John chapter 9 
Jesus Christ is the light from God who shines in the darkness to illustrate the way of life.
Jesus is the light of the world and, as such, opens the possibility of new life to those hidden in darkness. The truth of this is spelled out in today’s scripture reading.
Our Key Verse: John 8:12
John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
When Jesus claims to be the light of the world, he gives a witness to his relationship with the father in heaven. The Pharisees understood the significance of the statement immediately. Jesus is the “I am” of the Bible.
Jesus uttered these words to a group that witnessed an incredible scene. Teaching in the temple, a woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus. As the accusers attempted to trick Jesus by asking if He thought the woman should be stoned, Jesus mutely wrote in the sand. The accusers evaporated and the embarrassed woman was set free with forgiveness and the admonition to turn away from the darkness. Now, turning to the remaining assembled people, Jesus tells them that He is the Light of the world.
Jesus, as the Light of the world, offers a choice between the darkness of sin and the glistening light of a life in His presence.
The fundamental truth is that Jesus is the source of truth and elimination.
Today, we will read the happening of Jesus Healing a Man Born Blind
Jesus heals the blind more than any other miracle in scripture. When Jesus give sight, he fulfills a true masonic purpose. This purpose is that Jesus is the light. The simplicity of this miracle shows the capacity of God to bring light to the darkness that has imprisoned the mankind. Jesus will not be on earth, forever, at least in the form depicted in the passage, and warns that the night is coming.
John 9:1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.
As Jesus was leaving the temple, he sees and comes in contact with the blind man who is begging for alms. This is where people would go to beg. It was actually a pretty smart thing to do, because if you’re you are going to hit people up for money do it when they’re leaving church. Their minds will still be on the Lord and hopefully they’re still responding to what all they learned in church.
2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
As Jesus and the disciples walked past the blind man, according to verse two, they asked Jesus who has sinned that this man was born blind?
I’ve learned a lot over the years about what someone believes, according to their questions. Or maybe I should say it this way: according to their assumptions.
According to a verse two, the assumptions were already there. Who sinned? This is what they’re saying to Jesus: this man is blind; obviously, someone has sinned. So, who was it? The blind man or his parents?
What Jesus’s disciples were expressing here was common knowledge during their time. And I’ve still found this belief common today! Some, people assume that when a person is experiencing difficulty then they have sinned an that is why they are suffering. However, that difficulty may come: emotional, spiritual, physical, sickness, or injury. There is a direct assumption that there is some kind of sin consequence going on. I find that this belief and behavior occurs in cultures where superstition is believed. This is essentially the belief of karma. The belief for karma is the following: you did it and now you’re going to get it! Some people make the mistake of applying that knowledge to God.
So in verse three, Jesus brings correction to this thinking.3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
So at first glance, if you only looked at the first few words, you could come to the conclusion that this man and his parents never sinned, but Jesus is not saying this. We know what our Bible says! All have sent and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
So, we are not talking about some sort of sinless activities between this man and his parents.
There is a third part to what Jesus is saying. Jesus is not saying that sin had no part in this man’s blindness. Because as human beings, we are born into a sinful and broken world. We have been brought into the brokenness and flawlessness of the world. Things are going to touch us. There is no escape. The longer we live, we know that the brokenness of this world has touched us.
It is also important for us to take note of the fact that God did not create the world for this chaos. God did not create a broken world, nor did he create a sin rotting world. God created a perfect world. Remember, and Genesis God created the world and after he did so he said: it is good. Genesis 1:31 Then in Genesis, he created man and woman and said this is good. Then he put the man and woman in the garden and it was all good.
Then and Genesis chapter 3, we see what brought all of that to an end and it was sin in the garden. Now, that sin has been rolling through cultures and society. Now, we have entered into brokenness. so, sin is the cause of this brokenness and sin is the cause of all brokenness in the world. Sin is contrary to the word of God. God did not create blindness. sin brought this to the forefront.
Jesus is saying that there is not a direct sin from the man’s part; that created his blindness.
Neither the man or his parents did anything directly to cause this man to be blind. It just came from a broken sinful world. This is one reason we should hate sin!
The very next thing that happens when something goes astray is that we question why. We ask it of one another and we also ask it of God. I found that God is usually not very forthcoming. With the reason why. I think it’s because of our finite minds. We really can’t comprehend the answer. I think we assume that we could understand the answer if he gave it to us.
But, perhaps we couldn’t. I think we ask why because we are seeking comfort and we think if we know the reason why it would give us that comfort. The answer that Jesus gives the disciples is the following: so that the works of God might be magnified. so, we look at that and we may pause for a while.. We think a while! Then, we ask does this mean what I think it means? just exactly what is Jesus saying in the scripture?
Jesus is saying that the condition of blindness was sovereignly allowed. Now, allowed and caused are two different things. I want to be careful here. I want to tread lightly here. We must be very careful and to say that God allowed this to happen, but he did not deliberately cause this to happen. Remember, all sin that we do as a person and as a people have consequences. I would much rather have these consequences now, then for an eternity.
A lot of believers get into trouble here, because they cannot differentiate between allowed and deliberately caused. I think it is a very common mistakes Christian make today. When they hear. That God allowed something according to his foreknowledge. We struggle today to even understand God‘s foreknowledge and his sovereignty. We have so much trouble, because time is different to God than it is to us. God knows the beginning from the end and we actually have to live it out. God is not bound by his creation. No! He transcends his creation, and He even transforms it.
