John 9:18

John 9:18 says, But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.  The Jews refused to believe the man had been blind.  If they couldn't find Jesus to discredit or silence Him, then they would try to discredit the one He had helped.  If people cannot discredit God directly today, they will attempt to discredit His followers.  We should not be surprised when we are called all sort of things by the world.  The followers of Christ have always been attacked, since God cannot be defeated.  Verse nineteen adds, And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see?  The Jews called the parents of the man who had been blind and asked if he were their son who had been blind.  We should not be surprised if people ask others about us when we profess salvation through Christ.  They may be attempting to prove that nothing really happened to make a change in our life.  If this were not the man who had been blind, then either Jesus or he was a liar.  Verse twenty continues, His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:  The parents said that this was their son, which only served to validate the miracle.  When people attempt to discredit God, often all they can really accomplish is to validate His power. Verse twenty-one states, But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.  The parents said they did not know how he had been given his sight.  Just as we cannot be saved by our parents' relationship to Christ, neither can they be saved by ours.  Until an individual meets and accepts Christ as their Savior, they cannot understand the work of Christ to bring salvation.  Verse twenty-two adds, These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.  The parents feared the Jewish leaders because they had said anyone confessing that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.  Since the synagogue was the center of most worship and the Jews were His chosen people, that would be like putting someone out of the church today because they believed in Jesus as their Savior.  The parents again said go ask him.  Even if the once blind man were banned from the synagogue, he would still be able to see.  As followers of Christ, it doesn't matter if we are banned from every church and organization in the world, if we are His disciples, we can never have salvation taken from us.  Verse twenty-three continues, Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him. The parents said that the man was of age, so they should ask him.  If people want to know about our salvation, they should ask us.  No one else can really tell them how we were saved. 

John 9:12

John 9:12 says, Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.  Verse thirteen adds, They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.  When the man who was blind said he didn't know where Jesus was, the people brought him to the Pharisees.  As Christians, if we are asked where Jesus is, we should be ready to point the lost to Him.  The man had received his sight, but he then lost sight of Jesus.  As His followers, we must never lose sight of Him.  Verse fourteen continues, And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.  The man told them how he had received his sight because of what Jesus did on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were once again more concerned with the fact that this happened on the Sabbath than they were that the man could see.  Again, we need to do the will of God every day, even on the Sabbath, or for us Sunday. Following Christ is a relationship, not just rules and regulations.  Verse fifteen states, Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.   Then Pharisees asked the man what was done to restore his sight, and he told them that Jesus had put clay on his eyes and when he washed it off, he could see.  The miracle either had to come from Jesus or the clay.   Today, when someone is miraculously healed, most people would choose the clay as the answer.  Verse sixteen adds, Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.  They said Jesus was not of God because He didn't keep the Sabbath.  They were still missing the important fact, and that was that Jesus healed the man of life-long blindness.  When people are healed today by someone acting in God's name, we need to concentrate on the healing, not when or how it was done.  We also have to be careful that we know God is being glorified, and not the person acting for Him.  We cannot dictate God's miracles, so to say that we can heal just anyone is not what God teaches.  Some of the Pharisees asked the question of how a sinner could do such miracles, so once again there was a division amongst the religious leaders.  Today, there are at times divisions amongst the religious leaders over what Jesus through the Holy Spirit can do, but if this is true, it is because they have lost sight of Jesus.  Verse seventeen continues, They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet. The man did not truly recognize Who Jesus was, or if he did, he didn't say, yet he was healed. When asked, he said Jesus was a prophet. God today heals people without them acknowledging Who He really is.  We can never say that someone who is miraculously healed is a follower of Christ, nor can we say that those who aren't healed are not followers.  When we have a true relationship with Christ, it is about the everlasting life, not the temporary of this world. 

John 9:8

John 9:8 says, The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?  The neighbors of the man who had been blind asked if he were not the one who sat and begged.  Though this was a physical change, when we accept Christ as our Savior there should be a change in us.  People, especially non-believers, should know that there is something different about us.  We cannot behave like the lost people of the world and expect them to be drawn to Christ.  Verse nine adds, Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.  Some said it was the man and some said it wasn't.  They were his neighbors, but to acknowledge that he was the man they knew who had been blind meant acknowledging a miracle, and some evidently didn't want to do that.  Today, some people will look for any explanation for a miraculous healing except the work of God. The man said it was him.  Verse ten continues, Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?  They asked him how his eyes were opened.  We as followers of Christ need the world to ask us that question today, but in reference to our spiritual sight.  When our eyes are spiritually opened, if someone asks us how this happened, we should be ready and able to tell them.  Verse eleven concludes, He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.  He told them that the Man called Jesus had anointed his eyes and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam.  He did as Jesus said and his sight was restored.  Nothing elaborate or too difficult occurred.  When people today ask about salvation, it is nothing elaborate or difficult.  We simply respond to the call of God to come to Him through faith in Christ.  When we do, our spiritual sight is restored.  We should never go back to seeing the world as we did before.  We should always remember that this Man called Jesus made us whole, and that as His disciples our main purpose is to proclaim Him to the world. 

John 9:1

 

John 9:1 says, And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.  We have the record of Jesus healing the blind man.  We are told that Jesus saw him as He passed by.  Jesus is always aware of our problems.   The man was blind from birth.  Verse two adds, And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?  The disciples asked Jesus if it was because of the man's sins or his parents' sins.  How often today do people see someone suffering and think it is because they have committed some sin.   At times, if a Christian sees another Christian struggling or suffering, it is believed that Christian must be guilty of some sin. Verse three continues, Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. Jesus said that neither the man nor his parents had sinned, but he was blind so the works of God could be manifest in him.  Not all suffering is the result of an individual's sin, but when God relieves someone of that suffering, He will be made manifest. Of course, if we are the one suffering we may not feel this way.  Verse four concludes, I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. Jesus said that He must work the works of the One Who sent Him while was still day, because the night was coming when no man could work.  Today, we might say with all our artificial light that we can work in the darkness of night, but Jesus was speaking of a spiritual darkness.  We cannot do the works of God in spiritual darkness. Matthew Henry also equates the coming darkness with our own mortality.  We must work while we have life and opportunity.  Verse five says, As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.  Jesus again stated as long as He was in the world, He was the light of the world, but His time was growing short.  Verse six adds, When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.  Jesus spit on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes. Jesus did not need clay to anoint the man's eyes to heal him but did this to see if the man would allow Him to heal him, no matter the method.  How many of us would have allowed a stranger to put this paste on our eyes.  We must never feel that anything that God asks us to do is beneath us. Verse seven continues, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.  Jesus told the man to go wash in pool of Siloam, which we are told by interpretation is Sent.  The man had to have faith to allow Jesus to put the mixture on his eyes and to go and wash them where Jesus told him to go. We must have faith that Jesus will redeem us of our sins and then go in obedience to Him wherever He sends us.  The man returned seeing, and we will go forth seeing spiritually when we obey God.  When a miracle occurs, people, even non-believers, become curious.