MUD IN YOUR EYE
JOHN 9:1-41
HERE IS THE SCENE:
READ JOHN 9:35-41
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36 "Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him." 37 Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you." 38 Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." 40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?" 41 Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
We find Jesus at the end of John 9 in a very interesting position. He is speaking with someone and all of a sudden this man bows down and confesses faith and worships Jesus. This man is ready to believe in the Messiah. He asks Jesus just to point the way and he would believe! At the same time, some of the religious leaders were around Him and seem pretty upset at the thought of Jesus calling them blind. How did Jesus get here? Who is this man and where was he thrown out of? How is this man so ready to believe in Jesus? Why are the Pharisees upset and why is Jesus talking of blindness? What happened?
This morning I would like to take us through John chapter 9, but I would like to do it in a way that starts from the end and works its way to the beginning. In a television show or movie, this is called an “analepsis” or a “flashback” or “reverse chronology.” A story will begin with an event and then take the reader or viewer backwards to see how the event ended up as it was. Basically, it is taking a story backwards in time. I would like to explain to you how Jesus arrived in this place with this particular man and these angry Pharisees, but I’d like to do so with reverse chronology. The answers to these many questions will help us make sense of this passage and has much to do with our own lives.
FLASHBACK 1
JOHN 9:13-34 [tell the story and do not read it]
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see." 16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided. 17 Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet." 18 The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. 19 "Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?" 20 "We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." 24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God," they said. "We know this man is a sinner." 25 He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" 26 Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" 27 He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" 28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from." 30 The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." 34 To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.
Story Outline:
The scene was probably in a side room inside the temple, Pharisees offices perhaps
It was a Sabbath day and a man had been healed of his blindness
The man who now sees proclaims that someone put mud in his eye and now he can see
The Pharisees are angry because Jesus healed on the Sabbath
The man states the person who did this was a prophet and gives glory to God
Parents state he was born blind
The man who now sees proclaims “I was blind but now I see!”
The Pharisees get quite ticked at him by saying the person who did this must be from God
They tossed him out onto the street
I can imagine that this interrogation session was quite frustrating for the man who was born blind and could now see. The Pharisees were angry about the good miraculous thing that had happened to him. He didn’t quite understand. He was giving glory to God for the miracle and giving Jesus credit for what He had done. He stated over and over that the person that did this miraculous thing must have come from God. This man who had been born blind was going through a difficult time and probably thought his life would have been so much better if he could ever see. I am sure he thought that when his sight returned that the days of harshness and being looked down upon were over, but he was enduring even more trials.
That reminds me of a story… consider it a commercial break.
ILLUSTRATION… Potato, eggs, and coffee (www.sermoncentral.com illustration)
Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed. Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.
After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.
Turning to her he asked. "Daughter, what do you see?"
"Potatoes, eggs, and coffee," she hastily replied.
"Look closer", he said, "and touch the potatoes." She did and noted that they were soft.
He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
"Father, what does this mean?" she asked.
He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity - the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new. "Which are you?" he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
I think this man who had been healed of his blindness wondered what all the fuss about and how he could possibly be in so much trouble over being healed. I am sure he did not understand why he was being interrogated by the Pharisees. They asked him questions and he gave his answers. Even his parents were call in and were scared by the whole proceeding.
The Pharisees just could not accept what they were hearing from this man. You know, it is very difficult sometimes to accept things that we do not understand… especially when they happen in our lives or in the lives of people we love and care about. It is difficult to accept adversity and problems and trials over and over and over. The Pharisees cared about keeping religious order and keeping up the commands and laws and traditions of the Jewish religion. What was going on here seemed to them to fly in the face of all that. The Pharisees could not accept that a Godly man would have healed on the Sabbath Day for that was work on the day of rest. Jesus was opposing some of the practices of their religion and they concluded He was their enemy.
They concluded that whatever was going on here was not from God or about God.
They concluded that because this healer was not from their ranks that he must be stopped.
They concluded that whoever healed this man must then be a sinner.
They concluded that this healed man was a bottom of the barrel sinner and they threw him out of their presence.
It is interesting that in a short while from this point Jesus would describe the Pharisees as blind. They even ask Him, “What, are we blind too?” (verse 40). You know, I think these Pharisees had a blind spot when it came to Jesus and their lives because of all their false conclusions. You know what a blind spot is… it is the reason you turn your head before you change lanes while driving. It is the reason for many accidents on the road. At times, a car or truck can be sitting in just the right spot and you simply cannot see it. You are blind to it. So much about God was sitting in the blind spot of the Pharisees… only because they would not turn around and look. They did not want to see Jesus for who He really was. They simply did not want to look.
