Sight for the Blind

We see an example of that today in John chapter 9 of Christ's great power in the presence of blindness to do what God wanted him to do. I guess I think I would be safe in saying this that if all the senses we would cherish our sight the most. Now what I'm about to say may not be true because I've never experienced the loss of any of my senses but I think I could pretty live pretty normally without the sense of smell or the sense of taste. Life might not be quite as enjoyable but I think I could function fairly well that way. To lose the sense of touch would be a little more difficult certainly to lose the sense of hearing would be difficult but to lose the sense of sight would be in my way of thinking the most difficult of all. If you can imagine what it would be like to be blind from birth to have never seen the face of a loved one to have never enjoyed a sunrise or a sunset to have never gazed on beautiful hills with splashes of brilliant color like we see at this time of year to never have seen the mountains or the ocean to never have seen a flower or a butterfly to never have seen the smiling faces of little children. Imagine what it would be like to go through your entire life without that sense. To one who is blind from birth that is a terrible tragedy and maybe that's the reason why this is the miracle most often referenced in the gospels that Jesus performed at least on seven occasions it is recorded that Jesus healed a person who was blind and one of those occasions is in our chapter today John chapter 9 as we journey through the gospel of John we come to this story which is couched in a setting that is so powerful. Jesus performs a great miracle here but the greatest miracle is not the opening of eyes the greatest miracles the opening of hearts to spiritual truth the taking away of the scales of spiritual blindness and so as as Christ gives sight to a blind man we see also how he gives spiritual sight for spiritual blindness and that's really the thrust of this story the miracle just really sets up our understanding of his great power in giving us spiritual sight now please remember the setting it's been a couple of weeks that we remind you that Jesus has been in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles and he just got done in chapter 8 referring to those four great big candle that were in the temple that that were lit every night each each prong of those four candle-abra holding 65 liters of oil and lighting up the whole temple throwing light over the walls of the temple into the city of Jerusalem and Jesus has just used that occasion to remind the people just like God gave you light in the wilderness I am the light of the world and now Jesus leads the temple verse one tells us as he went along you saw a man blind from birth and what he's going to do is he's going to show that he has the power since he is the light of the world to give light to one who has known nothing but darkness all of his life Jesus can impart the light of sight and even better he can impart the light of spiritual sight to those who are spiritual blind this great miracle unfolds for us in chapter 9 in three separate chapters the first of which is the miracle performed in the first seven verses we have the the recording of the actual miracle that is done and it begins with the question of the disciples a very interesting question might seem like a puzzling question to us first one says 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 now the reason they asked that question was because it was just normally assumed in that day that any physical ailment was directly linked to a personal sin that's what the Pharisees taught if something was wrong with you physically it was because you sinned so that's a given in the disciples mind that's not really what they're asking they're puzzled by the fact that this man has been blind from birth and so they can't figure out who sin caused this that his parents sin is that the reason or was there some way maybe for him to have sinned even in his mother's womb so that he would be punished by God and be blind from birth I want to pause for just a moment to say there are two things wrong with that question but there are two mistakes that we often make in our lives when we come up against hardship or trouble or something we can't quite explain sometimes when we see hardship in our own lives or in others lives or some kind of physical problem one of the things we begin to do is we begin to make people a subject of theological discussion rather than the object of loving concern we treat people as though their theological problems to be figured out we got to have all the answers rather than just reaching out to them with the love of Christ now there's a place for having a theological understanding of what's happening but part of the problem here is the disciples seem to be completely uncaring about the man himself they just want to figure out theologically what caused his condition and we do the same thing a lot of times with people but the real problem here is that they were asking the wrong question they were asking the question why and that's the question we jump to most naturally when things go wrong when there is a problem when there is not only a physical hardship but some other great trial or difficulty in our lives the first thing we want to ask is we want answers we want to lay blame on somebody or something so we begin throwing these questions out often at God why why did this happen why did you allow this why would that person go through this why would this happen when I'm trying to serve you so much why