John
9 : Believing is Seeing : The Testimony
When I was a small boy I spent a lot of time in the shed
at the bottom of our garden. My father had made it from planks of wood. It had
a corrugated roof and two small windows. I spent hours and hours in that shed,
day dreaming, making things out of old pieces of scrap wood, using my father's
carpentry tools, rummaging through the draws for nails and screws. There was
always a lot of sawdust on the floor and when the sun shone it pierced the shed
through knot holes all over the walls, like someone had fired a shot gun at
it.
The beams of light picked out the floating dust in
the air and made the sparkle like gold dust. When I tried to see where the beam
came from and look up into the light everything went white and I couldn't see
anything, but when I put my eye to the knot hole I could see in the opposite
direction, everything in the garden was bathed in light. In John 8:12 Jesus
said "I am the Light of the World, whoever follows me will never walk
in darkness." In the story we had read this morning, Jesus went on
to prove it was true. A visual demonstration in more ways than one. Jesus did
something that had never ever happened before in all of history. He made a person
who'd been born blind able to see again. And through that miracle he wants to
teach us something very wonderful. This morning I want us to retrace three steps
this man took. Before, during and after he encountered Jesus Christ. Four steps
forward into the light.
Four steps to knowing God personally. At the same
time we will see how in the same encounter with Jesus, other people took several
steps backward into spiritual darkness.
1. Before: What this man was like before he met Christ (John 9:1-5)
We don't know much about this person except that he was blind, poor and a sinner.
Because he was blind he was a beggar, dependent on the charity of others. He
was also certainly a sinner. He was not necessarily blind because he was a sinner.
A common belief in Jewish culture was that calamity or suffering was the result
of some great sin. We live in a fallen world where good behaviour is not always
rewarded and bad behaviour not always punished. Therefore, innocent people sometimes
suffer. If God took suffering away whenever we asked, we would follow him for
the wrong reason and not out of love and devotion. Regardless of the reasons
for our suffering, Jesus has the power to help us deal with it. When you suffer
from a disease, tragedy, or disability, try not to ask, "Why did this happen
to me?" or "What did I do wrong?" Instead, ask God to give you
strength for the trial and a clearer perspective on what is happening. What
he was like before. A blind and poor sinner. And that
is what we are without Christ.
2. During: How he encountered Christ (John 9:6-34)
Jesus rubbed some wet mud onto the blind man's eyes and told
him to go and wash. What did the man do? He did as he was told and went home
seeing! As the crowds debated whether it was him or not, he must of jumped up
and down trying to be heard.... "I am me!... its me!" "Then who
did this to you?" they asked. How did he reply? Notice the four steps he
takes in his understanding of Jesus.
2.1 "The MAN Jesus did this."
That was his first step into the light. Recognising the reality of Jesus. The historical person. He began to trust in Jesus. That first step is not a blind leap of faith but a sure and certain step into the light when we take Jesus seriously. Jesus the real person, a fact of history. But notice some of the people wouldn't believe it was the same man. There is no joy shared, no praise to God for this miracle, just DOUBT, suspicion and prejudice. The people couldn't make up their minds so they took him to the religious leaders. They too were full of intimidating questions. "Is this your son?" "yes", "was he born blind?" "yes", Here the man took his second step into the light.
2.2 "He is a PROPHET" (9:17), the man asserted.
He recognised Jesus to be inspired in his words and actions. Someone special
sent from God to speak on His behalf. That was his second step into the light.
What did the man do next? He wasn't intimidated by their questions. Instead
he grew more confident. He gave his testimony. His story of what God had done
in his life. The Jewish Sabbath, Saturday, was the weekly holy day of rest.
The Pharisees had made a long list of specific do's and don'ts regarding the
Sabbath. Kneading the clay and healing the man were considered work and therefore
were forbidden. Jesus may have purposely made the clay in order to emphasise
that it is right to care for others' needs even if it involves working on a
day of rest. The Pharisees' scepticism was based not on insufficient evidence,
but on jealousy of Jesus' popularity and his influence on the people.
The Pharisees were denying the evidence before there very
eyes. DENIAL.
They were no longer interested in the facts, only with incriminating Jesus.
