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Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to the Gospel of John. We find ourselves in John 
chapter 9. John chapter 9. Our focus this 
morning will be verses 13 to 34, but I do want to read the 
chapter. We'll pray and then we'll look 
at it in some detail. So beginning in John 9 at verse 
1. Now as Jesus passed by, he saw 
a man who was blind from birth, and his disciples asked him, 
saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was 
born blind? Jesus answered, neither this 
man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should 
be revealed in him. I must work the works of him 
who sent me while it is day. The night is coming when no one 
can work. As long as I am in the world, 
I am the light of the world. When he had said these things, 
he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and he 
anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And he said 
to him, go, wash in the pool of Siloam, which is translated, 
sent. So he went and washed and came 
back seeing. Therefore the neighbors and those 
who previously had seen that he was blind said, is not this 
he who sat and begged? Some said, this is he. Others 
said, he is like him. He said, I am he. Therefore they 
said to him, how were your eyes opened? He answered and said, 
a man called Jesus, made clay and anointed my eyes and said 
to me, go to the pool of Siloam and wash. So I went and washed 
and I received sight. Then they said to him, where 
is he? He said, I do not know. They brought him who formerly 
was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus 
made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also 
asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, he 
put clay on my eyes and I washed and I see. Therefore, some of 
the Pharisees said, this man is not from God because he does 
not keep the Sabbath. Others said, how can a man who 
is a sinner do such signs? Then there was a division among 
them. They said to the blind man again, what do you say about 
him because he opened your eyes? He said, he is a prophet. But 
the Jews did not believe concerning him that he had been blind and 
received his sight until they called the parents of him who 
had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, 
Is this your son who you say was born blind? How then does 
he now see? His parents answered them and 
said, we know that this is our son and that he was born blind, 
but by what means he now sees, we do not know. Or who opened 
his eyes, we do not know. He is of age, ask him, he will 
speak for himself. His parents said these things 
because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed 
that if anyone confessed that he was the Christ, he would be 
put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said, 
he is of age, ask him. So they again called the man 
who was blind and said to him, give God the glory. We know that 
this man is a sinner. He answered and said, whether 
he is a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing I know, that 
though I was blind, now I see. Then they said to him again, 
what did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? He 
answered them, I told you already and you did not listen. Why do 
you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his 
disciples? And they reviled him and said, 
you are his disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know 
that God spoke to Moses. As for this fellow, we do not 
know where he is from. The man answered and said to 
them, Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where 
he is from, yet he has opened my eyes. Now we know that God 
does not hear sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God 
and does his will, he hears him. Since the world began, it has 
been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born 
blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. They 
answered and said to him, you were completely born in sins, 
and are you teaching us? And they cast him out. Jesus 
heard that they had cast him out, and when he had found him, 
he said to him, do you believe in the Son of God? He answered 
and said, who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him? And Jesus 
said to him, you have both seen him, and it is he who is talking 
with you. Then he said, Lord, I believe, 
and he worshiped him. And Jesus said, for judgment 
I have come into this world, that those who do not see may 
see, and that those who see may be made blind. And some of the 
Pharisees who were with him heard these words and said to him, 
are we blind also? Jesus said to them, if you were 
blind, you would have no sin. But now you say we see, therefore 
your sin remains, amen. Well, let us pray. Our God and 
our Father, we thank You for this beautiful day. We thank 
You for the fact that You have made this world, that You govern 
this world, and You've redeemed Your elect out of this world. 
And we pray that You would bless our hearts now and strengthen 
us with might in the inner man, that we would receive the Word 
of God, and it would be for our encouragement, our instruction, 
and for our edification. And for any and all who've come 
here this morning that are still dead in their trespasses and 
sins, we know that Jesus Christ, as the light of the world, has 
the power not only to restore physical sight, but to give that 
spiritual sight, to give that knowledge of the Son of God who 
brings everlasting life. So we pray for the ministry of 
the Holy Spirit to guide, direct, and lead each one of us. We pray 
for the forgiveness of all of our sin and unrighteousness. 
And we pray that in all of this, you would be glorified, even 
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And we pray this through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, we're looking at 
this section in John's Gospel, chapter 9, the healing of this 
man who was born blind. So last week, we looked at the 
demonstration of Christ's power in verses 1 to 12. This morning, 
we'll look at the investigation of Christ's miracle in verses 
13 to 34. And then, God willing, next week, 
we'll look at the manifestation of Christ's glory in verses 35 
to 41. So just by way of reminder, this 
man was born blind. He had a congenital defect from 
the womb. This caused his disciples to 
ask, whose sin? Was it this man or was it his 
parents? Now Jesus is not denying original 
sin, but he is simply saying that it wasn't directly connected 
to his parents or to his sin. Rather, it was so that the glory 
and the works of God could be manifested. In other words, in 
the providence of God most high, this man was born blind. So on 
that particular day, he'd meet the Lord Jesus Christ and Jesus 
would heal him of his physical blindness. But Jesus will also 
heal him of his spiritual blindness. And that, my brethren, is the 
greater miracle that we see in this particular chapter. So let's 
look at the investigation of his miracle in verses 13 to 34. And there's three sections here. 
First, we have the interrogation of the man in verses 13 to 17. 
Secondly, the examination of his parents in verses 18 to 23. 
And then finally the condemnation of the man in verses 24 to 34. So this is something of a formal 
trial. And it's interesting because 
it's not ultimately the man that's on trial. Just like it wasn't 
the woman caught in adultery that was on trial. It's the Lord 
Jesus Christ. These religious leaders are bullies. And more often than not, bullies 
are cowards. Instead of coming after the Lord 
Jesus directly, they come after him through the woman caught 
in adultery in John 8. They come after him through this 
man that was born blind that has been healed. They are too 
full of cowardice to approach Jesus. When they do ultimately 
approach Jesus, it's with the coercive power of the civil state 
in order to execute him for what they perceive to be his blasphemy 
and his arrogance that he, being a man, made himself equal with 
God. So let's look at first the interrogation 
of the man. Notice the setting. So verse 
13, they brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Remember that the neighbors in 
verses eight and nine of the man were confused. Is this him? Is this the man that we saw begging? 