why why it's the wrong question wrong question and the response of Jesus indicates how wrong that question is notice if you will Jesus response in verses three through five neither this man nor his parents sin 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 an amazing response by Jesus he basically defuses the thinking of the disciples and he basically says this this what has happened to this man is blindness is not tied to sin at all this what happened to him and we need to learn the same kind of perspective what happened to him God can turn into something good so the question is not why did this happen the question is what God do you want to do with this I'm trying to learn to ask myself the appropriate question when things don't go right in my life I hope that we will all try to learn to ask the right question why is the wrong question what is the right question what Lord do you want to do with this how can you turn this tragedy into glory something that will glorify you something that will display the works of God in my life what do you want to do with this rather than why ask yourself what rather than trying to fix blame look to God for how he wants to glorify himself in whatever's happening with you so Jesus being in his presence brings them to a different perspective but there's another perspective here Jesus goes on to say the question is what what do you want to do God what are your works you want to do and then the second follow-up question is Lord how do you want to use me to do those works in verses four and five Jesus says as long as it's day we we must do the works of him who sent me and he's thinking about this blind man and so Jesus is basically telling us the wrong thing to do is theological speculation over why this happened that's not the first response the first response is simply to reach out and help the person do the work that God wants us to do let me put it this way as we move through life rather than trying to fix blame for everything that happens look for how God wants to use you to glorify him in the lives of people to whom it's happening in other words rather than condemning the sinner give the gospel to the sinner reach out in love to the sinner rather than condemning the criminal in prison for what he or she has done lovingly take the gospel to them heal the hurting person of sin rather than seeking to lay blame for who calls the divorce first of all reach out in love to the divorced person at some point as you love them to Christ there will probably need to be some understanding of what happened and why it happened and what was my part in that understand all that but rather than asking the questions why and laying blame reach out in love to people and cause them to see the love of Christ in our hands our heart rather than rather than condemning the one with addictions or with AIDS reach out to them with the love of Christ and say we want to help you find healing and help and hope that's how Jesus worked we've got to do his works not stand around trying to figure out who's sin to cause this but let's reach out to help the guy let's do the works of God while we were gone a week or we can half ago to visit our two daughters Missy and Iowa and Ruth in Chicago I read a book the title of the book was was mission at Nuremberg and it's the fascinating story of an American army Chaplain who had been a pastor Lutheran pastor went into the military because of his burden for ministering to the troops became a Chaplain in World War II was in the European theater and after the war was over he was asked by our government to become a Chaplain to the Nuremberg war criminals who were on trial the Nazi war criminals who were on trial he debated about whether or not he could in good conscience even do that these men are our guilty and everybody's mind of horrible crimes against humanity and he had seen firsthand some of them he was in the force that liberated the prison camp doc how and so he had seen the awful things that had been done and he'd been part of the war effort going through Europe and so he had a struggle in his own heart but as he prayed and asked God for direction he just knew and he sensed God speaking to his heart and saying yes as terrible as these men are they have souls and Christ died for them and they need to hear the gospel and the book is an amazing account of how in spite of much criticism on the part of other people who knew him and even other Chaplains in spite of a lot of criticism of what he did he accepted the invitation under the Geneva Convention by the way war criminals are entitled to spiritual counsel and so it was a legal thing and and so he decided I can do this and I'm gonna do it and I believe God wants me to do it the book's an amazing account of his interactions and visits in in the prison cells with hermengaring Albert Spear and other Nazi war criminals who had done horrific things amazingly when faced with the awesomeness of their crimes when when everything came tumbling down around the many of them were broken men not all of them but many of them were broken men and realized the enormity of their sin and felt like they could not even be forgiven by God Henry Garricky the Lutheran Chaplin that the book is about led several of those men to Christ at least five of them to Christ before they were hung on the gallows he was doing what Jesus would do yes there's plenty of blame to go around but what we need to do is do the works of God while there's still time to do them to reach out to people with the love of Christ so Jesus is saying guys don't sit around trying to figure out who's responsible for this