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John 9, we'll pick up verses, I'll pick up reading in verse one, read the chapter, and then we'll look at the first 12 verses this morning. Jesus heals a blind man, and certainly the emphasis is upon the miraculous in terms of what Jesus does, but there's a large emphasis on the investigation of the miracle. When we look in this particular section we'll take up this morning, we'll see that the neighbors are curious, the Pharisees are furious at what Jesus has done.

So I'll just read beginning in 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 scent. 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? And there was a division among them.

Then they said to the blind man again, what do you say about him because he opened your eyes? He said, he is a prophet. 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 agreed already 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? Then 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 open 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 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 worshipped 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 Lord's Day. We thank you for the privilege of corporate worship, and we pray now for the ministry of the Holy Spirit as we come to this passage of Holy Scripture. We know that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. We know it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. And we pray to give us ears to hear and hearts to receive these things, that the Spirit would apply them in our own hearts and lives, that we would be encouraged at the reality that our blessed Savior is the light of the world. As well, forgive us for all of our sin and unrighteousness. Cleanse us in that precious blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And for any and all here this morning that have not come to our Lord Jesus, we pray that today would be the day of salvation, that God would be glorified in the salvation of sinners. And we pray this in the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Well, this is one miracle within the book of John. There are seven signs that John records. At the end of his gospel narrative, he says, Jesus did a whole lot of other signs that if he were to write them all down, the world itself wouldn't contain the number of books. But he has written specifically to present these signs so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, and that by believing in him, you may have everlasting life. So in John 20, 30 and 31, John describes the purpose of the gospel. The signs function in such a way as we are to see who Jesus Christ is, and as a result of having seen him who he is, seeing him as who he is, we believe by grace to the salvation of our souls.

Well, in this particular chapter, we will notice this morning the demonstration of His power in verses 1 to 12. Next time, the investigation of His miracle in verses 13 to 34. And then the chapter ends with the manifestation of His glory in verses 35 to 41. But as I said, much of the emphasis is upon the response of the Pharisees. God willing, we'll look at that next Lord's Day, but let's look at this demonstration of His power, and there's four things I want to consider from this section. First, the context. Secondly, the problem. Third, the healing. And then fourthly and finally, the reaction.

But with reference to the context, we are We should notice in verse 1, it says, now as Jesus passed by, this is probably not closely connected to what we find in chapter 8 at verse 59. Notice, then they took up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. This is probably not from that departure. If we look at chapter 10, specifically at verse 22, The events in chapter 10 are connected to the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was wintertime, so this is probably a few months later. There is a disconnect in terms of chronology between chapters 8 and 9, but there is a close connection in terms of theme.

If you look at chapter 8 at verse 12, you see this declaration given by our Lord Jesus Christ. I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. We see that in chapter 9 at verse 5. He says, as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. So the declaration in 8.12 is titular. In other words, this is who he is. Here in chapter nine, verse five, this is what he does. This is his function as the light of the world.

And there's two emphases in this section. First, as the light of the world, he has the power as the Messiah of God to give sight to the blind. That is precisely what we find in this miracle. This man was born blind. He had a congenital defect. He had never seen a thing. So this underscores the nature of the miracle itself. So Christ, in accordance with what our brother read at the outset of worship, is the Messiah of God. In Isaiah 35.5, we read of Messiah, Christ does that in his earthly ministry. So that's one of the functions that he has as the light of the world.

But the greater miracle that actually takes place in this particular chapter is not just the restoration of this man's sight. It is the restoration of his life. It is the salvation. It is that final section when Jesus says, do you believe in the Son of God? And the man asks, who is he? And Jesus identifies himself as the Son of God, and then the man believes, and then the man worships the Lord of glory. So Christ functions here in accordance with the prophet, Isaiah, chapter 35, in terms of the physical healing of this man. But also in Isaiah 42 and Isaiah 61, one of the functions of Messiah was to open the eyes of men spiritually. So there's a physical healing in here and there's a spiritual healing as well.

So that's the connection with chapter eight, this mention or reference to the light of the world. There's also a close connection to chapter 10. If you look specifically at what these furious Pharisees do to this man in verse 34, it says, "...they answered and said to him, You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us? And they cast him out." Well, in John chapter 10, Jesus identifies himself as the door. He's the way of access to needy sheep to get into the presence of God Most High. If you look at John 10, specifically in verse 7, then Jesus said to them again, Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before me are thieves and robbers. just like these people in chapter 9 who cast out this man. They had this threat imposed. The parents understood this. If anybody confesses that Jesus is the Christ, what happens to their status in the synagogue? They're rejected. They're thrown out. They're cast away. They're discarded. You see, the lines are drawn in the sand. The religious leadership in Israel has made this definitional, that if you come to this Savior, you have to leave the synagogue, you have to leave the privilege, you have to leave the very temple itself. And that is precisely what we see the emphasis on in John 10.

So based on what these guys did, Jesus says, he's the door for the sheep. Notice again in 10.8, all who ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly." So John 9 is not in isolation. It expands upon the reality that Christ is, in fact, the light of the world. But it sets the stage for this Good Shepherd narrative and the reality that Jesus is, in fact, the door, the way of access, to the Father through the Son in the Spirit, such that men, women, boys and girls can be saved. He's not like these Pharisees. He's not like these scribes. He's not one that disdains blind men, blind beggar men, but rather he is a man that heals him and brings him to a place of salvation.

