I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

Sermon Notes, March 26, 2017

            Pastor Garry’s sermon was titled “I Can See Clearly Now,” and was based on  John 9, the story of the man who was blind from birth that Jesus healed by making mud and anointing his eyes, then asking him to wash in the Pool of Siloam.  First we’ll take a look at four different reactions that the people in this story had toward Jesus. 

In verses 8-12 we see the reaction of the man’s neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging.  They asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”  They were surprised and skeptical.  This is merely a natural human response.  The man’s neighbors were shocked to see him, yet they were skeptical that it was even the same man.

The Pharisees’ reaction to Jesus in this story was one of disbelief and prejudice. (Verses 16-18)  There’s not much to say about the Pharisees’ disbelief; throughout the gospels we read about how the Pharisees and the Sadducees just didn’t quite know what to do with Jesus.  The only thing that they could think to do was to try and catch Him in blasphemy.  In this case, they are so caught up in upholding the law that they missed the miracle that happened.

This leads us to the man’s parents.  They believed, but allowed their fear to overshadow their belief. (Verses 19-23)  If there’s a crime committed in this story it is right here.  They allowed their fear to rule them.  How many times have we seen this in our lives?  Instead of standing up for what we know is right and true, we keep quiet for fear of getting in trouble or being offensive.  Or, losing our protection and livelihood.

Finally, we have one more character in this story to look at, and that is the man himself, the healed blind man.  In verse 17, the Pharisees asked him “What do you have to say about the man who healed you?” He replied, “He is a prophet.”  In verses 24-34, his new faith was tested by the authorities, and as a result he was kicked out of the Synagogue.  When the Pharisees called him back for more questioning, we see the man’s faith deepen as he comes to the conclusion that, “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”  Through all the questioning, through his observing how those around him reacted to Jesus, the man was able to reach a clear understanding of the One who had healed him.

But wait, there’s more.  The story doesn’t end there.  After the man is thrown out, we get to the meat of this story.  In verses 35-41, we see that the man didn’t just gain his sight physically.  He gained spiritual sight as well.  In verse 17 he recognized Jesus as a prophet, and in verse 38 he recognized Jesus as Lord.

I love the fact that Jesus used natural materials to heal the man.  After all, He did create man from natural materials.  So the fact that Jesus used saliva and dirt to heal the man makes sense.  Can you imagine what must have been going through the man’s head as Jesus produced sanctified spit to make mud?  This must have unsettled him a bit, but he didn’t try to get away or to fight Jesus.  He simply sat there and allowed Jesus to heal him. 

The Pharisees were flabbergasted that Jesus would have the audacity to call them spiritually blind.  Jesus informed them that spiritual blindness was the only excuse they had for their behavior.

So what causes spiritual blindness?  At the beginning of this chapter the disciples ask Jesus a very important question.  When they came upon the man who was born blind, they asked, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  It’s important to understand that in the Jewish culture, calamity and suffering were often thought of as being linked to one’s sin.  That is why the disciples asked this question.  But when we are speaking of spiritual blindness, one of the main causes is sin.  When we allow sin to enter into our lives, we become spiritually blind.  We cannot see, or understand, the works of God in our lives and in the lives of those around us.  When we become spiritually blind, we give in to complacency and selfishness.  And when we are confronted with our sins, we react poorly.  In fact our reactions to Jesus and the light that He gives us resembles that of the neighbors, the parents, and the Pharisees in our story,

I don’t know where each of you are today.  I could assume that everyone here sees clearly when it comes to spiritual matters, but that would be me putting on spiritual blinders to what is going on around me.  But I do know this to be true:  The sooner that you recognize and release your sin to God, the sooner you will have spiritual sight.  When we recognize how our sin spiritually blinds us from knowing the Truth, God will give us spiritual sight.  And He will reject those who cling to their sin, settling for complacency, self-satisfaction and spiritual blindness.