Let us turn to God's Word and
the closing paragraph, the last three verses in the chapter that
we read, John chapter 9. I'll read then verses 39 through
41. And Jesus said, For judgment am I
coming to this world, that they which see not might see, and
that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees
which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are
we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were
blind, ye should have no sin. But now ye say, We see. Therefore
your sin remaineth. How often in the Gospels do we
read of the Lord's dealings with these men. this sect of the Jews,
the Pharisees. And so we have it here. And what
do we see in these few verses that we've just read? We certainly
see something of the nature of the Lord's ministry. He acknowledges
it was, it is, a discriminating ministry. for judgment, and might
come into this world, that they which see not might see, and
that they which see might be made blind." And obviously from
what follows the message was a great offense to the Pharisees. We're familiar with the content
of the chapter I'm sure. It records this remarkable miracle
that had been performed by the Lord Jesus a miracle of some
note in that he had given sight to a man who had been born blind. It's a great miracle. This man
had never seen anything. He was born without any sight
and yet the Lord gives him eyes to see. But The miracle, of course,
is really a sign. It's a sign that's pointing to
something greater. And as I've said many a time
in this Gospel of John, the word that's rendered miracle is more
literally the word sign. All of these great works are
signs there's some spiritual lesson that's being taught. Though
the miracle is a real work of kindness, yet there's something
deeper than the gift of physical sight. And isn't that what the Lord
is really saying when we come to this final paragraph in the
chapter? for judgment I might come into
this world that they which see not might see and that they which
see might be made blind. Now, judgment here of course
is not to be thought of in terms of the final judgment. There
would come that great day of judgment when the Lord Jesus
would return again the second time? He says as much, doesn't
it? Back in chapter 5, verse 22,
The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto
the Son, and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because
he is the Son of Man. The Lord is to return and when
He comes, He will come to make the final separation between
the saved and the lost, between the sheep and the goats. But
we know that the purpose of His first coming was quite different.
It was to accomplish a great salvation. Back in the third
chapter, remember the words there in verse 17, God sent not His
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
through Him might be saved. The Lord is very much aware of
that purpose of His coming. He comes as the Saviour of sinners. Again in chapter 12 verse 47,
If any man hear my words and believe not, I judge him not. For I came not to judge the world,
but to save the world. All the Lord's ministry It's
that of salvation. But when we come to examine that
ministry we see quite clearly how discriminating that ministry
was and it's brought out several times. Remember here in this
Gospel of John how his ministry separates, discriminates, causes
there to be a division amongst the people. We see it in the
chapter of verse 16. There was a division among them
it says. And it's not the first time.
We read the same back in chapter 7 and verse 43. So there was a division among
the people because of Him, because of the Lord Jesus. And then again
here in chapter 10 and verse 19 there was a division therefore
again among the Jews for the Isaias, his person who he is,
the manner of his ministry the things that he is saying, the
content of his teaching it's offensive, it causes division
and even when we see him at the baptism Remember how he submits
to John's baptism. He goes to John the Baptist there
at the River Jordan as he begins his public ministry, submits
to the baptism of repentance. And here is John who is the forerunner,
the harbinger. He's come to prepare the way
for the Christ. And what does John say? Now also
the axe is laid to the root of the trees. He's speaking of the
ministry of Christ whose fan is in his hand. and he will truly
purge his flaw. All the Lord's ministry is a
faithful discriminating ministry. He comes as that one who is the
saviour. And of course we know that a
great amount of his teaching is parabolic. And then remember
the purpose of the parables. The significance of the parables.
in order that there might be certain truths being revealed
to some and yet at the same time by that same ministering the
concealing of those truths from some others. In the 13th chapter
of Matthew we find many many parables being spoken of. It's
a chapter that's full of the parables of the Lord Jesus. And
how there he reminds the disciples of the purpose of that teaching.
