Jesus, the God Man: The Gospel of John
“Taking a Hit for Taking a Stand”
John 9:24-34
Introduction: “Keep your head down, but keep firing!” Many times we hear those words while watching a war movie. People instinctively seem to know that you never raise your head in the middle of a battle lest you get shot. Sometimes men cower in their foxholes and never even raise their head to fire a shot.
We have already met a couple like that as we studied this chapter last week. The blind man’s parents basically threw their son under the bus because of their fear of the Pharisees. They never even fired a shot on their son’s behalf.
Today, however we will see the blind man charge out of the foxhole into oncoming enemy fire and as a result he will gladly suffer the consequences on behalf of Jesus.
If you are a timid Christian or find yourself without a voice when it comes to speaking on Christ’s behalf then take a lesson from this former blind man as we see him “taking a hit for taking a stand.”
1. Don’t get pulled into arguments. (vv. 24-25)
At parents’ insistence the Pharisees recall the man to stand before them.
“Give God the glory!” Two meanings are meant for this phrase. It can be taken to mean swear an oath similar to our “Do you swear to tell the truth…so help you God?” Another possibility is that they are encouraging him not say anything good about Jesus, but instead give God the glory for his healing.
Oddly enough that is exactly what he has been trying to do, but they were not!
They were in essence saying, “You tell the truth, but we will tell you what we believe the truth is.” Witness tampering!
“We know” – Only the hard-hearted blind Pharisees agreed, but there are a few that don’t agree in v. 16b.
“this man” – Probably spit the word out. This is also their response to him calling Jesus a prophet. He’s just a man.
v. 25 – Wisely responds by sticking to what he knows. “I am not going to have a theological debate with you. I’ll stick with what I know. I know that once I was blind but now I see.”
“One thing” – SIMPLIFY! Your testimony does not need to be complex. He goes back to his very simple testimony which is shared by all of us that have met Jesus.
Do not get sidetracked in talking to unbelievers by unnecessary arguments and debate. Stick with what you know and have experienced.
You may not be an authority on theology, but you are the world’s greatest authority on what has happened to you! –R. Kent Hughes, John: That You May Believe
You can know that you are saved:
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13 (NIV)
The Pharisees wanted to debate the person of Christ while the blind man wanted to discuss the power of Christ!
2. Answer questions without backing down. (vv. 26-27)
Ask him the same question again perhaps hoping that he will contradict himself. They also may be concerned with the method or to discover where the power originated. But how is not as important as Who!
Faith is occupied not with the manner in which you held out your hand to receive God’s gift, but with Christ Himself! But unbelief is occupied with the "how" rather than with the "whom." –AW Pink (1886-1952), Exposition of the Gospel of John
v. 27 – But this man is not about to be bullied or trapped by their questions so he uses sarcasm to make a point.
“Why do I have to keep repeating myself? Do want to be His follower too?”
The use of the word “also” suggests that this man is already considering himself one of Jesus’ followers but again he is not yet a believer.
As followers of Jesus you and I must also answer questions that are raised by unbelievers but don’t back down on standing up for Jesus.
You have to admit it is a very amusing and witty reply. It is also VERY bold! He is playing with being unsynagogued here and yet he charges forward on Christ’s behalf. His parents are already so terrified of the Pharisees that they abandoned him to the interrogation and wrath of these religious leaders.
3. Boldly speak the truth without fear. (vv. 28-34)
“reviled” has a meaning of calling him names and speaking harshly to him. It means words that pierce or words that cut.
“His disciple” – Not yet, but soon (see v. 38).
They become arrogant and claim to be followers of Moses, but Jesus has already exposed this lie in 7:19.
“We know God spoke to him, but not this fellow.” They are still not saying Jesus’ Name.
v. 30 – More sarcasm drips from his reply.
“Marvelous” – Their unbelief was even more miraculous than his healing!
“You are sooo… smart and can provide leadership to us peons and can threaten to kick people out of the synagogue but you don’t know where He is from? And yet He has power to open my eyes! Maybe that should give you a clue, you great scholars!”
WOW! Give me a man with a heart full of Jesus with no name over a man with a head full of useless information that wants to make a name for himself any day!
v. 31 – Since he now has these Pharisees right where he wants them, he begins to school them…
“Now we illiterate people know because you taught us that God will not listen to sinners, but if anyone worships and obeys Him He will hear them.”
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; Psalms 66:18 (NIV)
The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. Proverbs 15:29 (NIV)
No one in the history of the world has ever healed anyone with congenital blindness (blind from birth).” This is true as well. It was not until 1728 that a surgeon operated on a man and he was healed, but Jesus did it without surgery!
“If He was not from God He could not do anything. So I’m thinking that He’s from God!” Messiah was prophesied as being a healer of the blind:
In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
Isaiah 29:18 (NIV)
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Isaiah 35:5 (NIV)
…to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
Isaiah 42:7 (NIV)
Jesus quoted the one from Isaiah 42 and said that He fulfilled it in Matthew 11:4-5 & Luke 4:18-19.
Progress continues…He was a Man called Jesus and then a prophet, and now a Man from God.”
v. 34 – Pharisees become unhinged. “Oh, Yeah?! Well you are a total sinner from birth!” They answer differently than Jesus when disciples asked in v. 2.
“You think you can teach us?” Obviously not because they are not learning or learners.
“Who do you think you are talking to us like that?!” And with that they bodily had him removed and tossed out!
Unsynagogued! Not formally yet but will later.
The excommunication of the blind man turned out to be a good thing, because it prevented him from trying to live in two worlds. Being "put out" of our old group is undeniably painful, but it is usually spiritually helpful. –David Guzik
He took a stand and took the hit! All of us should be excommunicated from the world.
Conclusion: Last week I said choose between man and God. His parents chose to fear man, but he chose to fear God!
He did all this before he became a follower of Jesus. He is not yet a believer but still willing to stand up to the Pharisees for his belief in who Jesus was.
Why as a Christian with God’s power are we not so bold as to stand up for Jesus?
It’s time to do it. Will you “take the hit for taking a stand?”