This morning remember we are travelling through John chapter 9, but we are going from the end of the story to the beginning. We now know some answers to a few of our questions. We know that this man at the end of the story was born blind and was healed… it was a miracle. We know that it was Jesus who healed this man and that the Pharisees are quite angry about the whole situation. The Pharisees are upset because such a miracle happened on the Sabbath Day. The Pharisees are upset because Jesus was the one who did it and God was getting glorified. The man was thrown out of their presence because he told the truth about the Person who healed him and gave God glory for the healing. That would explain to us how Jesus arrived in this place with this particular man and these angry Pharisees. But we still do not have the full story. What happened at the beginning? How was the man healed exactly? Why did Jesus do it?
FLASH BACK 2
READ JOHN 9:1-12
“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7 "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him." But he himself insisted, "I am the man." 10 "How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded. 11 He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see." 12 "Where is this man?" they asked him. "I don't know," he said.”
Now we get the whole picture. Jesus and His disciples see a person who had been blind from birth. The disciples assume that some great sin had occurred that put this man in such a state. The disciples assumed that some sin, whether it was of his parents before he was born or his own in the womb that made him blind from birth. Sin certainly does have consequences, but Jesus tells His disciples in this case neither of those accusations is true.
Jesus tells them plainly that this man was born blind so that “the work of God might be displayed in his life” (verse 3). That’s important. File that away. He goes on to say that He is the light of the world. Jesus has an opportunity here to show the disciples, the man, and anyone he comes in contact with exactly who He is. You see Exodus 4:11 and Psalm 146:8 the Bible tells us clearly that it is God who gives sight. The book of Isaiah in chapters 29, 35, and 42 promise and prophesy that the Messiah would be about giving sight where none existed.
It is in fulfillment of these prophecies that Jesus gives sight to the blind. As the Light of the world he has defeated the darkness and in this situation He uses His holy spit to make the blind see. The man follows Jesus’ instructions and washes and then heads home. I would assume he knew the way somehow, but I am certain it was the first time he saw himself home. His neighbors would have recognized his face and he would have only recognized their voice.
The man causes a ruckus.
This morning remember we are travelling through John chapter 9, but we are going from the end of the
story to the beginning. We are at the beginning of the story and we have all our questions answered, but one. We know that Jesus was traveling with His disciples and they happened upon this man. We know that the man was blind so that “the work of God might be displayed in his life” (verse 3). Jesus healed the man by spitting into some dirt and making mud in his eyes. The man could then see… it was a miracle. The man who had been born blind is now a seeing member of society. The man then went away… there was a stir because of him… and this is when the Pharisees get involved and it ends up with the man at the feet of Jesus worshipping Him. All our questions have been answered except one. What is the final question?
THE FINAL QUESTION: What does this have to do with us?
I want you to put yourself in the formerly blind man’s shoes for one moment. He sat day after day begging and asking and being led around… all because he could not see. He could not have a job. He relied on others for most of his care. I can imagine more than once he woke up in the morning and asked, “Why me?” Do you think he asked that question? I do.
I think every time he sat down to beg he asked “Why me?”
I think every time someone kicked him he asked “Why me?”
I think every time he was laughed at because he could not find his way he asked “Why me?”
What does this have to do with us?
What is it in your life in which you ask that very same question?
* You may have not been born blind, but you may have some ailment that causes you daily pain and you
ask “Why me?”
* You may be in a loveless marriage that has lasted far too long in your opinion and you may ask “Why me?”
* You may be the only one in your group of friends who is single and you may ask “Why me?”
* You may be enduring an extended illness like cancer or a disability and you may ask “Why me?”
* You may have been without work for far too long and your financial situation is more than you can bear and you ask “Why me?”
* You may have a child who makes it their business to hurt your feelings on a regular basis and you ask “Why me?”
* You endure the death of a close family member or the dearest of friends and you ask “Why me?”
* You may have a child or spouse with a disability that makes your life so very difficult and you ask “Why me?”
What is that situation in which you are asking “Why me?” I am here today to tell you that the answer to the blind man in John 9:3 is the same answer to you and to me. “Why us?” We endure the things we think of so that “the work of God might be displayed in our lives.” You are going through what you are going through so that
God
gets
the
glory.
You can be an example of a person of faith dealing with your trial.
Your testimony of faith can encourage someone else who is dealing with the same thing.
You can give Godly counsel to someone with questions to which you may have an answer.
You can serve as an example of perseverance and faith.
The junk that you go through is important because you can share it with others to help them! The answer to your “Why me?” question is so that God can use you in the lives of other people who are dealing with the same junk you are!
What does this have to do with us? Folks, we’re all born with something that God can use for His glory.
CONCLUSION
