Fourth Sunday in Lent, Laetare Sunday — Year A — exegesis on the Gospel, John 9:1-41 — part 2

The Fourth Sunday in Lent, Laetare Sunday, is March 19, 2023.

Readings for Year A, including an explanation of Laetare Sunday — the joyful Sunday in Lent — can be found here.

The Gospel reading is as follows (emphases mine):

John 9:1-41

9:1 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth.

9:2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

9:3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.

9:4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.

9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

9:6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes,

9:7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.

9:8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?”

9:9 Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.”

9:10 But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”

9:11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.”

9:12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

9:13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.

9:14 Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.

9:15 Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.”

9:16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided.

9:17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”

9:18 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

9:19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

9:20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;

9:21 but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.”

9:22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.

9:23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

9:24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”

9:25 He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

9:26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

9:27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?”

9:28 Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.

9:29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”

9:30 The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.

9:31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will.

9:32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.

9:33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

9:34 They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.

9:35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

9:36 He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.”

9:37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.”

9:38 He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him.

9:39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.”

9:40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?”

9:41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

Commentary comes from Matthew Henry and John MacArthur.

This is the second of a two-part series. You can read Part 1 here. That said, this is also a long post as there is much to cover.

The Pharisees asked the man once more what Jesus did to him and how He opened his eyes (verse 26).

John MacArthur points out the irony here:

Well, this is pretty significant, folks, because now they just admitted what? That he was healed. They’ve just admitted that he was blind, and his eyes were opened. What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes? Maybe they were probing for some trick. Who knows?

The man said that he had already told them once before and that they would not listen; he asked them why they wanted to hear his answer again and if they wanted to become His disciples (verse 27).

MacArthur points out the man’s righteous sarcasm:

This is an outcast talking to the in-crowd. “Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become His disciples too, do you?” Sarcasm. He just nails their sarcasm, their hypocrisy. This is a man who’s feeling the joy, feeling the confidence, feeling the strength of the conviction that he knows he’s dealing with a man who is from God, who is a prophet. And as the story goes, he comes to fully believe in Him for salvation …

Then the Pharisees came out with one of their favourite attacks, saying that he was one of Christ’s disciples, yet they, the notional religious grandees, were disciples of Moses (verse 28).

They added that they knew God had spoken to Moses but, as for ‘this man’ — Jesus — they knew not from whence He came (verse 29).

The Pharisees created the chasm between Judaism and Christianity that still exists today:

There’s that breach again. Moses and Christ, the church and the synagogue, Judaism and Christianity. Still at odds. We know this man is a sinner. We are from Moses … I think they knew He was from Nazareth, Galilee. They should’ve known where He was from in John 6 when He preached the sermon on the bread of life, He said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven. I have come down from heaven to give My life for the world.” He had said again, and again, and again, “I come from heaven.” He even mocked them by saying, “You think you know where I’ve come from.” Chapter 7. “But you really don’t know My heavenly origin.” When they said, “We don’t know where He’s from,” they simply meant, not so much the town, but we don’t know the origin of this man. We’re unwilling to say it’s God. In fact, they were convinced that He was satanic. Satanic. 

I mean, this is the character of unbelief.

The man answered back, saying that what they were saying was astonishing; they did not know where He came from, yet He healed him (verse 30).

Henry elaborates on ‘an astonishing thing’:

First, He wonders at their obstinate infidelity (v. 30); not at all daunted by their frowns, nor shaken by their confidence, he bravely answered, “Why, herein is a marvelous thing, the strangest instance of wilful ignorance that ever was heard of among men that pretend to sense, that you know not whence he is, and yet he has opened mine eyes.” Two things he wonders at:—1. That they should be strangers to a man so famous. He that could open the eyes of the blind must certainly be a considerable man, and worth taking notice of. The Pharisees were inquisitive men, had a large correspondence and acquaintance, thought themselves the eyes of the church and its watchmen, and yet that they should talk as if they thought it below them to take cognizance of such a man as this, and have conversation with him, this is a strange thing indeed. There are many who pass for learned and knowing men, who understand business, and can talk sensibly in other things, who yet are ignorant, to a wonder, of the doctrine of Christ, who have no concern, no, not so much as a curiosity, to acquaint themselves with that which the angels desire to look into. 2. That they should question the divine mission of one that had undoubtedly wrought a divine miracle. When they said, We know not whence he is, they meant, “We know not any proof that his doctrine and ministry are from heaven.” “Now this is strange,” saith the poor man, “that the miracle wrought upon me has not convinced you, and put the matter out of doubt,—that you, whose education and studies give you advantages above others of discerning the things of God, should thus shut your eyes against the light.” It is a marvelous work and wonder, when the wisdom of the wise thus perisheth (Isa 29 14), that they deny the truth of that of which they cannot gainsay the evidence. Note, (1.) The unbelief of those who enjoy the means of knowledge and conviction is indeed a marvelous thing, Mark 6 6. (2.) Those who have themselves experienced the power and grace of the Lord Jesus do especially wonder at the wilfulness of those who reject him, and, having such good thoughts of him themselves, are amazed that others have not. Had Christ opened the eyes of the Pharisees, they would not have doubted his being a prophet.

