Our Security for Eternity - the Gospel of John Sample

Read: John 9

SOAP: John 9:39

Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, and the ones who see may become blind.”

The Gospel of John continues with more miraculous signs of Jesus. So far, we have seen Jesus turn water into wine, heal an official’s son from far away, heal a paralytic on the Sabbath, feed over five thousand people, and walk on water. In the scene we read today, Jesus healed on the Sabbath again, this time a man born blind. As you read today, keep in mind that some of Jesus’ explanations of His actions will continue in tomorrow’s reading.

Jesus encountered a man who was born blind. He healed the man and the man believed in Him. Later on, the man’s neighbors recognized him and tried to find out how he gained his sight. They brought him to the Pharisees, who questioned the man, demanding to know about Jesus and what He had done. After this questioning, Jesus found the man again and explained how He had come to give sight to the blind.

In his Gospel, John uniquely told this story, highlighting many differences between the man born blind and those who had been born with sight. The blind man listened to Jesus when Jesus gave him instructions. He believed Jesus was a prophet, and later, believed Jesus to be the Son of Man. The man’s blindness was not a result of his sin, and through his sight, he gained a greater understanding of who Jesus is. In contrast, the Pharisees, who had seen the signs Jesus performed, would not listen when they heard what Jesus had done. They demanded to hear the story over and over again. They called Jesus a sinner for healing on the Sabbath. Their blindness was spiritual and was a result of their sin, of their refusal to acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God and the only way to eternal life.

Jesus, because He is God, has the authority to judge. He alone can give sight, both physical and spiritual, to us. Through Him, we can see God when He gives us eyes to see. If we, like the Pharisees, refuse to acknowledge Him, we are blind, unable to see who He is, and guilty of sin. Jesus redeemed the man born blind from His physical and spiritual blindness; in doing so, the man gained the ability to see and the ability to understand that Jesus is the Son of God.