I know this: I was blind, and now I see!
John 9:25(TLB) “I don’t know whether he is good or bad,” the man replied, “but I know this: I was blind, and now I see!”
John 9:25(MSG) He replied, “I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see.”
This is a remarkable story. This blind man is healed by Jesus. He has been blind since he was born. He was a beggar. Every day he had to rely on others for his well-being, but that was to change. He would never be the same again. His blindness would change into light. This man was physically blind; he could not see and was also spiritually blind. Amazing that after Jesus healed this man, the Pharisees confronted this man. The Pharisees grilled him, on how he had come to see.
John 9:18-19(MSG) The Jews didn’t believe it, didn’t believe the man was blind to begin with. So they called the parents of the man, now bright-eyed with sight. They asked them, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? So how is it that he now sees?”
His parents confirmed that this was their son and that he was blind. Then again they called the man back to confront him even further.
John 9:24-25(MSG) They called the man back a second time—the man who had been blind—and told him, “Give credit to God. We know this man is an impostor.” He replied, “I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see.”
Amazing that the Pharisees was also spiritually blind. They were unable to recognise Jesus for who He was, unable to see the miracle, and even unable to believe that this was the same man. John MacArthur describes it beautifully when he says: “the story of the healing of the blind man reveals some key characteristics of willful unbelief:
• Unbelief sets false standards
• Unbelief always wants more evidence but never has enough
• Unbelief does biased research on a purely subjective basis
• Unbelief rejects the facts
• Unbelief is self-centered”
The Bible describes this blindness in 1 Corinthians 2:14-16(MSG) The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can’t receive the gifts of God’s Spirit. There’s no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit—God’s Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God’s Spirit is doing, and can’t be judged by unspiritual critics. Isaiah’s question, “Is there anyone around who knows God’s Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?” has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ’s Spirit.
The Pharisees just kept on going at this man. They had no end. When you are struck with blindness and don’t have the Spirit of God in you, you don’t have the capacity to see what God is doing.
John 9:26-29(MSG) They said, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” “I’ve told you over and over and you haven’t listened. Why do you want to hear it again? Are you so eager to become his disciples?” With that they jumped all over him. “You might be a disciple of that man, but we’re disciples of Moses. We know for sure that God spoke to Moses, but we have no idea where this man even comes from.”
Then the blind man replies in John 9:30-33(MSG) The man replied, “This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is, he opened my eyes! It’s well known that God isn’t at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will. That someone opened the eyes of a man born blind has never been heard of—ever. If this man didn’t come from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.”
Not only did Jesus heal this man’s blindness physically, but spiritually, something is happening to this man. The blindness and confrontation of the Pharisees force this man to think deeply about who Jesus. In this process, he concludes that this can only be the work of God through Jesus. Strangely, the Pharisees cannot see this.
Lastly, Jesus comes to complete the work that He started in this man. He healed him from physical blindness; now he is going to perform a greater miracle. He is going to heal this man of spiritual blindness.
John 9:35-39(MSG) Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and went and found him. He asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man said, “Point him out to me, sir, so that I can believe in him.” Jesus said, “You’re looking right at him. Don’t you recognize my voice?” “Master, I believe,” the man said, and worshiped him. Jesus then said, “I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind.”
“Even though the Pharisees missed what was going on, the man lived in his community after this moment as a testimony to opened eyes and an opened heart. If the Lord has done something for you, don’t worry about the scrutiny others may try to put you under. All you can do is stand before others and offer what happened. You were blind and now you see! -ESV MacArthur Study Bible, 2nd Edition
“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind but now I see.”