In Matthew 13.10 the disciples came and said unto him, Why speakest
thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them,
Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. In other words,
the purpose is that you might see it, you're my disciples,
but others won't see these things therefore speak I to them in
parables because they see and see not and hearing they hear
not neither do they understand and in them is fulfilled the
prophecy of Isaiah which said by hearing ye shall hear and
shall not understand and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive. Oh the ministry of the Lord Jesus
what a remarkable ministry it is though he separates men, distinguishes
one from the other. And what is it that we see in
this 9th chapter? Well, here we have the difference
between the Pharisees and the man born blind. The difference
between the self-righteous and one who is made sensible of his
sinners. We paraphrase the closing verse,
we might render it something like this. If ye were blind,
speaking to these parables, if ye were blind, sensibly blind,
ye should have no sin, for I would have taken it away. But now ye
say, we serve. Therefore your sin remaineth.
All their religion centers only in themselves. They know nothing
of dependence, complete and utter dependence upon the Lord Jesus. Well, let us come to consider
this closing paragraph, these three verses at the end of the
chapter for a while. First of all, to say something
with regards to these men who take offense, the self-righteous,
the self-righteous Pharisees. They are those who think that
they see. Some of the Pharisees which were
with him heard these words And said also, one team, are we blind
also? In other words, they are quite
sure that they're not blind. They're quite sure that they're
those who are able to see. And Jesus answers them, if you
were blind, you should have no sin. But now you say we see,
therefore your sin remain. And they're quite self-satisfied,
quite self-sufficient. or they feel in a sense that
they have no need of the ministry of this man they are righteous
already what is the spirit of the Pharisee is that the prophet
Isaiah speaks of back in Isaiah 65 stand by thyself come not
near to me I am holier than thou these are self-righteous men
And what do they do with this poor man that was born blind,
to whom the Lord has had such compassion as to give sight to
why they cast him out? When they ask his parents concerning
the young man, they're afraid. Ask him. He's of age, they say. He's of age. Let him speak for
himself. These words spake his parents
because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already
that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put
out of the synagogue. And so it was with this man,
as we read later, how they excommunicated him, verse 34, Or they dismiss him. Thou wast
altogether born in sins. And thus they teach us, these
self-righteous men, who is this man? He was born in sin. That's why he was blind when
he was born. And it says they cast him out. Or the margin says
they excommunicated him. And that was a very solemn thing.
He's cut off now. He's cut off from Israel. He's to be treated as a heathen
man, as a Gentile. no longer one of God's ancient
covenant people. All these men, oh, they think
themselves so much better, they are self-righteous, and this
man's a sinner. Or they imagine, oh, they were
the men who were law keepers, they had such a high regard for
the Word of God, and, oh, it was fenced by all the traditions
of the fathers, that was their attitude. Of course, we remember,
oh, Paul, when he was Saul of Tarsus, he was one of these men. He too was a Pharisee. And he speaks of himself writing
there in the Philippian epistle, in Philippians chapter 3 at verse
4. Though I might also have confidence
in the flesh. That's the Pharisees. Are we
blind also? We have such confidence, so self-sufficient,
though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man
thinketh that he hath whereof, he might trust in the flesh.
I more circumcise the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of
the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the
law of Pharisa concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching
the righteousness which is in the law lifeless and he was sincere
in all of that belief when he was saw or we see something of
the same spirit do we not in that man who goes to the temple
at the hour of prayer he goes there together with the publican
and the Lord tells of the two men there in In Luke 18, you
know the passage, it's the same spirit that we see in Saul, Saul
of Tarsus. There at Luke 18, how the Lord speaks of these
two men who go to the temple at the hour of prayer. The one
was a Pharisee and the other was a
publican. and how different these men are
how the Pharisee speaks of his works I fast I give tithes of
all that I possess likes to speak of his own doings he considers
himself to be so much better and then he looks at this publican
this publican who is standing far off this man who can't even
look to heaven, his eyes are downcast. I am not as other men
are, says the Pharisee, or even as his publican. You're the wickedness,
the wickedness of the self-righteous. And this is what the Lord is
speaking against here as he comes to the end of the chapter, or
as we come to the end of the chapter, having performed this
remarkable miracle. We're now beginning to deal with
these Jews, and the teachings of the Pharisees how we need
to take account to examine ourselves thou wast altogether born in
sins that's what they say to this man and the summit of that
spirit even in the Lord's own disciples isn't there when we
come to the first part of the chapter they pass by and they
see this man born blind, blind from his birth and his disciples
asked him saying Master who did sin this man or his parents that
he was born blind? Even the disciples you see are
thinking like the Pharisees. Now we need to be aware of that
spirit, the spirit of the Pharisee but also to be aware of the subtlety,
the subtlety of sin. we might compare ourselves with
the pharisees and yet in making the comparison we might have
the very spirit of the pharisee. We might come with the attitude,
well I thank thee Lord God that I'm not like the pharisees. The pharisee never owns his sin.
