Sunday 03/15/26 – Adams Village Baptist Church
Sermon Title: “Jesus Performed Miracles” - “The Path to the Empty Tomb” Sermon Series (Part 4 of 7) - John 9:1-41
(Welcome
Picture)
As we continue to
walk “The Path to the Empty Tomb” on Easter morning, with the resurrection of
Jesus Christ, we have been talking about how we all can better understand,
connect to, and live more like Jesus. Jesus was tried and tested. The wealthy
and the affluent sought and still seek Jesus. Jesus sought the outcasts of
society, and today we hear of one of the many miracles performed by Jesus
Christ. For Jesus Christ our Lord, “Performed Miracles.”
According to www.merriam-webster.com this is the definition
of the word “miracle”:
1
: an extraordinary event manifesting divine
intervention in human affairs
(Example:
the healing miracles described in the Gospels)
2
: an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miracle).
Melissa and I recently saw
a documentary about the 1980 US Men’s Olympic Hockey Team. If you remember, the
1980 Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid, NY, and many did not expect the
US Men’s Olympic Hockey Team to win. In fact, the final two teams were the US
and the USSR, or the Soviet Union. This was during the Cold War, the Berlin
Wall was still up, and the game between the US Men and the Soviet Union men became
seen as the Western World versus the Communist World. When the US Men’s Olympic
Team won, it was called, and still is called, “The Miracle on Ice.” From the documentary
that Melissa and I watched, this is also where the chant of “USA! USA! USA!” first
formally began.
For those of you that remember “The Miracle on Ice,” or
read about it, like me, many saw and still see what happened in the Olympics in
Lake Placid in 1980 as a miracle. Further, it was very heartening to Melissa
and I to see one or more of the original members of the US Men’s 1980 Ice
Hockey team at this recent Winter Olympics, where our US Men’s Team won the
gold again for the first time since “The Miracle on Ice” in 1980!
Did people in 1980 and do people today see “The Miracle on
Ice” in 1980 as divine intervention? Do most people think that God caused our
US Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey to defeat the team from the Soviet Union in 1980?
Or do they mean it was this a human miracle, that was unlikely, unexpected, and
shocking?
Miracles, however, can also be divine in nature, or they
can be both. This morning in the gospel of John 9:1-41 we have a blind beggar,
who was blind from birth. Jesus this morning heals him, and the man can suddenly
see. Some people that I have talked to over the years hard a hard believing
some of or all of the miracles in the gospels and beyond, but I believe that through
God, all things are possible. For if Jesus was God in the flesh on earth, then
what can He not do? If Jesus can die for the sins of the world on Good Friday,
then His resurrection seems more than possible to me? The challenge with
miracles though is that sometimes they happen the way we hope and pray, and
sometimes they do not. This does not mean that miracles do not happen, but it
does mean that God decides when the miracles happens, not us. This can be
confusing and hard for us sometimes, that the healing we prayed for came, and
sometimes it did not come the way that we expected it to come.
This morning, as I said though, in the gospel of John
9:1-41,we have a man blind form birth. He had never seen a sunrise, a sunset,
or any of the things we often take for granted that we see without eyes every
day.
I remember when Melissa and I were going to college at SUNY
Potsdam over 20 years ago, that for three of those years of college I was an “RA,”
or resident assistant. I managed a dorm floor of male students, or at least I tried
to! As part of this, I got my dorm room at no cost, and among my various job
duties, I had to organize dorm floor programs. We had dinners, took trips, had guest
speakers, and so on and so for. One program though, I asked a blind student if
she would come to our dorm floor lounge and tell us what it was like to be visually
blind. Further, what was it like to be a full-time college student and be
visually blind? This young woman got straight A’s at Potsdam College, and she
had all sorts of devices and assistance to pursue her studies. She got her books
in braille, had a braille typing machine for her papers, etc.
This student also would ask other students to help her get
to class outside of the dormitory building. In fact, one day this girl walked up
to me as I was excited about the dorm for class. In case you are wondering, I
was single at the time, as I had not yet been smitten by my Melissa. This
student then introduced herself and asked me if I could walk her to class. We
were going in the same direction, after all. Well, I thought I was so cool, at
least in my head. This student then said, “Can I put my hand around your arm,
and have you lead me,” as she said she was blind. Well at that point I realized
that she did not want me to walk to class because she thought I was handsome, it
was because she needed help. This ended up being the same student that I asked
to talk to my dorm floor guys, and to this day this person that I do not even
remember the name of is someone I have tremendous respect for. She had straight
A’s could not see visually, had random students walked her to and from class, as
a couple of my dorm floors guys were on the verge of flunking out of college.
