There’s a text in John’s Gospel that I thought about
referring to last week in the message entitled, “The Gift of Humility”, because
it fit. Instead, I determined to preach it this week; because I believe it
requires more attention than a passing reference.
It’s often called the story of the blind man (in fact he’s
the only person in the Bible said to be born blind); but that’s a misnomer,
because there are a lot more people blind in John 9 than this one fellow. In
fact, Jesus heals him; but not them! The truth is, everyone else in the story,
with the exception of Jesus, is blind as a bat. And at the core of every
instance of blindness is the absence of humility.
Providentially, as I was preparing this week’s message, I
read Paul David Tripp’s entry for July 17 in his devotional, New Morning Mercies. His lead statement
for the morning is, “Sin causes me to be all too convinced of my righteousness
and too focused on your sin.” Before I excerpt more of what Tripp says, let me
point out that the issue of sin is foremost in the minds of the disciples when
they see this blind man. They ask Jesus,
“Who sinned, this man or his parents; that he was born blind?” And while Jesus’
answer redirects their focus from sin to the glory of God, the link between sin
and blindness is well-established in the balance of the story. Jesus answers,
“It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God
might be displayed in him.” But, amazingly, in the immediate aftermath of God’s
work is blindness brought on by the hubristic sin of the people around this
man. It’s the same blindness that’s all around us today. We’ll seek to unpack
all that John is telling us this week in a message entitled, “Blind Awareness”.
But back to Tripp. In commenting on Jesus’ words to
Christians at Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-19, Tripp says:
Here’s the problem
that these hard words are addressing in a warning that we all need to hear: you
and I like to think that no one has a clearer, more accurate view of us than we
do. We all tend to be way too trusting of our view of ourselves. We do this
because we do not take seriously what the Bible says about the dynamic of
spiritual blindness. If sin is deceitful (and it is), if sin blinds (and it
does), then as long as sin still lurks inside me, there will be patches of
spiritual blindness. I simply will not see myself with the accuracy that I
think I do. In the language of poverty and riches, the passage above basically
says, “You look at yourself and you think you’re okay, but you’re far from
okay.”
Not only does sin
blind, but as sinners, we participate in our own blindness. We all swindle
ourselves into thinking that we are better than we are, that what we’re doing
is okay when, in fact, it’s not okay in the eyes of God. The spiritual reality
is that we’re like naked homeless people, but we see ourselves as affluent and
well-dressed. It’s an embarrassing and humbling word picture. It confronts us
with how deeply distorted and delusional our view of ourselves can be. Don’t be
defensive as you read this; take in the warning.
So here’s what
happens. When you think that you have this righteousness thing licked, then you
quit being concerned about you and you focus your concern on the sins of
others. You really need to know that you’re in spiritual trouble when you’re
more concerned about the sin of the person next to you than you are with your
own. Spiritual clear-sightedness always leads to personal grief and confession,
not condemnation of your neighbor. Perhaps your eyes are more closed than you
think they are. Perhaps you don’t know yourself as well as you think you do.
Pray for the sweet, loving, sight-giving, convicting ministry of the Holy
Spirit. His presence in you is a grace.
Tripp nails it. And in case you have any doubt, read John 9
and see that the deepest blindness is not ocular, but psychological and spiritual.
In preparation for Sunday’s message you may wish to consider
the following:
- Read Jeremiah 5:15 and see the universality of spiritual blindness.
- Why would the disciples ask that question in verse 2?
- What are the works of God that are to be displayed in him?
- Why does Jesus spit on the ground and make mud to put in the man’s eyes?
- What is the significance of sending the man to the pool of Siloam to wash?
- Why don’t the neighbors believe that he’s been healed? (verses 8-12)
- What’s the impediment to the Pharisees believing that he’s been healed? (verses 13-17)
- Why do his parents say what they say in verse 21?
- Why do the Pharisees get angry in verses 28 and 29?
- What’s the irony of the Pharisees’ statement and action in verse 34?