Is this the man that was born blind? Well, some of the neighbors 
says yes. Some of the neighbors says, yes, 
it is him. Others said, no, it isn't him. 
There was division, but the man himself said, it is in fact me. So now those neighbors who were 
curious bring Jesus to the Pharisees, or rather the blind man, to the 
Pharisees who are furious. And Klink makes this connection 
between the situation in the woman caught in adultery and 
this particular fellow. He says, the narrator describes 
how those who knew the blind man led him. The same term used 
in 8.3 to describe the treatment of the woman who had been caught 
in adultery. Although the blind man is not on trial, the language 
is suggestive of the treatment of a prisoner, serving to increase 
the intensity of the interrogation. And like the pericope, pericope 
is what academics call a small block of narrative. And like 
the pericope of the woman accused of adultery, the reader understands 
that two people, not one, are being judged in the proceedings 
that are to follow. I think that is an accurate statement, 
but I think it's a bit gratuitous. I don't think they cared one 
bit about the woman caught in adultery. I don't think they 
care one bit about this man who was born blind and now is able 
to see. Their target is the Lord Jesus 
Christ. They hate him. They are opposed 
to him. They have enmity against him. 
They want to destroy him. They want to liquidate him. They 
want to rid the world of him. As we move through this narrative, 
we'll see that they've already threatened anybody who sides 
with Jesus with exclusion from the temple or from the synagogue. 
These are vicious, vile, wretched men. But then notice as well, 
relative to the setting, they not only lead this man to the 
Pharisees, but in verse 14 it gives us a key to the rest of 
the section. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus 
made the clay and opened his eyes. Making clay on a Sabbath 
day would be a work that was a violation of Sabbath observance. And this becomes the predicate. 
This becomes the rationale. This becomes the justification 
for the Pharisees to go after Jesus. He broke the Sabbath. He violated the law of God. He 
transgressed what Moses taught us from Sinai and what Moses 
taught us on the plains of Moab. So notice then the problem in 
verses 15 and 16. Then the Pharisees also asked 
him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, he 
put clay on my eyes and I washed and I see. The Pharisees again 
are pressing the matter with this particular individual and 
he answers them. He tells them exactly what had 
happened. I met this man, nameless Jesus at this point, I met this 
man, he put clay on my eyes, he told me to go wash, I did 
those things, and now I'm able to see. So how does the Pharisees, 
or how do the Pharisees respond? Again, no inkling whatsoever 
of, wow, praise God, you were born blind and now you're able 
to see? What's that like? Isn't that wonderful? Isn't blue 
great? Isn't red amazing? Isn't a tree 
a beautiful sight? None of that. No, hey, this is 
great for you. You get to see your parents now. 
You get to see your friends. You get to, you know, go be gainfully 
employed. You don't have to be a beggar. 
None of that. Not one bit of that. They don't 
care about him. They only want to use him as 
a foil to get to Jesus. These are vicious, vile men. 
These are opposers of the God of heaven and earth, because 
opposing the Son of God is to oppose the Father himself. Now 
notice what they say in verse 16. Therefore, some of the Pharisees 
said, this man is not from God because he does not keep the 
Sabbath. Now again, a denial of the son, 
as we have learned up to this point in John's gospel, is a 
denial of the father. If you don't honor the son, John 
5, 23, you don't honor the father. If you don't know the son, John 
8, 19, then you don't know the father. And so these men are expressing 
not only their enmity with the Lord Jesus, but with the father 
who sent them, sent him. Cyril of Alexandria says, they 
foolishly say that he who can divine action, do divine actions 
is not from God. And when they see the son crowned 
with a measure of glory equal to that of the almighty father, 
they are not ashamed in their insanity to throw the charge 
of impiety at him. Disregarding the report of the 
miracle, they trot out their own envy against the miracle 
worker instead. And they negligently accuse him 
who knew no sin of being a transgressor. Again, look at verse 16. This 
man is not from God because he does not keep the Sabbath. He 
is a lawbreaker. He is a transgressor. They say 
as much in verse 24. We know that this man is a sinner. These are vicious, vile, wretches. Now in terms of the Sabbath, 
go back to John chapter 5. We've already seen this emerge 
as one of the reasons why they had this enmity toward the Lord 
Jesus Christ. In John chapter 5, specifically 
verses 1 to 18, but especially notice in verse 16, after the 
healing of the man in this pool of Bethesda. For this reason, 
the Jews persecuted Jesus, sought to kill Him because He had done 
these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, My Father 
has been working until now, and I have been working. Jesus asserts 
His equality with the Father. How do you think they received 
that? Oh yeah, okay, we get that, we understand that, we're going 
to back it off now. No, that further outraged them. Therefore, 
verse 18, the Jews sought all the more to kill him because 
he not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his 
father, making himself equal with God. So they've used this 
already, this alleged Sabbath breaking, to go after the Lord 
Jesus Christ. And in one sense, they have a 
leg to stand on. Sabbath-breaking was, in fact, 
a capital offense in Old Covenant religion. If you broke the Sabbath, 
you'd be executed by the civil state for having rejected the 
law of God Most High. So they are on the right track 
that way, but they don't understand the Sabbath. There are many instances 
in the Gospel records where Jesus engages in what I call Sabbath 
wars with the Pharisees. These men missed the point. These 
men missed it by a mile. In fact, in Mark chapter 2, the 
Lord Jesus reminds them, it's not that man was made to observe 
the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was given as a gift by God to 
the man. And then on the Sabbath, it is 
perfectly righteous and consistent with Sabbath keeping to engage 
in works of mercy. He uses that illustration. Which 
one of you, if you had a donkey or an ox and it fell into a ditch 
on the Sabbath day, would you just tell it, just, you know, 
suffer there until tomorrow morning and I'll come back and get a 
winch and fetch you out? No, you fetch him out right then, 
because it's an act of mercy. That does not violate or transgress 
the Sabbath. Works of necessity. There are 
certain persons that must work on the Sabbath. The priests and 
the old covenant. This wasn't a rest day for them. 
