36.360 of the synagogue 00:28:36.359 --> 00:28:37.279 and he says, 00:28:37.359 --> 00:28:38.000 do you believe 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:38.979 in the son of man? 00:28:40.439 --> 00:28:41.740 The blind man responds, 00:28:42.219 --> 00:28:43.319 who is he? 00:28:43.399 --> 00:28:44.859 Tell me so that I may believe. 00:28:46.619 --> 00:28:47.759 Jesus basically says, 00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:49.719 you're looking at him, right? 00:28:51.039 --> 00:28:52.139 And the man responds, 00:28:52.319 --> 00:28:53.639 Lord, I believe. 00:28:53.740 --> 00:28:54.879 And he worships him. 00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:58.740 His belief turns to worship. 00:28:58.740 --> 00:29:01.599 And so his neighbors, 00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:02.779 his parents, 00:29:02.899 --> 00:29:03.619 the Pharisees, 00:29:03.799 --> 00:29:05.000 none of them recognize 00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:05.799 who Jesus is. 00:29:06.119 --> 00:29:07.220 Yet this blind man 00:29:07.220 --> 00:29:08.400 who's brought out of darkness 00:29:08.400 --> 00:29:08.960 into light 00:29:08.960 --> 00:29:09.960 sees Christ 00:29:09.960 --> 00:29:12.079 and he can do nothing 00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:13.440 but worship. 00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:17.299 And so that's a question for us. 00:29:17.400 --> 00:29:18.680 How do we respond 00:29:18.680 --> 00:29:19.440 to this truth? 00:29:19.539 --> 00:29:20.279 All this symbolism 00:29:20.279 --> 00:29:20.920 that we see 00:29:20.920 --> 00:29:22.319 throughout the Gospel of John 00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:23.799 between light and darkness 00:29:23.799 --> 00:29:24.559 and sight 00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:25.980 and blindness, 00:29:25.980 --> 00:29:28.880 it's not just this literary effect 00:29:28.880 --> 00:29:29.880 to make the story 00:29:29.880 --> 00:29:30.920 sound good, right? 00:29:31.240 --> 00:29:33.400 This is the Gospel. 00:29:33.599 --> 00:29:34.880 Jesus says in verse 39, 00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:35.859 for judgment 00:29:35.859 --> 00:29:36.980 I have come into the world 00:29:36.980 --> 00:29:38.400 so that the blind will see 00:29:38.400 --> 00:29:39.500 and those who see 00:29:39.500 --> 00:29:40.759 will become blind. 00:29:42.559 --> 00:29:44.420 Jesus came to this helpless, 00:29:45.299 --> 00:29:46.240 hopeless man 00:29:46.240 --> 00:29:48.119 and gave him sight. 00:29:49.220 --> 00:29:51.180 That is his mission, 00:29:51.319 --> 00:29:53.079 to save sinners 00:29:53.079 --> 00:29:54.700 by his blood 00:29:54.700 --> 00:29:56.200 for his glory. 00:29:57.160 --> 00:29:58.039 And so naturally, 00:29:58.160 --> 00:29:59.220 there's going to be people 00:29:59.220 --> 00:30:00.720 that don't believe, right? 00:30:01.700 --> 00:30:02.620 There's going to be those 00:30:02.620 --> 00:30:02.980 who think, 00:30:03.200 --> 00:30:04.200 I don't need saving. 00:30:04.700 --> 00:30:06.240 I'm good enough on my own. 00:30:06.299 --> 00:30:07.940 I can trust my own capabilities 00:30:07.940 --> 00:30:09.240 or my own intellect 00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:10.339 or my own reasoning. 00:30:12.339 --> 00:30:13.559 I don't need saving. 00:30:15.319 --> 00:30:15.940 Jesus says, 00:30:16.039 --> 00:30:16.600 no, no, no. 00:30:16.700 --> 00:30:19.160 You are spiritually blind. 