H- Highlight

17 They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.

John 9:17

E- Explain

Once they were convinced that the man who was born blind was actually this man that stood before him healed, they heard his explanation about Jesus.  This didn’t end the questions, though.  More questions came.

12 Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.

John 9:12-17

Notice then, they bring in the experts.  There needs to be an explanation.

13 They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.14 And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

John 9:13-14

Here come the pharisees to question the man.  We are told that the healing was on the sabbath day.  To be clear, it was not a violation of actual scripture, or an actual command of God, to heal on the sabbath day.  It was a violation of the rules that the pharisees had laid upon God’s actual commands.  Jesus did not sin by healing this man on the sabbath.  Yet, look at how the pharisees dealt with this man.

15 Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. 16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

John 9:15-16

It seems that there is a division among the pharisees.  You have those, like Nicodemus that we studied last week, who know that there is a possibility that the one doing miracles is come from God.

There are many people who think that “I’ll believe it when I see it” would actually happen.  There are people who say, “If I saw God do this miracle, or do that thing, or appear to me, then I would believe.”  We have evidence throughout the Bible of God showing up and doing the miraculous, and people hardening their own heart to what he was doing.

Think about how messed up your system of theology is that you are more concerned that someone had healed a blind man on the day that went against your rules, than you were EXCITED THAT THE MAN BORN BLIND CAN SEE!

You would think that the questions would be, “What do you think about being blind and then seeing?” or “Isn’t this seeing thing incredible?”, or “Wait until you see the sunset, or a rainbow!  Tell me what you think then.”

Nope.  The question instantly goes to the issue.

For these religious leaders, this man was an issue to be debated over and questioned, rather than a person to be loved.  The person who healed him was a person to take a position against, rather than a person to be thanked.  

So their question inevitably came, and the man’s answer shows the progression in his thought.

17 They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.

John 9:17

Here is the second statement the man has made about the identity of Jesus.  “He is a prophet”.

It is not an inaccurate statement, it is just incomplete.  Jesus is a prophet in that prophets speak on God’s behalf.  They say what God wants them to say.

But Jesus, we know, is more than a prophet.  He doesn’t just speak on behalf of God.  He speaks as God.

Jesus told us, “If you’ve seen me, then you’ve seen the Father.”

This man’s physical blindness has been healed, and we see is ability to see spiritually progressively getting better.  He’s gone from “a man called Jesus” to “a prophet”.

Conversely, you see the spiritual blindness of the pharisees.  They are obsessed with people knowing their “spiritual” insight, yet they are so spiritually blind that they refuse to see God when God shows up.

A- Apply

While it is important to take biblically accurate positions on issues, we must “speak the truth in love”.  People are not fundamentally issues to be debated, but people to be loved.  We must speak clearly about abortion, homosexuality, unjust laws, and so many other issues, and at the same time love people whose lives are dealing with all of those things.  We love people.  Christ died for those people.  We must share with them that God loves them, but wants them to repent and turn from those things that will harm them.

People matter to God, and they should matter to us.

We must know the Word and must not add to the Word.

John says that when Jesus came that he was full of grace and truth.  May we follow Him in the same way.

Jesus is a prophet.  He does say what God wanted Him to say, but don’t stop there.  He’s more than a prophet.  The world must acknowledge that reality.

R- Respond

Heavenly Father, help me to be gracious and truthful.  Help me to be loving and convictional.  Help me to lead our church to follow you in holiness and mercy.  Help me to share Christ with someone today.  Amen