The Blind Man

Study Notes

Signs: The Blind Man

John 9:1-41

     Today, we’ll be focusing on two critically important issues: the problem of suffering and the problem of spiritual blindness.  The problem of suffering is the issue that seems to keep many people from coming to faith in Jesus – and even causes some churchgoers to abandon the church altogether.  We often ask in times of trouble, “Why is there so much suffering in a world that an all-powerful and loving God made?”

     The second issue is even more important – if we look at matters from a longer-term perspective. The problem of spiritual blindness is what keeps people from knowing God at all. 

     The episode we read about today in our Bible passage addresses both of these issues.  In Jn 9, we read about a man who was suffering.  He was physically blind.  And, then we read about people who could see physically but who, according to Jesus, were spiritually blind.  And, you heard what happened in the story as we read it earlier: The blind man ends up seeing – both physically and spiritually.  But, those who thought they could see – and whom everyone else thought could see too – were deemed by Jesus to be blind. 

The Setting:  The Feast of Tabernacles

     The story plays out in Jerusalem the midst of this feast, in also known as “Sukkot” or the Festival of Lights.  This festival was and is visually awe-inspiring.  http://clfrancisco.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Temp-Illum2-385x300.jpg

     Let me tell you about it.  This is the Jewish festival that looks forward to the fact that a promised and long-awaited Messiah is to usher in a time when all nations will flow to the city of God to worship the Lord.  It looked back to a promise made to their forefather Abraham that all the nations of the world would be blessed through someone who would come through Abraham’s line. 

      The lights of the festival pointed to the people’s conviction that darkness had come into the entire world because of the sin of human beings. But, they believed that God had brought them together as a people to bring light to all peoples in this dark world.  So, their Temple and their synagogues would shine lights out into the world for the entire week of the festival.  And, based on passages in the Book of Isaiah, they believed that as a part of his work, the Messiah would bring sight to the blind.  The people of Israel celebrated the Festival of Lights each October for centuries – and still do.  They prayed for Messiah to come as the light of the world and they pledged to be faithful to Jehovah until his work was completed.

     With that in mind, in the midst of this festival, Jesus had declared in Jn 8:12, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness…”  His claim, of course, created a lot of controversy. All this brings us to this issue of suffering in the world.  In the midst of all the light at the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus and the disciples came upon a man who had been blind from birth.

The Problem of Suffering – Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind (9:2)?

     As Jesus and his disciples were walking in the vicinity of the Temple, they came upon a blind man. So, the disciples asked him the kind of question I have been asked countless times.  And, I will confess to you that I have asked it too in the deepest parts of my soul, i.e., “What caused this man’s suffering?  The God we believe in is good.  And, he is in control of all things in the world.  Why would a God like that allow a person to be born blind? Is it his parents’ fault?  Were they using drugs  when he was conceived?  Or, could the man somehow have sinned in the womb?  Anyway, it doesn’t seem fair.”  You see, the only two options the disciples offered Jesus were these two: either the man had sinned, or his parents had sinned. 

     The effect of this kind of thinking, i.e., that my suffering is directly caused by my sin or someone else’s sin -- is devastating.  For one thing, it often leads to self-pity – to always feeling like a victim in this world. When that happens in us, we begin to develop a hope-less way of living as we saw in the lame man by the pool in Jn 5.  When Jesus asked the lame man about his life, the man simply made excuses.  Jesus had to ask him, “Do you even want to get well?”

     But, the main effect this way of thinking has is that it leads to unending blame-casting.  Some people blame themselves.  “What did I do that made this happen to me?”  Some people blame others.  “What did my husband or my wife or my parents do so that this happened?” 

     Of course, many blame God directly saying, “If there is a God who is both good and all-powerful and he lets suffering happen, I don’t want anything to do with him.”  As you may know, many who have experienced that the God of the Bible is real and wonder why he lets suffering happen, have chosen to believe God is good but that he is not omnipotent.  This was the view of Rabbi Harold Kushner in his best-selling 1981 book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People.”  Kushner’s position is that God was able to build a beautiful world for us, but that he is limited in what he can do. So, God sees people suffering, but he cannot prevent all pain and grief. All God can do is be with his people when we need him.  When you think about that view, you soon recognize that it offers no real hope that God will actually have the ability to bring about the kingdom of peace and justice that the Bible promises. A good God may want justice to come – but a limited God may not be able to accomplish it.