The man continued, in all boldness. He said that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to those who obey His will (verse 31).

He went further, saying that, never since the world began had anyone been cured of blindness (verse 32), therefore, if this man were not from God, He would not have been able to do anything (verse 33), meaning effecting a miracle.

This man is a role model in the way he attacks the wilful ignorance of the religious authorities.

MacArthur says:

So, he’s become the preacher. He’s taken over the meeting. He’s talking to the leaders. First, he’s sarcastic, and now he’s specific, and clear-headed, and clear-minded, and faithful to the Old Testament, and even referring to the Old Testament that God doesn’t hear the prayers of sinners. He’s giving them an explanation of reality, a sensible, reasonable, logical explanation.

Henry analyses these verses in full:

a. He argues here, (a.) With great knowledge. Though he could not read a letter of the book, he was well acquainted with the scripture and the things of God; he had wanted the sense of seeing, yet had well improved that of hearing, by which faith cometh; yet this would not have served him if he had not had an extraordinary presence of God with him, and special aids of his Spirit, upon this occasion. (b.) With great zeal for the honour of Christ, whom he could not endure to hear run down, and evil spoken of. (c.) With great boldness, and courage, and undauntedness, not terrified by the proudest of his adversaries. Those that are ambitious of the favours of God must not be afraid of the frowns of men. “See here,” saith Dr. Whitby, “a blind man and unlearned judging more rightly of divine things than the whole learned council of the Pharisees, whence we learn that we are not always to be led by the authority of councils, popes, or bishops; and that it is not absurd for laymen sometimes to vary from their opinions, these overseers being sometimes guilty of great oversights.”

b. His argument may be reduced into form, somewhat like that of David, Ps 66 18-20. The proposition in David’s argument is, If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me; here it is to the same purport, God heareth not sinners: the assumption there is, But verily God hath heard me; here it is, Verily God hath heard Jesus, he hath been honoured with the doing of that which was never done before: the conclusion there is to the honour, Blessed be God; here to the honour of the Lord Jesus, He is of God.

(a.) He lays it down for an undoubted truth that none but good men are the favourites of heaven (v. 31): Now we know, you know it as well as I, that God heareth not sinners; but if any man be a worshipper of God, and does his will, him he heareth. Here,

[a.] The assertions, rightly understood, are true. First, Be it spoken to the terror of the wicked, God heareth not sinners, that is, such sinners as the Pharisees meant when they said of Christ, He is a sinner, one that, under the shelter of God’s name, advanced the devil’s interest. This bespeaks no discouragement to repenting returning sinners, but to those that go on still in their trespasses, that make their prayers not only consistent with, but subservient to, their sins, as the hypocrites do; God will not hear them, he will not own them, nor give an answer of peace to their prayers. Secondly, Be it spoken to the comfort of the righteous, If any man be a worshipper of God, and does his will, him he heareth. Here is, 1. The complete character of a good man: he is one that worships God, and does his will; he is constant in his devotions at set times, and regular in his conversation at all times. He is one that makes it his business to glorify his Creator by the solemn adoration of his name and a sincere obedience to his will and law; both must go together. 2. The unspeakable comfort of such a man: him God hears; hears his complaints, and relieves him; hears his appeals, and rights him; hears his praises, and accepts them; hears his prayers, and answers them, Ps 34 15.

[b.] The application of these truths is very pertinent to prove that he, at whose word such a divine power was put forth as cured one born blind, was not a bad man, but, having manifestly such an interest in the holy God as that he heard him always (ch. 9 31, 32), was certainly a holy one.