They engaged in works of necessity. The Pharisees didn't get that. 
The Pharisees didn't see that. The Pharisees missed that by 
a long shot. And so the Pharisees trot out 
this offense of Sabbath breaking to try to go after the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Now notice, they go on, verse 
17, they said to him, or verse 16, so this man is not from God 
because he does not keep the Sabbath. Others said, how can 
a man who is a sinner do such signs? And there was a division 
among them. just like there was amongst the neighbors of the 
man. There is a division that comes 
as a result of Jesus Christ. We need to appreciate that. He 
himself said it, invoking the prophet Micah. Micah chapter 
7 speaks about the reality that in a household, there will be 
persons set apart against one another. Why is that? Because 
Jesus didn't come to bring peace, he says, but he came to bring 
a sword. He came to bring division. He came to bring that reality 
of the antithesis that obtains between the wicked and the righteous. And so there's this division 
as a result of the Lord Jesus Christ as miracle worker in this 
particular instance. Now, notice they press the man 
again in verse 17. What do you say about him because 
he opened your eyes? What do you say about him because 
he opened your eyes? We want to know his identity. We want to know his authority. 
We want to know who he's acting on behalf of. Now, they've asked 
or they've heard Jesus assert this on many occasions. He's 
the son sent from the father. He bears that special relation 
of intimacy with the father who sent him. John announces that 
in the prologue. No one has seen God at any time, 
but the only begotten son who is in the bosom of the father, 
he has declared him. And yet they continue to resist 
this. They continue to reject this. So it's not that they're 
not getting the answers, it's just that they don't like the 
answers. It's not that they're not getting 
the evidence vis-a-vis the healing of a man who was born blind. 
They just don't like the interpretation of the evidence. They have resisted 
and rejected our blessed Savior, and as a result, they continue 
to press this particular fellow. So then notice the response of 
the man at the end of verse 17. He said, he is a prophet. Again, 
they don't think, wow, that's good. We like that. Thank you for answering us. Thank 
you for informing us. They get further outraged against 
the man. And so they go on to deny that 
he was ever born blind. And that's when they fetch the 
parents. They subpoena the parents and then they badger the witness 
because they're trying to get at Jesus. Again, these are cowardly 
men. These are vicious men. These 
are men who want to bully the likes of a man that was born 
blind. They are the persons that bully 
the woman caught in adultery in John chapter eight. The religious 
leadership in Israel in the first century was the culmination of 
years and years and years of covenant breaking, of rejecting 
God most high, of ultimately calling down from heaven, invoking 
the curse of the covenant to fall upon them. These are vicious, 
vile, reprehensible human beings. But notice when the man says, 
he said, he is a prophet. For the healed man, we see trajectory. We see movement upward. We see 
a movement in the right direction. And with reference to this healed 
man, Jesus is a man in verse 11. He's a prophet in verse 17. He's a man from God in verse 
33. And then ultimately, he's the 
son of God that is worthy of worship. That's how Jesus' concluding 
episode with this man results. It is in the worship of Jesus 
Christ as God from God, light from light, and true God from 
true God. So let's look at the examination 
of his parents. Notice the response of the Jews 
in verses 18 and 19. But the Jews did not believe 
concerning him that he had been blind and received his sight. 
Again, it's not that they didn't have the evidence. It's not that 
they didn't have the testimony. Eyewitness testimony, by the 
way. They just don't like the answer. 
So you need to remember, you know, when you try to talk to 
atheists about the existence of God, and they say things like, 
well, there's no proof. There's no evidence. What do 
you call this? The heavens declare the glory 
of God Most High. The Apostle in Romans 1 tells 
us that the effect, the creation, leads us back to the cause, the 
Creator. The problem for the atheist isn't 
a lack of proof. The problem with the atheist 
is a rejection of the proof. He tips his hand. He's at enmity 
with the God of heaven and earth. He despises him. He loathes him. 
He rejects all of that wholesale because it doesn't fit. fit his 
particular mindset in the way that he should proceed in this 
world. And these Jews are very much like that. Not atheists 
all the way, but they're certainly thinking like atheists in certain 
ways. So the Jews then ask two questions 
of the parents. So notice again, verse 18, they 
didn't believe that this man was the one who had been blind 
and received his sight until they called the parents of him 
who had received his sight. And now notice they posed two 
questions to the parents in verse 19. They asked them saying, is 
this your son who you say was born blind? And how then does 
he now see? Is this your son that was born 
blind? And how now does he see? Again, brethren, this is formal. 
It's informal when the neighbors say, well, is this him? And others 
say, well, no, it's not him. And then he says, it is me. Well, 
then they schlep him over to the Pharisees. It moved into 
the realm of a formal trial, a formal interrogation, a subpoena 
to witnesses. Okay, we're going to get the 
parents now, and we're going to examine them. Again, it shows 
the lengths that they're going to go to, to try to show Jesus 
up as a fraud and a fake, and that if he even did heal this 
man, it nevertheless was on a Sabbath, and that's where we have real 
problems with him. These guys are posers, they are 
fakes, they are frauds, they are vile people. Now, notice 
the answer of the parents. They can affirm the first question, 
notice in verse 20. Parents answered them and said, 
we know that this is our son. Imagine that. We know that this 
is our son. Of course this is our son. We 
brought him up. We raised him. He's of age now. 