So the questions begin to fly again. It had turned
into a show trial, the facts of this miracle were now quite irrelevant. But
not to this man. He couldn't believe his eyes. This former blind beggar, used
to being pushed around and moved on, turns the tables on them. He was amazed
at how illogical they were becoming. How unwilling
they were to face the truth. He had already trusted
the man Jesus. He had testified that Jesus was a prophet. Now he goes one step
further.
2.3 "Surely such a man was
FROM GOD", he confessed (9:33)
The man had made his third step. He believed in Jesus. He began to see that
it was not he but they who were really blind. Self inflicted. His testimony
was based on two vital things.
His faith was based on knowledge
- "One thing I know"
9:25
His faith was rooted in Experience
- "I was blind but now I see."
9:25
Knowledge and Experience - both are needed for an authentic faith. A difficult
combination to argue with and the basis of our testimony. The man did not yet
know how or why he was healed. But he knew who had done it because his life
was miraculously changed. That is the power of a testimony. That is why he wasn't
afraid to tell the truth. You don't need to know all the answers either, in
order to share Christ with others. It is important to tell them how he has changed
your life. Then trust that God will use your words to help others believe in
him too.
There are many people who live and work around you
who need to hear a similar testimony about how God is working in your life.
They might not respond very well to a challenge or an argument but a personal
account of someone coming to faith may impact them powerfully. The man's new
faith was severely tested by some of the religious leaders. Persecution may
come when you follow Jesus. You may lose friends; you may even lose your life.
But no one can ever take away the eternal life that
Jesus gives you. But believing Jesus was a real human being, even believing
Jesus was a prophet from God was not enough. This man needed to take one more
step. Read 9:35-38. The man put all four pieces
of the jigsaw together and realised who Jesus really was.
2.4 He received
Jesus as his personal Lord and Saviour. 'LORD I believe' (9:38).
He calls
Jesus LORD. In this face to face encounter the healed looks upon his healer
for the first time. What did he do? He fell to His knees in WORSHIP. Proof of
His faith in Jesus. Are you surprised? Jesus accepted worship due to God alone
because that is who He is, God and man in the same person. The Son of God. The
invitation to the man born blind had been accepted. But there was also an invitation
to those in danger of becoming blind. Read 9:39-41. What did Jesus mean?
Light from the sun enables us to see. But the sun must be treated with respect.
Just enough brings life and energy, too much and it brings cancer and decay.
Sunlight may look harmless but it can also be very dangerous. With ozone depletion
we are increasingly aware of the dangers of staying in the sun too long. This
summer we have had warnings about staying in the sun too long. Someone foolish
enough to look at the sun through a telescope will go blind instantly, permanently.
But Jesus tells us there are worse things than physical blindness. People who
look at the Son of God and refuse to accept his claims, ignore his credentials,
spurn the evidence, become progressively blind to reality, blind to the truth.
Dio Chrysostom was a Christian of the first century. This is how he described
his critics. "Like men with sore eyes; they find the light painful, while
the darkness, which permits them to see nothing, is restful and agreeable."
We have glimpsed this man before he met Christ - a blind beggar. We have seen
how he met Christ. The third part of every testimony is what happens after we
meet with Christ. We don't know what happened to this man. We don't even know
his name, but his testimony has been retold for two thousand years. You have
a testimony also and in your service sheet are some guidelines to help you write
out your testimony. I invite you to have a go and then ask David or I to help
you shape it up. Then you will be ready to explain why you are a Christian when
anyone asks you for the reason for the hope within you. We have seen that the
longer this man experienced his new life through Christ, the more confident
he became in the one who had healed him.
The same is true of us. It is often only when our
faith is tested that we grow in confidence. Light always separates. Jesus had
taken the initiative, intervened, meeting this person at his point of need.
He invited a response of faith. This man took those
four steps forward into the light. But the Pharisees turned their backs on Jesus
and walked away from the light. What about you? Through
this story Jesus speaks into your situation and mine. He knows you better than
you do yourself. Your needs, hopes and fears, your future. The
longer you walk with him, the better you will understand who he is and the more
light he will shed on your path. Story of King George VI Christmas speech. Jesus
brings the light of his understanding and the warmth of his presence into our
cold, dark world. He came that we might know, personally know, God as our Heavenly
Father, through Jesus the Son. To have a close encounter of the lasting, life
changing kind. Four steps to spiritual sight, four steps to spiritual blindness.It
all depends on what we make of Jesus. And oh yes, believing is indeed seeing.