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The Third Sunday In Lent
Option #1: Was Blind
But Now I See
John 9:1-42 (Selected Verses)
Rev. Wayne Dobratz
Many
of us have wondered what it was like to live in the time of Jesusto be able
to see Him face to face. Todays text tells the story of a man born blind who
was given his sight by Jesus. No Old Testament prophet ever performed such a
miracle. It was a powerful testimony to Jesus being Gods Son. Since there are
no parables in Johns Gospel, John often uses miracles the way parables are
used in other gospels. He calls them "signs." To put it another way,
John wants us to see that this man receives more than physical sight. When we
are given an insight, we sometimes say: "I saw the light!" So we say
with the formerly blind man: I WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE!
I. That Jesus is my compassionate Savior
A. Jesus was there when this man needed
Himvv1-4
B. Jesus gives spiritual sight as
wellJohn 8:12 & 9:4 (Mt 23:16ff, 23:24), Mk 10:46-52, Lk 4:18-19, Col
1:13-14
C. One who rejects Jesus is in the
darkJohn 9:39see also John 3:19ff, 12:40, Acts 26:18, 2 Cor 4:4-6
II. That He is worthy of my worshipJohn 12:20-32
A. Jesus gave him pastoral careJohn
9:35-38
B. God cares for the individualPs 27:10,
Ps 147:3, Isa 61:1-2
III. That He is worthy of my praise
A. That I am to praise Him publiclyLk
18:35, John 1:34
B. That I am to praise Him boldlytext:
24-34, 1 Pet 2:9
C. That I am to trust Him "when the
heat is on"text, 24ff, Matt 10:18-21
Richard Lenski writes re: 9:28: "You are this fellows disciple!":
By calling the beggar Jesus disciple, these Pharisees imagine that they are
heaping shame upon him; in reality they could offer no higher testimonial of
honor and praise to him. "We are the disciples of Moses"here they
pronounce sentence upon themselves, and out of their own mouth the Lord will
judge them at the last day. Moses himself, upon whom they set their hope, will
accuse them (5:46). ...These Pharisees were the disciples of a fictitious Moses,
whom they had invented for themselves, and who did not exist." "Their
attitude is similar to that of todays skeptic, agnostic, and a certain type
of scientist, i.e., Knowledge is our personal prerogative; whoever does not
bow to us and our knowledge knows nothing, and whoever presumes to know what we
do not know is a fool. ...This attitude pretends to intellectuality, but at
bottom the intellect is empty of real substance." "There the former
beggar stands before them with his bright shining eyes, looking right at the
Pharisees. Can they not see these eyes of his? Here, right before them, just as
Jesus said (v8), "the works of God are made manifest." But these men
will not see what so magnificently challenges their sight." (Richard
Lenski, Interpretation of St. Johns Gospel, pp693ff, passim)
+ + +
Option
#2: "Blindsight is Plenty/Plenty!"
(Note: a play on "Hindsight is 20/20")
John 9:39
Rev. Kelly Bedard
A. Eyes in the Mud
1. Deliberate misinterpretation of, or
refusal to see, Jesus and His kingdom
2. Not even God can help those who think
they can help themselves
B. Mud in the Eyes
1. Inability to interpret Jesus and His
signs but subsequent inspiration to do so
2. God helps to anointed status and service
only those who cannot help themselves
Notes
1. God doesn't call the qualified but, instead, qualifies the called.
2. Religion is assaulted most by the pretence of religion: but the more it is
pressed down, the more it rises up. (Geneva Notes)
3. The one who claims to see will never come to Christ; the one given
partial sight will be judged on a higher standard. This demonstrates the
essential place of poverty of spirit in the Christian life: admitting your
blindness. (David Guzik)
4. His [Christ's] business into the world was great; he came to keep the
assizes and general goal-delivery. He came for judgment, that is, (1.) To
preach a doctrine and a law which would try men, and effectually discover and
distinguish them, and would be completely fitted, in all respects, to be the
rule of government now and of judgment shortly. (2.) To put a difference between
men, by revealing the thoughts of many hearts, and laying open mens true
characters, by this one test, whether they were well or ill affected to him.