(b.) He magnifies the miracles which Christ had wrought, to strengthen the argument the more (v. 32): Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. This is to show either, [a.] That it was a true miracle, and above the power of nature; it was never heard that any man, by the use of natural means, had cured one that was born blind; no doubt, this man and his parents had been very inquisitive into cases of this nature, whether any such had been helped, and could hear of none, which enabled him to speak this with the more assurance. Or, [b.] That it was an extraordinary miracle, and beyond the precedents of former miracles; neither Moses nor any of the prophets, though they did great things, ever did such things as this, wherein divine power and divine goodness seem to strive which should outshine. Moses wrought miraculous plagues, but Christ wrought miraculous cures. Note, First, The wondrous works of the Lord Jesus were such as the like had never been done before. Secondly, It becomes those who have received mercy from God to magnify the mercies they have received, and to speak honourably of them; not that thereby glory may redound to themselves, and they may seem to be extraordinary favourites of Heaven, but that God may have so much the more glory.

(c.) He therefore concludes, If this man were not of God, he could do nothing, that is, nothing extraordinary, no such thing as this; and therefore, no doubt, he is of God, notwithstanding his nonconformity to your traditions in the business of the sabbath day. Note, What Christ did on earth sufficiently demonstrated what he was in heaven; for, if he had not been sent of God, he could not have wrought such miracles. It is true the man of sin comes with lying wonders, but not with real miracles; it is likewise supposed that a false prophet might, by divine permission, give a sign or a wonder (Deut 13 1, 2), yet the case is so put as that it would carry with it its own confutation, for it is to enforce a temptation to serve other gods, which was to set God against himself. It is true, likewise, that many wicked people have in Christ’s name done many wonderful works, which did not prove those that wrought them to be of God, but him in whose name they were wrought. We may each of us know by this whether we are of God or no: What do we? What do we for God, for our souls, in working out our salvation? What do we more than others?

The Pharisees were offended, saying that a man born entirely in sins, a reference to their belief that disability was a divine curse, was trying to teach them, the notional experts; with that, they threw him out (verse 34).

MacArthur picks up what he said earlier about unbelief often resulting in violence:

That’s the disdain of it all. So, it gets physical. They threw him out. Be prepared to face this when unbelief investigates a miracle. This is how it acts. This will be a disappointment. It has been a disappointment already in your life, I’m sure. Major disappointment through the years to any of us who walked with Christ for a long time. We accumulate this kind of disappointment.

What can we do except to pray for lost souls? MacArthur tells us:

What is there to do about this?  How can it change?  Well, the only answer is where Jesus went in John 6, three times.  He said this: “All that the Father gives to Me will come to Me.  No man comes to Me unless the Father draws him.”  And then, verse 64 of John 6, He summarized it again.  “For this reason I have said to you, no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”  The only way an unbeliever can be released and delivered from this kind of bizarre captivity and bondage to what is evil, and irascible, and intolerant, and irrational; the only way an unbeliever can be delivered from this is by the power of God.  So, what do we do?  We plead with God to be gracious, don’t we?  We plead with the sinner to believe, and we plead with God to be gracious.  Because the natural man, Paul says, understands not the things of God.  To him, they’re foolishness, because they’re spiritually appraised, and he’s spiritually dead. 

So, we don’t go out to evangelize with any hope, really, that we have the power in our reason or the power in our facts or the power in our truth to shatter the blindness and the darkness and the bondage of unbelief.  We go with the truth, and we cry out to God to draw the sinner out of this bondage of unbelief. 

MacArthur points out the transition that takes place at this point:

Verses 1 through 34 are about physical light, physical sight.  But also, there are overtones of spiritual blindness and spiritual darkness manifest by the Pharisees.  When we come to verses 35 to 41, the subject changes from physical sight and light, completely, to spiritual sight and light, and spiritual blindness and darkness.

Now, as we look at these just brief verses, straightforward and simple, I just want to break them into two sections: spiritual sight, verses 35 to 38, that’s the beggar; spiritual blindness, verses 39 to 41, that’s the Pharisees.  You have here a comparison build on this miracle, between spiritual sight, which the beggar receives, and spiritual darkness, in which the Pharisees remain. 