     So, let me try to give you an all-too-brief summary of how I understand the Bible speaking about the suffering of this world.  In its opening chapters, the Bible lets us know that God did not create a world with suffering in it.  However, when the apex of God’s creation, i.e., human beings created in God’s image, turned away from God, everything in all creation was affected.  Nothing has been quite right since that time.  Our world still bears much of the goodness that God created but nothing works quite the way it is supposed to.  Now, of course, we live in a world characterized by centuries and centuries of the effects of human beings leaving God out of our lives and going our own ways.

     All this is to say: Human sin in general causes suffering in general.  And, as I often point out from Scripture, we are all a part of this – both in experiencing the harm that results from others’ sins but also in the reality that we too have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  That is the imperfect and suffering-filled world that we all are a part of.  And, it’s the kind of suffering-filled world that we further through our own sin.  Using more contemporary language – we are all dysfunctional parts of an already dysfunctional world.  Even the rest of creation is damaged by the ways human beings leave God out of our lives.  Rom 8 tells us all creation groans for human beings to turn back to God and for this world to be made new.

     But, in this passage, Jesus teaches that individual suffering isn’t always caused directly by individual sin. I want you to listen carefully here because it is so important  that you grasp this. Sin in general in this world is responsible for suffering in general.  But, sin in particular is not always the cause of suffering in particular.  Sometimes, our bad choices lead directly to us suffering – like the choice to drive drunk often leads to all sorts of pain.  But, Jesus said that this man was not blind directly due to the fact that he or his parents had sinned.

     There is so much nuance in this.  Indeed, there is no other religion or ideology I know of that provides this understanding of the world.  But, it is at the heart of the Bible’s teaching.  So, let me summarize the impact that grasping this biblical world view can have in your life:

1. Removes self-pity – You begin to see that the things that go wrong in your life are a part of this larger issue of being in an imperfect world. We get frustrated when our suffering seems worse than others.  But, suffering will come to them too – someday and somewhere.  This is the world we are in.  And, because we own the fact that we too have fallen short of God’s glory, this is the world we deserve.
2. Minimizes blame-casting – You’ll find you don’t revert to beating yourself up every time something goes wrong. And, you may develop greater understanding of and compassion for those around you who are messed up and whose choices negatively impact you.  I find that I don’t write others off as quickly as I used to be inclined to do.
3. Provides a basis for hope – We hold on to the fact that God is still God. God is not impotent.  So, you may not see what he is doing now but you hold on to the certain hope that God is at work even in the worst of things to bring about his kingdom in which justice and peace will prevail.  As we remembered in our communion time, even the great injustice of the sinless Jesus suffering was a part of God’s plan.

     Jesus said, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him (9:3).”  Jesus was thereby teaching us that we may not see in times of suffering that God is doing something that will change things.  We often cannot perceive the fullness of God’s presence, goodness and power at work in this world. Jesus is asking us to see through eyes of faith that, although we might not know what God is doing in the difficult times in our lives, we still can trust that he is at work.

     Let me tell you as honestly as I can: There have been times in my life when I’ve been hard pressed to hold on by faith to these biblical truths.  That’s been true when I experienced three years of pancreatic dysfunction from 1992-94.  It’s been true when I’ve experienced the loss of people I love.  It’s been true when I visited places like the Holocaust Museum in Phenom Penh, Cambodia.  Yet, still I stand before you today and declare without reservation that if you know God personally and you have an understanding of the fallenness of this world and God’s promise of redemption revealed in Scripture, you can make it through any kind of suffering this world throws at you.  God is at work to make all things new – including you and me. 

     So, you can go through life in this world and when suffering comes up say, “I hate you and everyone in this world – including God -- who has done this to me.”  Or, you can say, “I hate me and the mess I’ve made of my life!”  Or, you can turn to God and say, “I don’t always know what you are doing, Lord.  But, I know you and I trust you to be at work until your work is done – and your kingdom of justice and peace prevails.”

The Problem of Spiritual Blindness -- Some Pharisees asked, “What? Are we blind too (9:40)?”

     This issue of spiritual blindness is the most important part of this episode – but I will only be able to say the most important things about it today.  As we have seen in our entire series of messages called “Signs”, this physical healing was only a sign.  It was important.  Physical suffering is hard and physical healing is significant.  But, just as realities like blindness are temporary in the plan of God (i.e., there will be no blindness in heaven), so too is physical healing in this world. It’s like last week’s message about the feeding of 5,000.  Hunger was serious, and Jesus cared.  He fed the hungry.  But, the next day they were hungry again.  So too, when people hurt, Jesus cares.  But physical healing will not last forever.  If this world is all there is, death will eventually take the healing away.  We need eternal sight.  We need eternal life.  This physical healing was a sign – a sign that points to a day when death will not take our sight away.  Do you see?