Now notice secondly in terms of the problem. This is verses 1 to 5. The problem is stated very clearly in verse 1. Now as Jesus passed by, notice he saw a man who was blind from birth. Obviously the blind man did not see Jesus. That's kind of part of being blind. He didn't see him. So we see the initiative on the part of the Savior in this narrative. After the discussion with the Pharisees, it's Jesus who goes and finds this man to confer upon him everlasting life. Jesus is the seeking, initiating, saving God that we find here in John's Gospel.

So now as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from birth. So again, he has a congenital defect. He's never been able to see. And it's an amazing thing, because as we read through this passage, we sort of respond like these neighbors. The neighbors are curious. Is this the fellow that was previously begging? See, as a blind man, you didn't have a lot of opportunities in that time of the history of the world. So typically, if you were a blind man, you would be a beggar. So the people are curious. And when they find out, after he says, I am he, what do they not do? They don't say, praise God, you were born blind. You've never seen the sky. You've never seen the mountains. You've never seen the pool of Siloam that you just washed in. You've never seen these things. They don't stop to take a moment to reflect and to praise God Almighty. And I suspect we do the same sort of thing as we move through a passage like this. We read that Jesus heals the man, but we never ponder on the reality that Jesus healed a man, a man who had never seen, a man who had been blind from birth. This underscores the nature of his infirmity.

Now, notice on the heels of the identification of the problem, we get this question posed by the disciples in verse 2. His disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Now, there's a lot of stuff going on in these next few verses, and there's a lot of stuff that demands careful attention in these next few verses, because it touches on God's providence, God's sovereignty, God's glory, God's purpose, God's being God, even in the midst of blindness and things of that nature.

But notice that the disciples immediately have an assumption. This man was born blind because either he said or his parents said. That's the only possible way that they could get their minds wrapped around that. As well, they're basically asking the question, whose fault is it? The guy is blind. He's been blind from birth. Is it because of his own sin, or is it because of the sins of his parents? Again, they're thinking in that sort of formulaic or mechanistic way that all blindness is directly connected to the problem of sin.

Now that brings us to Jesus' explanation in verses 3 to 5. And Jesus does two things here. First, he responds to their question in verse 3, and then secondly, he highlights the nature of his mission in verses 4 and 5.

But let's look how he answers that question, the sin question. So verse 2, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? So verse 3, Jesus answered, neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

Now, in terms of the answer, in terms of explanation, walk with me through this particular passage. In the first place, Jesus is not addressing the idea of preexistent souls. Now, the early church, Cyril, spends much time trying to argue against this. The idea that there are pre-existent souls, and whatever these pre-existent souls do, if they do something foul and evil, when they do come to inhabit a body, that body will have a defect. As a result of their sinfulness in that soul-ish state, when they finally do get a body, that body's going to have a problem. And in this instance, it was blindness. I don't think that's what's going on in this passage at all, but I simply nod to it as a potential in the history of interpretation.

Secondly, Jesus does not deny the doctrine of original sin. If you look at verse 3, Jesus answered, neither this man nor his parents sinned. He's not talking that these persons are wholly harmless and undefiled. He's not suggesting that they have never had an ill look. They've never said a bad word. They've never had a bad thought. They've never engaged in any misdeed. He's not saying that. He's saying that the cause of this man's blindness isn't directly connected to the sin of the man or his parents.

Now, why would they ask about the parents? Well, back in Deuteronomy chapter 24, there's a criminal precedent that the fathers will not be punished for the crimes of their children. And that's a great and valid principle that is abiding today. As parents, we shouldn't be punished for the criminal activity of our children. You can see that God addresses that, it might arise in the minds of people. And then with reference to the act of personal sin, Ezekiel 18 deals with this in great detail. The children of Israel were saying this proverb. They were saying the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge. In other words, the children of Israel at the time of the prophet Ezekiel were in bondage. They were in exile. They were in Babylon. And you know what they concluded? They concluded it was because of our fathers. It was because of our forebears, because of their sin that we now find ourselves in this predicament. God says, no, the soul that sins shall die. If there is participation in the same sins by children with their parents, it's imitation. It's not genetic. It's not passed on in some transgenerational manner. And so this was a real and prevalent issue, Deuteronomy 24, Ezekiel chapter 18.

So Jesus says, neither this man nor his parents sinned. Again, not denying that they were not sinful, not denying the doctrine of original sin, but Jesus confirms here what the Bible teaches elsewhere. Okay? Jesus confirms here what the Bible teaches elsewhere.

The Bible teaches us that sin is generally the result of all pain, all suffering, all disease, all curse. If this was a sin-less world, it would be a curse-less world. And without sin and without curse, there'd be no pain. There'd be no suffering. Our brother read Revelation 7. What sort of the apex for man in terms of glory? It's no more sorrow. It's no more pain. It's no more hunger. It's no more thirst. It's no more effect of the consequence of sin upon a cursed creation.

So there is that general sense where every bit of suffering, every bit of pain, every bit of sorrow, and certainly the fact of death, Romans 6.23, it's all connected to sin. But as we move through scripture, we see that there are times when persons get sick, or persons are affected, or persons have suffering, not as a direct result of their own sin. There are those instances like in the book of Job. What was the devil's ploy with reference to Job? He said, oh, he only serves you because everything is good for him. Now, Job wasn't sinless. Job wasn't perfect. Job wasn't a spotless lamb. But the fact of the devil's test of him was authorized and permitted by God. It wasn't the direct result of Job's sin.