Now, let’s look at the spiritual sight and the beggar, the opening verses 35 to 38.  Just to give you a little bit of a pattern to follow, four things define this spiritual sight, okay?  Four things.  He’s going to be an illustration of one who not only sees physically for the first time, but who will see spiritually for the first time.  There are four elements.  First of all, and this is very important.  The first element is: spiritual sight requires divine initiative.  Spiritual sight requires divine initiative.  This man doesn’t have any capability to make himself see physically, nor does he have any capability to make himself see spiritually.  That’s why this transition is made, because it’s such a graphic illustration.  He can’t do anything to help himself.  There’s no such thing in those ancient times as a surgeon who can fix something in his eye and enable him to see.  There’s no way that he can have spiritual sight on his own.  It can’t happen.  Humanly speaking, it can’t happen on a temporal, physical, natural level.  If he is going to see, heaven has to come down and find him, locate him, and that’s exactly what happens.

Jesus heard that the Pharisees had driven the man out of their midst, and when He found him, he asked (verse 35), ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’

In Henry’s translation, the verse reads:

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?

Henry calls our attention to the fact that Jesus sought the man who had given Him such a bold defence as the author of the healing miracle:

I. The tender care which our Lord Jesus took of this poor man (v. 35): When Jesus heard that they had cast him out (for it is likely the town rang of it, and everybody cried out shame upon them for it), then he found him, which implies his seeking him and looking after him, that he might encourage and comfort him, 1. Because he had, to the best of his knowledge, spoken so very well, so bravely, so boldly, in defence of the Lord Jesus. Note, Jesus Christ will be sure to stand by his witnesses, and own those that own him and his truth and ways. Earthly princes neither do, nor can, take cognizance of all that vindicate them and their government and administration; but our Lord Jesus knows and observes all the faithful testimonies we bear to him at any time, and a book of remembrance is written, and it shall redound not only to our credit hereafter, but our comfort now. 2. Because the Pharisees had cast him out and abused him. Besides the common regard which the righteous Judge of the world has to those who suffer wrongfully (Ps 103 6), there is a particular notice taken of those that suffer in the cause of Christ and for the testimony of a good conscience. Here was one poor man suffering for Christ, and he took care that as his afflictions abounded his consolations should much more abound. Note, (1.) Though persecutors may exclude good men from their communion, yet they cannot exclude them from communion with Christ, nor put them out of the way of his visits. Happy are they who have a friend from whom men cannot debar them. (2.) Jesus Christ will graciously find and receive those who for his sake are unjustly rejected and cast out by men. He will be a hiding place to his outcasts, and appear, to the joy of those whom their brethren hated and cast out.

II. The comfortable converse Christ had with him, wherein he brings him acquainted with the consolation of Israel. He had well improved the knowledge he had, and now Christ gives him further instruction; for he that is faithful in a little shall be entrusted with more, Matt 13 12.

1. Our Lord Jesus examines his faith: “Dost thou believe on the Son of God? Dost thou give credit to the promises of the Messiah? Dost thou expect his coming, and art thou ready to receive and embrace him when he is manifested to thee?” This was that faith of the Son of God by which the saints lived before his manifestation. Observe, (1.) The Messiah is here called the Son of God, and so the Jews had learned to call him from the prophecies, Ps 2 7; 89 27. See ch. 1 49, Thou art the Son of God, that is, the true Messiah. Those that expected the temporal kingdom of the Messiah delighted rather in calling him the Son of David, which gave more countenance to that expectation, Matt 22 42. But Christ, that he might give us an idea of his kingdom, as purely spiritual and divine, calls himself the Son of God, and rather Son of man in general than of David in particular. (2.) The desires and expectations of the Messiah, which the Old-Testament saints had, guided by and grounded upon the promise, were graciously interpreted and accepted as their believing on the Son of God. This faith Christ here enquires after: Dost thou believe? Note, The great thing which is now required of us (1 John 3 23), and which will shortly be enquired after concerning us, is our believing on the Son of God, and by this we must stand or fall for ever.

