“I Was Blind, But Now I See!”

John 9:1 says Jesus was passing by and saw a man blind from birth. Jesus is still passing by. And he still sees those who cannot see him! We have been blinded by sin. We have been blind since birth (Psalm 51:5). But Jesus is able to open the eyes of the blind! The miraculous healing of this blind man in John 9 teaches us that those who do not believe in Jesus are the ones who are truly blind (vv. 18-42)! John 9:1-17 records the good news that Jesus is able to do in our lives what no one else can do.

I.  Jesus saw the blind man (John 9:1-7)

When the disciples saw this blind man, all they saw was a question to be answered. “Who sinned,” they asked (v. 2), “this man or his parents that he was born blind?” But when Jesus saw him, he saw a need to be met. Jesus made it clear that this man’s blindness was not the result of sin. Rather, he made it clear this man’s life was set up as a platform for God’s glory to be put on display. Jesus then spat on the ground and made mud from the saliva. He anointed the blind man’s eyes with it and commanded him to wash his face. The man obeyed and received his sight. The divine power of Christ and the believing obedience of the blind man resulted in a miracle!

II.  The neighbors saw a healed man (John 9:8-12)

When this (formerly) blind man’s neighbors saw him, they did not know what to think. Some recognized him to be the one who used to sit and beg. Others were not sure. But he kept saying, “I am the man” (v. 9). So they wanted to know how his eyes were opened. He declared that Jesus did it. He did not know everything about Jesus. But he knew one thing. It was Jesus that gave him his sight. If Jesus has opened your blinded eyes, there ought to be something different about you. And you should not be ashamed to testify about what the Lord has done in your life.

III.  The religious crowd could not see anything (John 9:13-17)

The blind man was brought before the Pharisees. And they were shocked. Not because the blind man could see. But because Jesus healed him on the Sabbath! When they asked him how he received his sight, the blind man again testified about Jesus. This left the religious divided. Some argued that he was a Sabbath breaker. Others asked how a sinner could do such signs? They were so caught up in the religious rules that they could not see the very power of God on display before them. Never since the world began had it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind (v. 32). Yet they would not believe in Christ. Don’t let unbelief blind you to the power of the one who is able to open blinded eyes!

So settled in their unbelief were the Pharisees, they concluded that this man could not have been born blind. So they called for his parents (vv. 18-23). They wanted to know if this was their son and if he was born blind and who opened his eyes. They admitted it was their son and that he was born blind. But out of fear, they would not say how he was healed. “He’s a grown man,” they answered. “Let him tell you.” So they brought the blind man in again for questioning. “Give glory to God!” they demanded. “This man is a sinner.” He answered (v. 25), “Where he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see!”