Spiritual Blindness

Have you ever wondered: Why don’t more people trust in Jesus?  After all, if they’ve seen what you’ve seen in Jesus, if they know what you know about Jesus, you’d think everyone would want to believe in Jesus.  You’d think everyone would want to experience the freedom His grace gives.  You’d think everyone would want to experience the peace His mercy gives. But they just don’t.  In fact, we live in a day where people are just as resistant to Jesus as they’ve ever been.  Why is that?  Why are some people so quick to argue with you about Jesus?  Or why do some people get offended when you tell them that they need what Jesus can give them?  Or why do some people simply refuse to listen to anything you want to say to them about Jesus?

Well, one of the biggest reasons people are resistant to the good news found in Jesus has to do with spiritual blindness.  Most people don’t want to see what you see in Jesus, because they are trusting in something other than Jesus for their hope or salvation.  In fact, what’s happening today has been happening for centuries.  People don’t want to see the truth about Jesus, people don’t want to trust in Jesus, and don’t want to experience the grace and mercy of Jesus, because there are so many factors at work in their lives today that actually blind them to the good news that is found in Jesus.

Last Sunday, we learned one of the factors that keep people from seeing the good news in Jesus.  God’s Word tells us that, The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4

But how does he do this?  How does the evil one blind people so they cannot see the grace and mercy that’s found in Jesus? How does he perpetuate spiritual blindness so that people stay in the dark when it comes to the good news found in Jesus?  Well, to answer that question, lets return to the story of Jesus in the Gospel of John, in John 9:13-41, and see what happened after Jesus did an amazing miracle and opened the eyes of the man born blind and gave him a whole new life.

But before we see how spiritual blindness keeps people from seeing the good news found in Jesus; let me remind you of the miracle of God’s grace we saw in Jesus last week.  We started off by saying every person you see is fighting a hard, hidden battle.  We then met a man who was indeed fighting a hard hidden battle: The man who was  blind from birth. But his physical blindness was not his battle. The prevailing teaching was that if you were born blind it was because of their sin or the sin of their parents.  So, the battle he was fighting was a battle for hope. For when everyone believed you or your parents sinned, you could never escape the judgment of God.  You were born condemned, and you couldn’t change that.  But the good news in the story was that Jesus saw this man who was born blind.  And we learned that just as he saw this man in his deepest need – He sees you. Jesus sees your guilt, your powerlessness, your helplessness and your hopelessness to change your condition. Jesus sees you, but He doesn’t ignore you. Just as he did with this man, Jesus sees your deepest need and then He meets your deepest need.  In the case of the blind beggar – Jesus spit in the dirt, made mud, anointed his eyes with that mud, commanded him to go to the pool of Siloam and wash.  He heard and obeyed and he came back cured.  Jesus didn’t just restore his sight, but restored his hope and gave him a whole new life.  And once Jesus changed his life, people noticed. Now he had a story to tell, and it was a story about what Jesus had done for him.  And once he started telling his story, everyone wanted to know where they could find Jesus.  Because most of the people in this story were looking for the same hope.

And the reason they were looking for hope, is that they were living in religious culture that made it tough on hope.  That’s where we pick up our story today.  This amazing miracle took place.  So many people witnessed this man’s transformation.  But now, instead of celebrating what God has done, they decide to bring this man to the religious authorities – to the Pharisees, to investigate if this healing really was from God. It is here, in the midst of this investigation we learn how people become spiritually blinded to the good news that’s found in Jesus.

And the first way they are blinded is that They are Blinded by Religion  They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.  So, the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”  John 9:13-15

Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.  So, they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” John 9:16-17 Notice how quickly some of the Pharisees render judgment as to what’s taken place.  A miracle of God’s mercy has restored this man’s sight.  But they don’t even acknowledge it.  Instead, they only see a Sabbath breaker. That would make him a sinner. He broke the Sabbath in two ways.  First, he broke it by kneading mud.  Doing any kneading on the Sabbath was a violation of Sabbath Law.  Second, healing was allowed on the Sabbath, but only if the person was in danger of dying.  The blind man was not in danger of dying, so this would be considered Sabbath breaking. They were convinced that Jesus could not be from God since he broke the Sabbath.

Now, what’s interesting here is that the were some Pharisees who spoke up and said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?”  So, there is a division of opinion.  But they don’t address their differences. Instead, they ask the man a second question: “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”  So, there you have it.  The healed man is convinced Jesus is from God.  But those whose role it is to protect their religion are convinced he’s not from God.