MacArthur continues reinforcing the idea that heaven had to find the man:

Verse 35.  The buzz around the temple area and wherever it was that this interrogation took place is still going on, so Jesus hears that they had put him out.  And I love this.  “And finding him.”  This is parallel.  You remember back in chapter 5, the man at the Pool of Bethesda picked up his bed and walked, ran into the Pharisees, the same kind of interrogation, the same kind of encounter.  And it says there in that same chapter, chapter 5, and I think it’s verse 14, “Jesus found him.”  Jesus found him.  This is how you receive spiritual sight.  It all started in a divine initiative.  It all started by a sovereign purpose in the mind of God.  Luke 19:10.  Jesus says the Son of Man is come to seek and save that which was lost.  Not just the saving, but the seeking.  Romans 3, no man seeks after God.  We wouldn’t know where to go, wouldn’t know who to look for.  So he’s the seeker.  He says to His apostles in John 15:16, “You have not chosen Me.  I have chosen you.”  Matthew 18, “The Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.”  That’s why He came.  He’s the finder.  He’s the one who is seeking us … 

And so, Jesus finds the man.  This is where spiritual sight begins.  This is a powerful illustration of it, a very powerful illustration, because this is a helpless, hopeless man, and so is every sinner.  So is every sinner. 

So He finds him, and He initiates a conversation.  Very short.  This, again, is cryptic.  These accounts in the New Testament are condensed.  We don’t think the conversation was limited to this, but this is the essence that God has revealed to us.  He says, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 

MacArthur tells us that this Messianic title came from the prophet Daniel:

Listen to what Daniel chapter 7 says.  Daniel is given a vision, and it’s in the night.  Chapter 7:13.  I kept looking in the night visions, and behold with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man was coming.  That’s a Messianic title.  This introduces the coming of Messiah to establish His kingdom.  He came up to the ancient of days, that’s God the Father, was presented before him, to Him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.  And this is not God, because this is one who comes to God.  This is one to whom God gives this eternal, everlasting universal kingdom.  It is the Messiah, and He is the Son of Man, which is a prophecy that He will be incarnate. 

But the Jews all understood the Messianic title, the Son of Man.  By the way, it appears 13 times in the gospel of John because it’s familiar in the conversation of the Jews because they know Daniel 7 is referring to the Messiah.  So, our Lord says to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  Do you believe in the Messiah?  Do you believe in Messianic theology?  Do you believe the Messiah is coming to establish His kingdom?  Do you believe that?

The man answered Jesus, asking him (verse 36), ‘And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him’.

Henry’s verse 36 reads as follows:

He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?

The man could not see who cured him, so he thought that Jesus was one of the Messiah’s disciples.

MacArthur says:

The second thing that I want you to see here in this case of spiritual sight, is that spiritual sight not only begins in divine initiative, but it requires faith.  It requires faith, verse 36.  This is just an amazing statement.  He answered, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”  What an amazing statement.  Here is a man who is ready to believe.  He just wants to know who to believe in.  I wish I had the time to develop that as a theology, because what you’re seeing here is the essence of the doctrine of regeneration at work.  This man is ready to believe.  He just wants to know what to believe.  This is not easily understood.  It is not because of what we say that people believe.  It is because of what God has done to open them to believing that they respond to what we say.  This is an amazing thing.  Here is a man who is saying, “I’m ready to believe.  Who do I believe in?  Show me who to believe in.”  That’s a prepared heart.  That’s good soil. 

MacArthur discusses the title of address in this verse:

See the word Lord there, and it’s lower-case sense, sir?  He doesn’t know who He is, so he’s not calling Jesus Lord in the upper-case sense.  The word kyrie can be used at “sir,” like you would see it in an Old English, the lords and ladies kind of idea.  So, here, I think he is still using it in the common sense.  Who is He, sir, that I may believe in Him?  Something has been happening in his heart.  This divine initiative is not only physical, not only Jesus finding him, but God, by the power of the Holy Spirit is opening his heart to believe, and all he needs.  It’s like Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened.  Remember in the Book of Acts?  The man’s heart is opened.  All he wants to knowis: who? 

Jesus said to the man (verse 37), ‘You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he’.

MacArthur brings in a third element of spiritual sight:

There’s a third feature in spiritual sight.  It starts in divine initiative.  It requires faith.  Thirdly, spiritual sight confesses Jesus as Lord.  Where there is the miracle of spiritual sight, there will be a confession of Jesus as Lord. 

