Seeing Beyond: Faith, Purpose, and Divine Healing

 

Summary

In today's exploration of John 9, we delve into the profound story of Jesus healing a man blind from birth. This narrative is not just about physical sight but also spiritual insight, illustrating a double miracle: the man gains both physical sight and spiritual belief. This dual transformation underscores the purpose of John's Gospel, which is to lead us to believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and to find life in His name.

As Jesus and His disciples encounter the blind man, the disciples' immediate reaction is to seek an explanation for his condition, asking, "Who sinned, this man or his parents?" This reflects a common human tendency to assign blame in the face of suffering. However, Jesus redirects the focus from blame to purpose, stating that the man's blindness is an opportunity for God's works to be displayed. This shift from cause to purpose is crucial for understanding how God can use our afflictions to reveal His glory.

Jesus emphasizes the urgency of doing God's work while it is day, highlighting the limited time we have to fulfill our divine mission. He calls His disciples, and us, to move beyond theoretical debates and engage in the practical work of bringing light and hope to a suffering world. This involves recognizing the unique opportunities presented in each stage of life: preparing in the morning, acting in the afternoon, and helping in the evening.

The story culminates with Jesus performing a unique act of healing, using mud and saliva, and instructing the man to wash in the Pool of Siloam. The blind man's obedience, despite not fully understanding, leads to his healing. This teaches us the importance of faith and action, even when we don't have all the answers.

Key Takeaways:

- Faith as Sight: Faith is a form of seeing, a spiritual insight that transforms our understanding of the world. Just as the blind man gained physical sight, we are called to gain spiritual sight through faith in Jesus. This dual miracle reminds us that belief in Christ opens our eyes to the truth and life He offers. [00:41]

- Purpose Over Blame: Jesus shifts the focus from assigning blame for suffering to understanding its purpose. Our afflictions can be the very place where God's work is displayed, offering hope and meaning beyond the pain. This perspective encourages us to seek God's purpose in our trials rather than getting lost in blame. [14:17]

- Urgency of Mission: Jesus emphasizes the need to work while it is day, highlighting the urgency of our mission to bring light to the world. Each stage of life presents unique opportunities to serve God, and we must seize them with purpose and vigor. [22:57]

- Obedience in Faith: The blind man's healing came through his obedience to Jesus' instructions, despite not understanding them fully. This teaches us the importance of trusting and acting on God's word, even when the path is unclear. [34:52]

- Bringing Light to Darkness: As followers of Christ, we are called to be the light of the world, bringing hope and healing to those in darkness. This mission requires us to move beyond debates and engage in compassionate action, reflecting the love and light of Jesus. [19:29]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:12] - Introduction to the Story
- [00:41] - The Double Miracle
- [01:09] - Purpose of John's Gospel
- [01:39] - The Hope Jesus Brings
- [03:23] - Jesus Sees the Blind Man
- [04:11] - Disciples' Question
- [05:11] - The Blame Game
- [07:02] - Analysis vs. Compassion
- [10:00] - Contemporary Questions
- [13:56] - Jesus' Response
- [15:36] - God's Work in Hard Places
- [17:16] - The Work Jesus Does
- [19:29] - Light of the World
- [22:57] - Urgency of God's Work
- [27:38] - Opportunities in Life's Stages
- [31:09] - Jesus' Unique Healing Method
- [34:52] - The Blind Man's Obedience

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: John 9

Bible Reading:
- John 9:1-7
- John 9:35-38
- Matthew 5:14

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Observation Questions:

1. What was the initial reaction of Jesus' disciples when they saw the man born blind, and how did Jesus redirect their focus? ([04:11])

2. Describe the method Jesus used to heal the blind man. What instructions did He give the man? ([31:09])

3. How does the blind man's testimony, "Once I was blind, but now I see," reflect a double meaning in the context of this story? ([00:41])

