Are We Blind?
John 9
June 6, 2004
The 1964 Philadelphia Phillies will always be known as the team that suffered one of the great collapses in sports history. They let a huge division lead slip away by losing ten games in a row at the end of the season. Despite the collapse, the Phillies season had its share of memorable moments, including a perfect game and a ninth-inning home run by a Phillie to win the All-Star Game.
But the most remarkable moment of the entire season occurred after a game, not during it. Clay Dalrymple, a Phillie pitcher, was asked to assist a blind girl who had requested a chance to walk out on the field. Dalrymple took the girl to home plate where she reached down and felt the plate. Then they walked to first base, second base, and third base before ending up at home plate once again.
While Dalrymple was showing the girl around the bases, he never noticed that the fans remaining in the stadium had stopped to watch him and his companion. He just assumed that the silence in the stands meant the fans had gone home. But when the two of them finally reached home plate, the ballpark erupted. Dalrymple was shocked by the applause. When he looked up, he saw thousands of fans giving him a standing ovation.
Later, Dalrymple told a Sports Illustrated reporter, “It was the biggest ovation I ever got.”
I am convinced that we take so many things for granted in life. Sight is one of those things. For those of us who have been blessed with the ability to see, we don’t know what it is like not to see. It is not until moments like the story that was just shared that we realize the blessings of life that we have that we take for granted.
Listen to what Max Lucado writes about one particular man who was blind:
For 51 years Bob Edens was blind. He couldn’t see a thing. His world was a black hall of sounds and smells. He felt his way through five decades of darkness. And then, he could see. A skilled surgeon performed a complicated operation and, for the first time, Bob Edens had sight. He found it overwhelming. “I never would have dreamed that yellow is so…yellow,” he exclaimed. “I don’t have the words. I am amazed by yellow. But red is my favorite color. I just can’t believe red. I can see the shape of the moon—and I like nothing better than seeing a jet plane flying across the sky leaving a vapor trail. And of course, sunrises and sunsets. And at night I look at the stars in the sky and the flashing light. You could never know how wonderful everything is.”
How many of us in here this morning have ever had to place a blindfold on and have a friend lead us somewhere? That is not the best position to be put in.
And that is exactly what it is like for thousands of people who are blind.
Imagine for a moment what it would be like never to see a sunset. Imagine for a moment what it would be like to never see the faces of those you love. Imagine for a moment never to see the birds who sing, or the colors of the flowers.
Open up your Bibles to John 9
Our text this morning is the entire chapter of John 9. I know that is a lot, but I believe that we need to look at the entire chapter this morning for our lesson.
Before we read the text some background information is necessary. In John chapter 8 Jesus has had a busy day. He has forgiven the woman caught in adultery! He has claimed to be the light of the world, and He has angered the Jews to the point that they were going to stone Him, but they couldn’t.
Those are some pretty amazing things there. Then He backs His preaching up with what happened in chapter 9.
Read The Text!
“What, are we blind too?”
That is the question the Pharisees asked. They knew exactly what Jesus was saying to them.
It is possible to have our sight and yet be blind to what is going on around us. In our text this morning I see 4 things that will cause us to be spiritually blind.
1. The Disciples of Jesus were blinded by judgment.
What did the disciples say when they walked up on the man?
"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
Now, before we go any further, I think is necessary to say that this was a common belief among the Jews of that day. As a matter of fact, it was widely taught that God punished people right now for their sin. And that punishment came in the form of some sort of sickness or disease.
So, for the disciples to ask that question was not out of the ordinary. However, in order to ask a question like that you have to think a few things about yourself.
- If sin caused things like that, then you must be alright with God because you are alright.
- If someone had something wrong with them, then they must not be alright with God.
What happens when we begin to think that way?
We begin to think that we are better than other people.
You know, we may not believe that when someone has something wrong with them today that God is punishing them or their parents. We have been educated to know that sickness and disease for the most part is a natural cause of sin in general, not merely a punishment for personal sin. However, I do think that we are sometimes blinded by judgment.
The Disciples saw in the blind man a theological debate, and Jesus saw in the blind man someone in whom the work of God could be made known.
