Faith is not from the traditions of man but from the very hand of God. He is no respecter of persons but all are welcomed into His house. He meets us where we are and then changes us precept by precept into the character of His Son.
John 9:18-39 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. 19 And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.” 25 He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?” 28 Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.” 30 The man answered and said to them, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! 31 Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. 32 Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. 33 If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.” 34 They answered and said to him, “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” 36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” 38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him. 39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”
Sometimes the troubles of this world seem too much to bear. God grant us the faith to stand firm in times that would love for us to submit to the hatred that surrounds us. I once was blind but now I see! Carla
The Jews in this case were the Pharisees.
The blind man concluded that Jesus was a prophet. This does not mean he had decided that Jesus was the Messiah (1:20, 21; 6:14).
To be put out of the synagogue was to be excommunicated. The Jews had three types of excommunication: one lasting 30 days, during which the person could not come within six feet of anybody else; one for an indefinite time, during which the person was excluded from all fellowship and worship; and one that meant absolute expulsion forever. These judgments were very serious because no one could conduct business with a person who was excommunicated.
The command to Give God the glory was a solemn charge to declare the whole truth (Joshua 7:19; 1 Samuel 6:5). Attempting to put words in the man's mouth, the Jewish leaders said they knew Jesus was a sinner. In their view, healing on the Sabbath was breaking the Law. So to them, Jesus was a sinner (5:16).
The healed man had not claimed to be Jesus' disciple. He only asked the Jewish leaders if they were interested in this case because they wished to become Jesus' disciples (verse 27).
Faith must have a proper object. Jesus, not faith, saves.
Faith is only a channel to the worthy object, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Note the progression throughout this chapter of the healed man's understanding of the person of Christ. First, he called Jesus “a Man" (verse 11); then "a prophet" (verse 17); and finally he realized that Jesus is the Son of God (verses 35-38).
For judgment I have come into this world. Jesus did not come into the world to execute judgment (3:17). Nevertheless, the inevitable result of His coming is judgment, because some refuse to believe (3:18). As the light of the world, Jesus came that the blind might see and those who think they can see will be made blind. The NKJV Study Bible
God does not listen to sinners The man offers the experts in the law his own interpretation. God listens to the righteous, not sinners, so the man who healed him cannot be a sinner.
The self-styled experts bristle at the man's spiritual insight and resort to an appeal to the traditional theology linking his disability with sin.
The formerly blind man is the only one to respond appropriately to Jesus. His journey from physical blindness to sight also symbolized his transition from spiritual darkness to finding the light of the world. Faithlife Study Bible.
John 9:15–16 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.”Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.
Joshua 7:19 Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
John 5:22–30 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him…
John 8:14–15 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.
Psalm 34:15–17
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth
In yesterday’s Sabbath Moment I mentioned the recent shootings. And how sometimes, with the violence in the news, it’s as if my heart, literally, stops. And I know that religious platitudes don’t work for me anymore.
But here’s my confession. If I give in to the mental exhaustion (of being overwhelmed), I begin to believe (and internalize) that empathy can be overwhelmed, compassion—and being a witness—can seem helpless, suffering can be too much to comprehend, and the level of public quarrel too much to absorb. Mercy.
And I take heart in John Lewis’ reminder, “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” Sabbath Moments
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