I always come to confess my sin. Nor the Pharisee, he likes to
come before God, he likes to talk of his merits, the things
that he's done. I never presumed to do anything
like that. We can, you see, have the spirit
of the Pharisee when we come before God and we're puffed up
with our gospel notions. We're saying words that seem
to be the right words, and what's our spirit in doing that? As the Pharisee comes with his
fancied merits, so we come with our gospel notions. Oh, we say all the right things. And yet, alas, how subtle is
sin. Jesus says to these men, if you
were blind you should have no sin. But now you say we sin. therefore your sin remaineth. God preserve us from any sort
of spirit of the Pharisee even should we clothe that spirit
with evangelical language. Now we need ever to be aware
of this other man that is spoken of throughout the chapter, the
principal character reader, the man that was born blind is really
brought to some sense of his real need before God. He was born blind. That's what
it says, blind from his birth. Now that's the truth, isn't it,
with regards to all of us. David says, Behold I was shapen
in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. We're not
only born blind, we're born dead, in trespasses and in sins. We're thinking in particular
of that blindness. By nature, we all are spiritually
blind. And it's God's work. God's work
to give physical sight to the man, the miracle, but God's work
also to give spiritual sight. Doesn't the Lord say that? I
must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. The
night cometh when no man can work. And the Lord performs the miracle. It's a work of mercy. But it
was, as we read later, the Sabbath day. And there's the offence,
you see. There's the offence. to the self-righteous
Pharisees and their warped understanding of what's right and what's wrong
on the Sabbath days. Christ has a work to do. And
the miracle is part and parcel of that work, but there is a
greater work that is to be performed here. The miracle is in many
ways a type, isn't it, of a greater work. Look at how the Lord speaks,
as long as I'm in the world. He says, I am the light of the
world. Oh, it reminds us, reminds us
of words that the Lord speaks previously in chapter 8. I am
the light of the world, either followeth me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall have the light of life. He comes to give
spiritual signs, not just physical signs. And what does the Lord
do in the case of this man? Why we see how the Lord at the
end of the chapter is really working through faith in this
man's heart. When they'd cast him out, when
they'd excommunicate him, when he's cut off, he's one of the
outcasts of Israel. In verse 35, 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? He answered and said,
Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said
unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and didst he see the talkers
with thee? And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped
him. What is the Lord doing in this
conversation? He's bringing the man to himself
really. is working faith in the heart
of this man, faith of the operation of God. This is the work of God,
says the Lord back in chapter 6. This is the work of God, that
you believe on him whom he has sent. True faith, that saving
faith. How different the Pharisees,
you see. So satisfied with what they have done for themselves,
their self-centered religion. but here is that faith that is
God's work the exceeding greatness of that work that he does within
the soul of the sinner when he brings that sinner to
saving faith in himself well how does the Lord produce that
sort of faith in the heart? well there are two things aren't
there that we have to recognize there's first what we might term
the hearing the hearing of faith we see it in the way in which
the Lord is speaking to the man here at the end of the chapter when the man asks the question
who is he? that I might believe on him the
question was does thou believe on the son of God? how vital
is that question That's belief in Jesus to be the Christ. Remember
what's said back in verse 22. If any man did confess that he
was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Well, who
is the Christ? The Christ is the Son of God. When Peter makes his confession
in Matthew 16, thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Those
two stand together. That is the Christ. the great
mystery of the Incarnation God manifest in the flesh. And the
Lord asked him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? Who is he, Lord, that I might
believe on him? And then the Lord, how the Lord
is working here. It is he that talketh with thee. It is he that talketh with thee. Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God. But who is it that is heard when
faith comes? Is it not the voice of the Lord
Jesus Christ? My sheep hear my voice. He goes
on to say these things here in chapter 10. My sheep hear my voice. Verse 20 and I know them and they follow
me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish."
