Jesus heals a Man Born Blind; John 9 - Copy

Sixth sign: Blind but Now I See: The Power of Christ in Weakness. John 9

Mostly, when bad things happen to us, we often think it is our sin or the sins of our parents. I often fall into the trap of thinking so. When something bad happens to me, I often think it is because I have sinned against God, or I am paying for the sins that I committed a long time ago. It can happen sometimes. For example, if I stole money from someone and I ended up losing a lot of money—more than I stole—yes, indeed, I am paying for my sins. Numbers 32:23 and Galatians 6:7 remind us that people reap what they sow. 

But today I want to shift our focus: not every bad thing that happens to you is because of your sin. Sometimes God allows it to strengthen our faith, so that His power and glory might be seen in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). In our sixth sign, Jesus healed a man born blind. In John 9:1–41, Jesus meets a man blind from birth. The disciples assume his suffering is a direct result of sin—either his own or his parents’. But Jesus corrects their misunderstanding by teaching that the man’s condition is not punishment, but rather an opportunity for God’s works to be displayed. He reminds them that while He is in the world, He is the Light of the world. 

This shows us that not all pain is tied to personal guilt, and that God can use even brokenness to reveal His glory. The miracle itself is described in verses 6–12. Jesus spits on the ground, makes mud, and anoints the man’s eyes, then instructs him to wash in the pool of Siloam. The man obeys, and to the amazement of everyone, he returns with sight. His neighbors cannot agree whether he is the same man or just someone who looks like him, but he confidently testifies to what happened. This section reveals that obedience to Christ’s word, even when it may seem strange, leads to transformation and new life.

The Jewish Mentality Concerning Infirmity

From verses 13–34, the Pharisees begin their interrogation because the healing took place on the Sabbath. They question the man, then his parents, who speak cautiously out of fear of being expelled from the synagogue. The man, however, grows increasingly bold, moving from calling Jesus a mere man to declaring Him a prophet, and finally confronting the Pharisees’ stubborn unbelief. Eventually, they cast him out. Here we see the contrast between the man’s growing faith and the Pharisees’ deepening blindness, as pride and tradition keep them from accepting the truth. In verses 35–38, Jesus seeks out the man who has been cast aside. He reveals Himself as the Son of Man, the One sent from God and calls for faith. The man responds with a simple but powerful act of worship, falling before Jesus in belief. 

This moment shows the true purpose of miracles—not just physical healing, but the opening of spiritual eyes so people might trust in Christ and give Him glory. The chapter closes in verses 39–41 with a statement of judgment. Jesus explains that He came so the blind might see, and those who claim to see might be shown as blind. The Pharisees, who believe themselves to be enlightened, remain in darkness because they reject Him. The real issue, then, is not physical blindness but spiritual pride. Those who admit their weakness and need find sight in Christ, while those who refuse to humble themselves remain blind.

The first point I will address is the mentality the Jews had concerning infirmity. The Jews believed that if a person had physical infirmity like blindness, boils, madness, leprosy, and paralysis, it was because they had disobeyed God (Deuteronomy 28:28). That is why they assumed if someone was suffering, it was because of their sin or the sin of their parents. Also, in the case of Job, his three friends thought good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. I think this is our mentality too.

 Others viewed Exodus 20:4, “I shall punish the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Lastly, because of the culture, those with infirmities were excluded from the community, and people developed the mentality that they were probably bad people or they had sinned. But through the sign in John 9, Jesus says neither this man’s sin nor the sins of his parents made him physically blind. He changes His disciples’ mentality and tells them that not in all cases is suffering caused by sin—but for this man, he was born blind so that in his weakness the power and glory of God might be known. The same teaching is being taught in our churches today, and many Christians believe they are suffering because of the sins of their parents.