     So Jesus healed the man.  But, he did it on the Sabbath, the day when many religious leaders thought that what was most important was that we shouldn’t do any work on it.  This leads to a huge dispute that runs all the way from Jn 9:13-34.  If you read it on your own, you will recognize many of the complaints and accusations:

• “This Jesus cannot be from God because he doesn’t keep all the regulations. He must be using demonic power.”  But, others said, “That can’t be right.  Sinners can’t heal the blind.  That’s what Messiah is supposed to do!”
• “Then, this man can’t have really been healed. It must be a case of mistaken identity.”  “No,” say his parents, “he’s our son who has always been blind.” But the parents, not wanting to clash with the leaders throw their own son under the proverbial bus and say, “Don’t bring us into this.  He’s of age. Ask him!”
• So, they go to the man and say, “Come clean! Tell the truth.  With what trickery has this man done this.  We know he is a sinner!”  And, this brings one of the most powerful and clear testimonies in all the Bible: “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

     So, the leaders thrown the man out of the synagogue.

     What I want you first to see here is that this man had been both physically and spiritually blind.  Which, I ask you, was the more serious condition?  It’s the spiritual blindness.

     So, what is spiritual blindness.  It is a part of the condition of all people who are not alive to God.  Do you remember that  I just said? “If you know God, you can make it through any kind of suffering this world throws at you.”  Do you know him? 

     So, how do you know whether you are spiritually blind?  Jn 9 teaches us that one way you’ll know  whether you have spiritual sight is by whether you understand sin and grace.  If you don’t know the holy God, you will not fathom how serious it is that you too have done wrong.  That was true of these religious leaders.  For them, the man or his parents might be sinners.  And, they declared that Jesus was a sinner.  But, not them.

     So, are you aware of the fact that it is not just others who need forgiveness?  Not just others who need to own up to their pasts?  Who need to change?  If not, you’re almost certainly blind.  This is more than just saying, “Oh I’m not perfect.”  It’s that you see you’re not in control of your life -- That you need cleansing for things you’ve done and that you need divine help to change.  When you see spiritually, you begin to own how serious your sin is!  Is that true of you now?

     But, those who have received spiritual sight also begin to understand grace.  That means that God is not only holy, but he loves you.  He has found a way to show mercy to people like us -- To forgive us and begin to remake us.  We who see know this, “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16).  We don’t deserve that – but our new life is a gift of grace.  So, are you deeply grateful for God’s grace shown most fully when the sinless Jesus died on a cross for your sins? If you see that, you almost certainly are alive to God.

     Here’s my spiritual eye test.  Ask, was I ever blind?  Do I see now as I did not see before?”

     Can you see that?  By, that, I mean – Can you remember a time when you were blind to God but that now you see – and Jesus is the one who did it?  These religious leaders could not see that.  They thought, “Everyone else may be messed up – but not me.”  They claimed to be keeping all the laws given by Moses.  But, they were blind to themselves as well as to God.  What about you?

     How does Jesus heal spiritual blindness?  We saw how Jesus healed the man physically.  Jesus spat in mud and put it on the man’s eyes and sent him to wash.  The man heard what Jesus said, and obeyed by faith.  V. 7: “The man went and washed -- and went home seeing.”  But, Jesus would not leave him physically seeing and spiritually blind.  And, the man’s spiritual healing was not unlike his physical healing, i.e., a word from Jesus followed by a response of faith.  Let’s look at it.

    I love v. 35: Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, and when he found him… This is what Jesus always does?  He comes after us?  His love for you is unrelenting.  Even this morning I believe Jesus is saying to you, “Do you know that I know all that is right and wrong about you and I love you.  I want you to see.”

    Jesus said to the man, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”  Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

1. 38 makes known to us the man’s faith commitment: The man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped Jesus.  That last phrase is so important, i.e., “and he worshiped Jesus”. That means, he entrusted his life to Jesus.  You can worship many things – your money, your career, your children.  Only one is worthy of worship.  Only one opens your spiritual eyes.  Only one gives you eternal life. Believe in him. Worship him.  He’ll open your eyes to what really matters.  He’ll give you hope to go on until suffering is ended.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me;
I once was lost, but now am found; T'was blind but now I see.