He's an older man. Not older 40s, but he's not a 
child anymore. Of course we know him. And of 
course we know that he was blind. We couldn't, you know, put the 
couch in front of his pathway because he would have tripped. 
We know that he's blind because we had to, you know, tell him 
that on his high chair table that, you know, the Cheerios 
were right there, son, because he couldn't see them. Of course 
he was blind. So they're able to answer question 
number one, but they don't know how to answer question number 
two. And you can't fault them for that. The blind man doesn't 
know how. The mechanics, the logistics 
involved, you know, mud on my eyes, wash in the pool of Siloam, 
and now I'm able to see. I don't know how to explain that 
any better than the actual facts that can be stated. So the parents 
are the same way. His parents answered them and 
said, we know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 
But by what means he now sees, we do not know. Or who opened 
his eyes? We do not know. We can't answer 
this. We can't give you what you're 
looking for. And then they say, he is of age. Ask him. He will 
speak for himself. And when he says, or when they 
say he's of age, again, he's not a little child. He's not 
two, he's not five, he's not eight. He's of age. He's an adult. He's a man. You can ask him. 
And interestingly, it's almost like they're implying he's blind, 
but he's not mute. He can answer for himself. He's 
able to talk. He's got that wherewithal. His 
blindness hasn't affected his cognition. His blindness hasn't 
affected the ability to speak and formulate sentences. His 
blindness hasn't affected him in such a way that he's unable 
to answer your questions. Again, you just don't like the 
answers. You just don't like what you're 
hearing. You just don't like the testimony to the glory, to 
the divinity, and to the majesty of our blessed Savior, to the 
reality that He is God from God, light from light, true God from 
true God. And so the parents answer the 
questions, but then John the Apostle gives us some parenthetical 
information. Notice in verse 22, His parents 
said these things because they feared the Jews. For the Jews 
had agreed already that if anyone confessed that he was Christ, 
he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said, 
he is of age, ask him. So the parents were fearful of 
the leaders. Let me ask you something. Is that a good representation 
of a religious system? No. I'm sure I'm not your favorite 
person. I'm sure that, you know, you 
don't think and live and move and have your being on Thursday 
in light of, I wonder what Jim's doing. I get that. We're not 
as close as perhaps we could be or should be, but I hope you're 
not afraid of me. I mean, if I ever found that 
out, I mean, even the little guys, they were afraid of him. 
I mean, I'm loud, I get that. That might, you know, put a few 
people off. I remember when Dawn Mars first 
visited, and she had her grandson, and I started to preach, and 
I think he looked at Dawn and said, can anybody turn him down? It's just too loud, it's too 
much. But I hope there's not a fear. Do you see, religious 
leaders that work through fear, Religious leaders that work through 
coercion, religious leaders that work through that kind of an 
approach, are religious leaders you need to run from. These are 
not persons that have your best interest at heart. These are 
not persons that desire your growth in grace and in the knowledge 
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. These are not persons 
that are honest. These are not persons that are 
faithful to the Lord. What does Paul describe pastoral 
ministry as? We are not, we don't exercise 
dominion over you, but we are workers with you for your joy. That's what religious leadership 
is, to provide workers with you for your joy, not for your menacing, 
not for your, again, coercion, not for intimidation. Don't get out of line, because 
if you do, guess what's going to happen? That is a vicious 
way for any man who claims to be a minister of God's religion 
to function or to conduct themselves. Now notice again in the text, 
verse 22, his parents said these things because they feared the 
Jews. For the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed 
that he was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 
Now brethren, as we move through this passage, we see two practical 
applications at this point. Sometimes religious leaders are 
messed up. Sometimes religious leaders work 
through intimidation and coercion. Sometimes religious leaders are 
just bad men. They're fake. They're posers. 
They're frauds. But secondly, there are times 
in the lives of God's people where they need to exercise courage. And that's what this man does. 
This man doesn't care, ultimately, that he gets put out of the synagogue. That's how verse 34 ends. They 
cast him out. There is a sense, brethren, where 
in our religion, it is courage and bravery that we gravitate 
toward, isn't it? When you read 1 Samuel chapter 
17, do you root for Saul, who's hiding out of fear from Goliath? Or do you root for David, who 
says, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that has the gall 
and wherewithal to taunt the armies of the living God? If 
you're a woman, who do you want to marry, Saul or David? If you're 
a man, who do you want to be, Saul or David? If you're a man 
in this new covenant era, who do you want to be? A David that 
goes against the giant in the Valley of Elah? Or the guy hiding 
because he's so afraid that this giant might hurt me? Brethren, 
David understood that he served the true and the living God. 
David understood that no giant, no Philistine, no army of men 
could ever stop him with God on his side. Isn't this Paul's 
argument in Romans chapter 8? If God is for us, what can man 
do? What is there that man can do? 
Queen Mary of Scotland said, and I gave it a little Scotland 
there, she feared the prayers of John Knox more than the army 
of 10,000 men. Why is that? Because there is 
something about our religion that ought to provoke it, the 
very fiber of our being, a courageous response in the face of the opposers 
of God Most High. The Apostle Paul had that. He 
did not shrink back from declaring to you the full counsel, the 
whole counsel of God Almighty. So the parents are fearful, the 
parents are intimidated, the parents are coerced, at least 
to some degree. So verse 23, therefore his parents 
said, he is of age, ask him. And that brings us to the third 
section in our section today, the condemnation of the man in 
verses 24 to 34. Notice first the ultimatum given 
by the Pharisees in verse 24. So they again called the man 
who was blind, Love it that they keep losing and failing? Don't 
you love it that this guy's courage keeps growing and growing? I 
mean, he starts with this simple admission, I was blind, but now 
I see. And he assumes the position of 
teacher and preacher to the religious leaders. This guy's great, and 
he's nameless. Some of the heroes in the Christian 
world, or the Christian, you know, the faith, they've been 
nameless. See, we think of Spurgeon, we 
think of David, we think of Paul, we think of, you know, all these 
heroes of the faith. What about the untold multitudes 
who stood their ground day in and day out and persevered to 
Immanuel's land? Those are heroes, brethren. Those 
are champions. Those are the people of God Most 
High that our Immanuel's land is going to be peopled with. 