Why such a division?  Why are these Pharisees blind to the clear working of God’s mercy?  It’s simple.  According to the Pharisees, keeping the letter of the law was the greatest measure of your devotion to God.  And keeping the Sabbath was one of the easiest ways to ensure that you are keeping God’s law.  So much so, that these religious experts had added 35 man-made rules to keeping the Sabbath.  And those rules had rules.  So, if you violated any of their rules, you were considered a sinner.  What had happened is that the Pharisees had made a religion out of keeping the rules.  If you keep all the rules – they taught that God would be pleased.  But if you violated any rules, you’d be condemned as a sinner. That’s the religious system they taught.  It was so intense, so policed by these religious experts, that everything about the Jewish religion now focused on your outward behavior.  It was all about trying to keep every law, especially the Sabbath.  It was all about you earning your own salvation by keeping the law.  So, their religion blinded them to acts of mercy and grace.

In fact, that’s how every other world religion operates.  What you do earns you salvation. The Jews were no different. They were so steeped in keeping all their rules that when Jesus came along and showed them another way – the way of mercy, they were blind to it.  And since Jesus broke their fiercely enforced rules, they decided he must not be from God.

This is why a lot of people don’t want to have anything to do with Jesus today. They think if they’re living by the rules of their religion, they don’t need a Savior.  They think if they practice their rituals, attend religious services, and do enough good works, then God is obligated to save them. They put more stock in their efforts then in God’s mercy. Theirs is a religion based on what they do for God, not a religion in what God does for them. And it blinds to the good news found in Jesus.

Now a second way people are blind to the good news is that They are Blinded by Fear    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 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” John 9:18-19   The Jewish investigators are now looking for evidence of fraud.  They don’t believe he was born blind, so they call in the parents.  So, they ask his parents two questions. His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.  But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” John 9:20-23

The first question confirms that the man is not lying. He was born blind and was healed.  But now with the second question we now see how fear works to blind people to the good news. The man’s parents refused to answer the second question, because they were afraid of what might happen if they did. For they know that if they even hint at the possibility of Jesus being the Messiah, they’d be thrown out of the synagogue.

Why did this provoke fear in them?  To be thrown out of the synagogue meant you would be completely cut off from society.  Synagogue was the center of society.  If you were expelled from Synagogue, you would lose your friends, your support system and maybe even your lively hood.  For if you were excommunicated from religious life, those who had supported your business would now take their business elsewhere. That was their fear and even though Jesus had healed their son, they were now faced with losing everything if they said anything that might admit that Jesus was the Messiah.

That’s the obvious fear here. But there was another fear that influenced this entire investigation.  It was the fear of what would happen if the Jewish leaders arrived at the conclusion that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. Their fear was politically driven.  If they acknowledged that this healing was a legitimate act of God; it would verify that Jesus was the Messiah. Then there would be nothing standing in the way of the people taking Jesus by force and making him King. And if such a thing was to happen, Rome would respond quickly and forcefully suppress such a revolt. This is why the religious leaders had created such a harsh punishment for anyone who dared believe in Jesus.

Fear then, is a big reason why many people don’t want to trust in Jesus today.  It’s not the fear of being put out of the synagogue, but it’s the fear of rejection; the fear of being ridiculed; the fear of losing control or power.  Now, this fear is far greater in some circles of our culture today than others. On many College Campuses you will be ridiculed or attacked for believing in Jesus.  In Hollywood, you will be criticized or even canceled.  But in some cultures, especially if you live in a Muslim culture you can lose your family or even your life. So, yes, fear plays a big role in blinding people to the good news found in Jesus.  People are afraid of even considering Jesus because of what it might cost them.

People are blinded by religion.  People are blinded by fear.  But now we come to one of the most powerful forces that keep people from seeing the good news found in Jesus.  They are Blinded by Pride  Look now at verse 24: So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” John 9:24-25  The religious leaders are now stuck. They can’t dispute this miracle, nor can they acknowledge that Jesus is from God.  If they do, that means everything they’ve hung their hopes on is wrong.  If they do, then Jesus’ diagnosis of their spiritual hypocrisy would be true.  So, they’re desperate. So here they give one last ditch effort to defame the character of Christ. They tell the man to “give glory to God.”  In other words, “As God as your witness, tell the truth. We know this man is a sinner.”  They use spiritual power to try and force this man to agree with their judgment of Jesus…  But it doesn’t work.  He stands his ground and proclaims the blessing of God’s mercy: One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

