Title: “Who sinned, this man or his parents.”

Scripture Reading: John 9:1-7
“Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.”

Main idea: Jesus announced that he is the light of the world and demonstrated physically and spiritually how dark life is without him.

Jesus’ miracles pointed to who he was.
Through the story of this man’s healing we see another lesson beginning to unfold. Physical healing becomes a symbol of spiritual healing while physical blindness is replaced with spiritual blindness. Jesus has explained his identity in many ways to his listeners. Often, he would use a physical object, person, or a certain spiritual aspect of his life and purpose. For example:

In Samaria while sitting by Jacob’s well and talking to the woman, Jesus explained that he could give her “living water” (John 4:10).

After feeding over 5,000 people with two small loaves of bread, Jesus explained that he was “the bread of life” (John 6:35).

At the Feast of Tabernacles, where a symbolic act took place commemorating the time when Moses struck the rock in the wilderness and it brought forth water for the thirsty Israelites, Jesus told the people, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John7:37).

And here in John chapter 9, at the Feast of Tabernacles, another symbolic act took place commemorating the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites on their wilderness journey. Jesus told the people, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

This miracle, healing of the blind man illustrates the spiritual truth of Christ being the Light of the World. As the blind beggar comes to “see” that Jesus is the Messiah, so Jesus offers us spiritual sight to enable us to see him as our Savior and Lord.

Jesus was a healer especially of the blind.
Jesus healed the blind man Bartimaeus Jericho (Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43), two blind men in Galilee (Matt. 9:27-31), a blind man without speech elsewhere (possibly in Capernaum; Matt. 12:22-23), a blind man in Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26), and one more in Jerusalem following his cleansing of the temple (Matt. 21:14). Isaiah prophesied three times that when Messiah came, He would open blind eyes (Isaiah 29:18; 35:5; 42:7).

“He saw a man who was blind from birth.” (John 9:1)
John 9 records events in Jerusalem immediately after Jesus’ departure from the Feast of Tabernacles. The comparison between John 9:1 and the preceding verse, in John 8:59, is significant. John 8 ended with the Jews’ taking up stones to throw at Jesus, “but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple” (John 8:59). John 9 begins, “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.” These two situations are intended for us to compare. Jesus had been teaching the religious leaders, but when they rejected him, he walked away. As he was going, however, Jesus saw a poor, blind helpless man and he stopped to help him. This reminds us that Jesus came for those who are broken, weak, and lost. If you’re helpless let me remind you our Lord have time for you. come to Him today. But those who think they are well, who deny their need for a Savior—not only reject Jesus but are abandoned by him in return. Tabernacles light has truly come to Jerusalem and everyone needs it. Yet only those who believe in Jesus will have the opportunity to enjoy it.  Jesus said “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” (Matthew 9:12).

“Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2-3)
The disciples believed, based on Old Testament texts like Exodus 34:7, that a disability such as blindness was a punishment for sin. People tend to believe that displeasing God leads to punishment; therefore, they assume that whenever a person seems to be undergoing sufferings, there is reason to suspect wrongdoing. This assumption, for example, drove Job’s friends to treat him with heavy-handed judgment. On the basis of Exodus 20:5, the Jewish rabbis taught that his mother’s, father’s grandparent’s or great-grandparent’s sin could have repercussions in him. Is this what God means when He says He is a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation? No. Exodus 20:5 simply means that God doesn’t change the rules. He continues to visit, deal with, convict, and judge generation after generation. Regardless of what the world says; the fact remains that sin is always sin because God is consistent in His heart and in His ways. In the days of Ezekiel, people would justify their own sin with a proverb that said, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (Ezekiel 18:2). God, however, said, “As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel. “Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:3-4). In other words, “Every single soul is created by Me, belongs to Me, and is individually responsible to Me.”

The man whom Jesus meets at the Feast of Tabernacles has been blind from birth (John 9:1). This leads his disciples to ask about the origin of his suffering (John 9:2). They assume there must be a connection between sin and suffering, so they probe who is responsible, the man or his parents. The disciples were thinking about what caused the blindness. Jesus has no sympathy for legalism. This man’s blindness had nothing to do with his sin nor his parents (though birth defects and disease are indicators of the world’s fallen state due to sin in general). Jesus shifted their attention away from the cause to the purpose. Jesus rejects this entire line of questioning (John 9:3). Jesus did not mean that the man had not sinned, or that his parents had not sinned. Rather, He meant that the blindness was not a direct result of sin in their lives. God had allowed this man to be born blind in order that the man might become a means of displaying the mighty works of God.

The disciples’ question reveals that they are somewhat in blindness themselves. Jesus first corrects their thinking about the man’s blindness: Neither he nor his parents sinned. The man’s blindness was not God’s punishment for any sin. In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus observes that tragedies do occur in life, but this does not necessarily mean that God is directly punishing someone. God’s sovereignty to do as he pleases, some may see this as a cruel fate in which God inflicts pain on people simply to glorify himself. However, the “purpose clause” of this blindness in John 9:3 gives us the answer for this man’s blindness. Jesus said, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. He does not say, “one work,” but “works,” in the plural; for so long as he was blind, there was seen in him an example of the divine severity, from which others might learn to fear and to humble themselves. This was followed by the benefit of his deliverance, in which the goodness of God was reflected. God had not made the man blind in order to show his glory; rather, God has sent Jesus to do works of healing in order to show his glory. Jesus demonstrated God’s power by healing the man. Instead of worrying about the cause of our problems, we should instead find out how God could use our problem to demonstrate his power. God may use our suffering. God may use our experience to help advise and encourage others who pass through the same trials. God may use our endurance in suffering rather than the suffering itself to be an encouraging example to other believers. Jesus explained that the man’s blindness had nothing to do with his sin or his parents’ sin: “But this happened so that the work of God should be revealed in him.” These words do not mean that God heartlessly inflicted blindness on this man at birth, but simply that he allowed nature to run its course so that the victim would ultimately bring glory to God through the reception of both physical and spiritual sight (John 9:30-38).

