The Church of Eleven22 - Lent Devo Episode 30: Man Born Blind

Episode Date: April 4, 2020

John 9

What is it mean? The church of 1122 is a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. Welcome to our Lent podcast. Hey, everybody. I'm Adam Flint, one of the pastors here at 1122. Hope you are doing great. Whether you're driving or out for a run, working out, whatever it is, we're glad to have you on the podcast. there is a true, correct, valid reason for how everything that happened in the Bible actually happened. Now, some of the howls we can understand and some of the hows we have no idea and can't

understand. But there's actually a more important question that we need to be asking when we're reading the Bible than just, well, how did that happen? So in John chapter 9, John records this episode. And here's how he starts. He says, as he passed by, talking about Jesus, he saw a man blind from birth. And as his disciples asked him, rabbi, who sinned this man or his parents that he was born blind? Now, Jesus answered, and he said, it was not this man that sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. Now, we must work the works of him. sent me while it is still day. Night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with

the saliva. And then he anointed. Now, I've heard people use the term anointed for a bunch of things, but making mud out of spit, I've never heard it. So then he anointed the man's eyes. with the mud and he said to him, go wash in the pool of Seloam, which means scent. So he went and he washed and he came back seeing. Now, as the story kind of gets set up, Jesus tells us the reason why the man is blind. I mean, they ask him, right?

And they assume he's done something or his parents have done something. And Jesus says, listen, it's not his fault. It's not his parents' fault. It's God. God caused this man to be born blind that God might display his works in this man. Now, that causes a serious amount of tension in us, doesn't it? I mean, so often in my life, I am so concerned about my comfort. But God's concerned about something that's a whole lot greater than my comfort.

He's really mostly concerned with his glory. And nothing is greater than the glory of God. And if there was something that was greater than the glory of God, well, then God would just be most concerned about that. And what God is most concerned about becomes the most important thing. And so whatever God is most concerned about, that's the glory of God. And the glory of God is the greatest thing for God to be concerned with. more than my comfort, more than all my understanding, more than all my howls, God is concerned with His glory because it is the greatest thing there is. So then verse 8 it says,

The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, is this not the man who used to sit and beg? Some said, it's he. Others said no, but he's like him. And he kept saying, I am the man. And so they said to him, well, then how? How were your eyes opened? And he answered, the man called Jesus, made mud, and then anointed my eyes and said to me, go to Salome and wash. So I went and washed and received my sight.

And they said to him, where is he? And he said, I don't know. And so these neighbors, his friends, his community, his family, people that are closest to them, come to him and they ask, how? Like, how did the healing happen? How is this thing possible? And his answer? The man, Jesus. They're asking how, and he's replying with who.

So then in verse 13, they brought the Pharisees to the man who had formerly been. blind. Now, it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, he put mud on my eyes and washed and I see. Now, some of the Pharisees said, this man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath. But others said, how? How can a man who is a sinner do such signs? And there was division of among them. So they said again to the blind man, what do you say about him since he has opened your eyes? And he said, he is a prophet. So his neighbors ask how, and he replies who. And now the Pharisees, the religious leaders, ask how? Like, how can a blind man get his sight? How did this miracle happen?

And his answer, he is a prophet. They're asking how, And he wants to answer the question, who? So then in verse 18, the Jews did not believe that he had been born blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight. And they asked him, is your son, is this your son who you say was born blind? How then does he now see? His parents answered, we know that this is our son and that he was. was born blind. But how he sees, we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him.

He's of age. He'll speak for himself. Now, his parents said these things because they feared the Jews for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be the Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said, ask, he's of age, ask him. So for the second time, they called the man who had been born blind and said, give glory to God. We know this man is a sinner. And he answered, whether he's a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know that, though I was blind, now I see. And they said to him, what did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? And he answered them, I've told you already and you would not listen. So first the neighbors ask how and then the religious leaders ask how and now sort of the religious

followers start asking how and his answer is I don't know how but I do know that I was blind and now I see. I know who did this for me. I might not even know a lot about what he is or what he stands for all that but what I do know is he healed me. They ask how, and he answers with a who. And then in verse 27, he finishes by saying this to them. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become one of his disciples? I love this.

I love how he takes the confrontation and turns it into an invitation. Like, despite not having all the facts or knowing all the explanation or having all the information, he's inviting them. Now, it may be a little tongue in cheek, or maybe sarcasm that's kind of all down in there, whatever. But the fact of the matter is, he's inviting them. He's inviting them to put their faith in who more than how. And so they're going to start to argue with them in a minute.

But for just a second, the question that I want to ask is, is there somebody that you're in the middle of a confrontation with, that you need to turn that from confrontation to an invitation to Jesus. That could they be trying to ask questions or this confrontation could be around events or hows or what, and you could turn that and point them to a who, that you could point them to Jesus. So then in verse 34, it says, and they cast him out, and Jesus heard that they had cast him out. And having found him, I love that, that Jesus finds him, Jesus said to him, You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you. And he said, Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him.

So my question for you is, do you believe in the son of man, Jesus? Is your trust in your understanding of how God can do what he does, or is your trust in who Jesus is? Do you believe Jesus is who He said He is? God in the flesh, creator, redeemer, sustainer, and will you believe in Jesus? Will you worship Jesus? Will you glorify Jesus? And when the enemy whispers that your faith is invalid because you don't know all the answers to the hows,

you answer with, yeah, but I know who and he knows me. will you put your trust in Jesus who is the answer to the who? Thanks for listening. Our prayer is that this podcast will help you deepen your relationship with Jesus. For more resources, go to C-O-E-22.com forward slash lent.