The Apostle Paul talks about suffering in 2 Corinthians 12. It's not directly connected to his sin. And then turn with me to a passage that speaks specifically to this in James 5. James 5. I'm going somewhere here, brethren, and just stick with me. In James chapter 5, we learn that the presence of suffering and disease may not necessarily be directly connected to one's sin. James 5, specifically at verse 14. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. Now notice, and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Again, brethren, you can't universalize that text and say, what do you mean, if he has committed sins, everybody commits sins, everybody's liable ultimately to the wrath and fury and judgment of God. If he has committed sins that are directly connected to this particular ailment, then he will be forgiven. But notice there is the potential where the particular ailment he has is not directly connected to one of his sins. Does everybody follow? There are seasons and instances in scripture where our sickness, our disease, our hurt, our whatever, is not a direct result of our sin. But there are seasons and there are instances where it is.

Turn back to John 5, John chapter 5, when Jesus healed that man that was in the pool in Bethesda. In John 5, at verse 14, afterward, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worst thing come upon you. What does that indicate? It indicates that he most likely was in that pool as a result of direct sin-affliction correlation.

And then turn to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 11. Again, a place where you see that our personal, individual, particular sin can be the means by which we receive punishment in terms of physical infirmity or some sort of physical chastisement. Notice in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, 11 at verse 29. He who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason, many are weak and sick among you and many sleep.

For this reason, they're taking unworthily. They're participating in a manner that's not authorized or sanctioned by God Most High. And as a result of that, there's going to be a bellyache. There might even be death. There's going to be some intimate connection between persons' sins and the affliction that they receive.

So the Bible's teaching is not one-size-fits-all. Every time you have a sniffle, you need to repent of whatever sin you did just prior to that sniffle. No, sin is generally connected and the cause for all sin or all suffering and pain and disease on the earth. But there are some times in the lives of people in general where their particular sins are punished by God via affliction.

But there are times when it's not that way, when it's not that case. Don't immediately conclude if somebody says, brother, I got diagnosed with such and such. Oh, you must be a great sinner. You must have some real issues with God Almighty. That's kind of what these men were doing. Who sinned? Was it him or was it his parents? Again, a pretty uncharitable way to sort of approach a hurting individual or a particular man.

We're not able, with absolute clarity, to judge all of these connections. Well, this person, great sinner, therefore great suffering. This person, not so great a sinner, so that sin can't be the reason for his or her suffering. Just suffice to say, there are times in the lives of God's people when they are afflicted with a particular disease or problem or issue that's not a direct result of their sin. Okay? That's what Jesus means in John 9, 3a.

But then notice, I just bought new shirts and they don't have pockets. I know I'm in a fallen world when that happens. Notice in John 9, 3b, so neither this man nor his parents said, now listen, we're gonna deal with something here that again is very important, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. What is Jesus saying? It's not his sin, it's not his parents' sin, but it's that God's works may be displayed in him.

Now this creates a problem under what's called theodicy. Now again, stay with me. Theodicy strictly translated means the justification of God, the vindication or defense of God. And basically it takes up the issue of if God is holy and good and righteous, why is there such misery and pain and suffering in this world? See, everybody has to think about this at some point or other. How do we defend God in the sense that we're able to answer the argument of, if God is holy and good and right, why is there such pain and misery and suffering in this present evil age?

Well, there's answers to be sure, but in this particular section, notice, it wasn't the man's sin, it wasn't the parent's sin, but it was that God's works may be manifested and may be glorified. Now notice what 3b says, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. So the challenge is simply this. Was the blindness and the cause there as a result to manifest the works of God?

There are those who try to answer in a way that I don't think is satisfactory by saying, well, it wasn't the cause. The man was born blind. And as a result of his having been born blind, now he becomes this vehicle by which Christ can magnify the fact that he is indeed the Son of God, the sent one by the Father to affect these glorious and wondrous things.

Though I think it's better to read it the way that Jesus says it. He's answering the question, why is this man blind? It wasn't the parents, and it wasn't the man. It was God. God in His sovereignty, God in His providence, God in His majesty, sometimes does things that meets with a bit of resistance on the part of the creature, that sometimes causes us to stumble and to challenge and to wonder, well, how can that possibly be?

Well, brethren, God is sovereign over all things. He governs all his creatures and all their actions. And this is where Jesus is going here. He's saying it wasn't the man, it wasn't the parents, but rather it was that the works of God should be revealed in him.

John Gill says, that is, that Christ might have an opportunity of working a miracle in the cure of him, whereby it might appear that he is truly and properly God, the Son of God and the Messiah. In other words, Again, I don't want to be crass here, I don't want to offend anybody's delicate sensitivities, but this man ultimately is a canvas upon which God is going to paint the glorious works that he is able to perform.

And so this man was born blind, wasn't accidental, it was providential. Nothing happens apart from the direct control of God Most High. It wasn't as if, yeah, his parents, she had bad prenatal vitamins and she lost, you know, the baby lost the sight in utero. That's not it. This man exists to be able to display and demonstrate the very power and glory of God Most High.

Brethren, the challenge to theodicy often brings the accusation of creature to creator, forgetting that creator is creator. In Romans 9, there's theodicy there. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be. The Lord God Most High raises some up and crushes others. The Lord God Most High hardened Pharaoh's heart so that God could demonstrate His glory and judgment in the life of Pharaoh and express His mercy to the Israelites.