man's condition let's do something about it let's get involved in his life let's show him love and compassion that is the response of Jesus and what follows is the healing of this man in verses six and seven an amazing healing verse six 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 saloam this means this word means scent so the man went and washed and came home seeing interesting isn't it amazing miracle why did he spit on the ground and make a kind of mud poultice to put on his eyes why did he do that nobody knows for sure the Bible doesn't really tell us but it's possible Jesus knew this man not having seen all of his life would respond better to the touch the sense of touch and the sense of hearing would be very acute with him and for Jesus to to rub something on his eyes would communicate best to this man what Jesus was doing plus it would give him plenty of extra motivation to obey Jesus and go to the pool and clean off the mud and Jesus had a special reason for sending him to the pool of saloam we have a picture of it for you on the screen the pool of saloam is a pool that empties out from the the hezekiah tunnel the tunnel the hezekiah built to bring water into the city of Jerusalem when the water when the city was being attacked during hezekiah's reign and empties out into this little pool this is the very pool where the high priest would take that golden bowl at the feast of tabernacles and fill it with water and bring it back to the temple and pour it out beside the brazen altar remember that so when that happened in the temple you remember what happened back in John chapter 7 Jesus stands up and cries out with a loud voice if anyone is thirsty let him come to me Jesus was saying I am the fulfillment of this ceremony which reminds you that God gave you water in the wilderness and so he sends this man to the very place where that water is taken from so that he will remember and understand that it is Jesus who gives you this healing it is Jesus Christ who can meet the deepest need of your heart and I think there's another reason why he's sending there John tells us and there's no this is not just a little sideline John tells us the word saloam means scent that very word would resonate the word scent in the mind of this man five times in chapter 8 Jesus has said I am sent from the father I am sent from the father I am the sent one and so the very fact of going to the pool of saloam remembering the the temple ceremony and the one who cried out in the temple and remembering that he has said I am the sent one that would bring it all back to this man and would begin to help him understand what was happening in his heart on a deeper level it is a miracle not only a physical sight being restored but this is the beginning of the scales of the blindness on his heart being torn away so that he might come to understand who Jesus is and that he can give his heart and life to Jesus so the first chapter in this great story is the miracle performed the second chapter somewhat of a frustrating one but it ends up great is the debate of the miracle the miracle debated there are four parties that immediately enter into debate about this miracle the first party is the neighbors now verse seven says that the man went home came home seeing now that's a great little summary of it that's what the spirit wanted us to see and here but I like to try to put myself in these settings and see what that would have been like I don't think the guy walked away from so I'm saying wow I can see now great now let's go home and you I can't imagine that for the first time in his life his eyes are opened and he's experiencing everything he's heard and felt he's now seeing it and I'm sure he was probably leaping and dancing and telling everybody along the way I can see I can see and he wants to go home and tell his family and there's a great welcome therefore I mean they're trying to figure out what happened and then the neighbors find out and the the whole neighbor gets to buzzing about this look at what they're saying verse eight his neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg some claim that he was others said no he only looks like him but he himself insisted I am the man can't you to see that they're debating over who he is and he said listen to me I'm the guy I don't know I was the one who's blind I'm the one who's got my eyes open I am the man I'm your guy verse 10 then how were your eyes open they asked he replied the man they called Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes he told me to go to Salome 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 amazing interaction with his neighbors I'm gonna call them the incredulous because they are absolutely incredibly stunned at what's happened to him and they can't figure it out they've only known him all of his life as a blind man they can't figure out what's happened to him he is a different man even so much so that some say you're really sure we got the same guy I mean looks like him but is he really the same guy and he's over your tone hey it's me yeah it's me oh that our neighbors would talk the same way about us when Jesus radically touches and transforms our lives is this the same person looks like him looks like her but they're so different what's happened to them and did you notice that the next question for them was who did this how did this happen all that that would happen with us that people would see the difference in our lives and say are we even seeing the same person here it seems like a different person looks like John but sure that not like him anymore sure that talk like him anymore is