00:30:19.460 --> 00:30:20.279 And if you think 00:30:20.279 --> 00:30:21.279 you are good enough 00:30:21.279 --> 00:30:22.140 on your own, 00:30:22.279 --> 00:30:24.600 you are guilty already. 00:30:24.599 --> 00:30:28.699 And so it's only those 00:30:28.699 --> 00:30:30.319 who recognize their blindness, 00:30:30.459 --> 00:30:32.099 who admit the need 00:30:32.099 --> 00:30:32.799 for a miracle, 00:30:33.019 --> 00:30:34.179 those are the people 00:30:34.179 --> 00:30:35.299 that Jesus saves. 00:30:36.559 --> 00:30:37.659 And so it is 00:30:37.659 --> 00:30:39.179 with each of us today. 00:30:40.240 --> 00:30:40.619 Right? 00:30:40.699 --> 00:30:42.019 This is the reality 00:30:42.019 --> 00:30:42.839 of the Gospel, 00:30:42.959 --> 00:30:44.480 that without Christ, 00:30:44.619 --> 00:30:46.119 we are blind. 00:30:47.559 --> 00:30:48.799 It goes further and says 00:30:48.799 --> 00:30:49.959 we are dead 00:30:49.960 --> 00:30:51.680 in our sins. 00:30:52.799 --> 00:30:54.340 But Christ has come 00:30:54.340 --> 00:30:55.480 to each one of us, 00:30:55.559 --> 00:30:56.660 just like this blind man 00:30:56.660 --> 00:30:57.380 in this story. 00:30:57.759 --> 00:30:58.799 He comes to us 00:30:58.799 --> 00:30:59.680 in our brokenness 00:30:59.680 --> 00:31:00.680 and our fallenness 00:31:00.680 --> 00:31:01.480 and our blindness 00:31:01.480 --> 00:31:02.779 and he offers 00:31:02.779 --> 00:31:05.180 eternal and total healing. 00:31:06.940 --> 00:31:08.220 And so this is 00:31:08.220 --> 00:31:09.299 the urge this morning. 00:31:09.400 --> 00:31:10.960 This is the invitation 00:31:10.960 --> 00:31:12.200 if you are not in Christ 00:31:12.200 --> 00:31:14.100 to come in your sickness, 00:31:14.539 --> 00:31:15.600 in your suffering, 00:31:16.079 --> 00:31:16.860 in your sorrow, 00:31:17.420 --> 00:31:19.259 even in your doubt, 00:31:19.259 --> 00:31:21.240 and come to Christ 00:31:21.240 --> 00:31:24.220 who offers healing 00:31:24.220 --> 00:31:24.960 through his blood 00:31:24.960 --> 00:31:26.420 so that the work of God 00:31:26.420 --> 00:31:28.579 may be displayed in you. 00:31:29.759 --> 00:31:30.539 Let's pray. 00:31:36.259 --> 00:31:37.720 God, we thank you 00:31:37.720 --> 00:31:40.720 that you are 00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:41.740 the ultimate healer, 00:31:41.799 --> 00:31:43.000 that you sent your Son 00:31:43.000 --> 00:31:44.039 to bring sight 00:31:44.039 --> 00:31:46.039 to those who are blind, 00:31:46.140 --> 00:31:46.920 to bring light 00:31:46.920 --> 00:31:47.879 into darkness, 00:31:47.880 --> 00:31:50.640 and so Lord, 00:31:50.680 --> 00:31:51.480 if there's those here 00:31:51.480 --> 00:31:52.580 that don't know you, 00:31:53.840 --> 00:31:55.640 we pray for conviction. 00:31:57.140 --> 00:31:58.940 We pray that they may recognize 00:31:58.940 --> 00:32:00.600 their need for saving. 00:32:03.360 --> 00:32:04.680 They may recognize 00:32:04.680 --> 00:32:05.640 the free gift 00:32:05.640 --> 00:32:06.820 that you offer to them 00:32:06.820 --> 00:32:07.660 to bring them 00:32:07.660 --> 00:32:08.780 into the kingdom of light. 00:32:10.560 --> 00:32:11.140 And God, 00:32:11.180 --> 00:32:11.900 for those of us 00:32:11.900 --> 00:32:12.500 who know you, 00:32:12.580 --> 00:32:13.460 may we rejoice 00:32:13.460 --> 00:32:14.360 in that reality 00:32:14.359 --> 00:32:15.119 to know 00:32:15.119 --> 00:32:16.279 of the saving 00:32:16.279 --> 00:32:18.240 of our Lord Jesus. 