Another man makes this observation in terms of commentary. He says, if, therefore, an infirmity occurs in order that God's works be manifested, and God is made known through this manifestation, it is clear that such bodily infirmities occur for a good purpose. Again, brethren, that takes faith, that takes trust in God, that takes an appreciation of the Godhood of God to confess that with this particular commentator.

That if God's manifestation of His glory is through the vehicle of our suffering, But in the midst of our suffering, we see that demonstration, and as this brother says, it's worth it. It is worth it in that instance. And I think that this should give us cause to reflect in our own lives. We always look at the afflictions, and the hardships, and the difficulties, and we immediately conclude, God's against me. Our brother reminded us this morning in terms of the confession of faith. One of the aspects of church life is not just so we can benefit from the preaching and the sacraments and the various things, but also so that we can love one another and encourage one another and be there for one another. And that's often the place where God chastens his people in the context of the local church. All those whom the father loves, he does what? He scourges. The book of Hebrews tells us that if we're bastards, or we are bastards, if we're not disciplined, chastened by our Heavenly Father.

And so in a passage like this, we need to understand, whatever my God ordains is right. We need to understand that God does move in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform. We need to understand that blind unbelief, ashore to error, The way that we gain perspective is to go with God, to go with God's perspective. And that's precisely what Jesus says to answer this question. Neither this man nor his parents said, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

And then that brings us to the description of his mission. Notice the Lord Jesus must do the works of the father who sent him. In other words, he comes and he sees this particular blind man. This isn't a haphazard. This wasn't a lucky accident. This wasn't fate. This wasn't just, well, I can't believe it. There happens to be this guy here that I'm going to heal from his blindness, and I'm going to heal from his spiritual blindness. No, this is all purposive, to use a chemism, in terms of Jesus' ministry on earth.

So the Lord Jesus notices under necessity, verse 4, I must work the works of him. I must. See, brethren, when we work our way through the gospel narratives, every place that Jesus goes is because Jesus knows to go there. Again, he's not just sort of wandering or wandering around the countryside, you know, getting into whatever sort of things that he gets into. He's come to seek and to save that which was lost. He's come to fulfill all righteousness. He's come to save His people from their sins. He's come to heal blind men. He's come to save blind men. He's come to do all these things. He's under divine necessity. As the mediator of the new covenant, He is under orders from God Most High.

Notice that he asserts once again that he is the sent one from the sender. I must work the works of him who sent me. Who sent me, the only begotten son of God is full of grace and glory. We beheld that glory and we stand in awe of it. And Jesus never lets us forget in John's gospel that he is the sent one from the father. He bears that special relation of only begotten of the father.

And then notice what he says concerning his own death. It says that he sent from the Father, and then he says, while it is day, the night is coming when no one can work. There's a foreshadowing of his death. And I think the most simple reading here, we could get pretty esoteric and pretty strange and all that sort of thing, I think he means I must work these works while it is day. In other words, while it's His earthly ministry, while He has come as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world, while He has come to do the works of God Most High, while He's on this framework or time schedule, He must work these works while it is day. Why? Because the darkness is coming. The night is coming. He's shadowing, foreshadowing the fact that he's going to die, he's going to be crucified, he's going to be resurrected, he's going to ascend on high, and the works will continue to be sure through the apostolic church, through the ministry of his people, through the church in subsequent ages.

But in terms of the Redeemer's work on behalf of his people, he must work those works while it is day, because the night is coming and I can no longer work. He uses this convention very often in John's gospel. Turn to John 12, just for one sort of specimen where we see that same sort of an emphasis. John 12, specifically at verse 35, a little while longer, the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. He who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.

What's he talking about? I'm with you. The light has prevailed. It's going to be a time when that darkness comes. Now again, that doesn't mean there's no hope when Jesus is in heaven, but he's stressing in terms of his earthly ministry. And then drop down specifically to verse 44. And Jesus cried out and said, he who believes in me believes not in me, but in him who sent me. And he who sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as a light into the world that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness."

So going back to John chapter 9, what a wonderful way for him to express this purpose in terms of his messianic ministry. by opening the eyes of a blind man, by shining the divine light of glory into this man, by healing him, by taking this congenital defect and turning it over to manifest the glory of God and that Jesus is the Messiah of God. It is a perfectly appropriate sign to illustrate the reality that Jesus is, in fact, the light of the world.

And if he's able to restore this man's physical sight, he's able to restore this man's spiritual sight. If he's able to restore this man's physical sight and spiritual sight, then guess what he can do for us blind men and women? Guess what he can do for us who are dead in our trespasses and sins? Guess what he can do for those of us who are in Adam? In some sense, this man is emblematic of the entirety of mankind. He's blind from birth. That describes well the spiritual malady that affects us all.

In Adam, all die. In Christ, all shall be made alive. So the blessed Savior that is able to open this man's eyes physically and this man's eyes spiritually is the same blessed Savior that is able to do that even now through the preaching of the gospel by grace, Through faith in him, you have everlasting life. You have the ability to see. You have that ability to sing with the hymn writer, I was blind, but now I see.

Don't you love the simplicity of this man as we work through the narrative? I love when he chides them. You keep asking me, do you also want to be his disciples? I can't imagine he didn't have at least a hint of a grin on his face when he said that. These guys hated Jesus. These guys already threatened to throw people out of the synagogue and temple if they sided with Jesus. And he says, do you want to be his disciples also? And how do they respond? You were born entirely in sin and do you teach us? Well, that really is no way to deal with an argument, but hey, that's what we've come to expect with the religious leadership in bankrupt Israel in the first century. Christ is, in fact, the light of the world, and he summarizes it here in verse 5. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." It is a most blessed reiteration of what he says in 8.12, and it is a most blessed definition of what he does according to 9.5 and the ensuing narrative. He heals the blind man in two ways, physically and spiritually.

