Calvary Road Baptist Church
“THE MAN BORN BLIND COMES TO FAITH IN CHRIST”
John 9.35-38
I am excited to finally arrive at that portion of the Gospel according to John chapter nine where is recorded the man who was born blind actually coming to faith in Christ. Finally! It was three weeks back that we considered verses 1-7 and the healing of the man born blind. Then, two weeks ago, we settled on verses 8-12, where is found that even those who had known him since his childhood had difficulty accepting that his sight had been given to him. Remember how they spoke past him as they had always done before? Third, we focused last week on verses 13-34 and the account of the man who had been born blind and his parents being worked over by the interrogators, those mean-spirited Pharisees.
If you have turned to John 9.35, I invite you to stand and join me in reading through verse 38:
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?
36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
This is a pretty straightforward account, but there are some details that are both informative and comforting on our way to an analysis of these four verses.
If you look back to John 9.11, you will see that, in response to the questioning by friends and neighbors after he gained his sight, the man who had been born blind initially described the individual who worked the miracle giving him sight as “a man.” No more than that. He estimated the miracle-worker to be a man. However, that was the now sighted man’s appraisal of the miracle-worker he had never actually seen very soon after he was able to see for the first time in his life. Then, perhaps the next day, when interrogated by the Pharisees after he had no doubt spent the night thinking about the great miracle and his ability to see for the first time, he described the miracle-worker to them by saying, “He is a prophet.” In saying that, the man who had been born blind revealed that he had concluded that his benefactor somehow represented God because prophets were God’s representatives to mankind.
By the time we arrive at our text, which might record events on yet a third day, the man who had been born blind grants that his sight had been miraculously given to him by “the Son of God,” and goes so far as to address Jesus Christ in verse 38 as “Lord.” Then, there are things going on in this now sighted man’s mind and heart, with his appraisal of the Lord Jesus Christ rising over time and with additional consideration and information. A man, a prophet, the Lord.
He had likely overheard the Lord Jesus Christ’s conversation with His disciples, back in verses 2-3, when
2 ... his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
I have absolutely no doubt this conversation took place just a couple of feel from the guy, and he heard everything.
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Thus, his first encounter with this man we know to be the Lord Jesus Christ, who moments later put mud in his eyes and told him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam,” was memorable for the Lord’s comment denying that his congenital blindness was the result of either his or his parents’ sin. Don’t you know that piqued his interest? He had grown up in a culture that believes that his blindness was a result of his sin or his parents, and now hears somebody call that into question. The spiritual component is a part of this from the very beginning. From the occasion of him initially overhearing the Savior’s conversation about him with His disciples, to his neighbors and acquaintances questioning him, to his interrogations by the Pharisees, this has always been in his mind a series of events that had profound spiritual implications for him. It began with his blindness and the issue of sin and ended with him first seeing and finally saying to the Savior, “Lord, I believe,” and worshiping Him.
Two more comments before we examine our text: First, this now sighted man who had been born blind came to the place where he believed in the Savior and then worshipped Him, verse 38. Consider circling the phrase “he worshipped him” in your Bible because this is the only pre-crucifixion reference to worship of the Lord Jesus Christ found in John’s Gospel.[1] Therefore, it’s worth noting. Finally, before looking again at verses 35-38, I want you to notice the final sentence in verse 34:
“And they cast him out.”
Back in verses 21-23 this man who had been born blind faced the harsh reality that under the fierce pressure of the interrogators his parents folded up like cheap cardboard and refused to stand up for him. Even after the wonderful miracle of sight, that had to be crushing to him. Then he was expelled from his synagogue, which would have resulted in him being socially ostracized. Don’t think mom and dad stood with him after he was expelled from the synagogue. People who fold up like cheap cardboard fold up like cheap cardboard whenever the opportunity presents itself. So they didn’t stand with him here either.
