- 1 day ago
After Jesus healed the man born blind in John 9, chaos erupted because of the healing. The man's joy was cut short when the religious leaders became angry about what the healing implied. Most likely, everyone knew the man, as he had been begging at the city gates. When people saw him filled with joy over his healing, they wanted to know what had happened, because no one had ever heard of someone healing a man blind from birth. This particular healing by Jesus was especially important because Jewish teachers taught that someone born blind was suffering from sin committed by their parents. To heal a person born blind also raised questions about how they dealt with the issue of sin.
Before this event, Jesus had healed blind people, but this was the first time He healed a man blind from birth. When people heard that it was Jesus who had performed the miracle, they took the healed man to the Pharisees (John 9:13). Perhaps those who brought him were sympathetic to Jesus and wanted to prove that Jesus is who He claimed to be: the Messiah of Israel.
There was more to this miracle than what initially appeared. This healing served as a sign to the Israelites that Jesus was the Messiah, which is why John the Apostle explained the details and the controversy that ensued. Anyone educated in Israel understood what the prophet Isaiah had predicted:
3Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” 5Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy (Isaiah 35:3-6; emphasis added).
Isaiah was explicit in saying that God would visit them (v. 4) and there would be four signs of His coming:
1) He will open the eyes of the blind (v. 5).
2) He will unstop the ears of the deaf (v. 5).
3) The lame will be healed (v. 6).
4) The dumb will shout with delight at having a voice again (v. 6).
Of course, Jesus performed all these miracles and more during his approximately three-year ministry, but this recent healing was too much evidence for the Pharisees to handle. They did not see or accept Jesus as the Messiah. They believed the Messiah would be a mighty King who would come with great power and glory, not this humble man fulfilling Scripture by riding into the city on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). They did not understand that there are two comings of the Messiah: one as a substitute to take away sin, and another as a righteous warrior King who will defeat all His enemies. Although they had eyes, they refused to see the truth even when it was evident before them. They had seen the four sign miracles before, but this was close and personal, inside Jerusalem—the city they claimed as their own.
How about you? Are you convinced of who Jesus is? Are you on His side, or are you still in enemy territory, resisting bowing the knee to His Lordship? Keith Thomas
Shortened from the more comprehensive study at the following link: Jesus and the Man Born Blind.