Now notice the healing itself in verses six to seven. It says, 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 scent. This is a bit enigmatic. Jesus doesn't need means. Jesus is able to just speak a word and heal people. He can do it without speaking a word. He is, in fact, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father, through whom all things were made.

But as he uses these means, I think it's instructive for us in a couple of ways. Go back to John chapter 1. John chapter 1, where John, in the prologue, links Jesus with cosmology. And cosmology simply means the doctrine of cosmos, the doctrine of the world, the creation of or the building of the world. Notice what John does in the prologue, beginning in verse 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And he was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

And then notice in verse 6, there was a man sent from God whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the light that all through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light which gives light to every man coming into the world. I remember that exposition. That's twofold. Redemptive light, but creational light. The fact that Jesus is who Jesus is means that 2 plus 2 equals 4. The fact that Jesus is who Jesus is means that this world is stable. It means that there's going to be order, there's going to be discipline, there's going to be structure.

So John in the prologue links Jesus to cosmology. I think John in John chapter nine links Jesus again to cosmology. Go back to verse six in chapter nine. 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. Again, This is not a necessary means to heal somebody. Probably the worst thing you could do to try to heal somebody's vision is to cover their eyes with a paste of mud. The reminiscent thought ought to be in Genesis. What does God do? He takes from the ground and He fashions Adam. Jesus here takes from literally His ground and fashions this man's eyes. He creates. He speaks into being. He makes it effectual. He actualizes it. He is indeed God the Creator.

Genesis 2.7 says, and the Lord God formed man of the dust, of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. So when he grabs this dirt, when he spits in the dirt, when he makes this clay of spittle to put on the man's eyes, I think John is suggesting, behold your creator. Behold the one I've already wrote of in John 1, 3. Through him all things were made." This isn't the appearance of a magician. This isn't some, you know, hack of a miracle worker that once in a while gets things right. John's telling us, behold your God. I think Edward Klink is right. He says the moment described by the narrator is not between a miracle worker and an ailing man, but between the creator and his creation. This is the background, this is the emphasis, this is what's happening.

Who sinned? Was it this man or was it his parents? It was neither. It was so that God could manifest his works. The fact that I'm the Messiah, the second person of the blessed triune God, the one who has assumed humanity. took on all the essential properties, the common infirmities thereof, and yet without sin, so that when he goes about doing good, he does it, yes, according to his humanity, but according to his divinity. John doesn't want us to forget that reality.

And so it's reminiscent of what God does in the garden. And then this pool of Siloam. Again, the use of the means is not the cause of the cure. If you've got a problem today, don't go home and spit on dirt. I mean, it might help. There's nothing wrong with some spit dirt. I can't imagine. But don't look for it to be the cure-all. These are simple means given by a glorious God that are reminiscent not only of the garden, but I think this pool of Siloam is sort of reminiscent of Naaman, the leper, in 2 Kings chapter 5.

Remember when Naaman wants to get healed from his leprosy? He goes to the prophet Elisha. What's Elisha say? Go and dip in the Jordan a few times. That's it? That's all? No, that's just not right. There's gotta be more to this prophetic razzmatazz. You gotta throw the whammy on me. You gotta make it sensational. You gotta make it something really amazing. The servants say, you know, master, He told you to do something very simple. You should just go do something simple. And what does he do? He goes and he does that something simple, and then he's cured from his leprosy.

Servants in the narratival passages in the Old Testament are often the brightest bulbs in those particular narratives. Naaman's losing his mind, and the servants say, go just do what he says and baptize yourself in that water. Dip in that water, and you will be cleansed. What happens? He goes and he does it. So again, the emphasis isn't on the spittle clay. The emphasis isn't on the pool of Siloam. The emphasis is upon the Messiah of God doing the works of God in the life of this particular man.

This man who woke up that morning who couldn't see. This man who woke up every morning and couldn't see. This man who had no conception whatsoever of what it was to see. Again, imagine that for the first time. You see that once in a while on the internet. You'll see these little stories where this person, you know, four-year-old, five-year-old kid had never seen and now for whatever reason they can see. What is that like? What is it like when you've never seen the beauty outside? This room's beautiful too, but when you look out at that created order, it's dazzling, it's amazing, it's glorious, it's wondrous.

So the emphasis isn't upon the spittle clay, the emphasis is not on the pulis siloam, the emphasis is upon the power of the Messiah who is able to open the dead blind eyes of sinful men. And then notice, 7b, it's so sublime. So he went and washed and came back seeing. Now, I have to say, the neighbors are curious. The Pharisees are furious. This guy is very subdued. I mentioned that if I ever happen to kill a lion like Samson did, you're never going to hear the end of it. selfies, the whole spiel. Paste it all over the place. There'll be a shrine to the lion killed.

I gotta say, if it would have been me that was healed, I'd probably be running through those streets saying, so that's what a banana looks like? That's what my parents look like? That's what these hills look like? That's what the sun looks like? It would have been an amazing reality.

But again, it's so sublime. It's so quiet. Look at what we have. He goes, and he went, and he washed, and he came back seeing.