Notice verse 37.  Jesus said to him, he’s saying, who do I believe in?  “You have both seen Him.”  You’ve seen Him.  You’re looking at Him, “and He’s the one who is talking with you.”  Wow.  It’s interesting to me that I don’t know how much this man had heard Jesus teach.  Certainly, he hadn’t seen any miracles.  Something, there were lots of people who saw miracles.  The whole population saw miracles.  Couldn’t overcome spiritual darkness.  But God is overcoming his spiritual darkness by giving him faith.  And all he wants to know is who he’s supposed to put that faith in.  Jesus says, “You’ve seen Him, and He’s the one talking with you.”  It is I.  Remember back in chapter 4 when the woman at the well, the Samaritan woman said, well, we know that the Christ is going to come, and Jesus responds by saying, “I who speak to you am He.”  I’m the One.  And she believed, and the whole village of Sychar believed. 

The Samaritan woman’s conversion was last week’s — Year A’s — reading for the Third Sunday in Lent in 2023: John 4:5-42 (parts 1 and 2).

The man replied to Jesus saying, ‘Lord, I believe’, and he worshipped Him (verse 38).

MacArthur looks at the title the man uses here:

And he said, “Lord, I believe.”  And now, Lord gets an upper-case.  It’s Kyrie in the upper-case.  He’s gone from sir, to the Lord of lords. 

This is Lord in its fullest and most lofty and elevated sense.  Lord, I believe.  And even though the word is the same, there’s a huge difference.  When he says “Lord” in verse 36, he’s asking a question.  Who do I believe in?  Now, he believes, and he says “Lord” in a completely different sense because he immediately does what?  Worships. 

How do you know when spiritual sight comes to someone?  Well, it’s initiated by God, the heart is prepared, the heart opens up to accept the truth and confesses Jesus as Lord.  It’s just an astounding and marvelous miracle, like the miracle of physical sight.

MacArthur recaps the episodes in Christ’s ministry that John has given us thus far:

We’re starting to accumulate a little roll call here of believers, aren’t we?  Back when we began the gospel of John, it was Peter and Andrew, and Philip and Nathaniel.  And then, Nicodemus showed up, and maybe not a believer yet, but he’s on the way.  And eventually becomes a believer, shows up in the burial of our Lord.  But as of now, we’d have to limit it to Peter, Andrew, Philip, Nathaniel, and then that Samaritan woman in chapter 4, and then the folks from the village of Sychar.  And then some true disciples in chapter 6.  And now we can add the blind man to our little roll call of true believers.  Every one of them is a divine and supernatural miracle. 

Interestingly, Year A (2023) has had some of these Gospel readings. I gave you the one of the Samaritan woman a few paragraphs ago. Peter, Andrew and John’s conversion was the reading for the Second Sunday after Epiphany (John 1:19-42). Nicodemus’s story was the one for the Second Sunday in Lent (John 3:1-17).

I love serendipity, especially when it involves the Bible. We can really make proper connections then.

Our Lord’s discourse with the man concludes at this point. Henry says:

None but God is to be worshipped; so that in worshipping Jesus he owned him to be God. Note, True faith will show itself in a humble adoration of the Lord Jesus. Those who believe in him will see all the reason in the world to worship him. We never read any more of this man; but, it is very likely, from henceforth he became a constant follower of Christ.

Jesus then directed His thoughts elsewhere, saying that He came into this world for judgement, so that those who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind (verse 39).

He spoke of the Pharisees in the second half of the verse. They were wilfully blind to Him.

MacArthur says:

Obviously a play on words on this whole concept of blindness, which is, as I said, is all over the Scripture.  When Jesus sees this man worshiping Him, He compares this humble, confiding, trusting, believing heart of the beggar with the hostile, stubborn hatred of the Pharisees.  And He admits: this is how it’s going to be in my coming.  Even though the Son of Man is come to seek and to save the lost, even though He doesn’t come for judgment, as He says in John 3, He didn’t come to judge the world but to save the world. 

