From Darkness to Light

John 9:28-41

 

INTRO: “From darkness to light,” this is the story of the man born blind. 

First, he experienced physical sight; he went from the world of physical darkness to the world of physical light.  How wonderful it must have been for this man to be able to see and experience the things that most of us take for granted.

Secondly, and most importantly, he experienced spiritual sight.  The blind man went “from darkness to light” spiritually.  He went from death to life (Jn 5:24).  This man experienced that which is most important; he experienced the new birth.  “From darkness to light”– this is the message that Christ gave Paul to preach, and this is the message every man of God is to proclaim.  Jesus can deliver man from darkness from the power of Satan to light (Acts 26:18).

 

I.        VSS 28-34, REVILED AND EXPELLED

A.       Vs 28, Because of his bold testimony concerning what Christ had done for him, the Pharisees “reviled” the blind man.

1. “Revile” is the Greek word loidoreo.  It means “to reproach, rail at, revile, heap abuse upon.”

2. This man had not declared himself to be a disciples of Jesus, at least not formally.  Yet, the Pharisees knew there was something different about him.

a. Not only had he received his sight, he had been changed.  He was different.  Oh, what a difference when Jesus passes by.

b. What the Pharisees thought to be the greatest insult that they could give to this man was actually the highest honor: to be called a disciple of Christ.

c. This man had no cross around his neck on a gold chain.  He had no lapel pin proclaiming Jesus first.  It was not these things that they saw: they saw a man who had been changed.

3. “We are Moses disciples.”  How empty those words are.  If they had been true disciples of Moses, they would have believed on Jesus (Jn 5:46).

a. They were religious, but lost.  They claimed light, but they were in darkness.

b. Many people today claim to be Baptists, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc., but they do not know Jesus.  Friends, heed the words of John the Baptist and “flee the wrath to come.”

B.       Vs 29, They go from reviling the blind man now healed to reviling the Lord Jesus.

1. To these Pharisees, Moses “stood next to God.  God had spoken to Moses” (Phillips 189).

2. Jesus was looked upon with scorn by the Pharisees.

a. Jesus claimed to be sent from God.  They denied Him.

b. Jesus came from heaven “to seek and to saved.”  This they also deny and because of this, “they were far more blind spiritually than the man standing before them had ever been physically” (Phillips 189).

C.      Vs 30, This man grabs the words of the Pharisees and uses them to get at them.

1. These who know it all did not know at all where Jesus came from.

2. There are two marvelous things in this verse:

a. The wonder of the miracle.

b. The wonder of the one who had performed it.

3. How could the Pharisees fail to see that such a miracle worker could only come from one place and that place is heaven.

4. Just as they failed to receive the one who had opened physically blind eyes, many today fail to receive the one who opens spiritually blind eyes.

D.      Vs 31, One of the pet doctrines of the Pharisees was that God does not hear sinners.

1. The blind man uses simple logic in what he says.  They religious leaders had called Jesus a sinner.  The blind man  knew what Jesus had done for him and uses the scriptures to pour salt into the wounds of these Pharisees.

2. Prov 15:29; Psalm 34:15.

E.       Vs 32, The blind man now healed knew that the scriptures that the Pharisees reverenced recorded no such miracle as this.  Memory, history, and experience could not call forth such a miracle.  Not even Moses had done such a miracle.

1. This was the only case of a congenitally blind man being healed.

2. The healing of the blind man is a tribute to the nature of Christ.  God hears not sinners, but He heard Christ.

3. What Christ did for me, no man could do: no church, no baptismal water.  It took Jesus.

F.       Vs 33, The blind man now healed is convinced that Jesus is no ordinary man.

1. Note the progress of this man’s growing knowledge of the things of God.

a. Vs 11, The man who healed him is “a man that is called Jesus.”

b. Vs 17, The man declares Him to be “a prophet,” a spokesman of God.

c. Vs 33, He says without fear of the Jews that Jesus is a man sent from God.  They said they didn’t know where He came from, but this man knew.  He is convinced that Jesus came from heaven.

2. Friend, I hope that you will be convinced today (Jn 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His...). 

a. He is convinced that Jesus is not a sinner, “but the recipient of God’s favor in a very high degree” (Hendriksen 91).

b. He is also convinced that Jesus is:

1- A man of God.

2- A man God heard.

3- A man who worshiped God.

4- A man who cam “from God.”

G.      Vs 34, The rage of the Pharisees is evident.  They are incensed that a beggar could so answer them.

1. “Thou wast altogether born in sins.”

a. An unlearned man marked as a sinner from birth has taken to teaching the learned.

b. A nobody is teaching the somebodies.

2. “Dost thou teach us.”  The man’s teaching was authoritive because it was Bible, and this annoyed them.  Often we have our differences with people, and it is well that it should be so.  But the moment insult and abuse and threat enter into an argument, it ceases to be an argument and becomes a contest in bitterness.  If we become angry and resort to wild words and hot threats, all we prove is that our case is disturbingly weak (Barclay 57).

3. “They cast him out.”

a. They excluded him from social and religious life of the synagogue.  No one would employ him; his family would disown him.  “They cast him out of the temple, the Lord of the temple found him” (Chryses   ).

b. He was now a spiritual leper; one to be avoided.

c. He was cast out of the building and out of the religious association of Israel.  He stood for Jesus, not the system, and was cast out.

 

II.       VSS 35-38, JESUS WORSHIPED AS THE SON OF GOD

A.       Vs 35, Notice that it is Jesus who went looking for this man.  We do not seek God; He seeks after us.  Jesus sought him and found him.

1. Having found the man, Jesus says, “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?”

a. Believe– rely on entirely, trust for life and death.

b. To believe is to be a true disciple.

2. The question for you today is do you “believe on the Son of God?” (Acts 16:31).

B.       Vs 36, This man sees the need and feels the need of knowing the Messiah, the Son of God.

1. This is the need of man: to see the need of Christ.

2. This man wants to come to know fully the Son of God.  Do you?

C.      Vs 37, Jesus reveals Himself to the man as the Messiah, the Son of God.  Can you imagine the man’s expression, the look in his eyes, the smile on his face.  The voice that had said, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam,” is the voice he now hears and recognizes.

D.      Vs 38, Recognizing Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, the man falls to his knees and worships Jesus.

1. The Greek word for worship is proskuneo which means to fall upon ones knees in reverence and worship.

2. This man realizing who Jesus was believes and worship the Lord.