John 9:1-11 JESUS: THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
Intro: As a boy Robert Louis Stevenson was intrigued by the work of the
old lamplighter who went about with a ladder and a torch, setting the street lights ablaze
for the night. One evening in Edinburgh, Scotland, as young Robert stood watching with
childish fascination, his parents heard him exclaim, "Look, look! There is a man out
there punching holes in the darkness!"
With one statement of childish wonder, Robert Louis Stevenson summed up
the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus came into this world and accomplished many great
and miraculous wonders, yet His primary purpose was to punch great gaping holes in the
spiritual darkness that shrouded this world. He came to be The Light Of The World, v. 5.
In this passage detailing the healing and salvation of a poor, blind man
is shining brightly. While we have the opportunity today,
let's take some time and look at Jesus: The Light Of The World. If you find that your are
in darkness this morning, I am here to tell you that Jesus can and will lead you into the
light if you will respond to Him call and come to Him by faith. Notice three great truths
from this passage that reveal Jesus as The Light Of The World.
I. V. 1-10 THE MISERY OF THE SIGHTLESS MAN
A. V. 1 His Blindness - This man, according to
the Scripture was born blind. To my way of thinking, this would be one of the most
horrible of physical handicaps. To never se a sunset, the face of a child, the face of a
loved one would be a terrible thing. Yet, this man had lived his entire life in this state
of darkness.
(Ill. May I say that there is a blindness that is far worse than having
sightless eyes? It is far worse to be in spiritual darkness. And, that is the place where
the entire world, apart from Jesus, finds itself - 2 Cor. 4:4. If you have never received
Jesus as your Savior, you are in deep spiritual darkness this morning. However, there is
hope for you!)
B. V. 2-3 His Birth - The Scriptures seem to
indicate that this man was born not only handicapped, but also in poverty. His birth seems
to be a thing of terrible misfortune. Many would say that he would have been better off if
he had never been born. However, we find that Jesus felt otherwise. He tells the Disciples
that this man's handicap was allowed by God so that God could get glory from this man's
life.
(Ill. What a wonderful truth! Men need to realize that God can take any
life regardless of how that life has been ruined by sin, save it by His grace and turn it
into a thing of endless blessing and joy! After all, man's purpose is to fellowship with
and to glorify God - Isa. 43:7. Jesus specializes in salvaging old, wasted lives - 2 Cor.
5:17.)
B. V. 8 His Begging - This man was unable to
find employment and as a result he was reduced to begging for what food and money he
received. This is a pitiful state in which to be. This was no rich man, it would even
appear that his parents were not all that interested in his well being - v. 20-22. This is
a picture of absolute poverty.
(Ill. This is the same situation every lost sinner finds himself/herself
in today. Spiritually speaking, apart from Jesus, you are hopelessly bankrupt and have no
way of providing the things you need on a spiritual level. Oh, men try to satisfy the
spiritual itch that resides in their soul. They seek to do this through drugs, alcohol,
illicit sex, etc. However, these are only forms of begging. True spiritual peace will be
found nowhere else but in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He endured poverty that you
and I might be made rich in Him, 2 Cor. 8:9. Jesus endured great spiritual, as well as
physical poverty, so that you and I might enjoy the richest of the Lord's great spiritual
blessings. (I.e. Salvation. Eternal life, Heaven, Holy Spirit, Adoption, etc.)
I. The Misery Of A Sightless Man
II. V. 11-38 THE MINISTRY OF A SOVEREIGN MASTER
A. He Was Exposed To The Light - When Jesus
passed by, this man's life was forever changed. Jesus, first, healed him of his physical
handicap. (Ill. The anointing of the eyes with the clay and the spittle would have caused
irritation to the eyes. When Jesus comes to the sinner in convicting power, He causes
irritation of the heart and the soul. Do not despise this! For, it is the only way anyone
can ever be saved, John 6:44. When the man went to Siloam and washed his eyes, he was
healed of his blindness. Notice that when the people asked him what had happened, he never
mentioned the spittle, v. 11. Why not? Simply because he had not seen it take place! He
was blind! There is a lesson here for us. There are times when God is working in our lives
to try and bring us to Himself. Often, we cannot see the Lord's work, and even after we
are saved, we may never realize all the little things God did to bring us to the place of
salvation.)