 

Through many dangers, toils and snares, we have already come.
T'was grace that brought us safe thus far -- and grace will lead us home.

Chinese Study Notes

预表系列: 瞎眼之人

约翰福音 9:1-41

            今天我们要集中看两个极其重要的议题：苦难的问题和属灵眼瞎的问题。第一个问题好像常常拦阻人来到耶稣面前，甚至让一些去教会的人也最终放弃了。我们在困境中常问：“为什么一位全能和慈爱的神会让这个世界有这么多的苦难？”

            如果从长远的角度，第二个问题似乎更重要，属灵的眼瞎直接导致人无法认识神。

            今天的圣经故事涉及到这两方面的问题。在约翰福音9章，我们看到一个受眼瞎之苦的人，也看到耶稣说的那些眼睛虽能看见却是属灵瞎眼的人。你们已经听到了这故事：那个盲人后来得以看见，在肉体和属灵二方面都看见了；而那些自己和别人都认为能看见的人却被耶稣判断为是瞎眼的。

背景:  住棚节盛宴

            这故事是在耶路撒冷的住棚盛宴期的光明节发生的。 这个节日过去和现在都在视觉上让人震撼。http://clfrancisco.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Temp-Illum2-385x300.jpg

            犹太人的这个节日有一种盼望，盼望他们长期等候的、应许中的弥赛亚会来，万国都要到神的城来敬拜他；同时也纪念给亚伯拉罕的应许，就是万国将藉着亚伯拉罕的一支蒙福。

            节日的灯火表达了犹太人坚信：因着人的罪，黑暗进入了世界；而神要他们把光明带给黑暗世界的人们；照着以赛亚书的记载，人们相信弥赛亚工作之一就是让瞎眼的得看见。以色列人千百年来都在每年10月庆祝光明节，现在也如此。他们祷告弥赛亚要像世界的光来到，并起誓忠于耶和华，愿神的工作成就。

            就在这种场景下，耶稣在约翰福音8：12宣告：“我就是世界的光。跟从我的人，绝不会在黑暗里行走…”，这一宣告带来了许多争议，也把我们带到苦难的主题。在住棚节盛宴的光中，耶稣和他的门徒来到一个生来就眼瞎的人面前。

苦难问题 – 是谁犯了罪？是这个人，还是他的父母呢（9：2）?

            耶稣和他的门徒在圣殿周围行走时遇到了这个盲人，门徒就问了这个问题，也是我不断被问到的问题；但我必须承认，其实在我心底深处也有同样的问题：“究竟是什么使一个人受苦？我们相信神是好的而且掌控世上的一切，为什么会允许一个人生来瞎眼？是不是他父母的错？是不是母亲怀胎时嗑药了？或者胎儿犯罪---听起来不对劲啊！”看吧，留给耶稣的只有两个选择：或是这人犯罪，或是他父母犯罪。

            这种认为是自己的罪或别人的罪导致苦难的想法具有毁灭性，常常导致自怨自艾，觉得自己是世上的受害者，进而发展出一种没有盼望的生活方式；就象约翰福音5章池边的瘫子，甚至当耶稣询问他时，他还在抱怨，以致耶稣不得不问：“你想要痊愈吗？”

            这种想法最重要的一个后果就是带来无尽的责备。一些人会自责：“我做了什么让这些临到我？”一些人会责备他人：“我的太太、先生或父母做了什么让我摊上这苦难？”

            当然，许多人是直接质问神的：“如果神是全能良善的，却容许苦难发生，我不想要这样的神。”事实上，许多人经历过圣经中的神是真的，但却不知道为什么神让苦难发生，于是就相信神虽然好，但并非全能。这就是拉比哈罗德库什尼的观点，在他1981年的畅销书“当坏事发生在好人身上”中，他写到：神能为我们创造一个美丽世界，但他所做的有限；神看到人们受苦，却无法阻止痛苦和悲伤，神能做的就是在子民想要他时与他们同在。这个观点会让你对神没有真实盼望，因为神没有能力成就他应许的和平公义之国。一个好的上帝愿意公义来到，但一个有限的上帝却对此无能为力。

            让我小结一下我对世上苦难的圣经理解。在创世纪的头几章，神并没有创造一个有苦难的世界；在创造的高潮，人照着神的形象被造，却犯罪远离了神，使万物都受到影响。自那时起，万物没有一样是完全的；这世上虽然还有神创造的好事物，但也不是被造的本相了。我们生活的世界，千百年来都被人类的罪所影响，人们偏行己路，生命中没有神。