Are you tempted to judge?
When you hear of the fact that most homosexual men die in their early 40’s because of aids, are you tempted to say, “That is what they deserve”.
When you see a teenage mother struggling to raise her child alone, are you tempted to say, “Well, she should have waited until she was married.”
When you see the effects of alcoholism on the lives of people, are you tempted to say, “They don’t deserve any better!”?
You know, it is so much easier to sit back and debate the theological ramifications of bad decisions that other human beings make. It is much harder to see how you can make a difference in the lives of people who are hurting because of a bad decision they or someone else has made for them.
It is easier to judge then to heal.
We should not let judging others blind us from the fact that we are to be instruments of healing and not finger pointing.
What would happen if instead of judging the homosexual man who is dying of aids, we would do everything we can to make sure that his last days on this earth are spent with Christian people who love him and are concerned for his soul?
What would happen if instead of condemning the teenage mother, the church would offer help and encouragement and ensure that she knows of the love of Jesus?
What would happened if instead of shaking our heads in disgust at the alcoholic, the church and its people would be a safe haven and a source of encouragement and hope for those who are struggling with that disease?
What would happen?
God’s people, instead of judging the world, would see the world and its people as a place in which the work of God can be done.
Wycliff Bible translators Bob and Jan Smutherman were assigned to the Macuna people of southeast Colombia, South America. Progress was going well in putting the Bible into the Macuna language. The chief’s son was engaged as the language helper. Each portion of the Scripture had to be checked and double-checked for meaning and clarity.
After five years of labor, the Gospel of John was being finalized for publication. Gathered together to hear the Word of God, the tribe sat patiently.
Beginning at John 9:1, the son read about Jesus’ encounter with the man born blind. When he got to the verse where Jesus says that this man was born blind “in order that the works of God might be put on display,” the old chief stood to his feet. Requiring silence by his uplifted right hand, he said, “We must stop killing our babies.”
To a people steeped in animism, the normal process was to take their deformed babies to a desolate place. There the babies were deserted and exposed until dead.
Don’t be blinded by judgment.
As a matter of fact, listen to what Jesus had to say about this issue:
Matthew 7:1-2
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
2. The Neighbors were blinded by skepticism!
What happened when this man returned to the people who knew him?
- Some didn’t believe it was him
- Others demanded him to tell how this happened
The neighbors and those around were skeptical of what had happened.
In their defense, it would have been hard to believe what they were seeing.
They remembered this man as being blind and begging at the Temple gate, and now he is up walking around. I am sure some of them wondered for the rest of their lives, “Was he really blind, or has been doing this in order to be a beggar?”
How many of us in here this morning struggle with skepticism? I will be the first one to raise my hand. I am skeptical of what some people claim. There are people who claim to have healing powers from God, to that I am skeptical. There are people who claim to have a special revelation from God, to that I am skeptical.
However, the one thing in which we should not be skeptical is the power of the Gospel message.
Take a look around your world. Odds are there is someone you know or love that you don’t think can ever be reached by the gospel message.
The Bible says this about the Gospel:
Romans 1:16-17
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
Through the power of God, this man’s life was changed forever. The same thing can happen today if God’s people will quite being skeptical of the power of the Gospel and preach it to everyone we come in contact with.
What would happen if God’s people everywhere would stop being skeptical of the power of the Gospel? Millions of lives would be changed forever.
The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. It is time that we as God’s people believe that and preach that to the relative we don’t think will ever respond, to the neighbor who seems unreachable.
Saul was a man that no one thought could ever be reached with the Gospel message. Jesus revealed Himself to Saul and his life was changed forever.
April and I meet 10 years ago last month. 10 years ago, many people had my life written off as a failure, but the power of God was made known through the Gospel message in my life.
My point is this, have faith in the power of the Gospel, it can and it will change lives.
Don’t let skepticism keep you from seeing God work.
3. The Pharisees were blinded by their religion!
What is religion?
Religion is a system of beliefs. Almost anything can be labeled religion. It is amazing to me that in our schools we are not allowed to teach religion, but a religion is being taught everyday, and that religion is evolution.