After Jesus exposed the man to the physical light, he began to lead him
through a series of events that brought him face to face with who Jesus really is. Being
able to see with these physical eyes is never enough. We must also come to the place where
are able to see spiritual truth. That is what Jesus did here. Notice the progression this
man went through as the light began to dawn in him life.
1. V. 10-12 A Man Who Is Called Jesus - When the
people asked this man who had healed him, all he knew was that it was some fellow named
Jesus. It could have been any a thousand men, just some guy named Jesus.
(Ill. This is where some are today. All they know is that Christians get
all excited about some fellow named Jesus. But, just knowing a little about Jesus, or
being able to speak His name is not enough to save you. Because if you do not know Him any
better than this, then you do not know Him at all! If that is the case, then you will be
unable to help others find Him also, v. 12.)
(Ill. This is very limited knowledge, but it is the first step one the
road to salvation.)
2. V. 13-17 He Is A Prophet - When the Pharisees
heard of the miracle, they called the blind man to them and tried to get to the bottom of
the thing. Some of them were upset that Jesus had done this miracle on the Sabbath day.
They concluded that if He would do something considered to be work on the Sabbath, then he
must be a sinner. They asked the fellow that had been blind and he said that Jesus was
"a Prophet." In other words, "He is a man to be listened to." This man
had listened to Jesus once and that obedience had resulted in his healing. Therefore, he
concludes that Jesus is worthy of being listened to.
(Ill. There are many who have received this much light today. Their
opinion of Jesus is that He is a wise man, a great teacher, a "way-shower".
However, before salvation will ever shine the glory of its power deep in your soul, you
are going to have to realize that He is far more than One showing the way. You are going
to have to come to the place where you see Him as "the Way, the Truth and the
Life!", or you will never be saved!)
3. V. 18-33 He Is A Man Of God - Through a
series of questions by the Pharisees and some pretty good preaching on the part of this
man, he arises at the conclusion that Jesus is a man of God. That is, He is a man to be
followed. He even asks the Pharisees if they would like to follow Him also. He has come to
believe that Jesus is a great man, One who is working and speaking for God.
(Ill. He is right, but he isn't going quiet far enough! Lost people have
to get past Jesus the man and realize that He is also God! He wasn't just a man of God, He
was the God-man, John 1:1; 14. An ordinary man could never have provided salvation to
sinners. It took One who was both God and man at the same time to pay the eternal price
for our sins and forever set us free from the penalty that was hanging over our heads. You
must come to the place where you are willing to accept Him s God, or you will never be
saved. He is more than a teacher, a preacher, a prophet, a miracle worker, or some poor
guy who got himself hanged on a cross. He was, and is, God in human flesh!)
4. V. 34-38 He Is The Son Of God - Finally,
Jesus comes to the man personally and when He does, He reveals His true identity to this
man. At this point, the man confesses Jesus to be the Son of God and is gloriously saved.
This man had progressed from seeing Jesus as one among many, or one to be listened to, or
one to be followed. He now sees Jesus as one who is worthy of faith and worship. He sees
Him for who He truly is!
(Ill. This is the conclusion men must arrive at before they can ever be
saved! Either He is the Son of God as He said, or He is not worthy of our worship and our
faith. If He is not the Son of God, then you and I are headed for Hell this morning. If He
is not who the Bible proclaims Him to be then of all men, we are most miserable, 1 Cor.
15:19. This fellow's progression lead him from seeing Jesus as "A Good Man", to
seeing Him as "The God Man." This is the place where we all have to get to if we
ever expect to be saved. Have you reached that place this morning?)
B. V. 34 He Was Expelled By The Leaders - When
this man refused to bow to the pressure from the religious leaders, he was cast out of
their synagogue. To us, this may not seem like a big thing, but to the Jews, it was
devastating. However, this man had probably been black balled by religion for a long time
anyway due to his handicap. Since he wasn't used to their form of worship, it probably
wasn't such a big thing to him.
(Ill. From my way of thinking, it was the best thing that could have
ever happened to him. You see, religion has a way of indoctrinating men to a certain way
of thinking and often religious people cannot see Christ for their creeds. In fact,
religion apart from salvation is a dead thing! It will take you nowhere but to Hell!
Therefore, it may have been in this man's best interests that he was cast out by these
leaders.)