You see my friends, you can see with your physical eyes,
but you can also see with the eyes of your heart and your soul. There are people
on this earth that are visually blind but can see anyway. This morning, Jesus
heals a man blind from birth, and here is a depiction of this man:
(Mud on the
Blind Man’s Eyes Picture)
In the scripture from
John 9:1-41 for this morning, Jesus spits on the ground, the dirt, and smushes
it around into mud. He then puts this dirt of the blind man’s face. He then
tells the blind man to go and wash his eyes off. When the man does this, he then
can see. Here is a depiction of the whole healing, miracle, and transformation of
this man who was blind from birth:
(Full
Transformation of the Blind Man Picture)
In looking more closely
at the scripture reading for this morning from John 9:1-41, the first subtitle
I have in this gospel reading says, “A Man Born Blind Receives Sight”. The
gospel reading says once again, starting in 9:1, this:
A
Man Born Blind Receives Sight
9 As he walked along, he saw a
man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi,
who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ 3 Jesus
answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that
God’s works might be revealed in him. 4 We must
work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming
when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am
the light of the world.’ 6 When he had said this, he spat
on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s
eyes, 7 saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’
(which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see (Jn. 9:1-8, NRSV).
So, Jesus’s own twelve disciples believe that
this man is blind from birth, because either he or his parents sinned. Or to
put it another way, he was blind and it was his fault, his parents’ fault, or
maybe both. It was common in Jewish religious belief at this time to believe that
if a person got sick, had a problem, an ailment, etc., that it was because they
offended and or sinned against God. Yet Jesus pushes back against this and said
that this man was born blind not because of sin or as a punishment, but instead
the “God’s works might be revealed in him.” Jesus also then says we must
do God’s work here and now, as we have limited time. Jesus compares this reality
to the day and the night here on earth. Jesus then says that as long as He is physically
on the earth “I am the light of the world.” This of course is of Jesus’
seven “I Am” statements in the gospel of John.
Jesus then of course still goes to the man that was blind from
birth, spits on the ground, makes mud, rubs it on the blind man’s eyes, then
tells the blind man to ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent).
One would think that this would be cause for celebration, right? Like “The
Miracle on Ice” when the US Olympic Hockey Team won the gold medal.
It would be like seeing the miracle of the blind student at Potsdam College that
still went to school fulltime and got straight A’s.
Instead, though, picking up in John 9:8, it says, once again
of the former blind man:
8 The neighbors and
those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, ‘Is this not the man
who used to sit and beg?’ 9 Some were saying, ‘It is he.’
Others were saying, ‘No, but it is someone like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am the
man.’ 10 But they kept asking him, ‘Then how were your
eyes opened?’ 11 He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made
mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, “Go to Siloam and wash.” Then I went
and washed and received my sight.’ 12 They said to him,
‘Where is he?’ He said, ‘I do not know’ (Jn. 9:8-12, NRSV)
So, the neighbors and the
others that saw this man before, we not condemning what happened, but they do
not seem to be celebrating it either. I guess it is understandable that they
would be confused, but the scripture seems to show more doubt and suspicion than
celebration.
This is where it gets interesting though, picking up in
John 9:13. The man that was blind from birth and is now healed is now going to
get interrogated by the Pharisees that he can now see. This is what the
scripture says picking up in John 9:13:
(The Healed
Blind Man before the Pharisees Picture)
The
Pharisees Investigate the Healing
13 They brought to
the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now
it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 Then
the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to
them, ‘He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.’ 16 Some
of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not observe the
sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?’
And they were divided. 17 So they said again to the blind
man, ‘What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.’ He said, ‘He is a
prophet’ (Jn.
9:13-17, NRSV).
Instead of celebrating that
this man blind from birth can now see, they were suspicious, and in addition to
that they were questioning Jesus. Apparently, Jesus’ healing someone on the
Sabbath someone breaks the Sabbath Day of rest. I do not personally think
healing a blind man on the Sabbath or on any day is work, as other Pharisees
called Jesus a sinner. Then the Pharisees asked the man who was blind from
birth, who he though this Jesus was. He said that Jesus was a “prophet.”
(The Healed
Blind Man and his parents before the Pharisees Picture)
This, however, was not a
satisfactory answer to the Pharisees. As a result, the Pharisees called the man’s
parents in to interrogate them. So now the former blind man and his parents are
in front of the Pharisees. The Pharisees, and the parents affirmed that their
son was indeed born blind. Yet the Pharisees want to know how their son was
born blind, was blind his whole life, and now can see. The parents having not
been there when Jesus healed this man, had no idea how this miracle happened.
The parents then said to the Pharisees that their son was the age of an adult,
and they can ask their son themselves, as he is old enough to be asked.