Modern Examples and God’s Response

Last week on Friday, a parent visited our school, and he wanted to talk to me about his son who was accused of stealing money. As we were talking, she mentioned that her son has a weakness: he is afraid of being punished, and most times he accepts things he hasn’t done and later confesses he didn’t do them. She went on and said she thinks that her son’s name is the cause of that. His son’s name is from her ex-husband, and she thinks the name has some impact on her son’s behavior. But I strongly said no to her plea and corrected her. So many are suffering today and they think it is because of their parents’ faults. Others even blame their parents for their sufferings. But that is incorrect. The Jews had the same behavior in the Old Testament. When they sinned against God, they blamed their forefathers for their sins. God was angry with them, and He tells them in Ezekiel 18:20:

“The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

God told Ezekiel to tell the Israelites that He will not tolerate this kind of blame-shifting. He says every person who sins will be held responsible, and no one will blame his parents or his children. Deuteronomy 24:16 says:

“Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin.”

Jeremiah 31:29–30 adds:

“In those days they shall no longer say: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.”

The Jews had a proverb blaming parents for children’s suffering, but God corrected it. Everyone answers for their own sin. Jesus is also correcting our mentality. Not all bad things that happen to people—or to you—are because of your sins or your parents’ sins. Sometimes it happens so that God’s glory may be seen in your weakness, and your faith may be strengthened. Jesus tells His disciples that the glory of God will be seen by the work He was going to do. What works is Jesus talking about? In John 6:29 He says, “The work of God is everyone to believe in Him.” That means the sign He was going to perform by healing the blind man was for the Jews to believe in Him as their Messiah. And He says, “I AM the Light of the world.” The word I AM was to remind the Jews about Yahweh. They understood Jesus was claiming to be God, and that is why they plotted to kill Him

The Light’s Purpose: Opening Eyes and Exposing Darkness

What was the Light going to do in this chapter? First, it was going to open the blind man’s eyes. He was going to see Jesus as the Light of the world and as the Messiah. His physical eyes and spiritual eyes were opened, and later he believes Jesus as the Lord and Messiah, and he even worships Him as his God (John 9:35–38).Second, the Light was going to expose the dark hearts of the Jewish leaders. Jesus accused them of hypocrisy, lovers of money, loving praise from men, legalism, spiritual blindness, pride, and self-righteousness. In this chapter we see their evil. They wanted to kill Jesus not because He broke the Sabbath, but because they were afraid, they would lose authority from the people and the Roman Empire (John 11:48).Jesus applied mud and ordered the man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. He obeyed, and suddenly he saw.

 All those who knew or saw him did not believe he was the same person, even though he told them. They asked him who healed him, and he told them it was Jesus. They wanted to know where Jesus was—not to go for healing, but to hand Him over to the Pharisees because He broke the Sabbath. When they brought him to the Pharisees, they asked him how he received his sight. He told them that Jesus put mud on his face, but he did not mention His name—unlike the man in Bethsaida who led the Jewish leaders to Jesus. They still did not believe. They called his parents, and they confirmed it was their son and that he was blind. But still, the leaders did not believe. They asked the man again, but this time he confronted them and asked if they wanted to become disciples of Jesus. They insulted him and chased him out of the synagogue, claiming he was a disciple of Jesus, a sinner from birth, and unfit to teach them. But then Jesus approached him and revealed Himself to be the Messiah. The man believed and worshiped Him.

Lessons from the Pharisees’ Spiritual Blindness

What lesson can we learn here? Earlier we learned Jesus said He is the Light of the world, and He was going to work as long as it was day. The Light was going to shine in the darkness and expose the sins of the Pharisees while enlightening the eyes of the blind person. How did the Light expose the Pharisees? In this chapter we see their unbelief and spiritual blindness. They refused to believe the man was healed by Jesus. They called his parents and asked the man three times. They claimed to see, but in reality, they were spiritually blind. The characteristics of those who are spiritually blind are clear: they refuse to see Christ, who is the Light of the gospel. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ.