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:21.359 Not anything we've done, 00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:23.359 but everything 00:32:23.359 --> 00:32:24.199 that he has done 00:32:24.199 --> 00:32:25.039 to pay the penalty 00:32:25.039 --> 00:32:25.959 for our sin. 00:32:26.659 --> 00:32:27.579 May we desire 00:32:27.579 --> 00:32:28.839 to share that light 00:32:28.839 --> 00:32:30.339 into our dark world 00:32:30.339 --> 00:32:30.799 around us 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:31.619 that you may receive 00:32:31.619 --> 00:32:32.339 all the glory 00:32:32.339 --> 00:32:33.119 and honor and praise. 00:32:33.219 --> 00:32:33.599 We pray 00:32:33.599 --> 00:32:35.179 in Jesus' name. 00:32:35.899 --> 00:32:36.159 Amen. 00:32:36.160 --> 00:32:40.380 And we have 00:32:40.380 --> 00:32:41.200 our final hymn 00:32:41.200 --> 00:32:41.779 this morning, 00:32:42.740 --> 00:32:44.240 All I Have is Christ. 00:32:44.620 --> 00:32:45.600 So if you will stand 00:32:45.600 --> 00:32:46.700 and we can sing together. 00:32:46.700 --> 00:33:16.680 I once was lost, 00:33:16.680 --> 00:33:19.360 in darkest night, 00:33:19.640 --> 00:33:21.660 yet thought I knew 00:33:21.660 --> 00:33:23.840 the way. 00:33:24.320 --> 00:33:26.700 The sin that promised 00:33:26.700 --> 00:33:28.420 joy in life 00:33:28.420 --> 00:33:32.900 had led me to the grave. 00:33:32.900 --> 00:33:34.900 I had no hope 00:33:35.500 --> 00:33:38.080 that you would own 00:33:38.080 --> 00:33:42.039 a rebel to your will. 00:33:42.320 --> 00:33:44.840 And if you had 00:33:44.839 --> 00:33:46.779 not loved me first, 00:33:46.899 --> 00:33:48.659 I would refuse 00:33:48.659 --> 00:33:50.839 you still. 00:33:50.839 --> 00:34:05.000 But as I ran 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:07.279 my hell-bound race, 00:34:07.279 --> 00:34:11.480 indifferent to the cause, 00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:13.480 you looked upon 00:34:13.480 --> 00:34:15.980 my helpless state 00:34:15.980 --> 00:34:20.340 and led me to the cross. 00:34:20.340 --> 00:34:23.019 And I beheld 00:34:23.019 --> 00:34:24.340 God's love displayed, 00:34:24.340 --> 00:34:26.220 you suffered 00:34:26.220 --> 00:34:29.340 in my place. 00:34:29.340 --> 00:34:32.140 You bore the wrath 00:34:32.140 --> 00:34:33.340 reserved for me. 00:34:34.160 --> 00:34:36.340 Now all I know 00:34:36.340 --> 00:34:40.460 is grace. 00:34:40.460 --> 00:34:44.840 Jesus is my life. 00:34:44.840 --> 00:34:46.000 All I have is Christ. 00:34:46.000 --> 00:35:00.199 All I have is Christ. 00:35:00.199 --> 00:35:01.260 All I have is Christ. 00:35:01.260 --> 00:35:09.680 Hallelujah, all I have is Christ. 00:35:10.180 --> 00:35:19.220 Hallelujah, Jesus is my life. 00:35:19.219 --> 00:35:33.679 Now, Lord, I would be yours alone and live so all might see. 00:35:33.679 --> 00:35:42.679 The strength to follow your commands could never come from me. 00:35:42.679 --> 00:35:51.719 Oh, Father, use my ransomed life in any way you choose. 00:35:51.980 --> 00:36:01.239 And let my song forever be, my only boast is you. 00:36:03.399 --> 00:36:11.899 Hallelujah, all I have is Christ. 00:36:11.900 --> 00:36:20.740 Hallelujah, Jesus is my life. 00:36:21.119 --> 00:36:29.380 Hallelujah, all I have is Christ. 00:36:30.059 --> 00:36:39.700 Hallelujah, Jesus is my life. 00:36:41.900 --> 00:36:50.740 Hallelujah, Jesus is my life. 00:36:50.739 --> 00:36:51.859 From the book of Jude. 00:36:51.859 --> 00:36:59.959 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy. 00:36:59.960 --> 00:37:10.920 To the only God, our Savior, be glory and majesty and power and authority through Christ Jesus, our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore. 00:37:10.920 --> 00:37:12.079 Amen. 00:37:12.139 --> 00:37:12.280 Amen. 00:37:12.280 --> 00:37:42.260 Thank you.