Believing is Seeing

John 9:1-41

I went to Essouria in December with my family. Essouria is a wonderful town on the coast of Morocco about five hours south of Rabat. It was built by the Portuguese and there is a fort and some ramparts built along the rocky coastline. I sat for hours watching the waves pound on the rocks. I was entranced by the beauty of the waves pounding and shooting up huge sprays of water. When you see fireworks, you see explosions of light in the sky. So I call these waterworks. I was so enthralled by this that I began taking pictures with my camera. I kept on taking pictures. And then I took some more pictures. I ended up taking three rolls of film (36 in each roll). That’s over a hundred pictures of waves bursting against the rocks. So if I ask you to come see my slides some night, it would be advisable to have a good excuse prepared beforehand.

Why did I do this? I was trying to capture with my camera what I saw with my eye and that is a very frustrating pursuit. It’s not exactly a fair fight. The human eye has 127,000,000 cells called rods and cones that receive light and transmit messages to the brain. And in case you forgot, you have two eyes so you can double that number. The rod cells are so sensitive that the smallest measurable unit of light, one photon, can excite them. Under optimum conditions, the human eye can see the light of a candle at a distance of 15 miles or 25 kilometers. The rod and cone cells detect light and send an electronic message to the cortex of the brain. One billion message a second stream in to the cortex from the retina of the eye.

So you can see why it is frustrating to capture the ever changing motion and light of waves crashing on a rocky coastline with a single image. I did get a few good shots and if you ever do come to see my slides, I promise to show you just those three or four and not the rest.

The eye is an amazing part of the body and is the focus of the text for this morning, John 9. Actually, it is not the eye that is the focus, it is what the eye sees that is the focus. And actually it is not what the eye sees at all that is the focus, it is what is perceived that is the focus.

John 9 contains a wonderfully written and composed account from the life of Jesus. Jesus meets a man who has been blind from birth. Jesus heals the man and then, as they say, the tomato hits the fan. An uproar ensues because Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath, violating the command not to work on the Sabbath and Jesus takes the opportunity to speak about what seeing is all about.

There are three pieces of good news and two challenges for us in this account. Let’s take a look.

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.

Jesus is walking along with his disciples when he sees this man. The man is either sitting or standing by the side of the road. Here in Morocco we see quite a few blind people. It is clear they are blind, not because they walk along tapping with a stick – although that is a quick clue – but even if they just stand or sit along the medina wall you can see with a glance that there is something wrong with their sight. Perhaps there is an opaque white coating over their eyes. But it is clear that there is a problem.

So Jesus sees this man who is blind. That doesn’t seem to be terribly spectacular but let me make a point from that. My family accuses me of being unobservant, clueless is the affectionate term they apply to me. I can drive on a road for weeks and not notice a new building. I can pass by people and not notice them if I am absorbed in some thought. I did this when I traveled for business. I would regularly miss an exit off the turnpike (autoroute) because I was thinking about something and would pass by the signs and have to drive until I got to the next exit and could retrace my route.

The first piece of good news in this account is that Jesus sees us. He is not like me. Jesus, God in the flesh, does not get preoccupied and pass us by. Think about it. When did Jesus face the most intense pressure of his life? When did he have most reason for being preoccupied? During his trial and crucifixion, think about the people he saw. Think about the people he noticed.

Jesus had been beaten and flogged and he had been forced to carry his cross. And now that was too much for him and Simon from Cyrene was picked to carry it for him. In this moment of physical and mental exhaustion, Jesus notices the people following him.

A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.  28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.  29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’  30 Then
”‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”
and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
31 For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Jesus sees these women and speaks words of truth to them. Perhaps cryptic words of truth, but words of truth nevertheless.

As he hangs on the cross, enduring the physical, mental and spiritual pain of his death, he sees the men doing the work of the crucifixion and prays.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

He sees the thief on the cross next to him and offers him words of hope.
“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus sees his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene and his disciple, John.
When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,”  27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.”

In the most intense moments of Jesus’ life, he saw people who needed his care and attention.