            所有这些都是说：人广义的罪导致了广义的苦难。正如我藉着圣经常常指出，我们都在这当中；一方面因别人的罪受到伤害，一方面我们也都犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀；我们是这个不完美和充满罪的世界的一部分。充满苦难的世界也会导致我们犯更多的罪，用现代语言说就是，我们是这个功能不全世界的一个功能不全的部分。人离弃神也导致了其它被造物受损害，罗马书8章说，万物都在叹息，盼望人可以向神回转，盼望世界可以被更新。

            但在这一段，耶稣说个体的苦难并非由个体的罪直接导致，我盼望你仔细听，因为这非常重要。广义的罪导致广义的苦难，但某个特别的罪并不常常是某个特别苦难的原因，有时我们的错误选择会直接导致我们的苦难---就像酒后开车常常导致各样痛苦。这里，耶稣说这个人眼瞎并不是由他自己或他父母的罪所导致的。

            这话有太多的内涵，事实上，我不知道哪个宗教或教义可以提供这种对世界的理解，但它却是圣经教导的中心，我总结如下，让你们可以把握圣经的世界观，应用在你们生命中。

1. 除去自怨自艾–你开始看到自己生命中的错误反映了这不完美世界的一部分。当我们感到自己的苦难比别人大的时候会受不了，但要知道人人都会经历苦难，虽然时间、地点不一样---这就是我们在的世界，因为我们亏缺了神的荣耀，所以这是我们应得的世界。
2. 减少指责–你将发现，你不会在每次出错时都鞭挞自己；你也会对周围搞砸的人或带给你负面影响的人有更多理解和更大的同情心；我发现我不像从前那样很快地给人下结论。
3. 提供盼望的基础– 我们坚信神就是神，他是全能的。尽管你不一定看见他正在做什么，但你要坚信即使在最坏的时候，神依然工作要使他公义和平的国度得胜。正如我们在圣餐中所纪念的，无罪的耶稣经历了极大的不公义，但却是神计划中的一部分。

            耶稣说：“既不是这个人犯了罪，也不是他的父母犯了罪，而是要让神的作为显明在他身上（9：3）。”耶稣其实教导我们，在苦难中，我们往往看不到神正在做改变的工作，意识不到神在这个世界的显现、美善和能力是何等完美。耶稣要我们用信心的眼睛去看：尽管我们在生命的困境中不知道神的作为，但我们要仍然相信他正在工作。

            我坦白地说，对这些圣经真理，我个人生命中也有多次因为打击太大而信心不足：在1992-1994年我胰脏功能不全时，在我经历失去亲人时，当我在柬埔寨金边大屠杀博物馆时…不过，我今天站在你们面前要毫无保留宣告：如果你个人性地认识神，你知道这世界的堕落、知道圣经中神救赎世界的应许，你就会度过这世界抛向你的任何苦难。神在工作，要使万物更新---包括你和我。

            当你在世度日经历苦难的时候，你可以说：“我恨你和世上的所有人---包括神对我所做的”；也可以说：“我恨自己，恨自己弄得一团糟”；但你也可以转向神说：“主啊，我并不是常常知道你的作为，但我知道、也相信你在工作，而且必会成就---你和平公义的国度必得胜！”

属灵瞎眼 -- 一些法利赛人听了这些话，就说：“难道我们也是瞎眼的吗？（9：40）”

            属灵眼瞎的问题在这段故事中是非常重要的一部分—但今天我也只能讲其中的重点。我们这个系列叫“预表系列”，身体的医治不过是一个预表，然而它很重要，因为身体受苦是煎熬，身体得医治对人很有意义。但眼盲实际上从神的角度不过是暂时的（天堂没有盲人），世上的医治也是暂时的；正如上周的五饼二鱼故事，饥饿对人是严重的事，因此耶稣看顾他们，给他们食物，但第二天他们又饿了；同样，人们受伤，耶稣医治，但这种医治也不是永久的，因为死亡最终会夺去一切。我们需要永恒的眼光，即看到属灵的医治只是一个预表—指向死亡不能将我们夺去的那一天。你看到了吗？