One can only imagine how crushing the hammer blows must have been to him, first to be betrayed by his parents and to be then cut off from those he had worshipped with his whole life. Have you ever been completely, totally, profoundly, isolated and all alone? Many of you have felt that way, but have you ever objectively been that way? If you have felt that way or been that way then take comfort from Psalm 27.10:
“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.”
Forsaken by father, forsaken by mother, and cut off from everyone else by religious leaders who should have sought to minister to his spiritual needs, we are now ready to see what our wonderful Savior did. It is always good to take note of what our wonderful Savior does:
First, NOTICE THE EVIDENCE OF MY SAVIOR’S CONCERN FOR THE MAN
The first portion of John 9.35 reads,
“Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him....”
Two things I want you to reflect upon with me that show the Savior’s tender care for this poor man:
First, the Lord Jesus Christ knew of this man’s plight. You might not think being expelled from your synagogue is a crushing blow, but that only means you have no concept of the role one’s synagogue played in the life of a Jewish person in Jerusalem in the first century. I would not be surprised to learn, once I get to heaven, that the devastation this man felt when he was expelled from his synagogue was a greater negative for him than was the miracle of receiving his sight being positive. It was a crushing blow. He had effectively been discarded by his parents when the interrogators pressured them. Do you think they will remain steadfast to their son now that he has been expelled from the synagogue? Hardly. Hardly.
The Gospel writer informs us the Lord Jesus Christ learned by ordinary means of the man’s situation. He heard from the buzz around town associated with the miracle and the interrogations what the result had been. But do not for one moment think that our Lord learned only from word being conveyed to Him. The Lord Jesus Christ is omniscient because He is very God. It just so happens that it suited the Holy Spirit to inspire the Apostle John to call attention to our Lord’s discovery of the man’s plight by ordinary means. What is being pointed out is the Lord’s compassion to care enough to learn of this man’s life situation and his plight. That said, the same is true of you, and the same is true of me. Is it not? Is it not the very nature of our Savior to care enough to know and to know enough to care? It is the Devil who would persuade the ignorant and foolish that He doesn’t know and He doesn’t care, both sentiments being lies.
Next, knowing the man’s plight, the Lord Jesus Christ found him. Is this a great surprise to anyone at all familiar with God’s Word? Did not the Lord Jesus Christ declare about Himself,
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost,”
Luke 19.10? The man born blind now has his sight, to be sure. But he had been cut off from everyone he loved and held dear. For him, it was a strange world this world that he had come to be able to see, but he was now isolated in this new world, without the solace of companionship or comfort of any kind. So, what is to be said about an individual who is completely cut off from anyone and everyone, isolated, lonely, despondent, and despairing? What’s to be said? His situation is perfect. It’s ideal. It is the end of sin since sin separates. Excuse me, but this is where the Spirit of God brings an individual to prepare him or her for the Gospel. When a person finds himself isolated, helpless, without help or hope, he is then better situated to consider the claims of the Gospel than at any other time in his life. This is when the reality of sin is best recognized. And what the Lord Jesus Christ did concerning this poor, helpless, hopeless, abandoned man, He will do with you. He will find you using the Gospel, the good news that Jesus saves to the uttermost anyone who will come to God by Him. And He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Having Demonstrated His Concern For The Man, NOTICE THE DETAILS OF MY SAVIOR’S CONVERSATION WITH THE MAN
I have listed my outline as His Concern For The Man and His Conversation With The Man. I could just as descriptively have gone with He Sought Him, and then He Caught Him. I have no intention of suggesting the man who had once been blind was not eager to believe in this One who had given Him sight, but he had not enough information for saving faith until The Savior sought him.
Notice the questions and answers recorded by John that reveal the crucial engagement of the mind and heart for a sinner to come to faith in Christ. Let me say that again. The crucial engagement of the mind and heart for a sinner to come to faith in Christ. Does one have to be smart to become a believer in Christ? No. Boy, am I glad. Does one have to know many things to become a believer in Christ? No. Boy, am I really glad. I didn’t anything hardly know anything when I came to Christ. But you have to know enough to inform your faith, and you have to be attentive from your heart. You might wonder how you know that you know enough? You know enough if you know enough to come to Christ. Some people know enough, and they still won’t come to Christ, for which they will give an accounting at the Great White Throne judgment of Jesus Christ.