Working the works of God (John 9:4-5)
“It is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” Jesus was speaking of himself and his disciples as coworkers. Jesus realized that He had about three years of public ministry before He would be crucified. Every moment of that time must be spent in working for God. Here was a man who had been blind from his birth. The Lord Jesus must perform a miracle of healing on him, even though it was the Sabbath. The time of His public ministry would soon be over, and He would no longer be here on earth. This is a solemn reminder to everyone who is a Christian that life’s day is swiftly passing, and the night is coming, that is, our service on earth will be forever over. Therefore, we should use the time that is given to us to serve the Lord wisely. Jesus wanted them to learn from him because they would continue his work as his sent ones (John 20:21). They would be the ones doing the work of God on earth after his resurrection and ascension.  God has given us a day to work, but the night is coming. Until the Lord returns, we will all die. Therefore, let us learn to redeem the time. Even the sorrows of this fallen world are opportunities to glorify God. What a privilege to be called Christ’s coworkers (1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 6:1). If God presents an opportunity and also provides the strength and other resources to do it, we ought to respond immediately. The night is coming soon enough; then our day of opportunity will end.

Sight to the Blind (John 9:6-7)
Jesus makes a mud plaster of saliva and soil and applies it to the blind man’s eyes (John 9:6). Jesus kneaded the mud with his hands in order to make the clay to put on the man’s eyes. This constituted “work” on a Sabbath day and would upset the Pharisees. Jesus had much to teach them about God and his Sabbath. Mark records two other instances where Jesus does the same thing (Mark 7:32-35; Mark 8:22-25). Jesus’ use of materials—spit, mud, water—underscores the materiality of this healing sign and subtly connects it with the incarnation. Just as Jesus’ flesh embodies and reveals his divinity, so also his noticeable signs disclose his divine identity and work. Like Abraham, who faithfully do what God says without speaking (Gen 22:1-3), the blind man unquestioningly carries out Jesus’ instructions: He went and washed, and came back seeing.

Pool of Siloam
This pool at the south end of the city of Jerusalem has its importance for two reasons. First, It was the source of water in the Tabernacles ceremony (John 7:37-52). If Jesus is the source of the Feast of Tabernacles water (John 7:37-39), this man has now experienced such water in a profound way. Second, the name of the pool bears symbolic importance for Jesus. The pool of Siloam had been built by King Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chronicles 32:30). If the city were ever surrounded by enemy armies, the people inside could always get fresh water without having to leave the city. These waters may symbolize the work that Jesus, the sent one, had come to do. They provided the deliverance and healing sent by God, illustrating the full deliverance from sin that Jesus provided for us.

Obedience of the blind man
Jesus then tells the man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam (John 9:7). John tells “Siloam” means “sent” in Hebrew. Jesus is described as the one who has been “sent” by God (John 4:34; John 5:23, 37; John 7:28; John 8:26; John 12:44; John 14:24). In other words, the blind man is being told to go wash in the place called “sent,” by the One who was “sent” by God. Jesus, then, is the source of his healing, not the pool. The man is obedient to Jesus (John 9:7) and is healed. Elisha told Naaman In 2 Kings 5:10 “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” The implication in both stories seems to be that Jesus and Elisha instructed the man in need to obey their instructions. As such we should not miss the close connection between obedience or effectual believing and experiencing the powerful work of God. ‘Siloam’ meant ‘sent’ (John 9:7). As such the pool’s name is indicative both of Jesus’ mission and his command to those who would receive his blessings and become identified as his followers. The mud had nothing whatever to do with the physical cure; it had no medicinal qualities not any more than did the waters of Jordan into which Elisha asked Naaman to plunge himself seven times (2 Kings 5:10) in order to be healed of his leprosy. In both cases the command was a test of obedience. It must be borne in mind that he is at work here who calls himself the light of the world, and that in this particular case light is imparted not only to the body but also to the soul (John 9:35–38). As the Puritan writers say this man blindly obeyed the Lord’s command and received sight.

Application
According to Jesus, this particular blind man suffered for neither his nor his parents’ sin. His suffering was intended simply as an opportunity for Jesus to display his divine power by healing him. The story is told of a Christian who, depressed over tragedies in his personal and professional life, wandered alone on the streets. He passed the construction site of a large church. A workman was chipping on a stone cross, and the man asked him what it was for. He replied, “You see at the top of the spire? There is a space up there where this special stone is going, and I am chiseling down here so it will fit up there.” This gave the Christian the answer that he was seeking. Walking back home, he lifted his heart to heaven: “I understand my trials now, Lord. You are shaping me down here so that I will fit in the place you have prepared for me up there.”

The Bible states that God ordains trials as a means to display his glory. Sometimes God displays his power by delivering us through answered prayers. Just as often, God displays his power by empowering Christians to endure their trials. This was Paul’s experience when he asked God to remove the thorn in his flesh. Instead of removing it, God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Hearing this, Paul replied, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9). I don’t like trials and none of us ask for trials, but when they come, we can know that it is a holy, loving God who has either sent or permitted them and He will give us victory. A biblical illustration is seen in the life of Joseph. God intended Joseph to be ruler of Egypt, leading the nation through its great famine, and providing a home for God’s covenant people. But God first prepared Joseph’s character and faith in the crucible of unjust slavery and wrongful imprisonment. Paul wrote, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Rom. 5:3-4).

Let’s pray together
Heavenly Father, whatever we going through in our life there is a purpose and we are not alone. Lord we thank you You’re in charge of our life. In Jesus Name Amen.