They resisted the pressures put upon them by family. They resisted 
the pressures put upon them by a wicked world. They didn't do 
it for, you know, aggrandizement. They didn't do it to sort of 
advertise how wonderful and how great they are. They just did 
it. They did what God called them 
to do, and that's precisely what this man is about. So notice 
the ultimatum given by the Pharisees in verse 24. Listen to these 
guys. So they again called the man 
who was blind and said to him, give God the glory. the very 
persons that are denying God. Because again, when you deny 
the Son of God, you deny the Father who sent Him. John has 
taught us that thus far. John will continue to teach us 
that to the end of the epistle. You don't have the Son, you don't 
have the Father. Remember Jonah when he's on the 
boat? And Jonah says, the God whom I fear. Really? The God 
whom you fear? You just ran from Him. He sent 
you over to Nineveh, and you went to Tarshish. You know, you have it confessionally, 
but you haven't experienced it yet. You may have this fear of 
God, at least in your verbiage, but you don't have it in your 
heart. I'm not saying he wasn't converted. I don't know the inner 
workings of Jonah, but that's an odd thing. The God whom I 
fear. It was the pagans on that boat 
that showed more fear of Yahweh than Jonah did. Now, Jonah went 
through a wonderful transition, but he doesn't even end You know, 
that great, he's upset with God because God's merciful. He's 
upset with God because God's compassionate. He's upset with 
God because God's kind. Brethren, never get upset with 
God, period. But especially, not that he's 
compassionate and kind and gracious. That's just lunacy. But notice 
what they say here in verse 24. Give God the glory. I think the 
gist of it is simple. They are saying, do the right 
thing. Confess and tell us the truth. There's a situation in Joshua 
7 that is akin to this. It's the case of Achan. And Joshua said to Achan, My 
son, I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and make 
confession to Him and tell me now what you have done. Do not 
hide it from me. That's the gist, that's the drift, 
that's what they're saying. They're coming with exasperation 
now to this man and saying, again, by way of coercion, by way of 
intimidation, give God the glory and tell us the truth. Tell us 
that this man was a fake. Tell us that this man was a sham. 
Tell us that this man was not a miracle worker or one who opened 
your eyes. Tell us these things. And then 
they make this assertion to continue to cinch the deal or bring home 
the deal that they are just deniers of God Almighty. We know that 
this man is a sinner. Now brethren, this is perjury. 
They actually commit perjury. Go back to John chapter 8 and 
verse 46. Jesus is able to say to these 
people, which of you convicts me of sin? And if I tell the 
truth, why do you not believe me? I don't remember John 8 ending 
with them convicting Jesus of sin. I have not yet seen it in 
John's narrative that they've been able to convict Jesus of 
sin. It's a pretty arrogant pronouncement. We know that this man is a sinner. 
We know that this man is not from God. So tell us what we 
want to hear. Now that brings us to his response. Look at in verse 25. He answered 
and said, Whether he is a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing 
I know, that though I was blind, now I see. the simplest of Christian 
confession. John Newton puts it in his hymn, 
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like 
me. I once was lost and now I'm found, 
was blind, but now I see. What do you think Newton had 
in his mind as he writes those words? He's probably thinking 
of this man that was born blind and healed. And you see the gist 
of his answer. I don't know. I mean, we haven't 
had a long time together. It's not like we drank tea together 
and ate cookies. He simply put this mud over my 
eyes and sent me to the pool and told me to wash, and I did 
so. And now I see. It's a very simple confession, 
isn't it? But it's a very powerful confession 
in this context. They hate Jesus. They threaten 
men like this, that if they side with Jesus, they will be excluded 
from their synagogues. They will be cut off. They will 
be cast out. They will be, as it were, excommunicated 
from the blessed fellowship of the people of God Most High. 
So the man responds. Now notice they present a challenge 
to him, or rather he presents a challenge to them. Notice in 
verse 26, then they said to him again, what did he do to you? 
How did he open your eyes? Now notice the question concerning 
discipleship. He answered them, I told you 
already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? 
Do you also want to become his disciples? Now, commentators 
go two ways. One, oh, he's being sincere, 
and he wants them to relinquish their enmity against Jesus and 
follow him. I go the other way. He is chiding 
them. He is being sarcastic with them. He is giving them a dose of their 
own medicine. Why do you keep asking me? Do 
you also want to become his disciples? I mean, brethren, that's the 
challenge presented by this particular man. He's not going to just lie 
down. He's not gonna just say, no, 
I'm not gonna testify. He's not gonna run and cry because 
he's been triggered. He's gonna stand his ground. 
And at this point, brethren, not until we drop down to him 
confessing that Jesus is in fact the son of God, this man is on 
his way. We might describe him as being 
close to the kingdom, but as being a close-to-the-kingdom 
individual, he's more courageous and more brave than some who 
have been in the kingdom for a long time. What would we be 
inclined to? We don't want to talk about this. 
We don't want to confront this. We don't want to engage this. 
I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to 
hear it again? Do you also want to become his 
disciples? Notice their response in verse 
28. They respond by complimenting 
him. They respond by complimenting 
him. Now, they didn't see it this 
way. Just like in Luke 15, when all 
the sinners and all the tax collectors draw near to Jesus to hear him, 
and they say, this man receives sinners and eats with them. Yeah, 
that's absolutely right. That's what we call the gospel, 
the effects of the gospel. Life, death, and resurrection 
of our Lord Jesus Christ makes it such that he can receive sinners 
and eat with them. They, being foolish men filled 
with enmity, nevertheless declare truth. And they do the same thing 
with this man in verse 28. Look it. Then they reviled him 
and said, you are his disciple. Praise God, brethren. Could there 
be a better compliment? Oh, I know you. You're one of 
those guys that follow Jesus. You think that hurts me? You 
think that offends me? You think that's gonna bug me 
or bother me or put me off? That's why I exist. That's why Jesus saved us, so 
that we can follow him. The best compliment you could 
ever hear is that, oh, you're one of those who follow Jesus. 