MacArthur reminds us that Simeon prophesied similarly when the infant Jesus was presented at the temple 40 days after His birth (Luke 2:22-32 and Luke 2:33-40). We remember this day on February 2, the feast of Candlemas:

³⁴And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed ³⁵(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

MacArthur tells us that salvation becomes division:

… even though He came in His incarnation to save, His salvation in itself becomes a dividing reality.  There is a judgment bound up in it.  Like Simeon said, “This child is for the rising and the falling of many.”  He’s the divider.  This is not final judgment.  This is a kind of immediate judgment that happens at the point at which the gospel is introduced, at which Christ is introduced.  There is a dividing that takes place between the believer and the unbeliever.  Yes, He didn’t come to judge in the sense of final judgment.  He came to save.  He came to be humbled, and go to the cross, and rise from the dead to save.  But even that is a judgment rendered.  In fact, in John 3, He says, “If you reject Him, you judge yourself.”  You judge yourself.  You’re already judged.  If a person sees in Jesus who died on the cross for salvation, nothing desirable, nothing that that person wants, that is a judgment on that person.  That’s a self-condemnation.

If a sinner sees in Jesus nothing to desire, nothing to long for, nothing to want, nothing to put trust in, that’s a self-condemnation.  That’s the Pharisees.  They didn’t need anything.  They could see clearly.  They saw it all.  They knew God.  They knew the truth.  They knew that Jesus was a vile sinner, a satanic, demonic, insane man.  Because they thought they see, they are totally blind.  So that’s the point of verse 39. 

Some of the Pharisees heard Jesus and said to him (verse 40), ‘Surely we are not blind, are we?’

Whether they scoffed at Jesus or scorned Him, they resented His words.

Henry rewords the text to give it fuller meaning:

“Now,” say they, “we know that the common people are blind; but are we blind also? What we? The rabbin, the doctors, the learned in the laws, the graduates in the schools, are we blind too?” This is scandalum magnatum—a libel on the great. Note, Frequently those that need reproof most, and deserve it best, though they have wit enough to discern a tacit one, have not grace enough to bear a just one. These Pharisees took this reproof for a reproach, as those lawyers (Luke 11 45): “Are we blind also? Darest thou say that we are blind, whose judgment every one has such a veneration for, values, and yields to?” Note, Nothing fortifies men’s corrupt hearts more against the convictions of the word, nor more effectually repels them, than the good opinion, especially if it be a high opinion, which others have of them; as if all that had gained applause with men must needs obtain acceptance with God, than which nothing is more false and deceitful, for God sees not as man sees.

MacArthur tells us about spiritual blindness:

The first thing then, about spiritual blindness is: spiritual blindness brings judgment.  Spiritual blindness brings judgment.  Tragic.  Judgment.  Now, and in the future.  Spiritual blindness, secondly, is stubborn, verse 40.  “Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, ‘We’re not blind too, are we?’“ Again, speaking metaphorically, they refused to admit their blindness.  We’re not blind in the sense that, they say this with disdain, and arrogance, and scorn.  You’re not saying we, the most learned, erudite, righteous, holy, virtuous, representatives of God, you’re not saying we’re blind, are You?  Well, that’s exactly what He was saying.  This man was spiritually blind, but now he can see, spiritually.  You think you can see spiritually, which simply demonstrates that you are spiritually blind.  Blindness, the idea of spiritual blindness to them is a joke. 

Jesus replied, saying that, if they were blind, they would not have sin; however, now that they say they see, their sin remains (verse 41).

Henry explains:

This very thing which they gloried in, Christ here tells them, was their shame and ruin. For,

1. If you were blind, you would have no sin. (1.) “If you had been really ignorant, your sin had not been so deeply aggravated, nor would you have had so much sin to answer for as now you have. If you were blind, as the poor Gentiles are, and many of your own poor subjects, from whom you have taken the key of knowledge, you would have had comparatively no sin.” The times of ignorance God winked at; invincible ignorance, though it does not justify sin, excuses it, and lessens the guilt. It will be more tolerable with those that perish for lack of vision than with those that rebel against the light. (2.) “If you had been sensible of your own blindness, if when you would see nothing else you could have seen the need of one to lead you, you would soon have accepted Christ as your guide, and then you would have had no sin, you would have submitted to an evangelical righteousness, and have been put into a justified state.” Note, Those that are convinced of their disease are in a fair way to be cured, for there is not a greater hindrance to the salvation of souls than self-sufficiency.