either different person and the next question being how did this happen who did this to you did you know that this really is a picture of the most powerful kind of testimony we as believers can have and that is the testimony of a changed life which raises questions in the minds of people that have known us for a long time and they see the difference they hear the difference Jesus said that he said it in John chapter or Matthew chapter five verse 16 when he said in the same way let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven when people see a changed life they don't know how to explain that and so they start asking questions and Jesus says it's the opportunity for you to show them your father to show what he looks like to glorify him to bring his his character down to this earth and show it to other people Peter would say it this way in first Peter chapter three and verse 15 but in your hearts revere Christ as Lord in other words set him apart as Lord in your lives live out your Christian life your faith your Christ's Lordship in your life every day do that constantly and then get ready for what's gonna happen because when you do that you better be prepared Peter says always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have it's not necessarily that they're asking technical questions about by the Bible they're asking what's different about you why do you see things different why do you look at why do you why are you talking to why are you talking in a way that indicates hope and joy and peace what's happened to you so you can give a reason be prepared be ready to give a testimony of Christ that's what this verse is talking about a verse often used for apologetics and it can be used that way but in its context not talking about apologetics it's talking about people asking about the difference in your life not about how to add them get all or Adam wouldn't even add them wasn't Noah get all the animals on the ark who would did they are can you know yeah I think it was Noah at least that's what Hollywood says it was Noah right that they're not asking those kind of questions they're asking why do you have this hope inside you why do you like so different and you better be prepared to give them an answer because the greatest testimony you can have is the testimony of a changed life this is over and over and over again the clear message of the New Testament Paul said it this way in 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and here's what he means you should mind your own business and work with your hands just as we told you why so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders he's talking about the way you compose yourself the way you carry yourself the way you deal with people mind your own business don't be the kind of person that stirs up trouble all over the place mind your own business that's where your mom got that expression by the way mind your own business and work with your hands in other words do the work that God's given you to do in your vocation be a good testimony there people on the outside will learn to respect you Paul said it a little differently to the Colossian church in Colossians 4 he said let your conversation be full of grace in other words the way you talk let it be full of grace don't condemn don't criticize don't put people down let your conversation be characterized by grace why seasoned with salt salt is something which causes people to be thirsty and want more not to be repelled want more so that they may know so that you may know how to answer everyone and then he said it in a different way to the Philippians I mean this is all over the place in Philippians he says do everything without grumbling or arguing out why so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation in order so that people will see you as a child of God you look like your father then you will shine among them like stars in the sky you want to you want to have a testimony for Christ then live out your faith live with hope live with the joy of Christ do your work as unto God and the neighbors will sit up and take notice they will be incredulous at the difference in your life if we go around grumbling and complaining about everything just like everybody else stirring up trouble in the neighborhood by getting everybody mad at each other and criticizing everybody they don't see any difference in us that's what pagans do that's what unsaved people do but if our lifestyle is different the neighbors are going to say is this even the same guy looks like him looks like her but I'm not sure it's the same person what happened to you what a great testimony so the neighbors weigh in they are the incredulous and then the second party is the Pharisees notice what the Pharisees do when they get ahold of this verse 13 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 oh boy here we go again you know what's coming next right 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 ask how can a man or 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's a prophet I think he's kind of non-plus that the fact they would come back to him these are religious leaders they're supposed to know how things like this happen you're asking me well hey he's a prophet I don't know I mean he doesn't even really know who he is he just knows he's a man that they call Jesus back in verse 11 so now that he's put on the spot he's gonna raise it up a level well looks like to me he's a prophet at least now the Pharisees I'm gonna call the investigators because they are the responsible party for investigating all claims to Messiah Schiff and Israel they are the