Moving onto a verse four.
4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Jesus will not be on earth, forever, at least in the form depicted in the passage, and warns that the night is coming (another image of darkness) when no one can work. Well on earth, as long as it is day, he will continue to do his work as the Messiah. We, Christians, need to also follow the example of Christ. Night is coming, when no work can be done; so so, while it is day, we need to continue to do the work and wheel of God.
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.
Jesus mixed his saliva with the clay on the ground to rub in the eyes of the sightless man. He then told him to wash his eyes in the pool of solo. When the man obeyed, he came home seeing. The simplicity of the miracle demonstrates the power of Jesus to be the light and to bring the light into the darkness.
The mud evokes the creation of man from dust (Genesis 2:7), signifying a new creation of the eyes, while the act of kneading clay was a violation of the Pharisees’ strict “40 tasks” forbidden on the Sabbath.
40 tasks not allowed on the Sabbath..,,
1. The Order of Bread (Agricultural/Food Processing)
2. Plowing (Choreish): Raking, digging, or preparing the ground.
3. Sowing (Zoreh): Planting, watering, or fertilizing plants.
4. Reaping (Kotzair): Detaching a plant from its source of growth.
6. Gathering (M’amer): Gathering produce together.
7. Threshing (Dash): Extracting food from its shell or husk, or extracting juice.
8. Winnowing (Zoreh): Separating chaff from grain using wind.
9. Selecting (Borer): Sorting good from bad (e.g., separating food from waste).
10. Grinding (Tochen): Milling, crushing, or breaking down substances.
11. Sifting (Meraked): Separating particles using a sieve or sifter.
12. Kneading (Lash): Combining solids and liquids to form a paste.
Baking/Cooking (Bishul/Ofeh): Changing properties of items using heat.
II. The Order of Garments (Textile Production)
12. Shearing (Gozez): Removing wool or hair from an animal (also applies to human hair/nails).
13. Scouring/Bleaching (Melabein): Laundering or cleaning materials.
14. Combing (Menapetz): Combing raw fibers.
15. Dyeing (Tzovea): Coloring materials.
16. Spinning (Toveh): Making yarn or thread.
17. Warping (Maisach): Setting up the thread on a loom.
18. Making Loops (Oseh Shtei): Creating netting or threading heddles.
19. Weaving (Oreg): Fabricating material.
20. Unraveling (Potzeya): Pulling out threads.
21. Tying (Koshair): Making a permanent knot.
22. Untying (Matir): Untying a permanent knot.
23. Sewing (Tofair): Joining two items together (also includes stapling or glueing).
24. Tearing (Koraya): Tearing in order to sew, or tearing material.
III. The Order of Hides (Leather/Parchment Production)
25. Trapping (Tzod): Capturing a creature.
26. Slaughtering (Shochait): Killing or causing bleeding.
27. Skinning/Flaying (Mafshit): Removing skin.
28. Tanning (M’abeid): Processing hides.
29. Smoothing (Memachek): Sanding or smoothing surfaces.
30. Scoring/Ruling (Mesarteit): Drawing lines for cutting or writing.
31. Cutting (Mechateich): Cutting materials to a specific shape/size.
IV. The Order of Construction & Finishing
32. Writing (Koteiv): Drawing or forming letters/symbols.
33. Erasing (Mochek): Removing ink to write again.
34. Building (Boneh): Assembling or constructing structures.
35. Demolishing (Sotair): Tearing down to rebuild.
36. Extinguishing (Mechabeh): Putting out a fire.
37. Kindling/Burning (Mav’ir): Making or fueling a fire.
38. Finishing (Makeh Bepatish): The “final hammer blow”—completing an item or making it functional.
39. Carrying (Hotza’ah): Moving an item between a private and a public domain.
7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
John 9:24-25
24 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. 25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
The Pharisees were not happy with the healing and began to investigate the situation. They questioned whether the man that was blind, until his parents confirmed it in verse 18–23. They questioned how a sinner might have been healed. Clearly, they did not imagine, grace in this moment. Their minds were unsettled by the sheer gift of light to this man who had known nothing but darkness.
The clarity of this response speaks across the ages, I was blind, but now I see verse 25. This is the testimony of countless others throughout history. People who believe there is only darkness; until, Jesus brings them light. The Pharisees cannot grasp the glory of the gift. They fell to see that Jesus is the gift for all those who otherwise stand in the darkness.
John 9:35-41
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? 37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. 38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
It would seem the man born blind, who now sees stands in the face of any theological basis seeking to deny the light of Jesus. However, the Pharisees could not be satisfied until they judged the man who could now see. For them, what could not be understood must be refused. Yet, the man who was condemned and marginalized could see, and, by faith, believed and worshiped Jesus.
We all understand that a physically blind man just cannot see, but we often miss the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees. They will not see. Therefore, they stand condemned by their unwillingness to see what the light revealed.
Jesus offers light to those living in darkness and sight to those who are blind. The blind man believed and received more than physical sight; sadly, the Pharisee’s chose to remain spiritual blind.
How does Jesus help us see through the darkness and distortion of the world?
Answer in part:
Jesus helps believers see through the darkness and distortion of the world by acting as the “Light of the World” (John 8:12), providing spiritual illumination that exposes truth, reveals the reality of God, and enables people to navigate life without stumbling into deception. This divine light transforms perspectives from fear and confusion to clarity, peace, and hope