I won’t get sidetracked there.
What happened when the Pharisees were confronted with the man who was born blind but now sees?
- They debated the fact that the man was blind at all.
- They said Jesus must be a sinner because he healed on the Sabbath.
You know it is easy to sit back and point the finger at the Pharisees for using their tradition and religion to remain blind to the work of God.
However, I contend that the same thing can happen to us. We in the Christian Churches and the Churches of Christ can make the same mistakes the Pharisees made.
We can rely on our traditions and heritage to get us through. There are some who believe that the church of Christ is the only church that is going to be in heaven. In defense of that, all churches and faiths, have people in them that believe that they and they alone are right when it comes to God and the way to heaven.
Jesus condemned the Pharisees and Sadducees many times in His preaching and teaching. Why? Because they were more concerned with their traditions and religion than they were with God.
Traditions in and of themselves are not all wrong. It is when we make manmade traditions binding and Scriptural that they are.
You see the Jews, when I say Jews I am speaking of the religious leaders, believed that they were right because they were Jews and descendants of Abraham and followers of the law of Moses.
In the book of Romans Paul spends a great deal of time challenging the Jewish believers not to use their heritage and lineage as a means of being superior. As a matter of fact, in Romans chapter 4 Paul shows us how everyone can become a descendant of Abraham:
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
What are some of the traditions that we have that could cause us to make the same mistakes the Pharisees made?
- Church Services
- Service Order
- The Name On The Church Sign
Here is one thing that we have to be sure of, and that the Bible is clear on.
- No one is going to be saved because of their race or church they attend.
The only way that someone is going to be saved is through a relationship with Jesus Christ. And the Bible says that we are saved by the grace of God, not the tradition and religion of man.
We cannot allow our tradition and religion to blind us. God can and will do things differently than what we may think of believe and if there are no Scriptural errors that are made, we should see the power of God working and praise Him for it.
How, much more enjoyable would it have been for the Jewish leaders to praise that work.
In the same way, we should learn to celebrate the work of God, even when it is done differently than what we are used to.
4. The man’s parents were blinded by fear?
When the Pharisees wanted answers they were not getting from the man himself, they called his parents in.
How did they respond? Well, they wanted no part of it. Why, because they were afraid.
What were they afraid of? Being thrown out of the synagogue.
You know, before we are quick to judge here, we should understand that things were different in the Jewish culture. In our culture, if someone is removed from the church, they can go to the church down the road. However, in the Jewish culture, once you were removed from the Synagogue, you were out. You couldn’t go down the road to the other Synagogue. Not only that, the other people were not allowed to speak or do business with someone who was removed from the Synagogue.
It is no wonder the parents were afraid. Imagine for a moment what it must have felt like for them. On one hand your son who was blind from birth can now see, on the other hand, if you acknowledge that this was from the power that was in Jesus, your were removed completely from you community.
Fear is a crippling agent. Fear keeps up from experiencing the work of God completely. Not only in our personal walks with Jesus Christ, but in our corporate walk with Jesus as well.
What would happen if God’s people and God’s churches stopped being fearful?
- Lives would be changed because we would no longer fear rejection or persecution because of the message of Christ.
- Churches would be living on the edge of faith, using every dollar they have to make a difference for the cause of Christ.
What happens is we become fearful that God won’t provide a way, so we don’t try talk to the neighbor or try the new program.
Don’t be blinded by fear.
The Bible is clear as to the type of fear that we should have. Listen to what the writer of Proverbs said:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
When we fear the Lord, we won’t fear anything else and we will step up and step out in faith.
Are we blind to?
Well, if our lives are controlled by:
Judgment
Skepticism
Religions Pride
Fear
Then we are blind, not physically but spiritually.
We can learn from the Blind man. How did he respond in all of this?
One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!
Maybe, this morning you have come in here blinded by hopelessness. You don’t know why, but life seems hopeless. You don’t know where to find the answer, but it seems as though you are wondering through life blind. You don’t know what you need, but you know you need something.
Jesus is there for you. He wants you to respond like the blind man in faith and accept Him as Lord.
Will you do that this morning.