Yes! Amen! And it is intriguing when 
the man asks him, do you also want to be his disciples? It 
implies that the man is indeed a disciple. And that's what the 
Pharisees or the Jews, it broadens out from Pharisees to Jews, that's 
what they pick up on and that's why they say, you are his disciple, 
but we're Moses' disciples. Another interesting thing. So 
the people that are cowardly bullies are sanctimonious too. This just seems to be the trifecta 
with miserable people. They're just filled with these 
three things. They're filled with this kind 
of a mindset. They bully people, they're afraid 
of people that they try to bully, and they're sanctimonious. Oh, 
oh, we're the disciples of Moses. Because remember, the charge, 
he did this on the Sabbath. He did this in violation of the 
fourth commandment. Now, we are so super holy, and 
we are so super pious, and we are so super godly that we will 
always side with Moses versus this man. Well, see, John's already 
told us that Moses sides with this man, right? John 5, Jesus 
says, you search the scriptures for in them, you think you have 
eternal life. But these are that which testify 
of me. And then notice what he says 
in John 5 at the very end, you can turn there. John 5, verse 
45, do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father. There 
is one who accuses you, Moses, in whom you trust. For if you 
believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his 
writings, how will you believe my words? So back to our context 
in verse 29, you are his disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses. As for this fellow, we do not 
know where he is from. Again, perjury count number two. Because in John 7, they knew 
where he was from. In John 7, they knew he was from 
Galilee. In Matthew 13, 55, they knew 
his pedigree. Isn't this Mary's son? Isn't 
this the son of the father, Joseph, who's a carpenter? Aren't his 
sisters, and they rattle off the names, and they rattle off 
the names of his brothers? How all of a sudden don't they 
know where he's from? These men are liars. So what 
do you think John is showing us? He's showing us the practical 
implications of paternity. Because in John chapter 8, Jesus 
says, you are of your father, the devil, and the desires of 
your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, 
and he's a liar. These guys are lying. These guys 
are lying flat out. Let's throw that into the trifecta. We've got four things. They're 
bullies, They're cowards. They're sanctimoniously holier 
than everybody else. They're full of lies and deceit. 
Again, brethren, if your pastors look like this, then that's not 
cool. If I look like this, call me 
and call me to repentance and forsaking this sort of an attitude 
or this sort of a makeup or complex of bad, bad things. So notice, 
they then again express their denial of God most high. We do 
not know where he is from. Well, he has told you on many 
occasions where he is from. And then that brings us, look 
at the theology declared by the man in verses 30 to 33. Augustine 
made this observation. He said, the one who had received 
his sight gladly desires to give them light. That's beautiful. The one who had received his 
sight gladly desires to give them light. So they keep pressing, 
they keep pushing, they keep asserting, they keep bullying, 
they keep engaged in their cowardice. They are the sanctimonious ones, 
and they're gonna lie all the way. And now this guy goes on 
the offensive. He's not playing defense anymore. 
He's not saying, well, I'm just gonna answer your questions. 
He put this mud on my face. He sent me to the pool of Siloam, 
and there he told me to wash. No. For this guy, that was it. You pushed him too far. You drew 
first blood, and now he's gonna take up his position in verses 
30 to 34. Notice that first he acknowledges 
their ignorance. Verse 30, then the man answered 
and said to them, why, this is a marvelous thing that you do 
not know where he is from, yet he has opened my eyes, an acknowledgement 
of their ignorance. Brethren, this shouldn't have 
surprised anybody in the first century. There was already messianic 
expectation. Jesus comes and fulfills specifically 
what the prophet said. Last week when we looked at his 
healing or two weeks ago, I pointed us to Isaiah 35. It is there 
outlined the character or the nature or the identification 
and function of the Messiah. He'd opened the blind eyes. So 
when this man says, this is a marvelous thing, you, the religious leaders, 
you have no idea where he's from. Again, brethren, this man is 
on the offensive now. And then notice he argues from 
theology in verses 31 to 33. First, the argument from theology 
proper. Look at verse 31. Now we know. Think about this. And you'll 
see it, I'm not making this up. How do they respond? You were 
born entirely in sins, and do you think you can teach us? Yeah, 
he is. Now we know. This is a common 
denominator in old covenant religion that he appeals to. This guy 
that was born blind, this guy that's going to be cast out of 
the synagogue, this guy whose parents are fearful of the religious 
leadership in Israel at that particular time, now steps, as 
it were, behind his own pulpit and says, now we know. He's ready 
to declare to them truth concerning God Most High. Look what he says 
in verse 31. Now we know that God does not 
hear sinners. Now, brethren, that is a general 
truism. In the Psalmist or the Psalms, 
Psalm 66, verse 18, David says, if I regard iniquity in my heart, 
the Lord will not hear me. There's a similar statement in 
the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 115. But there is another sense in 
where God does hear sinners. 1 Kings chapter 21, when God 
says to Elijah, did you see Ahab there? Did you see that expression 
of humility? And then that man in Luke chapter 
18, he can't even look up into heaven, he beats his breast, 
he says, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Well, of course 
God hears him. Again, this man is giving a general 
principle in terms of theology proper. Gil glosses this way, 
but by sinners are meant notorious sinners, such in whom sin reigns, 
who live in sin, and particularly imposters. So notice what he 
goes on to say in verse 31. Now we know that God does not 
hear sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his 
will, he hears him. See the logic involved? Do you 
see what he's saying? It's gonna culminate in just 
a minute. He's gonna make the connection even for these fools 
that won't make the connection on their own. But he's saying 
that this Jesus, able to work these signs and miracles, is 
obviously one who is in union with the true and living God. 