First, the Lord Jesus Christ asked the man born blind an important question, verse 35:
“Dost thou believe on the Son of God?”
Remember that the man had been expelled from the synagogue. But why was he expelled? Verse 22 reveals that anyone who believed Jesus was the Christ was to be expelled from the synagogue. Therefore, asking the man if he believed on the Son of God is the same as asking him if he believed Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah. The Lord Jesus Christ did not ask this question to learn of the man’s spiritual condition or to discover his level of interest. He already knew everything. He asked this question to bring the man to a place where he would put into words sentiments that may not have already crystallized in his thinking. Sometimes you ask questions of a person to help them think the process through, so they can put into words what had previously been feelings. But we don’t think with feelings. We think with words. That is why it is important to be a reader and to be a reader of the Bible, because it puts into your mind the words necessary to think these things through in your mind, eventually affecting your heart.
Notice, however, that the man who had been born blind, who was now lonely and isolated, answered the Lord Jesus Christ’s question with a question of his own, verse 36:
“He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?”
Understand that this fellow was not evasive. Faith has as one component that is knowledge, information, truth, doctrine, or whatever term you want to use to describe the factual foundation on which faith is properly built. This man confessed here that he did not yet have substantial knowledge about the identity of the proper object of faith. He didn’t know enough yet. It is one thing to recognize the importance of trusting someone as the appropriate object of your faith. But this man understood that knowing you need faith is not sufficient. In addition to knowing that you must trust someone other than yourself for deliverance, you must also know who to trust for deliverance which can deliver you. This is revealed by his answer to the Lord Jesus Christ that is a question:
“Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?”
The Lord asked the man a question. The man answered the Lord with a question of his own. In verse 37 the Lord Jesus Christ answered the lonely, isolated, helpless, hopeless, distraught but now seeing man’s sincere question:
“And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.”
Who is this one who should be believed on? To paraphrase the Savior, “You have both seen Him, and He is talking to you now.” If our Lord were here in our era talking to a man in this situation, He would say something like, “You’re looking at Him and talking to Him.” Thus, by answering the man’s question in this way the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to him that He, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the proper Object of saving faith. He is the One to be embraced. He is the one to be trusted. He is the one you must come to. And He is the one who must be received.
With that, the man who had been born blind, but who had been abandoned by his parents, cut off from his synagogue, and mistreated by men pretending to be his spiritual leaders, answered in verse 38 the question the Savior initially asked. The Lord’s original question to the man at the beginning of this brief exchange, in verse 35, was
“Dost thou believe on the Son of God?”
The intervening back and forth was useful to give the man who had been born blind enough clarification of the truth on which to ground his faith. The result is verse 38:
“And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.”
Here we have the confession with the mouth that accompanies the belief of the heart.[2] This man has now come to faith in Christ, as evidenced by his verbal confession of Christ (“Lord, I believe.”) and His worship of Christ. When Cornelius attempted to worship Simon Peter in Acts chapter 10 the apostle immediately stopped him.[3] When men attempted to worship Paul and Barnabas in Acts chapter 14, they immediately protested and stopped them.[4] So, why did the Lord Jesus Christ not protest this man worshipping Him? For the same reason, He did not protest the Apostle Thomas worshipping Him in John 20.28, calling Him his Lord and his God. The Lord Jesus Christ is God, and worshiping Him is entirely proper.
Do you understand the difference between needs that are perceived and needs that are not perceived? There are needs that you are aware of, you perceive them. There are also needs that you are not aware of, you do not perceive them. I point this out to establish in your thinking and understanding that your awareness is not always the best measure of the seriousness of any problem, much less your problems.