            耶稣是在安息日医治这个人的，许多宗教领袖认为这一天最重要的是不能工作。耶稣的行为带来了极大的争议，从9：13到34节。你读的时候，就会意识到有许多抱怨和控告：

• “耶稣不可能是从神而来，因为他不守规矩，他一定使用了鬼魔的力量…”另有人说：“不对，罪人不能医治盲人，这是弥赛亚的工作啊！”
• “这人其实不是真得医治了，可能他的眼瞎是误判…” 但这人的父母说：“他是我们的儿子，生来就瞎眼…”不过，他们不愿意和领袖们冲突，就推出他儿子：“我们不像卷入，他成年了，问他吧！”

于是他们去问那人：“来吧，告诉我们真相，医治你的人耍了什么花招？我们知道他是个罪人！”但这问题却带出了圣经中最有力的一个见证：“他是不是罪人，我不知道。但有一件事我知道：我原来是瞎眼的，现在却能看见了”。

            领袖们就把那人赶出了会堂。

            我首先要你们看到的是：这个人先前既是肉体瞎眼也是属灵瞎眼的。我问你们，哪个更重要？当然是属灵瞎眼。

            什么是属灵的瞎眼？就是人不能向神而活，还记得我刚才说的么：“如果你认识神,你就会度过这世界抛向你的任何苦难。”你认识他吗？

            你怎么知道你是不是属灵瞎眼呢？约翰福音9章告诉我们，可以从你是否认识罪与恩典判断。如果你不认识圣洁的神，就不能进一步认识自己的错，这就是那些宗教领袖的问题，他们说那人或那人的父母犯了罪，甚至说耶稣也是罪人，只是没有说自己。

            你意识到不是只有别人需要赦免吗？事实上，不是只有别人需要坦白过去的罪、需要改变；如果你这么想，那你就是属灵眼瞎了。脱离属灵的眼瞎比说“我不完美”有更多含义，你要看到自己不能掌控人生—你需要洁净自己过去的所作所为，需要神的帮助去改变；当你有属灵看见时，就会看到自己的罪有多严重。你现在是这样吗？

            有属灵看见的人就开始认识恩典了：神不仅是圣洁的神，还是爱你的神，他要向我们施怜悯，赦免我们、重造我们；“神爱世人，甚至赐下他的独生子，好让所有信他的人不至于灭亡，反得永恒的生命（约翰福音3：16）。”我们不配，但我们的新生命就是恩典的礼物。当无罪的耶稣为我们的罪死在十字架的时候，你是否对神完全的拯救心怀感恩？如果你看到这些，你就会向神而活。

            我有一个属灵的眼科测验，你可以问自己：我以前是否眼瞎？现在是否看见了以前看不到的？

            你能看到这些吗？我的意思是，你还记得以前你在神面前是瞎的，如今可以看见了—耶稣就是使你看见的那一位。这些宗教领袖看不见，他们想“其他人有问题，我没有”；他们自称遵守了摩西吩咐的一切律法，但他们向神是瞎眼的。你呢？

            耶稣是如何医治属灵眼瞎的呢？我们首先看见耶稣是如何医治肉体瞎眼的，他吐吐沫与泥和在一起，抹在那人的眼上，要他去洗。那人听从并凭信心顺服，7节说：“他去洗了，回来就能看见了”。但耶稣并不是只让他肉眼看见而灵眼盲目，不过这人属灵得医治与肉体医治并不相同：耶稣的话一出，那人就以信心回应。让我们看：

        我喜欢35节：耶稣听说他们把他赶出去了，后来找到他…这就是主一贯做的，他寻找我们，他对我们的爱充满怜悯。今天早晨，耶稣对你说话：“我知道你的好，也知道你的不好，但我爱你，我要你看见！”
      耶稣对他说：“你信人子吗？” 他回答说：“先生，人子是谁呢？愿我能信他。” 耶稣说：“你已经看到他了，现在与你说话的，就是那一位。”

            38节让我们看到了那人的信仰告白：他说：“主啊，我信！”就向耶稣下拜。这后一句非常重要：就向耶稣下拜；意思是他信任耶稣，把自己的生命交付给主。你可以敬拜许多事—金钱、事业、孩子，但只有一位是配得敬拜的，只有一位是开你属灵眼睛的，只有一位是给你永生的---相信他，敬拜他！他会开你的眼看见真正重要的事物，他要给你盼望使你胜过苦难。

奇异恩典，何等甘甜，我罪已得赦免；前我失丧，今被寻回，瞎眼今得看见！

许多危险，试炼网罗，我已安然度过；靠主恩典，安全不怕，更引导我归家！

荣耀归给神！

Greg Waybright 博士

主任牧师