He may not have a fully developed Nicene Christology, but he knows 
that in God's world, as a general rule, God doesn't listen to sinners. But those who worship God and 
those who do the will of God, guess what? God listens to them. Again, a very simple principle 
that even Pharisees should be able to pick up on, but they 
don't usually have that much on the ball, so he actually has 
to tell them. But notice, he then appeals to 
the actual miracle itself. Look at verse 32. Since the world 
began, it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of 
one who was born blind. You guys just evoked Moses. You said that Moses was your 
disciple, or you were disciples of Moses. The guy's essentially 
saying, in my reading of the Pentateuch, not that he had read 
the Pentateuch, because remember he was blind, in my reading of 
the Pentateuch, he couldn't have even done that back then, but 
in my reading of the Pentateuch, He never healed somebody that 
had been born blind. When I'd hear the prophets read 
and preached in the synagogues, I don't remember that with reference 
to Isaiah. I never heard that about Jeremiah. Never got to that place where 
Micah of Moresheth actually put the whammy on somebody who had 
been born blind and now they were able to see. You see what 
he's doing? In terms of a general principle 
of theology, God hears those who worship Him and who do His 
will. And by way of the nature of this 
miracle, this just doesn't happen. Congenital defects healed? You 
know, the modern Charismatic and Pentecostal movement notwithstanding, 
this just doesn't happen. I'm not saying it actually happens 
there. They, you know, heal a guy. You know, he's blind, or not 
all the way blind, but they put the whammy on him and tell him 
to read John 3, 16. And he read it! No, maybe he 
had it memorized, brethren. That could be the case. But then 
notice, he makes the case very simply in such a way that even 
the Pharisees could follow what he was saying. So verse 33, if 
this man were not from God, he could do nothing. Beautiful argument, 
isn't it? It's a beautiful testimony, a 
beautiful expression of true theology, who God is and hears, 
the nature of this particular miracle, and the fact that Jesus, 
who affected it, must truly be from God. This man has moved 
from a place of, I was blind, but now I see, to the place of 
arguing from theology proper, miracleology, and Christology, 
right before the eyes of these men, no pun intended. And then 
notice their response in verse 34, they attack him. Let's add a fifth thing to their 
profile. There's always that place where 
they're gonna just say, all bets are off, we're just coming after 
you. And again, it's because we're super holy, because we're 
pious, because we're godly. Notice what they say to this 
man. They answered and said to him, you were completely born 
in sins. And are you teaching us? I suspect 
their logic is similar to the disciples in verse 2. Lord, who 
sinned, this man or his parents? What's their conclusion or their 
implication or what do they think? The guy's been born blind. He 
must be really bad. This guy was born without a leg. 
He must be really bad. This person contracted this particular 
disease. They must be really bad. That's 
what I think they're saying. You were born completely in sins, 
and we know that because you were blind. Do you think that 
you can actually teach us now? I like Matthew Poole here. He 
says, and dost thou teach us? Thou that art such a marked villain 
from thy mother's womb, or that art such an ignorant idiot, dost 
thou think thyself fit to instruct us about true and false prophets 
who are of God and who are not? Surely we are to be thy teachers, 
and not thou ours. We're the professionals. Trust 
us. We're the elite. Trust us. We're the guys who 
occupy the leadership. So you just knuckle under and 
don't get uppity. These people are representative 
of people like them in every age. These are characteristics 
true of fakes, of frauds, of false prophets, of posers, those 
kinds of people that are not true. So as we move through the 
gospel narrative and Jesus upbraids them for being hypocrites and 
broods of vipers, don't get shocked or alarmed. He's simply telling 
the truth. And then notice what happens, 
according to verse 34, at the end, they cast him out. This was the fear expressed by 
the parents in verse 22, or John tells us was in their heart. 
It demonstrates the wretchedness of the Jews, but it also underscores 
for us the blessed pronouncement of our Lord Jesus Christ. What 
does He say when men revile you, or when men persecute you, or 
when men speak evilly against you, for my sake? What's He saying? Blessed are you. In fact, in 
Luke 6, 22, which seems to be quite parallel here, blessed 
are you when men hate you and when they exclude you and revile 
you and cast out your name as evil for the son of man's sake. If they do that because you're 
a murderer, if they do that because you're a criminal, if they do 
that because you're a busybody or a liar, okay. But if they 
do it for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, what does God say? 
Blessed are you, happy are you, good for you. These kinds of 
people can't keep you down. These kinds of people only expose 
their own wretchedness, their own wickedness, their own evil, 
but they can't ultimately hurt you. It is a blessing to be counted 
worthy to suffer shame for the name of the Lord Jesus. You see 
that in Acts chapter five. How does the Sanhedrin then try 
to deal with the uppity apostles? Well, we'll just lay their backs 
open with scourging. We'll just whip them to the point 
where they're bloody pulp. What do they do? They leave from 
that place whining and whimpering and crying because their backs 
hurt. No, they go out rejoicing because 
they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus. 
See, brethren, there's something bigger and better and greater 
than the fear of man, and it's the fear of God. Well, in conclusion, 
in case you've missed it, these particular religious leaders 
were not godly. In case you've missed it, These 
particular religious leaders were quite wicked. They misunderstood 
the Sabbath, verse 16. Do you really think Jesus broke 
the Sabbath here or in John 5? I took pains to try to demonstrate 
in John 5 that he didn't. Commentators, even otherwise 
good commentators say, well, you know, he's Jesus, so he can 
break a commandment here or there. If he breaks the commandment, 
well, relative to the Sabbath, guess what happens to us? We 
die in our sins. He had to fulfill all righteousness. So whatever Jesus does in terms 
of Sabbatarianism, it's not a relaxation of the law, it's an abiding of 
it. And this goes back to the prophet 
Isaiah chapter 58, Sabbath observance and fasting wasn't all about 
just looking like a miserable person because you were keeping 
the commandments of God. Not at all. There is that reality 
that the Sabbath was made for the man and not the man for the 
Sabbath. As well, they have these trumped up charges against the 
Lord Jesus. Misinterpret the law, it'll be 
easy to trump up charges against your enemies. And then they intimidate 
people. They don't believe the man, they 
continually harass the man, and then they cast the man out. And so much so that his parents 
are open gang. Well, what miserable people. 