(Ill. The story is told about a man who claimed that he "got
religion." An old crony who knew about his shameful past heard the news, called him
on the phone, and said, "Joe, they tell me you've got religion." "I sure
have," came the reply. His friend responded, "Then I suppose you'll be going to
church every Sunday." "That's right," Joe affirmed, "I started 5 weeks
ago and haven't missed a service since." "And I suppose you're going to quit
smoking and drinking." "Already have," Joe replied. "In fact, I
haven't smoked a cigarette or touched a drop of liquor since." His friend paused for
a moment. Finally, remembering how much money Joe owed him, he said with an intended jab,
"I suppose too, now that you've got religion, you're going to pay up all your old
debts." At that point Joe exploded and exclaimed, "Now wait a minute! That's not
religion you're talking about; that's business!" This is always the problem with
religion it may change the outside, but it can never cure the problem of the heart.)
(Ill. Religion has a way of smothering Jesus. A young married couple
decided to hold a christening party on the night before their baby's baptism at church.
When the guests arrived, the infant was laid on the guest-room bed. A few guests came into
the room, and, not noticing the baby, flung their coats upon the bed. Soon the infant had
been completely covered by heavy coats. The next morning, the newspaper told the tragic
account of the baby that had been smothered to death at his own christening party.
Is this what we have done? Have we covered the Baby with our religious
trappings and distracting political issues? Have we forgotten our main purpose--to spread
the glorious message of salvation in Jesus Christ? Have we smothered the Baby in the midst
of his own Church?)
(Ill. Never think for one minute that your religious activity is going
to get you into Heaven or into a right relationship with God. Salvation is always
accomplished by faith and never by the works of the flesh - Eph. 2:8-9; Gal. 2:16. The
only thing that saves is faith in Jesus! (Ill. Abraham - Romans 4:22) Acts 16:31.
C. V. 25 He Was Excited About His Life - This
man was not theologian, but he knew what had happened to him personally! He couldn't
explain what had happened, but he knew that he had met someone who had the power to make
an eternal difference in his life. When he looked at where he had been and what Jesus had
done in his life, he was more than a little excited!
(Ill. This is true in the life of every child of God. You may not shout
like a Comanche Indian. You may not lap the church like an Indy racer, but if you are
saved by the grace of God, you will know it and you will never get over it! I believe that
the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ is something to get excited about, don't you?)
I. The Misery Of A Sightless Man
II. The Ministry Of A Sovereign Master
III. THE MESSAGE OF A SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE
A. V. 5 Jesus Is A Shining Light - When He
walked upon this earth, Jesus was in the business of delivering men from darkness. May I
say that He is still doing that today? If you have never been saved, you can come to Jesus
today and He will bring you out of the darkness and the bondage in which you find
yourself. He is still a Shining Light and a Savior to all who will come to Him - Matt.
11:28; Rev. 22:17.
B. V. 35 Jesus Is A Seeking Light - After this
man had been cast out by the Jews, Jesus went looking for Him. This is why He came - Luke
19:10. It may the case with you that religion wouldn't have you, many churches wouldn't
want to be around you and most people wouldn't have anything to do with you, but let me
tell you that Jesus Christ loves you just like you are and will save you by His grace if
you will only come to Him by faith and ask Him. (Ill. He is still seeking souls to save
this morning!)
C. V. 38 Jesus Is A Saving Light - When this man
bowed and received Jesus, I am sure that he forgot about the days of blindness and the
pain of being removed from the Synagogue. When he called on the name of Jesus, He was
eternally saved and received into a family from which he will never be removed! (Ill. Did
you realize that what God does in saving the sinner is a forever work? John 10:28-29; 1
Pet. 1:5)
Conc: This man never expected that he would be healed and saved when he
got up that morning. I am sure that he planned to live that day like everyday before in
the blackness of darkness. He did not realize that there was a man named Jesus who drive
the darkness forever away from his life. Many are in that same shape today! They are lost
and in the depths of great spiritual darkness and they do not even realize that Jesus can
set them free forever. If they do understand this, they feel that it is something for
others and not for themselves. Allow me to remind you this morning that Jesus loves all
men just as they are and that He will save anyone who will come to Him by simply faith.
The question is, which do you prefer, darkness? Or light? If you are tired of the dark
come to Jesus and step into the Light of His glorious salvation. Will you do that today?