I've mentioned before, there's those read aloud Bible stories by Lindell, is the name of the author. And there's the case where Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus. And it's a beautiful scene. And Bartimaeus, you know, he was that blind man that was begging, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. Jesus stops. He comes over and he says to Bartimaeus, what would you have me to do? And Bartimaeus says, I want to see. And so Jesus cures him. Jesus heals him.

Well, this children's book says, and then he saw the mountains. And then he saw the mommies, he saw the daddies, he saw the houses, he saw the trees. And then there's the scene where it says, but best of all, he saw Jesus. And that's what's happening in this passage.

But it's by slow steps, even for the man. It's very intriguing as we drop down now to consider the curiosity of his neighbors, how this man knows of Jesus. So notice in verses 8 and following, with reference to the reaction, we've got curious neighbors, verses 8 and 9.

Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had said that he was blind said, is not this he who sat and begged? Some said, this is he. Others said, he is like him. You would see why, right? I mean, if you lived in a small village and you happen to know the blind beggar and now he can see, you'd be like, is that him? Well, why would they do that? Because it's not normal that guys that were born blind get their eyesight restored, because it's just miraculous. And so they're questioning that. They're perplexed. They're curious about it. Is it him? And so there's a bit of division in terms of the neighbors. Some said, no, that can't be him. That certainly mustn't be him. And then others are saying, yeah, it is him.

And again, thinking about this village, I don't think it was probably not the biggest place in the world. You didn't know the guy's name. Notice how him and Jesus pretty much remained nameless all throughout John 9. In fact, for this man, notice that Jesus is identified as a man in verse 11, a prophet then in verse 17, a man from God in verse 33, And then ultimately, the Son of God, in verses 35 to 38, the one who is worthy to be worshipped and glorified and praised.

So there is this man who is still perplexed as to what is happening. And so he says, right in the midst of everybody, and interestingly, he uses the language, I am. In John 8, 12, when Jesus says, I am the light of the world, that's one of those I am's with a predicate. You've heard me talk about the I am's with predicates and without predicates. We saw one in 58. Chapter 8, I am. Before Abraham was, I am. They picked up stones to throw at him because he had associated himself with Yahweh in Exodus 3, 14. Well, Jesus in 9.5 doesn't use that convention. He doesn't say, Ago, Ame. He doesn't say, I, I Am. So that's why I say it's not the title, the light of man, it's more the functional reality of what he undertakes. But intriguingly, when they ask, is this the man? The man uses that language, I, I Am. Now, he's not asserting that he's the God of Exodus 3.14. He is asserting, rather, that without equivocation, without any confusion, without any sort of misunderstanding, he's the guy that was blind. He's the guy that was begging. He's the guy that they had seen, and he had never seen them before. So he answers their question. He says, I am.

Therefore they said to him in verse 10, again, you get the line of questioning. I'd ask the same thing, wouldn't you? How did it happen? Wouldn't that be, I was born blind and now I can see. When anybody ever tells you that, I think the natural reflex is for you to say, well, how did that happen? That's legit. What you find here in terms of the curiosity of these neighbors, again, not celebrating, praising God and congratulating the man and saying, oh, let me show you a picture of my wife. Let me show you a picture of your parents. Not that they had pictures, but you get the point.

So notice what happens. Therefore they said to him, how are your eyes open? 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. Again, you'd like to think at that particular moment, they'd say, you received sight? That's amazing! Praise God, from whom all blessings flow! But that's not what occupies them. They want to know where Jesus is. And again, that's not altogether wrong. These are the neighbors. These are the curious ones. It's going to be the Pharisees in the next section of the narrative that are the furious ones. They're upset. They're outraged at the thought that Jesus did this. Not just that he did it, but he did it when? He did it on the Sabbath day. How dare him restore sight to a miserable creature on the Sabbath day? We'll take that section up, God willing, next week, but that's what happens in terms of this miracle of healing.

The obvious absence of any praise for God with reference to these particular men shows forth that for them, it's not so much the works of God, it is to satisfy the curiosity to find this Jesus of Nazareth.

Now, in conclusion, just a few things. Going back to verse 3. If you're not from a Reformed background or you didn't sort of cut your teeth in terms of the Christian life on A.W. Pink's sovereignty of God, some of these things can be a bit challenging. You mean God is absolutely sovereign over all things? Yeah, God is absolutely sovereign over all things. He governs all his creatures and all their actions. In fact, in the language of our confession of faith, it says, of God's providence. Chapter five, paragraph one says this, God, the good creator of all things. Why do you think they put that adjective good in there? They put that adjective good in there because A, He's good, and B, whatever my God ordains is right. Whatever He does that is for His glory and for our good is right. This is the emphasis in Romans chapter 8. We know that God causes all things to work for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. You've probably heard me say ad nauseum, that these things in that context can't be good things. You don't ever find a bag of money and say, boy, I can't believe God used this bag of money for my good. No, it's when you lose a limb or when you contract a disease or when something severe or hard or difficult comes. We need to look through that affliction at the God of providence and understand that whatever he ordains is right.

Back to the confession. God, the good creator of all things, in his infinite power and wisdom, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures and things, from the greatest even to the least. It was a question, I think, in the medieval period. Does God concern himself with insects? Does God concern himself with the little things in the world? There's nothing outside of the control of God. He governs all his creatures and all their actions. When a leaf sort of blows across the roadway, that's not apart from God. There's no chance or random events that obtain in this world. God is over all things.