religious authorities they are the powers that be but as we already know in this gospel their minds are already made up they've already been judged and jury they've already passed the sentence they've already condemned Jesus in their minds they're just looking for a way to get rid of him and so with this case they just want to look for some way to explain what's happened to this man in a way that doesn't make Jesus look good they are hard-hearted they are self-righteous they will not accept Christ and when they find out it happened on a Sabbath there's our chance we'll jump at that this couldn't be a man of God he couldn't be a good man because he did this on the Sabbath that wasn't a breach of Sabbath law according to Moses it was a breach of Sabbath tradition according to the Pharisees the Bible said don't do any work on the Sabbath and remember the Pharisees have like 39 different categories of work and one of them was needing dough you can't need any dough and so there were many subsets of what does that mean to need dough and one of them was to make a poultice that you would apply so we got him he made a poultice of mud he was needing on this Sabbath he's guilty but you know what the real problem is the real problem is they're blind the real problem is they are blind and Jesus calls them on it later in the story skip down quickly to verse 39 Jesus said for judgment I have come into this world so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind the blind will see already done that with the the man he healed and we're gonna see that he opens his eyes in more ways than one but he's also come so that those who see will become blind well the Pharisees thought he was probably talking about them so verse 40 some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked what are we blind to Jesus said if you were blind you would not be guilty of sin but now that you claim you can see your guilt remains what Jesus is saying basically is I'm gonna I'm gonna give you credit for your own estimation of yourself you believe you can see you believe you are the righteous ones you believe you are the ones right with God you have spiritual sight you believe that don't you Jesus would say the same thing about them in Matthew 9 when he was eating dinner with Matthew and other tax collector buddies of Matthew and the Pharisees criticizing for hanging out with that crowd and Jesus said I'm hearing this it's not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick but go and learn what this means I desire mercy not sacrifice now look at this where I have not come to call the righteous but sinners and what he's doing he's talking to the Pharisees and basically he's saying you think you're righteous I'm gonna give you that forsake of argument let's say you're righteous it's not who I came for I came for people who realized their centers and in John 9 I didn't come for those who think they can see for those who see I came for the blind now if you would admit your blindness then you would not have any guilt why because you would you would know you're a center you would come to me for forgiveness I would forgive you your guilt would be taken away but because you think you can see your guilty your guilty you see Jesus didn't come for people who are self-righteous for people who think they're okay who people who think because they're religious they've got enough on the rest of those people who are those awful sinners Jesus came for sinners and all of us fit that category Jesus came for people who are willing to admit their blind admit their sinners the Pharisees are just investigators with hard hearts closed eyes self-righteous hearts but there's a third party in this debate the man's parents and notice what the parents have to say in verses 18 through 23 verse 18 they the Pharisees 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 that 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 and John explains their answer verse 22 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 I'm gonna call them the intimidated they were intimidated they were intimidated by the religious authorities John tells us that they wouldn't come right out and say it's Jesus who did this I'm sure the blind man had told them what happened he had told others that man Jesus man named Jesus did this I'm sure he told his parents that but they don't even want to mention the name Jesus because they know that if you look like you're supporting Jesus you get tossed out of the synagogue which has really serious implications for your livelihood for your job for your standing in the community and so they don't want any of that to happen so they are intimidated by the religious power of the Pharisees they are not willing to publicly identify with Christ because they've been silenced by this intimidation and I wonder if there's some of us just like that in this room I wonder if there are some of us who are intimidated by the crowd by what everybody else is doing and we feel like we're gonna be put on the spot thought of as different thought of as maybe a little weird a holy roller or something like that if we don't go along and so we feel pressured into silence no we're not gonna stand up and say I'm sorry I can't do that I belong to Christ he has a claim on my life and I just don't think that would please him I'm not gonna do that I'm sorry not gonna go there I wonder how many of us are silenced and intimidated by the world wonder how many of us are intimidated by the experts the experts say God certainly couldn't have created this world you don't think you believe that yeah there's only one way to heaven Jesus