Jesus Heals: Blind Receive Sight

Blind Receive Sight

Scripture:

John 9:1-41

Quick Summary:

On the Sabbath, the disciples see a man blind from birth and ask Jesus whose sin made him blind- his or his parents. Jesus answers their question with “Neither” and then heals him. He mixes up a little mud using the dust from the ground and spit and then sends him to Siloam to remove the dirt and be healed. When the man gets back, he can see. He is brought before the Pharisees. They can’t believe it so they ask his parents to make sure it’s him. The parents say, “Yes its him, but we don’t know anything.” When they find out Jesus healed him, they throw once blind man out of the Synagogue. Then Jesus finds him and he becomes a disciple.

The Point:

There is more than one kind of blindness, but if we want, Jesus can heal them all.

Questions for Family Time:

1.     What kind of blindness did the blind man have?

a.      physical

2.     What kind of blindness did the disciples have?

a.  They thought you could only be blind because of wrong things you have done (sin.)

3.     What kind of blindness did the Pharisees have?

a.      They were blinded by jealousy.

4. What kind of blindness did the blind man’s parents have?

a. They were blinded by fear.

5. Who did Jesus heal.

a. The ones who wanted to be. (blind man and disciples)

Deeper:

             There were a lot of blind people in this story. There was the man blind from birth. He was definitely blind. Physically blind. But one could argue that the disciples were just as blind,

because what they had always believed about faith and morality: suffering equals sin.  After all, when you sin, You suffer. So it makes sense that when you suffer you must have sinned. That way of viewing the world, gave them blindness to the suffering. After all, it was the blinds’ fault they suffered. The disciples were blinded by what the world told them about life. Then Pharisees of course were blind.

They were so blinded by their jealousy and unbelief, that they couldn’t see this as a miracle. Instead, it was crime. They were so blinded by hate, that they kicked a man out of their faith community for telling the truth. And if we are going to talk about the Pharisees, it seems we should also talk about the blindness of the man’s parents because of all the groups, their blindness was probably the most self-inflicted. They were so blinded by fear; they wouldn’t even share what happened to their son.

“Let him get kicked out of the community, but we aren’t taking the risk.”

So What Blinds you? Is it your physical limitations? Is it how you view others who suffer? Is it jealousy? Is it fear? If you were one of the people in the story, who would you be?

I believe Jesus could have healed all of these people, taking their blinders off, and letting them see. But in this story he doesn’t. He only heals those who are ready. The Blind man.  Not only could he look at Jesus. He saw who Jesus really was. For him, both times, it took Jesus coming to him. The Disciples. They start seeing suffering, and more importantly those who suffer, differently. Once they could see suffering as not self-inflicted, they could seek to help those who suffer. It took Jesus to give them a different view of the world.

  

But for the Pharisees, who opposed him, and the parents who were too wrapped up in their stance in society, Jesus doesn’t give them what they don’t want. For the Pharisees, it wasn’t all of them.

We find that they fight at the trial, and then at the end, some of them even become disciples. For the parents, who were hung up on keeping their place in the religious community, there is an interesting twist. Their son ends up losing his place, just as they feared they would, but then he ends up getting a better place, within the community of the Messiah.

Whether it’s your view of the world that keeps you in a rut. Whether it’s something physical that holds you back. Whether its jealousy or hate whether its fear of losing your place in society. Do you want to take the blinder off? Jesus won’t give you what you don’t want, but if you’re ready, he does give sight to the blind.

Personal Reflection:

               What blinds you? Are you ready for Jesus to give you sight.