It goes on to say, "...by His most wise and holy providence, to the end for which they were created, according unto His infallible foreknowledge and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, infinite goodness and mercy."

Jesus says, but that the works of God may be revealed in him.

Now brethren, this is a tough pill. It's a tough pill to give and it's a tough pill to take. Whatever happens in terms of affliction, whatever happens in terms of hardship, whatever happens in terms of difficulty and trial, that comes from God. Again, we may not like that. We like to be on the winning team, don't we? We like to be the child of the king that only gets the rewards. Well, the child of the king needs a bit of discipline once in a while as well. The child of the king needs the woodshed from time to time. The child of the king needs that chastening, hand of God most high for his or her well-being.

And so when it comes to a passage like this, help it or let it help to regulate your view on what happens to you. Don't say, oh wow, you know that poor fellow. We all have challenges. We all have issues. We all have trials. We all have afflictions. And I think there's a default set in man to say, Well, you know, that doesn't seem right. It doesn't seem fair. It doesn't seem altogether good. That's when we walk by faith in the Romans 8, 28. We walk by faith in the John 9, 3. We walk by faith in the reality that the hymn writer sang or hymn writer wrote, whatever my God ordains is right.

This is a tough pill to swallow, a tough pill to receive, a tough pill to give out, but it's a pill that we need to take. Nowhere in the Bible are you promised a life of no problems. Nowhere in the Bible am I promised a life of no affliction. Nowhere in the Bible are we promised that we're children of the King now, and it's only money, dollar signs, and golden goose, or gooses that lay the golden eggs, and everything we touch is good. No! That is not biblical, brethren.

And when we look at a wretch like this, this man didn't say, well, that doesn't seem right, that doesn't seem fair. Notice the disciples neither. They didn't say, well, Jesus, that doesn't sound good. We don't like that thought. We don't like that this man is simply an empty canvas so that God can manifest His glory. You see, the true saint of Christ loves that. The true saint of Christ may find himself challenged from time to time with affliction, with hardship, and with trial. The true saint of Christ is going to cry out with Paul three times to God to remove this thorn from the flesh. But the true saint always comes back to that realization that whatever he's ordained for me is good. It's right. It manifests His glory, His power, His sufficiency. In fact, this was Paul's lesson, or Paul's message, in 2 Corinthians 12. You can turn there. 2 Corinthians 12. Well, let's just look at chapter 11, just to see something of what he's talking about. And this is one of the reasons I use Paul as an illustration. The bad things that happened to him were not directly connected to his own sin. The bad things that happened to him were directly connected to the glory of God.

Notice in 11.22, are they Hebrews? So am I. And basically, he's countering the super apostles that had come to Corinth. These super apostles, these great men had come along and say, you know, Paul, he's not really out for you. He's out for himself. He wants his prestige. He wants money. He wants to just, you know, he wants to make sport of you, basically. These guys came in to try and upgrade the reputation of the apostle Paul. That's why in 2 Corinthians, Paul defends himself. Paul's defense of himself isn't because Paul doesn't like the thought that anybody might ever say anything bad about him. No, Paul knows that if the Corinthians are put off the good ship Paul, they're gonna reject the gospel. And so Paul defends himself so that he can defend his gospel, his message to them.

So are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they the ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool, I am more. In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. Now, that stripes, Stripes means whipped. He got whipped. That's why in Galatians 6, he says, don't let anybody trouble me anymore for I bear in my body the brand marks of Jesus. That wasn't a new tattoo, you know, Jesus on his forehead, 1689 on his knuckles. The stripes that Paul bore were the stripes of his own countrymen and the stripes of the Roman magistrate. His body was opened up. He had been whipped for the cause of God and truth.

He says, from the Jews, five times I received 40 stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. It's that three times I was beaten with rods that I think is really notorious. I mean, it doesn't say how much, but the Jews did have that restraint. That's what he says. Verse 24, from the Jews, five times I received 40 stripes minus one. That's from Deuteronomy. You were not to exceed that amount of punishment. If there was a criminal offender and corporal punishment was the sentence, you could whip him. You could hurt him, but you could not exceed 40 stripes. So what would they do? They'd go to 39, right? They didn't want to even get near exceeding that. But the Romans, do you think they cared about what God through Moses said in Deuteronomy? Oh yeah, we better not give them any more than 39. We don't want to exceed what the book of Deuteronomy specifies.

I think it's It's the verse 25 that's probably even more horrifying when you stop and think about it. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I have been in the deep. In journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, Do you get the spirit of a man who says, I can't believe what I've bore for the cause of God and truth. I can't believe what I've gone. He doesn't do that. He's not celebrating it in that way. He's defending himself so that he can defend his message.

Now drop down to another malady, another problem, another infirmity, another difficulty that he had. Look at 12.7. He talks about having seen this vision of paradise in verses 1 to 6, but then notice verse 7. And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

He understood the theological rationale for this buffeting. So he wouldn't get puffed up. So he wouldn't go on the conference circuit and say, you know, I went up into heaven and here's my new book. Go to my, you know, my website, paulinheaven.com. You know, donate there and I'll give you the story and the spiel. He doesn't do that. He's afflicted to keep him humble.

Now brethren, again, this takes faith in our blessed God. Is that our reflex immediately? God's doing this to humble me. God's doing this to chasten me. God's doing this to conform me more to the image of Jesus. That's what we should say. But more often than not, we can't believe how such horrible things happen to such wonderful people. We can't understand that in this new covenant era, when we're saved by grace through faith in Jesus, that anything would ever be harsher or difficult or trying. Especially in this Western world, we've had it so good. We've been blessed so richly.

