Our text this evening is John chapter 9, if you would like to turn there. We're going to be looking at the whole chapter, but we'll begin with the first 12 verses, and we'll take this in chunks this evening. John chapter 9, beginning at verse 1. As he passed by, he saw a man born blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, it was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, go, wash in the pool of Siloam, which means sent. So he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, is this not the man who used to sit and beg? Some said, it is he. Others said, no, but he is like him. He kept saying, I am the man. So they said to him, then how were your eyes opened? He answered, the man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed and received my sight. They said to him, where is he? He said, I do not know. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. Let's bow our heads once more in prayer. Our God and heavenly Father, we are grateful for the word which you have given us this evening, and we ask that you would add your blessing to the reading of it. We ask that your word would not fall on deaf ears, but our hearts and our minds would be open, humbly receiving it with joy. We ask that you would be with me, that I would not only say what you would have me to say, but in the manner you would have me to say it. That by your spirit, your word would go forth in truth and in power. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Well, this passage begins with a man born blind. And so the question before us is a question revolving around suffering. And that is, who sinned? Who sinned? This was the question which the disciples of Jesus asked him. Was it this man or was it his parents? And after all, the disciples would certainly benefit in their ministry if they knew the history of this strange blind man who was before them. But the question they have, the question they ask reveals their perspective, their understanding of suffering. It was their belief that all suffering must be brought about because of sin. they could not perceive of a situation in which this man's plight was not caused because of someone's sin. And I don't want to harp on suffering too long, obviously John just went through Job, but there are a few things that we can glean from this passage. And so the disciples asked him, who sinned? And we have to appreciate the absurdity of this question here. Was it the parents or was it this man who sinned while he was in the womb which made God curse him with blindness? It's an absurd question. Did this man really commit a sin that was worthy of being born blind in the womb? In the womb. And so this leads us to ask, what does the Bible really say regarding suffering and its causes? And here Jesus' response gives us the insight that we're looking for. He says to their question, neither. It was neither this man nor this man's parents. And so we see that not all suffering is caused by sin, as we've gone through Job. Job certainly was not suffering because of his sin. In fact, this is the one place in Scripture where we have God almost boasting of a man. Have you seen a man who is like Job, who is righteous like Job? The thing is suffering may be caused by sin. And we see clear examples of this throughout Scripture. All of Israel was in exile because of their faithlessness, because of their repeated wickedness against God. In fact, suffering was one of the curses of the covenant. that God would bring all sorts of different suffering on His people for their disobedience. Turn to Deuteronomy 28, if you would. Deuteronomy 28, beginning at verse 58. Verse 58, if you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God, then the Lord will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting. And he will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. every sickness also, and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this law, the Lord will bring upon you until you are destroyed. Whereas you are as numerous as the stars in heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God. And as the Lord took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you, and you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it." As if all the curses that were listed previously in that chapter were not enough, he says, every affliction which is not listed will be added to you. And so we have clear example that the origins of suffering may be caused from sin, and we see from Jesus' response here that they may also not be from sin. And so we come back to the question of what were the disciples trying to get at here? And there's something that's important for us as brothers and sisters in Christ to remember that we're not always meant to know why we suffer or why others whom we love suffer. And neither should we ever assume that. The disciples probably asked this question of Jesus out of curiosity, not because they genuinely cared for this man. And I know all too often people see brothers and sisters in Christ suffering and they say, ah, you need to repent. Or if only you had more faith. As if they were God and they knew why that person was suffering. It's not our place to assume why others suffer, but to walk beside them as they suffer, to love them and care for them. And if someone needs to repent and we know that, then there may be a time and a place to correct them. But that is not always for us to know. But the one great comfort that we have in suffering is from Romans 8, is that God uses all suffering for good. He says, and we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. all the suffering that we endure, the pain, the trials, the confusion about these things, often never knowing why we're suffering, why our loved ones suffer. All of these things, God says, will work together for good. He doesn't say how long that will take, how long we may have to endure suffering. would be assured of that promise. God uses