Let’s say you are flying along at fifteen thousand feet in a single-engine airplane, and there is an oil leak in your engine, but your dial does not indicate a drop in oil pressure. Do you have a need? You have a profound need. You need oil, and you need oil pressure, but you do not perceive your need because the oil pressure gauge is malfunctioning. So, you see, there are times you have great needs and you are not aware of your needs.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a few weeks ago, fell and cracked some of her ribs. When they were diagnosing the problem and the pain, they noticed that there were some cancerous tumors in one of the lobes of her lungs. Now, before Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Associate U. S. Supreme Court Justice, fell and cracked her ribs, did she have a great need? Oh, my goodness, she had a great need of the cancerous tumors in one of the lobes of her lungs being discovered, diagnosed, and removed. She had a great need that she was completely unaware of.
I submit to you that if you do not know the Savior, you have the most profound of human needs that you may not be aware of at all. So there is no correlation between your perception of need and how important it may be. This man who was born blind is a wonderful illustration of my point in the Bible. John chapter nine opens with this man who was blind from birth. Though John 9.1 focuses the reader’s attention on one of the man’s needs, the rest of the Bible explains in a variety of ways another of the man’s needs. So, he had two needs; one need he was aware of and another need he was unaware of.
The need that he was aware of was his need to see. He was keenly aware of his need to see. Every day he faced hunger because he depended on the generosity of others as a result of his congenital blindness. Wow, was he aware of his need to see. But he had another need that was infinitely more important that he gave no thought to and was completely unaware of. The need he was unaware of was the need for his sins to be forgiven through faith in Christ.
This whole ninth chapter of John is about a man with two needs who is only aware of one need. The need he is conscious of, the need he is aware of, the need he greatly desires to be met is not the greatest of his two needs. Being able to see was not the most important of his two needs, because being blind is a problem only until you die, but being spiritually dead and headed for Hell means damnation for all eternity when you die.
The Lord Jesus Christ met the one need, the need the man born blind was aware of, the need he thought about every day. But when he was given his sight, when that need was met, the man was rejected by his parents and expelled from his synagogue. Sure, he could now see, but he was also now all alone in the world, and still headed for Hell. It was then that he began to become increasingly aware of his other, more profound, need.
The loneliness, isolation, discouragement, despondency, and sense of abandonment revealed to the man who had been born blind that his blindness wasn’t nearly as large a problem in his life as he had thought it was. After all, he had his parents; he had his friends, perhaps siblings, and others in the synagogue when he was blind. He had something approaching love and friendships when he was blind.
However, once he could see his situation turned about so much that he no longer had his parents, possibly no longer had brothers and sisters, and no longer had the companionship of those he had spent his life with in the synagogue, he began to dwell on what he had heard the miracle-worker’s disciples ask Him about first thing; sins. That physical and social sense of isolation, hopelessness, and helplessness brought him to realize some things about his spiritual condition and his sins.
Abandoned by everyone else, he needed someone who would never leave him or forsake him. He had been abandoned by everyone else. And even if everyone else does not intentionally abandon you, everyone else must eventually abandon you when they die, or when you die. My mother abandoned me. She didn’t do so intentionally, but she did die. She’s not here. She’s gone. So, at some point, you will end up all by yourself. If not in this life, then in the next life.
That is why I am thankful for my Savior. That is why I take comfort from Psalm 27.10:
“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.”
How can one’s father and mother not forsake them? Everyone eventually grows old and dies, or dies before growing old.
The man who had been born blind came to realize he needed something far more important than a miracle that gave him sight. He needed a Savior to meet his need for forgiveness, this need that he had been unaware of for so many years. So, when he came to see his need of forgiveness from his sins he believed in the only Savior of sinful men’s souls, Jesus Christ.
How about you, my friend? Don’t you have a need you are usually unaware of, the need for your sins to be forgiven? And is there any other Savior than Jesus Christ? No. I urge you to follow the example of the man who had been born blind. Believe in Jesus Christ to the salvation of your eternal and undying soul. And then worship Him.
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[1] Andreas J. Kostenberger, John - ECNT, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004), page 295.
[2] Romans 10.10
[3] Acts 10.25-26
[4] Acts 14.11-13
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