If there is on our horizon more, you know, food supply or supply chain issues, are we ready for that? Are we ready to say whatever my God ordains is right? Are we ready to say even though Costco is closed and Walmart is closed, I know ultimately that God is in this for His glory and for my well-being? Brethren, this is the kind of faith we need to cultivate in our own lives. This is the kind of faith wherein we appreciate God's sovereign rule in all things.

So lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

Now notice, concerning this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. He doesn't have some sick, sadistic, or masochistic view of suffering. Oh yeah, Lord, just lay it on me. He's not a monk. He's not living on a pole out in the middle of the wilderness. He's not, you know, unnecessarily, you know, flagellating himself with whips and doing those sorts of things. No, he prays thrice. And the praying there isn't, you know, on three separate occasions for about 10 seconds, I said, Lord, can you take this? He's pleading with God. He's in earnest at the throne of grace. I pleaded with God to take this away from me.

And again, brethren, that's not biblical. That's not not righteous. If you're afflicted, the cry of the afflicted comes to the ear of our blessed God. In fact, there's a Psalm, I think it's about 101 or 102, where the superscript in terms of the actual Psalm itself, it's a prayer of the afflicted when he cries out to his God. You've got a whole category of lament in the Old Testament, a whole category where the people of God just come and cry before the Lord. Oh, well, we don't do that. We don't cry. Well, the Lord's people throughout the history of the world have cried. They have expressed their grief to their blessed God. They've used the vehicle of lament. They have poured out their weary souls to the high king of heaven. Paul does that in this instance. Now note the reply. And he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness. Again, faith needs to lay hold of these things, brethren. Faith needs to grab on and not let go.

Now, look at the implication. So he prays thrice, three times, three occasions, earnestly. Please take this, let it depart from me. And God says, no, my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Your weakness, Paul, is going to magnify the strength, the glory, the power, and the majesty of God most high. Just like that man who was born blind. Wasn't him, wasn't his parents, but it was so that he could demonstrate the works of God.

Look at Paul's implication. And again, this is faith. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. That's the message that Paul got from this ordeal. That's the message that this man born blind conveys to us. He was an object, a vehicle to manifest the glory of God most high in his providence.

In terms of the reality of sickness, when you're sick, when you're diseased, when you're afflicted, it's not always the case that it's directly connected to a particular sin. But it may be the case that it is attached or affected by a sin. That's the whole context in James 5. And if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven of him. That's why he calls for the elders of the church. He doesn't call for the doctors, and I'm not saying he never calls for the doctors, but he calls for the elders of the church, because he's got a physical malady, but there might be a spiritual cause, and that's why you would have the elders of the church there as the ministers of God's healing, as the ministers of God's gospel, as the ministers of Christ's blood to the forgiveness of this particular individual.

Sickness and affliction and hardship and distress are a reality in this present evil world. Some of it may be directly connected to your own sin, some of it may not be. But in light of not knowing, always default back to Romans 8.28. We know that God causes all things to work for good, to those who love Him, and to those who are the called according to His purpose.

And then finally, we ought to appreciate the glory of the Savior. He is, in fact, the light of the world. Declaratively, 8-12. Functionally, 9-5. He is that light that gives light, that gives life. In this instance, he gives this man physical sight. In this instance, he gives this man spiritual sight. In this instance, he restores this man to full health. Again, not just physically, but spiritually. And again, the way that the narrative ends with him worshiping This is conversion, this is salvation, this is most blessed and wonderful. Even if the man hadn't been healed physically, he was saved spiritually, and that is enough to give God glory, world without end, amen.

Christ's glory is manifested in the saving of this man and in the demonstration of the works of God most high. If you're not a believer here this morning, this is the Savior. This is the Lord Jesus Christ? Look again at 9.1. Now, as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from birth. Look at 9.35. Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and when he had found him, You see, the God of the Bible is a God who seeks and saves that which is lost. The God of the Bible is the father of the prodigal who falls upon that son, even when he's returning, not in repentance, but simply to throw himself on his father's mercy for three hots and a cot. But the Father goes and falls on him. The Father gives him the ring. The Father gives him the robe. The Father gives him the fatted calf.

Everything in the Bible converges upon this great truth, that all that the Father gives me will come to me. And the one who comes to me, I will certainly not cast out. If you have not come to Jesus, that ought to be what you reflect upon today. Come to Jesus. Believe on Jesus. Look to this one who is in fact the Son of God, who declares the Father, who shines as a light, who's able to save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto God through him.

John says that he wrote these things, these signs, so that you John's gospel is written to you, so that you may believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, and that believing in his name, you may have everlasting life.

Well, let us pray. Our God and our Father, we thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you that he is, in fact, the light of the world. We know and we have been blessed and we have seen with our own eyes, the spiritual eyes that you have given us, that He is Christ the King, Christ the Savior, Christ the Lord, the one who is able to manifest the glory of God Almighty in the saving of sinners.

I pray that Wherever this gospel is preached throughout the earth today, it would run swiftly and be glorified, and that you would save from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and that you would reach down here in your mercy and in your grace and give eyes to see to sinners, that they may lay hold by faith of the Lord Jesus Christ and have everlasting life. And we pray in his most blessed and wonderful name. Amen.

Well, turn with me in your hymn books to number five.