DOUBTING JESUS’ POWER?

NOVEMBER 10, 2013 

FEELING UNCERTAIN (JOHN 9:8-11)

 8 The neighbors therefore, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, "Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?" 9 Others were saying, "This is he," still others were saying, "No, but he is like him." He kept saying, "I am the one." 10 Therefore they were saying to him, "How then were your eyes opened?" 11 He answered, "The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam, and wash'; so I went away and washed, and I received sight."     NASB 

“Those whose eyes are opened, and whose hearts are cleansed by grace, being known to be the same person, but widely different in character, live as monuments to the Redeemer's glory, and recommend his grace to all who desire the same precious salvation. It is good to observe the way and method of God's works, and they will appear the more wonderful. Apply this spiritually. In the work of grace wrought upon the soul we see the change, but we see not the hand that makes it: the way of the Spirit is like that of the wind, which thou hearest the sound of, but canst not tell whence it comes, nor whither it goes.”

Mathew Henry’s Concise Commentary on John 9:8-12 

Verse 8-9:

·        This blind man had sat so long there begging, that he was well known.

·        If he had been the son of a rich man and kept out of sight, he could never have been the instrument of the miracle of the Lord.

·        When we have many miseries from troubles that fall on us, and many people see it, then those miseries may contribute to make Christ's glory more conspicuous.

“Vigorous denial (ouchi) and mere similarity suggested.”

Robertson’s Word Pictures on, "No, but he is like him." in John 9:9 

Verse 10:

·        Here it is acknowledged that this man was blind, and had been so for a long time.

·        This gave the man an opportunity to testify of Jesus.

Verse 11:

·        Christ is the source of all and any good that comes to sinners.

·        Those who are given mercy by the Lord will give Him all the credit for their mercy, and try to take none for themselves.

·        The beggar's answer was simple and honest with no embellishment.

·        He didn't have much light yet, but he was faithful to the light he had.

·        It was the work rather than the person which impressed him and it was the humanity of Christ that he spoke of.

·        He didn't know much about the One who had healed him, but he knew Jesus was the One who had done it. 

“Here are three distinct types of character all seeking for information.

1. The gossip-loving neighbors whose sole desire seems to have been to see or hear some new thing.

2. The prejudiced Pharisees who are bound not to know anything that conflicts with their cherished views.

3. The parents who are afraid that they know too much.

4. The one man who did know something and was not afraid to own it.”

The Biblical Illustrator 

RESISTING THE TRUTH (JOHN 9:13-17)

13 They brought to the Pharisees him who was formerly blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. 15 Again, therefore, the Pharisees also were asking him how he received his sight. And he said to them, "He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see." 16 Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, "This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." But others were saying, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And there was a division among them. 17 They said therefore to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?" And he said, "He is a prophet."     NASB 

Verse 13:

·        They brought the man to the Pharisees possibly because they had more respect for the Pharisees who they knew were vexed with the rising glory of Jesus; not so much as respect for Jesus.

·        The ungodly always be tries to stir up controversy for those who have been blessed by the Lord.

·        Carnal religious leaders will never lack for people that will come to them out of respect for them rather than coming to them to respect the Lord and to glorify Him.

·        When men are engaged in a course of persecution of the Lord and His people, God will often let them have ample opportunity to pursue their course until their cup of iniquity be full.

·        The Pharisees wanted to discredit the miracle as being performed by One sent from God.

Verse 14:

·        Works of necessity and charity and love are consistent with the sanctification of the Sabbath.

·        Christ often did works of charity and love on the Sabbath to confirm this truth.

·        Such works also confirmed the truth of His being the promised Messiah.

Verse 15:

·        It is possible that this question was repeated as a form of intimidation; or to get the man to say something more that they could accuse Jesus.

·        This is a good example of the grace that God gives to individuals in how this poor man stood up to the Pharisees in this debate.

·        His experience with Jesus was so dramatic and so life-changing that he could not be shaken by their opposition.

·        It is very convincing when a person will stand up and say, "Jesus changed my life, and here is how He did it!"

Verse 16:

·        For a time, the Pharisees ceased to think about the man and turned their attention to Jesus.

·        This caused a division among them as to whether Christ was a sinner or not.

·        They were more concerned about keeping the "law" than they were in the One who had come to fulfill the law, so dark was their spiritual understanding.

Verse 17:

·        They did not have consensus among themselves about who Jesus was, so they continued their questioning of the man to get more information that might help them to make up their minds.

·        Though this was far short of the truth concerning Jesus and who He was; this confession was huge, considering his small knowledge at the time. 

REFUSING TO SEE (JOHN 9:35-41)

35 Jesus heard that they had put him out; and finding him, He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"  36 He answered and said, "And who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" 37 Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you."  38 And he said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped Him. 39 And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind."  40 Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things, and said to Him, "We are not blind too, are we?" 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.     NASB 

Verse 35:

·        Those who honor God are honored by Him, for no sooner had the Sanhedrin cast the beggar out than the Saviour sought him out.

·        Persecution may well cause us to find Christ and to be found by Him.

·        There is no one who has tasted of His mercy who has any doubt that He always has His eye on them.

·        He will draw to Himself all who are persecuted and rejected for His name's sake.

Verse 36:

·        He was ready and eager to believe in the Son of man.

·        What a contrast to the Pharisees!

·        While the beggar was before the Pharisees he was bold and unmovable, but in the presence of Jesus Christ he is meek and lowly.

Verse 37:

·        Because the cured man with only a little spiritual knowledge was faithful to live by the knowledge that he had Christ found him and gave him much spiritual knowledge.

·        The cured man knew Him as a great man, even a prophet, but now as the Son of God.

·        Christ plainly declared His deity and revealed Himself more fully to this man than to any other individual, except for the Samaritan woman at the well, and the disciples.

Verse 38:

·        The man's response was instant.

·        He had been seeking the truth.

·        When he found it, he immediately professed faith in Jesus and worshiped Him.

·        Our Lord took this blind man step by step and brought him to His feet where he could say, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped Him.

Verse 39:

·        "Judgment" refers to the salvation that is free to those who believe in Him, and damnation to those who reject Him.

·        He is the true discerner of those who believe as compared to those who merely profess.

·        By this statement, Christ offers comfort to the cured man who had been rejected by the religious Jews of that day who were spiritually blind to His glory. 

John 3:18

"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”     NASB 

Verse 40:

·        Men may have the ability and judgment to understand Christ's teachings, but they lack God's grace to apply it to themselves.

·        Their lack of feeling in misery because of their sins rendered them insensitive to the Mercy that was so near them.

Verse 41:

·        Theirs was the sin against light.

·        They saw the light, but they turned from the light.

·        The received the judgment of darkness because they chose the darkness.

·        Because of their pride and self-sufficiency, because they refused to acknowledge their guilty condition, their sin remained to condemn them.

·        An acknowledged evil condition is something that Christ may heal and pardon.

·        For those who will not confess their sin, Christ will leave them in it that their sin may increase each day.