This is the first piece of good news for us in this account. Jesus, God in the flesh, sees us. God sees us. We are never invisible to him. We are never out of his sight. God is never too preoccupied to pay attention to us. No matter how alone you feel or how distant you feel, you are never out of the sight of God. He doesn’t pass you by without noticing you. It doesn’t matter how long you have felt alienated from God. It doesn’t matter what your situation is. God sees you.

But actually, the fact that Jesus sees us, by itself, is not good news. The disciples also saw the man born blind and their seeing him was not good news to him.

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?”

Jesus saw the man but so did the disciples. Although they all saw the man born blind, there is a difference in what they did with what they saw. With whose eyes did the disciples see the man born blind? Did they see him with the eyes of Jesus? The disciples saw the man and ignored him, treated him as if he was not there.

Could the man hear the discussion between Jesus and his disciples? I don’t know for sure. There is no indication in the passage that Jesus had to go a distance to the man to put mud on his eyes. It seems that the man was present. But in any case, people who have disabilities are often treated as if they are not present. They are seen but not noticed.

Was it painful for the man to hear them discuss his blindness as a theological question? As if he didn’t exist? If so, it was a pain he was most likely used to. Seeing is not enough unless it is with the eyes of Jesus we see.

So let me get to the second piece of good news from this passage: Jesus not only sees but he heals.

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.

While the disciples focused on the theological question, Jesus focused on the man and his needs. Jesus saw the man and when Jesus sees us, when God sees us, God sees us with eyes that know what can be done for us. God sees us with eyes that know we can be healed.

It is obvious that disciples did not see with the eyes of Jesus. They saw him and were ignorant of the power of God that was about to be displayed. They saw him and then ignored him. They noticed him and then got engrossed in a theological question.

Jesus chose not to get into the intricacies of their question. He dismissed their theological question rather quickly. They said was it a) the parents or b) the man and Jesus said c) none of the above and got down to business. Jesus made mud with his spit, put it in the man’s eyes and told him to go wash it off in the pool of Siloam.

Jesus is the great healer. This is good news for us. Not only can you have confidence that God sees you but when he sees you, his focus is on you and his intent is to heal you. God sees you and cares about you. God is not indifferent to your needs.

God cares about you and whether it is today or tomorrow or the day that Jesus takes you to be with him – you will be healed. Count on it. You may need physical healing or it may be emotional healing you need. You may have struggled for years but know this. God has not passed you by. God will not pass you by. God sees you and he cares deeply about you. As a Christian, you have already experienced his healing touch on your life and that will continue until the day you go to be with him and experience complete and total healing.

The third piece of good news in this passage is that Jesus not only sees us and heals us, he seeks us out. We don’t have to go find Jesus. Jesus comes looking for us. He comes looking for us not just once but he will always come looking for us.

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Jesus was not a traveling medicine man, doing his thing and then moving on. The man who was born blind and had been given new eyes was now in a difficult position. He had new eyes but he had the same battered self-image that was the consequence of years of sitting and being ignored. Sitting and having people talk about him as if he wasn’t there. Begging by the side of the road and depending on others for his needs. He can no longer sit by the side and beg. Now he has to take responsibility for himself and earn a living. He has to begin to find a way to make a living. He is one who experienced rejection all his life and now the synagogue throws him out. He is in a difficult situation.

Jesus saw him. Jesus healed him. And now Jesus seeks him out. Jesus seeks for him so he can continue to care for him, continue to bring healing into his life. Jesus didn’t pick a fight with the Pharisees and use this man as a pawn in his game. Jesus didn’t use him and move on. Jesus sought him, came to him and helped him to experience his love more deeply. Jesus healed his eyes and then came to heal his soul.

This is characteristic of Jesus. His life and the parables he told speak of one who humbles himself and seeks out the lost. One who shamelessly pursues us. This was the life of Jesus and it is the character of God. We are antagonistic or indifferent or casual about him and he continues to pursue us. God doesn’t care what anyone thinks of his behavior. He cares for us and is willing to pursue us until we fully experience his love in our lives.

