The Blind. Sermon by Alfero Chingono, May 3, 2025
We are all spiritually blind. We don't we are spiritually blind. Due to no knowing that we are spiritually blind, we do not seek the help we need.
John 9 NIV
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus,
“but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.
“Go,”he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam”(this word means “Sent”).
So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked,
“Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”
Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
1“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
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.”
“Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.
Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.
Therefore 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.”
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
Then 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.”
They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents.
“Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
“We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind.
But 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.”
His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders,
who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.
That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
A second time they summoned the man who had been blind.
“Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
He 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?”
Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple!
We are disciples of Moses!
We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will.
Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world,
so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin;
but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
How many times is the word "know" in John 9? How many times is the word used in the positive? How many in the negative? Who said it?
There is a dilemma in the church, but now has his sight restored. What method was used to restore it? Was it controversial? Was it acceptable?
Look at the following you tube video "The Monkey Business Illusion" that explains some interesting facts about attention. While watching, count how many times the ball is passed by someone wearing white.
How many times was the ball passed?
Did you see a gorilla? If not, watch again without counting this time.
This video demonstrates how we use selective attention. When we are focused on a task we do not see everything. We are blind to the things we do not focus on.
What are we focused on? Do we have psychological blindness to the things we fail to see? We tend not to see these things unless someone shows it to us? When we debate without seeing everything before us, it becomes a debate that cannot be solved.
Imagine going to the optometrist who tests your eyes, and they give you a new prescription, and then being told you are technically blind.
Imagine someone wearing glasses for the first time and being shocked at how the world really looks.
We can be blind to the obvious.
Two people can live in the same neighborhood, with similar resources, that see their neighborhood and their lives very differently.
First impressions often deceive us. We think with our subconscious mind. and make decisions in the moment.
For example, after making a decision to something very expensive, you bring it home. You share you excitement with your spouse. Your spouse says "did you really need that?" You are surprised that she does not see the purchase the same way you do. We make a agreement in our subconscious minds to buy something.
Do we at times make an agreement in our minds to see something in a certain way, to see something that is not really as it is?
John 9:16 NIV
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind".
There was a division among the men, who all chose what to believe.
Some pharisees concluded that if one was to do any work on the Sabbath, then they are not a men of God.
If God does a miracle on Sabbath, is He still God? It depends how you see the miracle.
The Pharisees were psychologically blind. Are we also psychologically blind? Do we attribute good motives tot he people we like and attribute motives to people we don't like as bad?
Imagine you are to meet with a someone, and you agreed a certain place at a specific time. The person we were to meet does not show up at 10am. They say that they had a really good reason, but we disagree and see their motives as disrespectful. We see bad motives driving their behaviour.
Later you are late arriving to a meeting with someone, but you claim your motive for being late was a good because you had justifiable reasons.
We know far less than we think we do. You want to buy a car? You use emotional reason, then we formulate rational reason to support the emotional reason. We know far less than we think we do. We go to the store and buy soap we have seen on advertising. We are greatly influenced by what we see. Soap operas were initially used to sell a certain kind of soap to women, simply by showing this soap in the show, hence the name soap opera.
We think our decisions are rational.
In John 19, the blind man says "I don't know" 3 times. He says I know once.
The Pharisees said "we know". They said they did not know 1 time.
We overestimate our knowledge and understanding.
Revelation 3:14 NIV
To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.
vs 17, 18
You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’
But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire,
so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear,
so you can cover your shameful nakedness;
and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
What is it in our lives we are so sure we see? What are convicted of, have an unshakeable faith? Is what we believe right of wrong? Do we say we have the truth. What does that mean? Do we have spiritual blindness we are unaware of?
Ellen White pointed out that the Pharisees chased Jesus out of the church. Do we show the beautiful countenance of Christ outside the church?
Are we so sure of truth that there is something we are blind to?
Moses was sure he was to lead his people out, but he ended up having to flee. He had to learn to wait until God knew he was ready.
We are proud of our clothes. God says we are naked.
We say we do not need glasses. We are told we are technically blind.
We say "I know the Bible." "I know it." "I have the truth."
God is saying, "You are blind. Come to Me and get true knowledge and understanding".
Let us find true understanding and knowledge from God, not ourselves.