The Touch of Jesus
John 9:1-12
March 9, 2003
Jesus: Up Close and Personal
Introduction
It was 1818 in France, and Louis, a boy of 9, was sitting in his father’s workshop. The father was a harness-maker and the boy loved to watch his father work the leather. "Someday Father," said Louis, "I want to be a harness-maker, just like you."
"Why not start now?" said the father. He took a piece of leather and drew a design on it. "Now, my son," he said, "take the hole-puncher and a hammer and follow this design, but be careful that you don’t hit your hand." excited, the boy began to work, but when he hit the hole-puncher, it flew out of his hand and pierced his eye! He lost the sight of that eye immediately. Later, sight in the other eye failed. Louis was now totally blind. A few years later, Louis was sitting in the family garden when a friend handed him a pinecone. As he ran his sensitive fingers over the cone, an idea came to him. He became enthusiastic and began to create an alphabet of raised dots on paper so that the blind could feel and interpret what was written. Thus, Louis Braille opened up a whole new world for the blind--all because of an accident!
Louis Braille opened a whole new world to those who are blind through the power of touch. This morning I want to look at how Jesus changed the life of a blind man through the power of His touch.
John 9:1-12
1 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.
Body
I. The teaching (1-5)
A. Jesus teaches the disciples about God’s work
1. The blind man sparks a discussion
a.) Jesus and His disciples encounter a man who was born blind. It is likely, they saw the man begging on the side of the road because he did not have the ability to work.
b.) Note that Jesus sees the man while the disciples see merely an issue to be resolved
2. The disciples’ question
a.) The Jewish mindset connected physical problems and suffering directly with sin. This equated suffering with punishment for sin and thus anyone who was suffering from physical problems was seen as sinful. This led to their question about whose sin caused the man’s blindness.
b.) Jesus blows this theory out of the water. He clearly states that the man’s blindness was not caused by sin but that God would be glorified through this man’s life.
c.) God can use our suffering and our problems to bring glory to His name. In times when we suffer, others will see how we live our lives. In times when we suffer, we draw closer to God. In times when we suffer, the true measure of our faith is revealed.
B. Jesus teaches about His mission
1. Jesus tells the disciples He was sent by God
a.) Jesus tells His disciples, “We must do the work of him who sent me.” Notice that Jesus said we and not I. We all have a part to play in the work of God’s kingdom.
b.) The work of God
1.) The work of caring: One of the biggest sins in the church today is that no one cares anymore. We would all be in a desperate straight if God cared about us the same way we care about other people.
2.) The work of seeking: Jesus sought the man, nowhere does the man ask to be healed. Jesus reached out to this man at his point of need and we must do the same
3.) The work of deliverance: The fact is that only Jesus can deliver us. In this case He delivered this man from blindness and we are called to share this same hope with those around us.
There are a lot of Christians who are doing nothing, but there is no Christian who has nothing to do -
2. The mission is urgent
a.) The work must be done: Jesus doesn’t say that the work should be done. He doesn’t give a suggestion that the work should be done. He doesn’t give an option about the work. It must be done. If you do not participate in the work of God who will?
b.) The time is limited: Jesus understood the reality of limited opportunity. He clearly shows that we have been given a certain amount of time to do the work that we are called to do.
II. The touch (6-7)
A. The process that Jesus used
1. Step by step
a.) Jesus makes mud – Jesus spits on the ground to make mud in the dirt. This is the only place in the entire Bible where mud was used in a healing. Why does Jesus do this?
b.) Jesus uses the mud – Jesus puts the mud on the man’s eyes. In many ancient cultures saliva was seen to have medicinal value but Jews widely rejected this practice because it was connected with sorcery.
c.) Jesus tells the man to go and wash – Jesus gives the man a specific task and detailed instructions to complete.
Why does Jesus do all of this when He could have healed the man with just a word?
2. The reasoning for the process
a.) The man never asked Jesus to heal him. This is one of the only places where a person was healed by Jesus without a request being made. Jesus heals this man out of the depth of his compassion
b.) The task of going to wash off the mud was an act of faith and obedience. If the man had not followed the instructions of Jesus there would have been no miracle
B. The miracle takes place
1. The touch of Jesus
a.) Jesus touches this man and changes his life. Jesus was always touching those who needed Him and this was a sign of His love and compassion
b.) The transforming touch
1.) Jesus physically touched the man: Jesus rubbed the mud on his eyes and it was this touch that revealed His plan.
2.) Jesus emotionally touched the man: Jesus revealed the love of God through His compassion and reaching out to this man
3.) Jesus spiritually touched this man: When the miracle took place the man believed in the power of Jesus.
2. Jesus sends the man to Siloam
a.) Jesus was sent by God. Earlier in the passage Jesus told the disciples that He was sent by God to do the work of His Father. Jesus send the man to the Pool of Silaom, which means “sent”
b.) This very well could have been a way that Jesus was trying to communicate who He was to this man because Jesus was the one God had sent to His people.
III. The testimony (8-12)
A. The reception
1. The man went home with his sight
a.) The man went to the pool blind and walked home with his sight. Can you imagine what this must have been like? This was a day of wonders and worthy of celebration.
b.) When he arrives back in his neighborhood he expected them to celebrate with him but instead he gets a third degree investigation
2. The response of the people
a.) The amazement and denial: The neighbors can’t believe what they were seeing. The man born blind was now walking around with his sight and some even tried to deny he was the same person.
b.) These neighbors don’t ask for a reason. They demanded an answer from the man. What a horrible attitude these people had! I have seen the same attitude from church people when God does something wonderful and they focus on all of the wrong things.
B. The response
1. The man recounts the earlier events
a.) The first thing that the man does is identify Jesus as the one who healed him. After all we do need to give credit where credit is due. The people just want to find Jesus to prove the story
b.) The man explains the process
1.) Jesus made mud and put it on his eyes
2.) Jesus told him to wash in the pool of Silaom
3.) The man’s eyes were healed
2. The man was now filled with faith in Jesus
a.) Faith is like a magnet. It can attract some people and it will repel some people. The faith of this man seems to repel his neighbors
b.) There will always be those who will reject and deny the work of God in our lives. Our task is to do our very best to share the love of Christ with others and do his work to the best of our ability
Conclusion
What area of your life needs the touch of Jesus today? What part of your life needs the transforming power of Jesus? He is here and he is ready to supply everything that you need.