4. What does Jesus mean when He says, "We must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day"? ([17:31])

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does Jesus' response to the disciples' question about the cause of the man's blindness challenge common assumptions about suffering and blame? ([14:17])

2. In what ways does the story of the blind man illustrate the urgency of Jesus' mission and the mission of His followers? ([22:57])

3. How does the blind man's obedience to Jesus' instructions, despite not fully understanding them, serve as a model for faith and action? ([34:52])

4. What does it mean for believers to be "the light of the world," and how does this relate to the mission Jesus describes in John 9? ([19:29])

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you faced a difficult situation. How can you shift your focus from seeking blame to seeking God's purpose in that situation? ([14:17])

2. Jesus emphasizes the urgency of doing God's work. What specific opportunities do you have in your current stage of life to serve God and others? How can you seize these opportunities with purpose? ([22:57])

3. The blind man acted on Jesus' instructions without fully understanding them. Is there an area in your life where you need to trust and act on God's word, even if the path is unclear? ([34:52])

4. As followers of Christ, we are called to bring light to darkness. Identify one person or situation in your life where you can bring hope and healing this week. What practical steps can you take to reflect the love and light of Jesus? ([19:29])

5. Consider the different stages of life as morning, afternoon, and evening. What specific actions can you take in your current stage to prepare, act, or help others, as suggested in the sermon? ([27:38])

6. How can you cultivate a mindset of compassion and action, rather than analysis and debate, when encountering suffering in the world around you? ([13:38])

7. Reflect on the idea that God does His greatest work in the hardest places. How can this perspective change the way you view your own challenges and the challenges of others? ([16:31])

Devotional

Day 1: Faith as Spiritual Insight
Faith is a form of seeing, a spiritual insight that transforms our understanding of the world. Just as the blind man gained physical sight, we are called to gain spiritual sight through faith in Jesus. This dual miracle reminds us that belief in Christ opens our eyes to the truth and life He offers. Faith is not merely an abstract concept but a lens through which we perceive the world and our place in it. It allows us to see beyond the physical and into the spiritual realities that shape our lives. [00:41]

"Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." (Psalm 119:18, ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to ask God for spiritual insight today? How can you actively seek to see the world through the eyes of faith?


Day 2: Purpose Over Blame
Jesus shifts the focus from assigning blame for suffering to understanding its purpose. Our afflictions can be the very place where God's work is displayed, offering hope and meaning beyond the pain. This perspective encourages us to seek God's purpose in our trials rather than getting lost in blame. By understanding that suffering can be a platform for divine intervention, we are invited to look for God's hand in our hardships and to trust that He is working for our good and His glory. [14:17]

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.'" (John 9:1-3, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a current challenge you are facing. How might God be using this situation to display His work in your life?


Day 3: Urgency of Mission
Jesus emphasizes the need to work while it is day, highlighting the urgency of our mission to bring light to the world. Each stage of life presents unique opportunities to serve God, and we must seize them with purpose and vigor. The call to action is clear: we are to be active participants in God's work, recognizing that our time is limited and that the opportunities to serve are precious. [22:57]

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16, ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific way you can actively participate in God's mission today, using the unique opportunities presented in your current stage of life?


Day 4: Obedience in Faith
The blind man's healing came through his obedience to Jesus' instructions, despite not understanding them fully. This teaches us the importance of trusting and acting on God's word, even when the path is unclear. Obedience is a demonstration of faith, a willingness to follow God's lead even when we do not see the full picture. It is through this obedience that we often experience God's miraculous work in our lives. [34:52]

"And Samuel said, 'Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.'" (1 Samuel 15:22, ESV)

Reflection: Is there an area in your life where God is calling you to obey, even if you don't fully understand His plan? What step of obedience can you take today?