The Pharisees were blinded by their own traditions and beliefs. They judged the man as a sinner even though his spiritual eyes had been opened. They believed in legalism and thought they could obtain salvation by observing the Law of Moses (verses 28–29). They thought they had authority to expel someone from the synagogue (verse 34). They thought they had authority to choose who was from God or not, and even to condemn someone to eternal punishment. They claimed to know God and considered themselves righteous while calling the healed man a sinner. They believed they were the ones entrusted with setting God’s law for the people. Let’s reflect on ourselves also: are we the modern Pharisees, spiritually blind as they were?Many times we consider ourselves better than others, maybe because of the position and authority we have. How do I treat those whom God has put under my charge? Do I insult them if they do not agree with me? 

We see the Pharisees insulted the man and threw him out of the synagogue. Do I lead others without mercy? Do I also throw people out of jobs just because they don’t agree with my opinion? Spiritually blind people judge others and see them as bad. Do I pass judgment on others and regard them as sinners? Most of the time we do. We judge people according to their background. The reason we judge is because we think we are better than them—that is self-righteousness. Remember: no one is good. All of us have sinned and need Jesus to save us. Instead of judging or condemning others, why can’t we pray for them so that God may change them? Do not rejoice when your brother is falling. Remember them in prayer so that God may open their eyes to see their fault. Treat others the way Jesus would treat them.

Second, the light opened the man both physically and spiritually. At first, he believed Jesus to be a prophet, but when Jesus approached him, he believed Jesus to be the Messiah who was to come and save the world from sin. From this man we learn that those who are spiritually born will face opposition. When God saves a sinner, many people do not believe his testimony. They still regard him as a sinner. When God saved me in the year 2010, many of my family members never believed that I was actually saved. Many who knew me doubted my salvation. They thought I would not last for long and that I was not really saved. Some gave me days, others gave me months, but still today, by God’s grace, I have stood firm. I have grown spiritually and in wisdom and knowledge.

They will judge you and condemn you. Have you ever experienced that in church or seen it happen to someone else? People backbite and judge newborn believers. Some refuse to associate with them and still regard them as sinners. But Jesus said the last will become first. Please keep trusting in Jesus, and He will sustain you. It has been 15 years, and by God’s grace I am still on the race to heaven. Remember, Jesus promised He will never let you go, and He will protect you as His own. He will strengthen you. Do not listen to them. Stand up just as the blind man did and preach Jesus. Give your testimony of what He has done for you. 

Just as Paul, through his testimony many believed in Jesus, so also through yours God will change others too. Your testimony is powerful, and because of that, many will persecute you. Defend Him before your accusers. Yes, they will persecute you. Friends will leave you, but do not worry, because you have Jesus. He promised us that He will give us more friends and family. Those whose eyes are opened never stop speaking about what Jesus has done for them. Just like the man who was blind, he never stopped saying, “Jesus opened my eyes.”

Conclusion

Spiritually blind people are blinded by legalism and tradition. See how difficult it was for the Jewish leaders and Jews to believe in Christ, despite Him performing many signs and revealing Himself as the Messiah. Still today, many refuse to let go of the tradition of the church. Some Pharisees in verse 40 asked Jesus if they too were blind. I believe these were those who thought Jesus had come from God, like Nicodemus, but they were afraid to leave Pharisaism because they would lose the authority they had. They wanted to follow Jesus but still remain Pharisees. But Jesus tells them they are still blind as long as they cling to legalism and refuse to leave Pharisaism. It is true for us today. Many people want to believe in Jesus and still carry the old beliefs they had.

 Many churches follow tradition and claim to worship Jesus and follow Him. We carry our old rags to Jesus, but He tells us we will remain blind unless we accept His words. Don’t mix tradition and the Word of God. Don’t mix myths or taboos with the Word of God. You cannot serve two masters—you have to leave one and follow the other. If we serve two, we are still blind. Many will come to Jesus and claim they knew Him, but He will say, “I don’t know you. Please check if the gospel you are following—or the church you are going to—preaches the truth. Prosperity gospel is not the gospel. We have only one gospel. If your church is not teaching the truth, leave it and find a church that teaches the truth.