A sermon based on John 9:1-7, 13-17, 34-39, Rev. J. Orlando Flahn
INTRO: The comedian Bill Cosby once shared a story about staying in the same hotel as the legendary blind singer Ray Charles. Out of courtesy, he decided to stop by Ray’s room to say hello. When he knocked, Ray called out, “Come on in!” As Cosby entered, he heard the buzz of an electric razor—but noticed the entire room was pitch black. Without thinking, he blurted out, “Hey, Ray! Why are you shaving in the dark?” Suddenly, he remembered Ray Charles was blind.
It immediately dawned on Cosby, and he felt embarrassed by his question. Ray simply replied, “Bill, I do everything in the dark, brother!”
This story is a powerful symbol of the spiritual condition of our broken world: the world lies in spiritual blindness.
There are millions without Jesus who are still living and doing everything in the dark. The saddest part is that most of them do not even realize they lack spiritual vision. While physical blindness is unquestionably a challenge, even more tragic is spiritual blindness. As Paul writes, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Cor 4:4 NIV).
In today’s gospel lesson, we learn that Jesus and His disciples were walking through the city of Jerusalem when they encountered a man who had been born blind. Like Ray Charles, this man had spent his entire life doing everything in the dark. But unlike other figures in the Bible who desperately called out to Jesus for help, this man never cried out to Him….Yet the passage says, “As Jesus passed by, He saw him, the one who had been born blind.” The MSG Bible puts it this way: “Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth.”
Application: I wonder—as we walk through the streets of our cities—do we care enough to notice those who are in desperate spiritual need? This says a great deal about Jesus: He always sees and takes notice of us in our need. He feels even the pains we carry in private, and He will never pass us by.
The disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (v. 2). In essence, they were asking, “Master, who is responsible for his condition? Who caused him to be like this—his parents or himself?”
Application: I come from a culture with a similar worldview. In my culture, nothing bad happens to anyone without a reason; someone must be responsible for any affliction or calamity. It’s either mommy or daddy’s fault—or it’s your own.
That was the popular misconception: that even an unborn baby could actually sin in the womb, and then he or she would suffer of having some birth defect. Does anyone remember Job’s friends? They told him, “Job, you are reaping what you sowed. Your suffering is not for nothing—God is punishing you because you have done something wrong.”
But Jesus says, “No!” Neither he nor his parents are responsible for his being born blind. We cannot automatically conclude that our afflictions and calamities are the result of God punishing us for something we did. While it’s true that God may discipline us for ungodly behavior, we shouldn’t assume that all suffering is due to sin. That’s a dangerous assumption—it paints a terrible picture of our loving God as a cruel judge just waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us. Or it leads us to believe that if we’re suffering, God doesn’t love us and is punishing us for our evil.
Instead, Jesus gives a different reason for this man’s condition. He says, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” (v. 3)
The MSG version: Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over.” (vs 3-4)
Application: Once again, this blind man perfectly illustrates the spiritual condition of our world since the fall of mankind. We are all born spiritually blind, and unless we receive the miracle of spiritual sight that only God can give—through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ—we will walk in darkness forever.
Speaking to the spiritually blind religious leaders in John 8:12, Jesus declares, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Only Jesus can open the eyes of the spiritually blind.
So, “Jesus spat on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and spread the mud on the man’s eyes. “Go,” Jesus told him, “wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So, he went and washed, and came back seeing. (vs 6-7)
This man had never seen clearly in his entire life, and now—as an adult—he received perfect vision through this miracle. Quickly, people brought him to the Pharisees, likely believing the religious leaders would want to witness the great things God had done for him.
But the reaction of the religious leaders was shocking. Instead of rejoicing in God’s miracle, they began to persecute the healed man, complaining that Jesus had broken their man-made Sabbath rules. They failed to see this miracle as evidence of Jesus’ Messianic power. Instead, they viewed it as a violation of the Sabbath and accused Jesus of sinning for healing on that day. Like many today, these religious leaders were the truly blind ones—weren’t they?
ILL: Have you ever seen those YouTube videos where a young child, often a baby, sits with their parents in a doctor’s office? In a moment, their world is about to change. Someone brings over the child’s first-ever pair of glasses to correct eyesight that has been poor since birth. Then comes the life-changing moment: the glasses are gently placed on the child’s face, and for the first time, they see Mom and Dad clearly. The reactions are priceless—the child looks around, taking in everything and everyone in the room. It’s hard to watch those videos without a tear of joy welling up in your eyes. That’s exactly what happened to the man in our story!
After this miracle, the religious leaders questioned him, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” He replied, “He is a prophet.” (v. 17) Still, they found it difficult to believe he had actually been born blind, so they brought in his parents for questioning. They asked, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
His parents said to them, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.” (vs 20-21).
Why did his parents answer this way? They were afraid of being expelled from the Jewish synagogue, so they said, “He is of age; ask him.”
Finally, they said to the man who had been born blind, “Give God the glory! We know that this man is a sinner.” But the man replied, “Whether He is a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I see.” He didn’t care whether Jesus had broken their Sabbath rules—what mattered was the undeniable change in his life. Application: My friend, this is the testimony of a changed life that is not only irresistible but also irrefutable.
Application: Often, religious people are more concerned with maintaining their rules, traditions, and rituals than with helping lost people gain spiritual vision or sight. The change in the blind man was undeniable. Some of his neighbors even thought he must be someone else who merely resembled the blind man (John 9:9). But he repeatedly insisted, “I am the one.” When they asked him how it happened, he replied that he didn’t know exactly, but that he had met a man who put mud in his eyes, and after washing them, he could suddenly see.
Later, when he encountered Jesus again, he not only believed in Him but also worshiped Him as his Savior and Lord (John 9:38). This man was transformed both physically and spiritually. He received a vision that no one could ever take away, and his simple testimony brought glory to God (John 9:24).
Application: Are your spiritual eyes open? Are you truly changed? Is your testimony of a changed life being heard by others?
WE MUST LABOR TO CONNECT THE BLIND PEOPLE TO JESUS
Like Ray Charles, many people in our broken world are spiritually blind, doing everything in the dark. No matter their social status, education, wealth, power, or position, they remain spiritually blind and dead. Yet God loves them and wants to give them eternal sight.
Maybe you’re asking, Pastor, what are we supposed to do here at Our Savior? Look at verses 3 to 5 with me again in the MSG version: Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-and-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world’s Light.”
Take note of that little word “must” in 9:4, which indicates a divine necessity……God is saying, He wants to see the spiritual eyes of people opened…. But note, also, the urgency of doing the Lord’s work: Jesus says (9:4), “Night is coming when no one can work.” He was referring to death. His “night” was coming soon, when He would be betrayed into the hands of sinners (13:30). But night is coming soon for all of us. None of us are guaranteed even another day.
Conclusion: This story shows us the great need……..the world is born into spiritual blindness. But we also see the great Savior who can open blind eyes, and that we are to work the works of God while it is still day…
When he was twelve, Robert Louis Stevenson—the Scottish essayist, poet, and novelist—was looking out into the darkness from his upstairs window, watching a man light the street lanterns. His tutor entered the room and asked, “Robert, what are you doing?” Stevenson replied, “I am watching a man cut holes in the darkness.”
That’s our calling in this dark world: to point spiritually blind people to the Light of the world, who alone can open their eyes for God’s glory. Share what Jesus has done for you. He can use you to do His works before night comes, when no one can work.
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