Well, this is what the Lord does. He works. He works by His Word. Why, He is the Word of God incarnate. He is the Word made flesh and
how God has ordained that faith should come by and through the
ministry of the Word. We read concerning the children
of Israel in the Old Testament, that generation that died in
the wilderness wandering. The word preached did not profit
them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it, it says. Oh, there is to be that hearing
then of the Word, but whose Word? It's the Word of Christ Himself,
the Word of God. Even to those Ephesians, Paul
reminds them, you have not so learned Christ, if so be ye have
heard Him, and been taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus.
It's not coming then to hear the words of the preacher, it's
that that the preacher is handling, it's the Word of God, it's the
opening up of the Scriptures. It's right dividing of the word
of truth. If they speak not according to
this word it is because there's no light in them. We have to
bring everything to that touchstone. Is it really the word of God?
This is how faith comes. When we come and we're not just
coming to hear the words of any man, the word of some well-known
and greatly gifted preacher. No, it's to see beyond that man
and to desire that through that words of truth being opened,
the Spirit might come and work graciously and effectually in
the hearts. And then it's the words. And
the word that comes from Christ that comes by His Spirit. Because
when He comes, that's His ministry, is it not? He shall not speak
of himself, says Christ, he shall take of mine and shall show it
unto you. He is very much the Spirit of
Christ. It was Christ who shed him abroad
on the day of Pentecost. He has a ministry to accomplish.
There's a sense in which we can say, as in the Covenant, the
Son becomes the servant of the Father, so in this day of grace
the Spirit is the servant of the Son. And so under the ministry of
the word where the spirit of God is abroad there is that hearing
not the words of men but the words of the Lord Jesus himself. There's the hearing. There's
the hearing of faith. But then there's also something
else isn't there? There's also the sight of faith. What does the Lord say in answer
to this man's question? Who is it? that I might believe
on him. Jesus says thou hast both seen
him and did he see that talketh with thee. Now, he does see the Lord with
his natural eye, doesn't he? He must have done. He was born blind but the Lord
performs his remarkable miracle But he doesn't initially see
the Saviour. Because the Lord, as we're told
in verse 6, spat on the ground, made clay of the spittle, and
he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto
him, Go wash in the pool of Siloam which is by interpretation sent.