2. “But now you say, We see; now that you have knowledge, and are instructed out of the law, your sin is highly aggravated; and now that you have a conceit of that knowledge, and think you see your way better than any body can show it you, therefore your sin remains, your case is desperate, and your disease incurable.” And as those are most blind who will not see, so their blindness is most dangerous who fancy they do see. No patients are so hardly managed as those in a frenzy who say that they are well, and nothing ails them. The sin of those who are self-conceited and self-confident remains, for they reject the gospel of grace, and therefore the guilt of their sin remains unpardoned; and they forfeit the Spirit of grace, and therefore the power of their sin remains unbroken. Seest thou a wise man in his own conceit? Hearest thou the Pharisees say, We see? There is more hope of a fool, of a publican and a harlot, than of such.

MacArthur contrasts the way Jesus uses blindness in verse 40 with verse 41:

This is continuing this little play on words on the notion of blindness.  But Jesus is using the term in a completely different way.  In verse 40, you are blind.  You are blind, in the sense that you don’t see your sin.  You are blind.  You are blind.  But in verse 41, you’re not blind.  How do you do that?  You’re not blind.  “If you were blind, you would have no sin.”  What does that mean?  You are not blind as to the truth.  If you were blind to the truth, if you had no knowledge of the truth, no revelation of the truth, if you didn’t have the Scripture, didn’t have the Old Testament, the law, all the prophets and holy writings, didn’t have Me, didn’t have all the demonstration of who I am, your sin would not be so severe.  This would be like the times of the past when God overlooked people’s sin because the revelation was incomplete.  There’s less punishment, a less severe judgment falls on those who have no knowledge.  But you’re not blind.  You are blind in the sense that you don’t see your own sin.  You are not blind in the sense that you have been exposed to the truth.  You have the law, the prophets, the covenants, everything.  The promises, the Old Testament.  You’ve had Me.  You’ve heard My words.  You’ve seen the miracles.  You have no excuse.  Yes, blind to your own sin; no, not blind to the truth.

Spiritual blindness then, receives judgment, refuses to admit its blindness, rejects the offer of light and sight when it’s given, such as they had received.  Finally, results in doom, end of verse 41.  “But since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

You’re doomed.  You are accepting the condition you’re in, of spiritual blindness, as spiritual sight.  You are doomed.  You are hopeless.  If you think you can see, you’re doomed.  Amazing play on words.  Your sin remains.  Finality.  So, the light shines in the darkness.  The darkness cannot extinguish it.  The darkness cannot put it out, but the darkness rejects it.  Came to His own, His own received Him not.  He’s in the world.  The world was made by Him.  The world knew Him not. 

They are the religious elite.  They are in the darkness.  And a blind beggar, who’s a total outcast, sees physically; more importantly, sees spiritually.

MacArthur gives us something to consider as we contrast the blind beggar with the Pharisees:

How do you know when someone’s a believer?  Because he becomes a what?  Worshiper.  How do you know you’re Christian?  Not because you prayed a prayer.  Not because you asked the Lord to do something for you.  Not because you got emotionally moved in a meeting and felt sentimental about Jesus.  How do you know you’re a believer?  How do you know you’ve been transformed?  Because you have become a worshiper, a worshiper.  That’s why I said to you earlier: this narcissistic, sentimental, self-centered approach to the gospel creates an endless dependency that the system that offered originally the answer to what everybody wants keep giving that person what that person wants.  It’s relentless.  How do you turn that person into one who is a totally selfless worshiper? 

This man falls on his knees in adoration.  The opposite, back in verse 59 of chapter 8, when Jesus declared who He was to the Pharisees, they picked up stones to stone Him.  That’s what spiritual blindness produces.  This is what spiritual sight produces.  So, if you’re asking the question: how do I know if I’m saved?  Ask yourself if you love Christ, if you love God, if you love the Holy Spirit, if you desire to be obedient, if you desire to honor, to please the Lord, if you’re a worshiper.  We were talking in the elder’s meeting the other night about some few people who don’t come to church, and when we contact them, they give all kinds of kind of lame, well, you know, I’ve got other things, and so and so bothers me, and blah, blah, blah.  The bottom line is: those people, very likely, aren’t believers, because believers worship.  That’s the priority of their life.  And I’m not saying that the only place you worship is in the collective assembly of the church.  That’s not.  But this is what lifts you up and strengthens you and encourages you for the rest of those hours when you worship as an independent person.  This is critical.  This fulfills the longing of our heart, to honor the Lord, to hear from the Lord, to exalt the Lord, to praise the Lord.  Worshipers. 

May all reading this (far!) have a blessed day.

Forbidden Bible Verses returns tomorrow

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