Only the Holy Spirit knows where you are in your relationship with God this morning. But I want you to be encouraged. If you have been suffering in some physical, mental, social or spiritual way, God sees you. God will heal you. God will seek you out. If you are here this morning because someone dragged you here, I have good news for you. You may not perceive it now as good news but it is good news. God will pursue you to the end of your life, offering you his love.

There are also a couple challenges for us from this text.

The first challenge is this: our most powerful witness to the truth of God is the transformation of our lives, not the tracts or films we hand out or the words we say. Our tracts and words are not bad but they are nothing without our transformed lives.

Look at the situation. On the one side you have a group of Pharisees: well educated, skilled in theological debate, able to discern subtle nuances in arguments, practiced in the use of reason to solve problems. And in opposition there is a man who has led a marginal existence. He has had no formal education. He has had no formal training. The only theology he knows is what he has heard others talk about on the street. He has been battered by life. He is an illiterate, uneducated, unrefined man.

It doesn’t seem much of a contest does it? The Pharisees against this man? And yet this one man threw the Pharisees into an uproar. He bested them in the debate and at the end they could only resort to a dismissive comment and kicked him out of the synagogue.

How did he do it? Did he have a well-polished argument? A professionally written tract? Had he memorized the right things to say? Had he received training at an evangelism seminar? No. All he did was share his experience. It was just that simple. “This is what happened to me,” and the Pharisees were unable to shake off what he said.

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.  14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.  15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So they were divided.
17 Finally they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses!  29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.  31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.  32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.  33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

The less my life is being changed by Jesus, the more important it is to craft just the right words to encourage someone to open their heart to God. The more powerfully God is at work in my life, the less necessary it is to find just the right words to say.

What is most powerful as a witness to the truth of Jesus is a changed life, not a theological argument. You can debate with people of another faith all day long and it will probably not get you very far, But grow in your relationship with God and the people you love and care about will see God at work in you. That is the message that communicates most powerfully.

In our series on the fruit of the Spirit, the core message of those sermons was that we need to focus on God and abide in him if we want to grow in the fruit of the Spirit. We don’t grow by focusing on the fruit, we grow by focusing on God.

Well, surprise! surprise!, the same applies here. If you want to be a powerful witness for Christ, if you want to see people you love come into a personal relationship with God through Jesus, you will need to focus on your relationship with God. Abide in him. Let God do his transforming work in your life and you will be a message. You won’t need to tell a message, you will be a message.

Put your focus on Jesus. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Going to seminars and watching videos and reading books about sharing your faith is no substitute for the power of a changed life.

The second challenge has to do with the eyes with which you see. When you look out at the world, with whose eyes do you see?

The disciples saw the man born blind but Jesus saw a man in whom God wanted to work.

The Pharisees saw the man as a threat to their religious system but Jesus saw a man who needed to be healed.

The man’s parents saw a man who could get them kicked out of the synagogue and Jesus saw a man who needed to be supported and encouraged.

With whose eyes do you see the people around you?

When someone irritates you, do you think it might be possible to pray and ask God to help you see that irritating person with his eyes? Perhaps you will discover that irritating person is a person experiencing deep hurt and insecurity and you will begin to be able to love that person as God loves that person.

When you see someone who is suffering, do you think it is possible to pray and ask God to give you eyes that can see when God wants to heal now rather than later?

In the Alpha Course this past week, we shared with each other what prayer we most wanted answered. When we shared, it seemed that some of the prayers seemed to be impossible. Prayers for a family member who is adamantly opposed or indifferent to Christian faith can seem to be a prayer for the impossible.

Seeing a prayer as impossible is looking with the eyes of the disciples that saw the blind man and said there is nothing we can do for him. We need to have the eyes of Jesus that see opportunities for him to display his power in our lives.

Nothing is impossible for God. When you consider the prayer you would most like to pray, pray it with eyes of faith. Let God work in you and the life of those for whom you pray. Let God’s power be revealed as you pray.

Live this week with this good news. God sees you. God will heal you. God will seek you out. Respond to this good news by focusing on God. Humble yourself and seek his transforming power in your life. If you have been casual in your relationship with God, begin again: praying, reading the Scriptures, seeking out the fellowship of other Christians. Pray that God will give you his eyes as you look around in the world.