(3.) To change the face of government in his church, to abolish the Jewish
economy, to take down that fabric, which, though erected for the time by the
hand of God himself, yet by lapse of time was antiquated, and by the incurable
corruptions of the managers of it was become rotten and dangerous, and to erect
a new building by another model, to institute new ordinances and offices, to
abrogate Judaism and enact Christianity; for this judgment he came
into the world, and it was a great revolution. This great truth he explains
by a metaphor borrowed from the miracle which he had lately wrought. That those
who see not might see, and that those who see might be made blind. Such a
difference of Christs coming is often spoken of; to some his gospel is a savour
of life unto life, to others of death unto death. (1.) This is
applicable to nations and people, that the Gentiles, who had long been destitute
of the light of divine revelation, might see it; and the Jews, who had long
enjoyed it, might have the things of their peace hid from their eyes, Hos.
1:10; 2:23. The Gentiles see a great light, while blindness is happened
unto Israel, and their eyes are darkened. (2.) To particular sons.
Christ came into the world, [1.] Intentionally and designedly to give sight to
those that were spiritually blind; by his word to reveal the object, and by his
Spirit to heal the organ, that many precious souls might be turned from
darkness to light. He came for judgment, that is, to set those at
liberty from their dark prison that were willing to be released, Isa.
61:1. [2.] Eventually, and in the issue, that those who see might be made
blind; that those who have a high conceit of their own wisdom, and set up
that in contradiction to divine revelation, might be sealed up in ignorance and
infidelity. The preaching of the cross was foolishness, and an infatuating
think, to those who by wisdom knew not God. Christ came into the world
for this judgment, to administer the affairs of a spiritual kingdom,
seated in mens minds. Whereas, in the Jewish church, the blessings and
judgments of Gods government were mostly temporal, now the method of
administration should be changed; and as the good subjects of his kingdom should
be blessed with spiritual blessings in heavenly things, such as arise from a due
illumination of the mind, so the rebels should be punished with spiritual
plagues, not war, famine, and pestilence, as formerly, but such as arise from a judicial
infatuation, hardness of heart, terror of conscience, strong delusions, vile
affections. In this way Christ will judge between cattle and cattle, Eze.
34:17, 22. (Matthew Henry)
5. A proverb: None so blind as those who will not see... Jesus' words
are blunt: I come for judgment. Insisting that your inward blindness is sight
isn't just pitiful, it's sinful and fatal. I can heal those who know, even
dimly, that they're blind. I can do nothing for those who insist they're OK,
except to make their condition permanent. That false "sight" you claim
is a darkness in which no one, not even the Son of Man, can work. And if that
Son who is the light of the world should not be at work, then there is no hope,
no life, no light at all to see by even if we wanted to. Without that Light, we
may not see. We're as good as dead! ...Jesus' judgment is no threat but instead
merciful, swift sight. Sin and guilt, however long-entrenched, are abolished as
quickly as cataracts! No darkness is too deep to be overcome! And at the heart
of it all is seeing Jesus as he really is: not just a man, a prophet, a man sent
from God, much less a sinful impostor, but the Son doing the Father's work and
displaying the Father's merciful glory, answering even the pleas of sinners who
have no right to expect a second glance from God. (Cathy Amlung)
6. Obsession with observance is a characteristic of religion which makes it very
dangerous, as many forms of fundamentalism have shown, not least the recent most
violent. Such rigidity at the expense of people is not, however, limited to
certain widely acknowledged types, but can flourish on both the left wing and
the right, among the biblicists and among those serving other ideologies. (William
Loader)
7. I have learned some things from listening to Christians with disabilities,
and I am persuaded that by thinking of God as disabled-metaphorically, of
course-we can deepen our understanding of the nature of God's creative and
redemptive love. (Burton Cooper)
8. The gospel writer clearly wishes to show how those who stick to the
letter of the law fail to recognize the presence of the divine in unexpected
events. (Andrew Greeley)
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