all suffering for the good of those who love him. He has good purpose planned for suffering. And the good which God had in store for this man here was the manifestation of his own works. so that the works of God would be on full display in this man who was blind. And so Jesus spat on the ground and he made mud and anointed the eyes of the blind man. And he told the man to go wash in the pool of Siloam. And you'll notice the text doesn't say anything here about the man's faith, his belief or disbelief in Jesus. It could have been that he believed that Jesus would indeed remove his blindness, but just as equally, he could have thought, well, I've nothing better to do now, and I have mud all over my face, so I may as well go and wash. But whatever the case, he went to the pool of Siloam, he washed, and he received his sight. And so we then see this interaction with the bystanders who argue over whether this was truly the blind man. And he kept saying, I am the man. I am the man. It's me. I was the one who was blind. The man named Jesus, he made me receive my sight. It was Jesus. And we'll remember that this man has not seen Jesus at this point. Turn back to John. John 9, and in this next scene is the initial interaction between this man who was formerly blind and the Pharisees. Verse 13, they brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, he put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see. Some of the Pharisees said, this man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath. But others said, how can a man who is a sinner do such signs? And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man, what do you say about him since he has opened your eyes? He said, he is a prophet. The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, is this your son who you say was born blind? How then does he now see? His parents answered, we know that this is our son and that he was born blind, but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, for he is of age. He will speak for himself." His parents said these things because they feared the Jews. For the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said, he is of age, ask him. Well, verse 14 here gives us the telltale sign that the Pharisees are about to become furious when it says that Jesus made mud on the Sabbath. And we all know from the law of God that making mud on the Sabbath is indeed one of the most grievous violations of the law of God. But this is their position. How dare you make mud on the Sabbath? How dare you heal a man on the Sabbath? How ridiculous is the demeanor of the Pharisees? Yet these are the so-called sins which they attribute to Jesus. He certainly must not be from God because he's broken the Sabbath, they say. How can a sinner do such signs? You know, anyone who loved the Lord would have been delighted in these things. They would have looked at this blind man and rejoiced. Praise God! You've been blind from birth and you now see. Let the name of God be praised. But the Pharisees quibble. But it's not over the law of God that they quibble. Jesus certainly did not break the law of God here. He didn't break the Sabbath. He was not a sinner. But this is what happens when men care more for the traditions of men rather than the commandments of God. They treat as the commandments of God these traditions. They treat these traditions as though they were from God. Well, God's word, God's law becomes more and more irrelevant to them. And so we get a glimpse here of the hardness of man's heart. These religious zealots, who no doubt knew God's word inside and out, have replaced the truth of God for a lie. And they worship and serve the creature rather than the creator. They're so focused on accusing others that they are blind to their own sinful nature to the point that when someone who is good, someone who is righteous and holy in their midst, they continually accuse him of sin because they cannot stand the sight of him. And there's warning here for us. What do you practice? Do you practice the things of God, or do you quibble over the traditions of men? Do the historical confessions take higher precedence than the very Word of God itself? This can happen in any church, any denomination. Even as we try to faithfully serve God, we can be led astray to think that our own traditions are of greater importance than the Word of God itself. You know, it's interesting. One of the things that I've seen throughout the years is that even as the language of our confession, which is a wonderful document, beautiful, and I hold to it strongly. It says we ought to translate the word of God itself into the vulgar language so that all can receive it. And yet I've met ministers and elders, some few in this denomination, some in others, who would adamantly agree with that, and yet they would refuse to touch the language of the confession. And it begs the question, What do you hold as your authority? So whether it's this church, whether it's us as individuals or as families or as a denomination, the warning is that we avoid the demeanor of the Pharisees, who cared more for the things of men than they did for God. And don't get me wrong here, I'm not trying to bash the confession. I love it, it's great. But we must be careful that God's Word is first and foremost. We must remain faithful to the teaching of Scripture as our highest authority. Because this is exactly what the Pharisees denied. This is the principle which the Pharisees denied here. And their demeanor was one of faithlessness. And so they brought in the man's parents, and they refused to believe that this man was born blind. And so the parents, in the fear of the Jews and the fear of man, testify that he was only, only that he was their son, and that he was born blind, and they refused to go any further. They said, ask him, he's of age. In other words, go with him, let us get out of here. We want nothing to do with you, because