Believing is Seeing
Text: John 9:1-38
I. Introduction
A woman named Rose Crawford had been blind for 50 years. "I just can’t believe it!" she gasped as the doctor lifted the bandages from her eyes after her recovery from delicate surgery in an Ontario hospital. She wept for joy when for the first time in her life a dazzling and beautiful world of form and color greeted eyes that now were able to see. The amazing thing about the story, however, is that 20 years of her blindness had been unnecessary. She didn’t know that surgical techniques had been developed, and that an operation could have restored her vision at the age of 30. The doctor said, "She just figured there was nothing that could be done about her condition. Much of her life could have been different."
Many of you under the sound of my voice are blind. Unfortunately, you fall into one of two categories. First, some of you, like Rose Crawford, walk around blind and think nothing can be done about it. You walk in darkness, bound, and blind unnecessarily. The second group are those of you that don’t realize you are blind, but you continue to bump into the same sins, temptations, and obstacles. You think you can see but the truth is you are blind as a bat and you need help.
I want to talk to you about gaining your sight. You have told that seeing is believing. However, I want to tell you today that believing is seeing. Many of you think that if I could just see a sign, a miracle, a change, an intervention, a blessing then I would believe. But today from this account found in John 9 I want to tell you that when you believe you will truly see! When you develop faith you will develop sight. This account teaches us some powerful lessons about life and sight.
II. Prayer
III. Rejection
The first lesson this account teaches us is about rejection. Many of you feel rejected. Overlooked. Forgotten. Unwanted. Unneeded. Unloved. Unaccepted. This story is filled with rejection.
Here is a young man that is born blind. His whole life is a story of rejection. His neighbors had rejected and overlooked him so long that when he was touched by Jesus their not even sure it was him. Maybe they hadn’t really looked at him close enough to recognize his facial features. His parents reject him. They won’t even defend him against attacks from the church leaders. He has probably been a disappointment to his parents all of their life. They won’t speak up for him. The church folk reject him. They won’t even rejoice over his miracle. They end up throwing him out of church because he has been healed. Rejected when he was blind, unable to enter, because he was unclean a sinner in the eyes of the church leader. Now he is whole and they reject him because he is whole. Rejected.
Everywhere he turned in blindness and in health he is rejected, until he comes into contact with Jesus. Notice that Jesus goes looking for the man. This man who has been attacked. This man that has been ridiculed. This man that has been thrown out and unwanted. This man that is rejected is the subject of a search and rescue mission by Jesus. In verse 35, the Bible tells us that Jesus goes looking for him. He singles him out. He goes out of His way to find a nobody. He had been rejected, but the Son of God goes searching for him and keeps looking until he locates him.
You have been seeking acceptance and approval. You have been trying to fit in. You have been trying to get in the clique and the club. You have been crying yourself to sleep thinking no one loves me or wants me. Your neighbors have laughed at you. Your friends have walked away from you. Even your parents or other family members have forsaken you. However, I am here to tell you that when everyone else turns their back on you, when everyone else forgets about you, when everyone else rejects you Jesus will seek you out. In fact, right now he is looking for you. The cool kids don’t like you, but Jesus is trying to find you. The in crowd has ridiculed you, but Jesus is walking the aisles right now trying to locate you. Mom and Dad, family has rejected you and declared that you are a nothing a nobody, but Jesus will find you this morning. He won’t give up looking until he finds you. He will push through crowds. He will push past church folk and find you. He can handle your pain. He will accept you!
IV. Sight
But I want to deal with your sight this morning. I want to make sure that you believe so that you can see. Some of you see but you don’t believe. However, if you ever believe you will also be able to really see. I am not talking about the physical aspect of seeing. You already know that part of the story. I am talking about spiritual vision. Many of you walk around with 20/20 vision physically but you are blind today. You need an encounter like this man so that you can really see.
Notice what happens in this account.
Jesus finds this rejected man and touches him. He heals his eyes and gives this man physical sight. The neighbors see this man they thought was blind so they ask what happened. This man answers in verse 11. Listen to what he says, “The MAN who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes and said to me ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’”
He has sight but he can’t see yet. He has come into contact with the Son of God. He has been touched by heaven itself and when he explains it he says, “That MAN” touched me.
Too many of you still see Jesus as a man. You come to church, you sing, you raise your hands, you dance but the truth is you are still blind. You still see him as just a man. He is just a man someone talks about. He is just a man. Someone who used to be alive. A man. A mortal. A memory. You see but you are still blind.
So we follow the story and see that the man begins to slowly see. The people bring him before the church folk so that they can get to the bottom of what happened. So the church folk begin to question this man and when they asked him what do you say about the Man who healed you this man responds, “He is a prophet.” See the progression? This man who just a few short hours before thought Jesus was just a man now says Jesus is a prophet. He is more than just an ordinary man. More than just a carpenter’s son. More than just a compassionate stranger. This man is a prophet.
The church folk didn’t like his answer. So they dismiss him. But after talking to his parents they call him in again. They ask him again what happened. Gaining boldness and more sight the man answers them in verse 27. He says, “I already told you and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become His disciples too, do you?
Did you catch it? He started by saying that man. He began to see and declares that Jesus is a prophet. Now a few hours later when pressed by the church leaders he says an important three letter word, too! You don’t want to become his disciples too, do you? He is saying why do you want to hear this story again? Do you want to become a disciple of Jesus like me? He is slowly seeing that Jesus is more than just a man, more than a prophet. Therefore, he now declares his allegiance to Jesus as a disciple.
He takes the final step in verse 35 and 38. Here Jesus is talking to this man and the man addresses Jesus as Lord and in verse 38 he worships Jesus.
He may have gained his sight several hours or days before, but he truly saw when he in verse 38 he declares that Jesus is Lord.
Many of you walk around knowing Jesus as a man or a prophet. You may even know Him enough to declare that you are one of His disciples. You may count yourself as one of His. However, until you come to the place where you can look on Him and declare that He is Lord you are blind. When you really come to the place that you believe you will see.
How do you see Him this morning? Do you see Him as Lord? Is He the Lord of all of your life? Do you hold things back from Him? If you do, you are blind. To be able to see you must move beyond knowledge of Jesus as a man, a prophet you must see Him as He really is, Lord!
A person once asked Helen Keller, "Is not blindness the worst handicap a person can have?" She responded, "No, it is far worse to have eyes and not see!"
You may have eyes but do you see? Do you see Him as Lord? Believing is seeing!