18 The Jews did not
believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the
parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked
them, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now
see?’ 20 His parents answered, ‘We know that this is our
son, and that he was born blind; 21 but we do not know how
it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of
age. He will speak for himself.’ 22 His parents said this
because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that
anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put
out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, ‘He
is of age; ask him’ (Jn.
9:18-23, NRSV).
(The Healed
Blind Man before the Pharisees Picture)
So, the Pharisees bring
the healed blind man back in for a second time, and picking up in john 9:24, it
says, once again:
24 So for the second
time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, ‘Give glory
to God! We know that this man is a sinner.’ 25 He
answered, ‘I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that
though I was blind, now I see.’ 26 They said to him, ‘What
did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ 27 He
answered them, ‘I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you
want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?’ 28 Then
they reviled him, saying, ‘You are his disciple, but we are disciples of
Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for
this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ 30 The man
answered, ‘Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from,
and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not
listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his
will. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard
that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If
this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’ 34 They
answered him, ‘You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?’
And they drove him out (Jn. 9:18-34, NRSV).
The Pharisees are trying
to argue with the healed blind man that Jesus is a sinner. The healed man then
says in 9:25, once again:
25 He answered, ‘I do
not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind,
now I see’ (Jn.
9:25, NRSV).
Then the Pharisees wanted
to hear again how exactly the man was healed. He told the Pharisees I have
already told you. The healed man then says that this Jesus is from God. The
Pharisees then attack the healed blind man, telling him we was born in sins.
How dare he try to teach them?
(I was blind
but now I see Picture)
Spiritual
Blindness
35 Jesus heard that
they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the
Son of Man?’ 36 He answered, ‘And who is he, sir? Tell me, so
that I may believe in him.’ 37 Jesus said to him, ‘You
have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.’ 38 He
said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshipped him. 39 Jesus
said, ‘I came into this world for judgement so that those who do not see may
see, and those who do see may become blind.’ 40 Some of
the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, ‘Surely we are not blind,
are we?’ 41 Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you
would not have sin. But now that you say, “We see”, your sin remains (Jn. 9:35-42,
NRSV).
This lengthy gospel of John 9:1-41 reading then ends with
Jesus seeing the man that he healed from blindness. Then the healed man finally
realizes that it is Jesus, when Jesus says to healed man, that He is the one
who healed him. Jesus then tells the healed man, that He came into this world for:
“judgement so that those who do not
see may see, and those who do see may become blind’” (Jn. 9:39b, NRSV).
The Pharisees then ask
Jesus if they are blind. Jesus concludes our reading with John 9:41 saying:
‘If you were blind, you would not
have sin. But now that you say, “We see”, your sin remains (Jn. 9:41b, NRSV).
So, here is the question brothers and sisters, can you be
blind in your eyes? Yes, of course. Can you see with your eyes, and be blind in
your heart and your soul though? Or to say it another way, can you be blind physically,
but see spiritually with your heart and your soul? Yes, you can.
To prove this point, I want to show you a video called “The
Bench”. Here it is:
(The Bench
Video)
You see brothers and
sisters, there is more than one way to see!
To have this sermon walk out of the door with you into Adams
and world, here are some sermon application points:
John
9:1-41 narrates Jesus healing a man born blind, using the miracle to
illustrate that spiritual blindness—prideful rejection of truth by the
Pharisees—is worse than physical blindness. It shows Jesus as the "Light
of the World", highlighting that suffering allows God's works to be
revealed.
Key
Themes and Interpretations:
· Physical vs.
Spiritual Sight: The
man born blind gains physical sight and, subsequently, spiritual insight,
acknowledging Jesus as the Son of Man. Conversely, the religious leaders, who
claim to see, are shown to be spiritually blind and guilty of sin because they
refuse to recognize the truth.
· Purpose of
Suffering: Contrary
to the belief that blindness resulted from sin (either the man's or his
parents'), Jesus explains it as an opportunity for "the works of God to be
displayed".
· The "Light of
the World": Jesus
declares himself the light of the world, emphasizing his role in bringing
spiritual enlightenment to a darkened world.
· Sabbath
Controversy: The
miracle occurred on the Sabbath, which furthered the conflict between Jesus and
the religious leaders.
· The Journey of
Faith: The
healed man’s understanding of Jesus progresses from calling him "the man
called Jesus," to "a prophet," and finally to worshipping him as
Lord.
· Rejection and
Acceptance: The
Pharisees reject the man and the miracle, while Jesus accepts and protects the
man after he is cast out.
So,
brothers and sisters, on this day that we celebrate the miracle of man being
blind from birth, and being healed and able to see by Jesus, remember that we
can see with eyes, and also with our hearts and our souls! Amen.
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