you're serious you have any education at all are you intimidated by the experts maybe because you've been off to college and you've heard a lot of attacks on your faith you intimidated by that you intimidated by someone who has a lot of knowledge a lot of training because they have those three letters behind their name PhD you're intimidated cow by that you're silenced by that intimidated intimidated by the majority as our culture more and more shifts away from God and those who believe in his word and that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation and that there is a literal hell where people will be punished forever if they do not accept Christ as Savior those of us who believe that are increasingly being shoved out to the margins and the fringes and seen as religious fanatics and bigots are you intimidated by that listen my friend this is a day in which we need to stand up for Jesus Christ and be willing to boldly proclaim I know Jesus I believe this book is the word of God whatever it teaches I believe and I will stand for Jesus Christ do it with respect yes and and and spirit of gentleness yes but firmly stand up for Jesus Christ don't let anyone cow you in the silence don't be intimidated by this world system Jesus Jesus was not intimidated by the religious authorities he suffered the most humiliating death imaginable things said of him and to him that were utterly untrue and he never fought back never even answered his accusers why because he had you in mind and he had me in mind and he knew that the only way for us to be saved was for him to go through with the agony of the cross it's what he was to 12 to says despising the shame he endured the cross looking to the joy that was ahead of him Jesus was not intimidated then why should we be intimidated to proclaim him don't be intimidated by the crowd the majority the world the experts there's one other party however in this wonderful story of the debate the man himself I'm gonna call him the illuminated because his eyes are really opened in more ways than one let's follow the story beginning in verse 24 a second time they summoned the man who had been blind give glory to God by telling the truth they said that's the way of putting you under oath basically put your hand on the Bible and say I swear to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth that's the way they did it in that day okay we know this man is a sinner verse 25 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 I love that don't you you just love that did you know he was so confident and bold because of this he knew where he had been and he knew where he was now and he didn't know even who it was it had done this he didn't know much about him yet but he knew where he had been and he knew where he was now he knew he had been blind he knew that he could see now my friend the moment you get saved you know enough to tell somebody else what's happened to you you may not know all the theology behind it yet that's okay there's plenty of time to learn some of that there's nothing wrong with learning that that's a good thing but you know enough at the moment you're saved to know that where I was is not where I am anymore I'm in a different place in my life I now can see I've trusted Jesus as my savior you may not be able to go much beyond that but you can keep saying that I love his boldness and his directness and it quickly puts the Pharisees on the defensive first 26 then they asked him what did he do to you how did he open your eyes he answered I've told you already and you did not listen why do you want to hear it again do you want to become his disciples too he's pushing all the right buttons now you want to become you know what that does indicate though it is indicates he's growing and he's understanding of who this Jesus is and that maybe he has become one of his disciples one of his followers and he's challenging the Pharisees that's what you want to do too well that really brings out their pride in hypocrisy verse 28 then they hurled insults at him and said you are this fellow's disciple we are the disciples of Moses we know that God spoke to Moses but as to this fellow we don't even know where he comes from pride self righteousness I love the man's response I love his boldness I love that he knows he has them on the roof and verse 30 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 excellent reasoning biblical truth Pharisees don't want to hear that but I love the man's boldness he is willing now to take a stand for Christ his eyes have been opened in more ways than one in verse 34 to this they replied you were steeped in sin at birth how dare you lecture us and they threw him out not just threw him out of the meeting they threw him out of the synagogue going back to the threat in verse 22 they threw him out of the synagogue he's done he can no longer be considered a loyal faithful pious Jew who goes to synagogue anymore you're excluded you're excommunicated that would mean a lot for how people would see him in the community how he would be viewed even how you would be able to get work whether or not people would bring their business to him many a lot of things it was dangerous it was serious but I love the fact that he's no longer the one on trial they are he has put them on trial the roles have been reversed and the Pharisees have nothing to fall back on except a pathetic spouting of their authority who removes the disciples don't you lecture us you commoner were the religious authorities were the religious teachers you know you've lost the argument when you have to fall back on your resume to argue for