One of my favorite accounts of healing in the scriptures is found in John chapter 9. In this chapter we see Jesus healing the man who was born blind. It is one of my favorites, not because of the scale or the scope of the healing, but rather because of what it teaches us.
Jesus’ words regarding the blind man are very potent, and we often read passed them quickly to get to the healing itself, without absorbing and meditating on what He said. By doing this though, we miss something very critical to our understanding about God and the gift of healing that He gives. I’m excited to share this with you today. Let’s get started.
The Man Born Blind
As we begin, let’s read the account of the man born blind, in John 9:1-7:
“ 1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night comes, when no man can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6 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,
7 And said to him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.”
There are several fascinating details in this story for us to see. We notice in verse 1 that the man in question was born blind; the man was blind from birth and was never able to see. Jesus saw the man. It’s amazing when we notice the seemingly small details in the scripture that can lead to new revelations His grace. Even when we are blind, and can’t see Jesus, He still sees us.
In the next verse we can see the disciples ask a rather thoughtless question. It’s amusing when we think about it, and it’s also instructive. Notice what the disciples ask Jesus here:
Who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
At a glance, this question might seem like a normal thing to ask, it may even be one that we ask ourselves. Yet as we give this question some thought, we can begin to see its flaws.
The disciples ask, “who sinned, the man or his parents, that he was born blind?” The implication is that the blindness of this man is due to some sin which was previously committed. To be fair, this is often the same kind of thinking that we see today as well. When someone is sick, or experiencing hardship, the default response of many Christians is to immediately question about sin.
Upon closer inspection, the disciples’ question doesn’t make logical sense, as it would be impossible for the man to have been born blind due to his personal sin, since that would require him to sin before his birth! This kind of thinking demonstrates how easy it is to miss the full picture when we focus on our sin.
Who Was Truly Blind?
What we can see in these verses, however, is that Jesus has a completely different view; He sees something else. Rather than focusing on sin, Jesus focuses on the works of God, and the resulting healing which would occur. We should stop and meditate on this, since it represents a fundamental shift in the typical perspective.
While this man was physically blind and unable to see, the disciples demonstrated a spiritual blindness that prevented them from seeing Jesus’ perspective. Our Lord says here that neither this man, nor his parents sinned that he was born blind. That revelation may be surprising to many of us today.
Instead, Jesus says rather that the works of God would be made manifest in him. And again, this is something that we should take time to properly meditate on.
Jesus clearly says here that it’s not about a person’s sin, (ἁμαρτάνω hamartanō) not about their sinful actions. Rather we should be looking at the healing and regenerative actions of God.
In verse 4, Jesus says I must do the works of him who sent me while it is day. What this tells us is that it is the will and work of God the Father to heal and restore people. It’s essential that we understand this fact, because it runs contrary to our typical thinking about God.
You see, we also have a form of spiritual blindness. We think of God as someone who is more interested in judging than helping… but the ultimate judgement is to separate and to release. To judge based unbiased on the sacrifice of Christ and those who put their trust in Him. There is no fear in that place. Instead there is salvation, safety, and redemption.
The Day and the Night
In the second half of the verse, we see that Jesus says that He must do the work while it is day: night is coming when no-one can work. This is a line that can be somewhat confusing. We must resist the urge to read this verse in isolation, and connect it with what Jesus says next: As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
This is vital to our understanding of what Jesus meant about the day and the night. Jesus is the bright and morning star (2nd Peter 1:19). Jesus is the light that that brings true illumination (John 1:4, 5, 9), and without Him everyone remains in darkness.
Here’s the takeaway from all of this. Jesus is the light. He is the one who brings clarity and illumination, and He is the one who performs the works of God.
Now, it’s logical to conclude that the “night” is when Jesus ascended into heaven, and now none of these good things happen anymore. Yet, this idea fails to consider a few key points:
We still have the light of Jesus with us today, and people are continuing to be illuminated by His light even now.
In Matthew 5:14, Jesus says that you are the light of the world, also. As reborn new creations in Christ, we are filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19) and made complete in Him (Colossians 2:10).
We are the body of Christ in the world today (1st Corinthians 12:27), and as such we are the ones who bring His light, and the will and work of the Father to the world today (Philippians 2:13).
Complete Union With Christ
There is no separation between you and Christ today… no view blocks your access, and no stumbling block to get in your way. You are a member of Christ, including His flesh and bone according to Ephesians 5:30.
When Jesus was answering His disciples about the man born blind, He spoke of the works of of God being made manifest in him. These words had manifold meaning — not only were they speaking of the physical healing of the blind man’s eyes, but also of the day when the Holy Spirit of God would indwell us and produce fruit… the ultimate manifestation of the works of God.
Let these truths encourage and strengthen you today. The time of complete manifestation is now. Jesus has completed the work, the Holy Spirit has been given, and we are in complete union with Christ.
It’s time for the works of God to be manifested in you.
Be blessed.