Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Looking at Chapter 9 but concentrating on the first 11 verses
• A well known passage:
• Received physical sight and spiritual sight
• The eyes says so much
• Examples
• We meet 5 people who are blind, who Jesus heals
• His most recorded miracle - healing the blind
• Why is that?
• Blindness is a picture of the human physical condition
• Every miracle is a sign - a spiritual lesson in it
• This miracle was a proof that Jesus was the Messiah
• This record is different to any other healing
• His blindness is from birth
• Some people are healed as they are only suffering psychosomatic problems
• It can only be explained by a divine miracle
• v32 - this was a staggering miracle
• What Jesus did was tremendous
• He gave the man back his independence
• The people looked down on the man and considered him born in sins (v34)
• Overview:
• The Man
• Jesus
• The Sign

The Man

• We don't know his name
• He was probably on the temple steps
• How many people had passed by this beggar?
• Jesus did not
• A popular place for beggars - Acts 3
• His life could not have been easy
• Physically difficult
• Spiritually difficult
• The popular thinking was that blindness was due to sin
• Even the disciples thought this (v2)
• A misunderstanding of Scriptures:
• Ex 20:5 - the consequences of national sin
• Ezk 18:20 - individual responsibility
• The rabbis even taught there was pre-natal sin
• Jesus made it clear that neither this man nor his parents sinned (v3)
• Instead this was for God's glory
• This should be an encouragement to those who are suffering
• Physically and spiritually difficult
• But think how encouraged he must have been at the words of Christ

Jesus

Jesus' Person

• Everybody was thinking and talking about Jesus
• Many would have ignored this blind man
• Jesus stopped for this man
• Jesus had time for this man, time to heal him
• Jesus always had time for people
• Jairus
• The woman who was bleeding
• Even on the cross (examples)
• What a wonderful Saviour we have!
• Sovereign grace
• Jesus came to him
• Jesus came to find him (when cast out of the synagogue)
• Jesus initiates
• Jesus loves us
• He has time for us
• He came to seek that which was lost
• He is the Good Shepherd
• He comes to those not seeking Him (e.g Saul)
• Jesus invitation is to all
• Jesus is speaking to you - even through this message
• Jesus gave this man not just physical sight but spiritual sight
• Jesus gives us spiritual sight too

Jesus anoints this man

• Why did Jesus make clay?
• No power in the saliva
• He calls the man to exercise faith
• The pool of Siloam is a long way away
• The pool was sent by God to help save the people of Israel during a time of seige
• Jesus was 'sent' to give people living water
• The message of Christianity is 'go to Jesus'
• It is not about do, but about done
• It is not about us changing ourselves, but God changing us
• We are to believe in Christ
• v35, 38
• Our greatest need is to believe in Jesus
• Go to the cross, confess your sins and believe in Him

The Sign

• Everything was pointing to Jesus - who He was
• 8:12 - I am the light of the world
• 9:5 - I am the light of the world
• John 1:4-5 - I have brought light
• John 3:19 - people avoided this light
• The human condition
• Eph 5:8, Eph 4:18
• We are cut off from God
• We are blind and cut off in sin
• v41 - The fact you say 'we see' is a proof that you are blind
• A sign about what Jesus came to do
• To open the eyes of the spiritually blind
• To break the power of sin
• To set the captive free
• The man's understanding of Jesus changed
• v11 - a man
• v17 - a prophet
• v38 - Lord (and he worshiped Him)
• We are changed (in Jesus)
• The greatest miracle that day was not his physical but his spiritual healing
• Has that happened to you?
• Acts 26:16-18
• God has entrusted this ministry and gospel to preach to others
• May it be that each person today knows Jesus as Lord and Saviour