THE GRATEFUL BLIND MAN TOOK A STAND (JOHN 9 PART 2)

The Jews/Pharisees were determined to dispute and unsettle the claims of the healed man. They failed miserably. The man was equally determined to defend the Lord. He challenged them instead to disprove his claim, angering the Jews even further.

Healed Man’s Immediate Testimony

The man answered and said to them, “Why, this is a marvellous thing, that you do not know where He is from. Yet, He has opened my eyes! Now we know God does not answer sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears Him. Since the world began, it has been unheard that anyone has opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man (Jesus) were not from God, He could do nothing” (verses 30-33).

The response from the Jews was as expected - “And they cast him out”. They completely lost the plot, could not disprove the miracle and the source behind it, thus being left with the only other option - to throw him out.

Other Similar Responses - Situations

In the John 9 case, the parents of the blind man feared that they could even be thrown out of the synagogue if they confessed Jesus (verses 21-22). John 11:37, this event was known to many later on too.

Raising Lazarus

In the case of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:47-54), the chief priest and the Pharisees planned to suppress the truth and even opined that it was expedient that Jesus should be killed. Pure evil.

In another instance, the Jews tried to discredit Jesus’ miracles as being in cahoots with demons (Mat 12:22-24). The extremes they would go to be right in their own sight. Evil attempted justifications can never overcome the Word and works of God.

What are the lessons we can learn from the healing of the man born blind (John chapter 9)

• Jesus saw the suffering of this blind man. From the healed situation, we see this man as a grateful person - he came back to Jesus and later strongly defended Him. He showed no fear. He saw the Light and both his physical and spiritual darkness were removed.

• Although Jesus had anointed his eyes, the blind man still had a role to play in his healing. Grace from God and obedience goes together. The same applies to us in the plan of salvation.

• In the case of Naaman in 2 Kings 5, he was told by the prophet Elisha what he needed to do to be healed of leprosy. He needed to comply with the grace (from God through Elisha) and dip himself 7 times in the Jordan River. If he dipped more or less than 7 times or in any other water source, he would not be in compliance with the command and would not be cured.

• Jesus, through His miracles, continued to prove His divine origin. He was Deity, the Messiah. He was a prophet. His miracles proved what He preached and it confirmed the Word. No one today can do the miracles He performed. He had power over nature, over death, and over illnesses. We conclude that in the Old Testament, the Sabbath should not preclude acts of mercy as Jesus showed.

• This event continues to suggest that mankind even today, despite all the proofs in the Bible, like the Jews of chapter 9, continue to find ways and means to disprove/discredit God’s Word. Despite all the evidence, mankind is comfortable in sin and their own interpretations of deity. We should not grow weary in the defense of the Gospel (Phil 1:17).

Ask Yourself:

1. What did Jesus say of Himself before healing the blind man?

2. To what did His disciples wrongly attribute the blind man’s condition to be?

3. What cured the blind man’s illness?

Suggested Answers:

1. That He is the light of the world.

2. That it was the result of either His sins or the sins of His parents.

3. The grace of God through His son’s healing power and the man’s obedience to the Lord’s commandments.