We're going to get your parents. We're going to get them to drop 
a dime on you. We're going to get them to give you up. We're 
going to get them to hand you over. We're going to get them, 
we're going to exercise coercion and pressure upon them and intimidate 
them in such a way that they'll happily give you up to us. What? 
miserable people to get in there and try to affect family. And 
then their fake piety in identifying with Moses. You know, if they're 
just bullies and cowards and liars, that's one thing. I mean, 
not a great thing. You know, hey, I'm a bully, I'm 
a liar and a coward. Oh, great, yeah, good to meet 
you. But the sanctimony, the dripping, oozing godliness, the 
piety, the self-righteousness, These are the fellows that strain 
out gnats when they're dealing with their wine, and all the 
while, swallow camels. These are the kinds of people 
that make sure that the graveyard is all set up, but inside is 
full of dead men's bones. These are the kind of guys that 
clean the outside of the cup, but the inside of the cup is 
filthy and disgusting. So again, brethren, when Jesus 
launches these things against them, He's not making it up. 
These are sanctimonious, self-righteous, arrogant people that happen to 
be bullies, cowards, liars. And this is what the Bible tells 
us concerning them. Now, secondly, with reference 
to the trajectory of the man, I've already alluded to this, 
but I want to bring out a couple of more things. Notice again, 
simple confession, verse 25. One thing I know, though I was 
blind, now I see. Sarcastic chiding in verse 27. Don't know how to better say 
that. Sarcastic chiding. He needles them. Do you also 
want to be his disciples? Oh, you can see why 34... Get 
out! We don't want anything to do 
with you! They were bested by a man who had been born blind, 
who didn't go to any rabbinic school, who hadn't received any 
formal training, who wasn't an expert or an elite. And so he 
says, do you also want to be his disciple? And then his theological 
exposition in verses 30 to 33, his appeal to theology proper, 
his understanding of the nature of the miracle, and then the 
recognition of the identity of Jesus as being from God. Again, 
as Augustine said, the one who had received his sight gladly 
desires to give them light. Our brother read from the outset 
of worship, Psalm 119. I hope you paid attention. There's 
a quiz now. How does this relate to this 
sermon? Verses 98 to 100. You, through your commandments, 
make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I 
have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies 
are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients 
because I keep your precepts. See, the man did what was told 
us is a potential for those who love God and those who hold on 
to his word. We don't have to be bullied. 
We don't have to be coerced. We don't have to be intimidated. 
We stand up for the glory of God Most High, and he vindicates 
his elect. He protects his people. The fourth 
observation relative to the trajectory of this man is his courage and 
willingness to be excluded from the synagogue. The next verse 
doesn't say, and then he went and cried, and he went and whimpered, 
and he went and, you know, tried to find himself. No, Jesus finds 
him. Jesus makes a disciple out of 
him, and he ends this section by worshiping our blessed Savior. So thus the investigation or 
rather the interrogation of our Savior's miracle. One final thought 
and we go. If you're not a believer here 
this morning, look at the Savior. Look at the Lord Jesus Christ. 
I know there's not a lot in terms of 13 to 34 directly about Jesus. There's a lot of testimony concerning 
Jesus. But notice what Jesus does when 
he finds the man. Jesus doesn't say, well, you 
know, pray the Lord for a new heart. He says, do you believe 
in the Son of God? That's the question I want to 
pose to every one of you today. And this is the question that 
you should ponder when you leave from this place or after I pray 
and go sit down or whatever. Think about this. Do you not 
the man in the pericope, not the man that's in the house next 
to us, but do you believe in the Son of God? See, John's whole 
purpose, John's whole specific revealed thesis statement in 
20, 30, 31, is these are written so that you may believe that 
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that believing 
in his name you may have everlasting life. The way of salvation is 
clear. The way of salvation is blessed. 
The way of salvation is most excellent. Look unto the Lord 
Jesus Christ in faith and you will have everlasting life. Do 
you believe in the Son of God? Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for this wonderful passage of Holy Scripture 
and what it reveals to us about men in sin and what it reveals 
to us about this man on his way to the kingdom of God Most High. 
We thank you for the Lord Jesus. We thank you for his power to 
heal physically. We thank you for his power to 
heal spiritually. because ultimately it is this 
man's confession of faith in him, it is his movement from 
death unto life that is most glorious and most wonderful. 
As Jesus teaches elsewhere, better to go to heaven blind than into 
hell with both eyes intact. God, I pray that you would bless 
the preaching of your gospel, bless the preaching of the reality 
that Christ lived and died and was raised again, so that all 
who believe on him will have everlasting life. Bless it here 
and elsewhere, and cause that word to run swiftly and be glorified. 
And we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, you can 
turn in your hymn books to 568. and we'll sing the doxology of 
praise to our triune God. 568, we'll stand as we sing together. Praise him, all creatures here 
below. Praise him above ye heavens and 
earth. Amen. May the grace of the Lord Jesus 
Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit 
be with you all. Amen. Father, thank you for your 
word. Thank you for what it reveals 
to us concerning our blessed Savior. We pray that you would 
go with us now, cause us to rejoice in him, cause us to call this 
day a delight, and may we find blessing from on high. And we 
pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, please be seated 
for a brief time of meditation.