Day 5: Bringing Light to Darkness
As followers of Christ, we are called to be the light of the world, bringing hope and healing to those in darkness. This mission requires us to move beyond debates and engage in compassionate action, reflecting the love and light of Jesus. Our role is to illuminate the path for others, offering them the hope and healing that we have found in Christ. [19:29]

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house." (Matthew 5:14-15, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life is in need of hope and healing? How can you be a light to them today, showing them the love and compassion of Jesus?

Quotes

"Jesus performed a miracle he's saying in which I came to see, and Jesus performed another miracle in which I came to believe and that second miracle of course is the purpose of John's gospel, at the end of the gospel John tells us clearly that these things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name." [00:48:23]

"Now do you see that the immediate response of the disciples to this obvious situation of suffering is that they want an explanation, they want to talk about the cause, why is this, who sinned, was it this man, now of course, we would say it differently today, but is it not still the case that where there is great and obvious need, the debate that immediately erupts is whose fault is this, who's to blame." [00:59:45]

"Jesus moves the focus of the conversation from an argument about the cause to a focus on the purpose, he raises the conversation to an entirely different level and we brothers and sisters must learn to do the same, the culture will continue its never-ending argument about the cause of human suffering who's to blame is the fault with the individual or is it with the fault of others on and on the debate will rage about the cause and Jesus cuts right through it in the most wonderful way and he brings to this man living hope." [00:58:39]

"God does his greatest works in the hardest of situations, here's a man and he's been born with the great disadvantage of not being able to see, he's born blind, how can he possibly compete in a world where the vast majority of people have the gift of sight, what hope is there for such a man and here's the hope that God's work will be displayed in him." [00:56:32]

"Jesus says we must work the works of him who sent me while it is day, notice Jesus says to his disciples he says to us today now we must work, we must because there are certain works that the father has prepared for us to do and we must work these works a very distinctive phrase isn't it we must work these works it's what Jesus did throughout his ministry he gave himself to the work that the father gave him to do and he did it with vigor." [00:52:32]

"See Jesus came into this world on a mission and that mission was to bring the light of hope into a suffering world that is alienated from God and when we become his disciples it means that we sign up for his mission we follow him in bringing light to the world, following Jesus is not some kind of passport to an easy life we live in a suffering world, we live in a world of need, a world alienated from God a world in the grip of sin a world in the darkness of unbelief." [00:54:59]

"Think about your whole life as being rather like a day, and there are three parts to the day, there's the morning, there's the afternoon, and there's the evening, now none of us are promised to live a full day in this world, some have only the morning, others were cut short in the afternoon, they were looking forward to the evening but they did not live to see it." [00:55:52]

"Each part of the day presents a unique temptation, but let me turn this now to the positive and put it this way, each part of the day of your life presents a special opportunity, let me commend these three questions to you that I found helpful in thinking about the span of my own life and I commend it to you, in the morning, ask this question, how can I prepare." [00:56:53]

"Blessing is found when you are ready to believe him and to do what he says and that is of course precisely what the blind man in our story does, we'll see next time that this man's faith was not fully formed it actually developed throughout the story and we're going to follow that in the coming weeks but this man was ready to do what Jesus said one writer says I think very beautifully that this man obeyed Jesus blindly." [00:56:52]

"Father forgive us for spending our strength in arguments in a world of need and suffering, help us to work your works while it is day, help us to walk by faith even and especially when we cannot see what you are doing and make us those who bring light and hope in this suffering world as those who bear the name of Jesus and are known to be his disciples." [00:59:11]

"Jesus is the light of the world, he is the true light that gives light to everyone that's how he's introduced at the beginning of John's gospel, and when Jesus came into the world, John tells us that people were able to come into the light, people were able to walk in the light and notice that Jesus says here as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." [00:53:54]

"Now notice that Jesus does not say that the work of God will be displayed despite his blindness, no Jesus says that this man's painful affliction will be the very place where God's work will be wonderfully revealed and displayed in him, God does his greatest work in the hardest places and that is why we have hope, whatever affliction you may endure, God can use it to display his glory." [00:56:52]

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Transcript
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