“Are Your Eyes Christ-ed?”

(vs. 1–3)
¹As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.
²His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
³“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

1. Our eyesight can be distorted by a wrong belief system
2. The disciples saw him as a topic of discussion, Jesus saw him as a person needing His touch!
3. The disciples wanted to debate truth, Jesus wanted to reveal truth through action

(vs. 4–7)
⁴“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
⁵While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
⁶Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.
⁷“Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

1. He anointed his eyes, which put another way, He “Christ-ed” the man’s eyes!

(vs. 7–12)
⁸His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?”
⁹Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
¹⁰“How then were your eyes opened?” they demanded.
¹¹He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
¹²“Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don't know,” he said.

1. They wanted to debate the truth (get the info; the scoop; the dirt instead of celebrate!

(vs. 13–17)
¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.
¹⁴Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.
¹⁵Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So they were divided.
¹⁷Finally they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

1. The Pharisees were more concerned about the method than the miracle.

(vs. 18–23)
¹⁸The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man”s parents.
¹⁹“Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
²⁰“We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind.
²¹But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.”
²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.
²³That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

1. The Church MUST be safe!

(vs. 24–34)
²⁴A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
²⁵He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
²⁶Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
²⁷He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
²⁸Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses!
²⁹We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from.”
³⁰The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.
³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.
³²Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.
³³If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
³⁴To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

1. Instead of celebrating a miracle, the Church chose to focus onsomething other than God’s work!
2. Notice the progression:
   1. Focused on the method
   2. Interrogated those close to him
   3. Subjected the parents to abuse
   4. Accused Jesus of sin
   5. Demeaned the cured
   6. Resorted to force

1. Change the way we see ourselves
   1. We move from a selfish to a service vision
2. Change the way we see other people
   1. We have eyes of sacrificial love
   2. We see with our hearts
3. Change the way we see God
   1. The closer we get to Jesus, the clearer we see God

   (John 9:35–38)
   ³⁵Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
   ³⁶“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
   ³⁷Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
   ³⁸Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.