So they ask: “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” Perhaps they hoped he would contradict his earlier story so they could accuse him.  But he doesn’t bite. He replies, “I have told you already and you would not listen… Do you want to become his disciples too?”  Now he’s done it. He’s hit a cord that reveals the pride of these leaders.  They react with anger. Anger always reveals pride.  You can hear their pride and anger in their reaction: “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”  John 9:26-29

To this The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”  They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. John 9:30-34

I don’t know if there’s a better example of a more unteachable spirit then right here.  These Pharisees prided themselves on knowing God’s Word. They believed they had all the answers.  But when the man who had been healed by Jesus told them clearly that God doesn’t listen to sinners.  And when he told them that if this man were not from God, he could do nothing – he was teaching them Theology 101.  He was bang on!  But being so full of themselves they couldn’t stand being schooled by this beggar. They really had no answer for him, for he was right in everything he said.

So, what do they do?  They insult his credibility as a witness.  “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” They could not face this man’s evidence and couldn’t handle his clear logic.  Why? Because their minds were already made up.  Nothing he could have said would have made any difference. They’d rather be wrong then corrected – a true sign of spiritual pride. These men were so arrogant they refused to listen to truth. They were so certain that they were in the right, it blinded them to God’s working in their midst.  So rather than listen to the truth, they condemned the man and threw him out.

This is a perfect example why there are so many who will continue to resist the good news found in Jesus.  People are blinded by their own sense of importance.  They are blinded by their pride.  It makes them unteachable.  It keeps them from listening to clear teaching about Jesus.  In fact, pride is the number one reason most people will not bow to Jesus.  For to truly believe in Jesus, requires an inner honest assessment of yourself.  It means admitting that you are not good enough. It means humbling yourself and admitting you’ve messed up, that you are a sinner, and that you’ll never measure up to God’s holy standard. And the man or woman who is filled with pride just can’t do that. They want to go on believing that they are good enough as they are. But they are wrong.  Because the truth of God’s Word declares that “There is no one who seeks God, there is no one who does good, not even one.”  Romans 3:11-12 That’s why God sent Jesus to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.  We only deserved of wrath, but God out of His great love gave us mercy through Jesus Christ.  And those filled with pride have a hard time admitting they are wrong and need the mercy of God.   And it makes them blind to the good news found in Jesus.

Their pride won’t let them turn to Jesus.  Their fear won’t let them confess the name of Jesus.  Their religion won’t let them trust in Jesus.  But there’s one more thing that ties all these together and blinds them to the good news found in Jesus, and that is this:

They are blinded by self-righteousness Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said,“Do you believe inthe Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him? Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is He who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains. John 9:39-41

When Jesus said: “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind” it appears that he’s stating a riddle.  But what he is saying, he is saying to the self-righteous Pharisees.  He is saying that those who do not see are the people who realize they need a Savior. They are the ones who will humbly come to him for salvation. They will see.  That’s what we see here at the conclusion of this encounter.  Jesus finds the man who had been cast out and says to him, Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him? Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is He who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

But those who think they do see, those who think they have all the answers, they are the self-righteous ones who have convinced themselves that they have no need of a Savior. They are truly blind because they reject the light of the world.  They reject Jesus because all they see is themselves. They are blinded to the good news found in Jesus by their self-righteousness, and their guilt remains.

Now you know why more people don’t trust in Jesus – why so many people are blind to the good news found in Jesus.  They’re blinded by their religion.  They’re blinded by their fear. They’re blinded by their pride and by their self-righteousness.

But have you ever asked yourself why God gave us this tragic account of the Pharisees spiritual blindness alongside the miraculous account of Jesus opening the eyes of a man born blind?  Have you ever asked yourself what God wants you to see here?

I believe He wants us to see two things clearly:

First, He wants us to see that it is not what we do that gains us salvation.  How being religious doesn’t do it.  How knowing all the answers doesn’t do it.  And how being self-righteous cannot do it.   None of these things can remove our guilt.

Second, He wants us to see what Jesus has done to give us salvation.  He is the one who sees our need.  He is the one who comes to us.  And He is the one who opens our eyes to see His mercy and believe in Him.

So, let me ask you today: What do you see when you see Jesus?

For how you see Jesus will determine your eternal destiny.  Let’s pray.