you and that's all they're doing they don't have a leg to stand on they don't have any ground to stand on anymore this man's eyes have been opened his eyes have been open he is the eliminated but the best part of this story is that the very end it's very brief but it's powerful the miracle was performed and the miracle was debated but the miracle continues in verses 38 35 to 38 I love what happens first Jesus found him for 35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out and when he found him he said do you believe in the Son of Man will come back to the question but just pause right there a moment let those words just roll over your soul be found him found him when you're excluded by everybody else when you're kicked out Jesus is there waiting for you with open arms this man has been kicked out of the synagogue and Jesus is ready to welcome him into his arms and into the family of God there's no better place to be when others exclude you Jesus will receive you I don't care what you've done I don't care where you've been I don't care what your past looks like our Savior is seeking for you and he reaches out with open arms he's waiting for you and when you are walking away from everything that has meant anything to you and you feel like you've lost it all he finds you but Jesus also let him to faith he says do you believe in the Son of Man who is he sir the man asked tell me so that I may believe in him and remember this is the first time he's seen Jesus the last time he had in contact with Jesus he was still blind trying to find his way down to the pool of salam and Jesus left since first time he's seen him I think he probably knows who he's talking to probably recognize these boys but I'm not real sure do you believe in the Son of Man tell me who he is sir who is he tell me so that I may believe in him he's he has nowhere else to turn whoever the Son of Man is Jesus said in verse 37 you have now seen him in fact he is the one speaking with you then the man said Lord I believe Lord I believe it's that simple my friend when Jesus identified himself as the Son of Man the man opens his heart and faith to Christ and says I believe in verse 11 he only knew him as a man that they call Jesus in verse 17 he's willing to say must be a prophet in verse 33 he's come to the point where he understands he's a man sent from God he must be sent from God and now he comes face to face with him and he realizes he is the son of man that great title which indicates the one who is sent from heaven to become one of us to be our savior to be the Messiah in this man's eyes that's who he is and when he hears that his understanding has grown to the point where he's willing to commit his life to Christ and say I believe I believe I believe are you here this morning and this is your journey this is your journey of faith and you've come to understand who Jesus is whatever your past is you've lost everything maybe but Jesus has found you and he's wrapped his arms around you and he's helped you to see who he is and you've grown in that understanding and now you know that he's the savior are you willing to say I believe I believe I rest my hope of heaven in him in Christ I believe in Christ is my savior are you willing to say that because when you do then you can worship him and Jesus accepted his worship he worshiped him the end of verse 38 and Jesus accepted that oh what a spiritual journey this man has it began with Christ meeting a physical need just reaching out and showing compassion and didn't that where most people's faith journey begins a lot of people their faith journey begins maybe your faith journey has begun there or somebody reached out to you and said Jesus Christ is waiting for you with open arms he will help you you've been through a divorce he can heal you've been through the loss of a loved one he can help you understand grief and bring you through that you've been ensnared and imbondaged to addictions Jesus Christ can break the chains and maybe that's where it all began with you your hopeless you've lost everything you have maybe that's where it begins with you and my friend I'm here to tell you that when you leave everything else behind Jesus is waiting with open arms to find you he's there with his love and compassion he's not debating over why all those things happen to you how did you mess up so bad he's just there with open arms waiting for you that others debate all those issues Jesus says I've come to do the works of him that sent me he's there for you my friend he's there to receive you with open arms to show you that he is the son of man the son of God the savior of the world will you believe will you trust him we would love to help you on that journey where are you in your spiritual journey we would love to help you if you're not sure about some things if you're kind of back in that stage like this man was figuring out who Jesus is and what he's done for you and you're not sure you've got to picture clear yet and you need some help we would love to help you on that journey would you bow with me in prayer Father we thank you for the example of this man whose physical sight was given to him but who gained spiritual sight as well and came to believe in Jesus as the one who came to save him Lord I pray for people here today who may be blind not physically but spiritually maybe they don't even realize it Lord I pray that your spirit would open up the eyes of their heart this morning and they would realize their need for Christ understand what he did to die on the cross to pay for their sins and trust him believe in him as their savior we ask it in his name amen