He went his way therefore and washed and came seeing. So, he doesn't see anything until
he has gone to the pool of Siloam, which is by interpretation sense,
and washed the clay from his eyes. And that reference, that
reference to the pool of Siloam, it's a significant reference
really. And the interpretation, it's all part of the The Scriptures, the Word of God,
that little parenthesis you see, the explanation, the Pool of
Siloam, which is by interpretation sent, we might think, I'm not
saying we do, but some might say, well, that's a comment that's
been introduced by an editor. He's explaining the Word. The
Lord actually said, go wash in the Pool of Siloam. Well, that's what the Lord did
say. But John, who is the author of this book, is not an editor,
he is speaking the words of gods. And so, what the Lord himself
actually says concerning Siloam, is also, or what John says in
explaining the significance, the meaning of the word Siloam,
which means sense, that is also part of the inspired text of
scripture. Now why is it there? Why is it so necessary to give
the interpretation of the word? Often times there are words in
scripture that we don't have the explanation in the actual
text as to what the word means. Sometimes we do, sometimes we
don't. So when it does occur, it is quite deliberately on the
part of the Lord God himself who by his Spirit has inspired
the word. What is the significance? of
this word sense. Well if we go back to chapter
7 we read there, don't we, of the
ministry of Christ when he's at the feast of the tabernacles
and it's the great day of the feast There in chapter 7 verse
37, In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood
and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me,
and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath
said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. And this spake he of the Spirit,
which they that believed on him should received, for the Holy
Ghost was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. The Spirit was yet to be given,
the Spirit was yet to be sent. And later, later in in chapter
16 and verse 7, remember how the Lord says, it is expedient
for you that I go away, for if I go not away the Spirit will
not come, but if I go I will send him unto you." Or there is some significance
here, it's directing us to him who was to be sent, even the
Spirit himself. He must do the work. The man
doesn't see Christ until he has gone to that pool of Siloam and washed and now he sees it's
the the spirit spoken of there as rivers of living water back
in chapter 7 it's the ministry, it's a spiritual ministry and
our spiritual ministry is so necessary if we're ever going
to see anything of the Lord Jesus and so when the man comes with
that question in verse 38 who is he Lord rather verse 36 who is he Lord
that I might believe on him and Jesus says thou hast both seen
him and it is he that talketh with them and then it's as if
the man's eyes are opened and he realizes who this is he said
Lord I believe and he worships him all his eyes are now clearly
opened he's a believer and as a believer what does he do? he
worships this one because the Spirit has shown him who Christ
is he's had such a sight of himself that he now has a wondrous sight
of the Savior, even the Lord Jesus. And that is evidenced
by the fact that he begins to worship. Only God is to receive worship
and this man so readily worships. Acknowledges the deity of the
Lord Jesus. That he is the Son of God. the son of the father in truth
and in life and how personal it all is the Lord's dealings
with this man when he says to him thus thou the singular pronoun thus thou
believe in the son of God all real religion is that person and he is one who believes into,
that's what he does, he believes into the Lord Jesus. Those words that the Lord puts
to him, at the end of verse 35, thus thou believe on, literally
it is into, thus thou believe into the Son of God. Now it must be that that inward
revelation Christ revealed now in the soul of this man as he
is brought to something more than a natural seeing it has
a spiritual side and rejoices in Christ so different, so very
different to the spirit of the pharisees in the Lord's addresses
so specifically here at the end of the chapter. These men who
will sit in judgment upon the blind man, who will sit in judgment
upon Jesus of Nazareth. But here is one who judges them,
who sees them for what they are. Their self-righteous religion,
their self-sufficient religion, their self-centered religion.
or Christ's head for judgment that might come into this world,
that they which see not might see, such as that poor blind
man, and that they which see, imagine that they have good sights,
might be made blind. And how his words strike home
so forcibly, the Pharisees are offended. They hear these words,
are we blind also? is their query. And then the
Lord tells them straight, if you were blind you should have
no sin. but now you say we see therefore your sin remains or
they're still left where they began they're still there dead
in trespasses and sins whereas the other man like that poor
republican who went into the temple the same time as the pharisee
you could only cry out God be merciful to me of sin Those are
the saved, the righteous, the self-righteous pharisees are
the ones who are lost. Oh God grant then that we might
see the difference, the distinction that the Lord himself is making,
even as he comes to the end of the chapter, as I say, it's a
miracle, it's a remarkable miracle, but it's also that that directs
us to the wonders of the gospel, Christ the light of the world,
And those who follow Him, they walk now in the fullness of that
light of life. Well, the Lord be pleased to
grant that that might be our case, your case, and my case,
by His mercy, by His grace, and by His goodness. Well, the Lord
be pleased to own His word for us. We're going to sing as concluding
praise, the hymn is 351 and the tune Leicester 171. The sinner
that by precious faith has felt his sins forgiven is from that
moment passed from death and seals an heir of heaven. Lym 351 and the tune 171.