Lord, I Believe!

Then he said, "Lord, I believe!

JOHN 9 BIBLE STUDY ◄
John 9:30-34 God Does Not Hear Sinners

John 9:35-41 Lord, I Believe!

JOHN 9:35-38 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him, said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” 36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Sir, that I may believe in Him?” 37 And Jesus said to him, “You have seen Him; He is the One speaking with you.” 38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.

What were the stages in the blind man's identification of Jesus?
“A Man called Jesus” (John 9:11, see pool of Siloam).
“He is a prophet” (John 9:17, see opened your eyes).
“Lord” (John 9:38).

What should the man have done the instant he saw Jesus in John 9:35?
Fall to his knees and thank Jesus.

Why didn’t he do that?
He didn’t recognize Jesus because he hadn’t yet seen Him. Remember, Jesus put clay on the man's eyes and was gone by the time he returned after having washed in the pool of Siloam.

So why might Jesus have healed him using clay to be washed off?
Perhaps to give him a chance to witness about Him - Jesus - whom he knew but hadn't yet seen face to face.

In that sense, how is his testimony similar to ours today?
We also know who Jesus is and what He did for us, but have yet to see Him face to face.

JOHN 9:39-41 39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those not seeing may see, and those seeing may become blind.” 40 Then those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words and said to Him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.”

To whom is Jesus speaking in John 9:39?
It sounds more like a declaration to the crowd that includes “those of the Pharisees who were with Him” (John 9:40) than a private statement to the blind man He had healed.

What is Jesus saying?
He is speaking in the spiritual realm, saying that His presence overturns the world's notion of who is right and wrong: those the world respects for knowing man-made laws and traditions are exposed as being spiritually blind, while those whom the world ignores for knowing just Jesus - the Word of God - are shown to be the spiritually discerning.

Do Jesus' words hit a nerve among the Pharisees?
Yes: Then those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words and said to Him, “Are we blind also?” (John 9:40)

What is Jesus' response in John 9:41?
Their self-proclaimed spiritual knowledge convicts them of their “sin.”

What did the Pharisees end up doing to the healed blind man?
“They cast him out” (John 9:34) of the synagogue (see give God the glory).

Does something like that happen today to those who turn to Christ?
All the time. Becoming Christian doesn't rock just your world, but also those of your family and friends, who often don't know what to make of your conversion and witnessing, feel uncomfortable, and could end up “casting you out” as well. But what you believe must be a function of the truth, not a function of the potential fallout of your conversion. And don't just believe who Jesus is; believe also in His sovereignty over earthly relationships. Submit first to the truth of Jesus, then ask Him to manage those relationships as He sees best, and to use you to touch your family and friends with His truth as well. And remember the blind man, as well as (new) Christians in countries that are very hostile to Christianity, where they risk imprisonment, torture and even death for their faith, yet continue to testify fearlessly, as the healed blind man testified, about Jesus.