they feared the Jews. But the wonderful testimony here is that the man who had been healed was not so quick to give in to the fear of the Jews. Take your Bibles once again. We'll begin at verse 24. Verse 24, so for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner. He answered, whether he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see. They said to him, what did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? He answered them, I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?' And they reviled Him, saying, You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.' The man answered, Why, this is an amazing thing. You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. They answered him, You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us? And they cast him out. Give glory to God. These are very presumptuous words to come out of the mouth of the Pharisees. We know that this man was a sinner. They don't care at all. about the incredible act of mercy and compassion which has been put on display before them. They're out for blood. While they boast about being disciples of Moses, faithful servants of the Most High God, they reviled the man because he gave a true testimony. They reviled him. If you're familiar with Paul's letters, he not infrequently lumps reviling in with the most heinous sins. Are these the religious zealots of the faith? And the thing is here that a man who had been blind from birth stood before the Pharisees, and yet it was the Pharisees who were more blind than this man was before he was healed. They say, as for this Jesus, we do not know where he comes from. Not but a few chapters ago they had testified We know exactly where you come from. Turn to Matthew if you would. Matthew 23. Beginning at verse 30. We'll start at verse 29. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets. Lest you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets, Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers, you serpents, you brood of vipers. How are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth from the blood of innocent Abel, to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation." The Pharisees thought of themselves as the religious elites who were righteous, enlightened in their minds with spiritual understanding. Jesus is saying, no, you are the blind ones. You murdered the prophets, and for most of my ministry, you seek to murder me. And so even while they fed themselves, the sheep starved. And the one hope they had, the Christ, the Messiah, they would rather see Him murdered than be shown their own unrighteousness." And again we go back to this man's testimony, which surely this man could read the room about him and know that they hate Jesus. He said, this is an amazing thing. You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. Such a thing has never been heard of. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." What he is saying to the Pharisees is, you've got it backwards. Your duty here is to repent. to believe in this man as a prophet, as a prophet. And yet how great was their blindness? And the question for us is how great is our blindness? Before the Holy Spirit has worked in us, if indeed He has, We were no better off than the Pharisees, standing in our own self-righteousness, thinking that we knew the way of the world. And that's what this man is saying. He's saying such a thing has never been heard of. Look at what has happened here. A man has received his sight who was born blind. But notice something that's missing from this man's testimony. There's actually no gospel in it. He can only testify that this man is a prophet sent from God. He can only testify that this work must have been done from God. There's no gospel message here. And this is what brings us to the climactic moment of this story. Beginning with verse 35. Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him, he said, Do you believe in the Son of Man? He answered, And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him? Jesus said to him, You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you. He said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped him. Jesus said, For a judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind. Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things and said to him, Are we also blind? Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no guilt. But now that you say we see, your guilt remains. The Pharisees vaunt in their empty, baseless arrogance. They lift themselves up as though they were better than everyone else around. They say, would you, a man who was born in sin, teach us? But we know this is far from the character of a righteous man. This is far from the character of Jesus Christ himself. Jesus who entered a world of sin to save sinners. He did not cast the wicked away from himself as the Pharisees cast this man away. But Jesus invited them unto him so that he would become sin and that they would become the righteousness of God. Because this was the greater gift that was given to this man. Yes, the man had received his vision. But the greater gift here is that Jesus came to him and said, I am He, the Son of Man. And He opened the eyes of this man's heart so that he believed and worshipped in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior. Because as wonderful as healing infirmities is, that is not what the gospel is about. The gospel is not about making a blind man receive vision, making a paralyzed man leap up. As wonderful as those things are, they merely attest to the power of God that He is with us. But the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit, makes that heart of stone into a heart of flesh, so that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the gospel, delight in the one true and living God. And that is the mission of the church, the proclamation of that gospel. Him we proclaim. The gospel is not empty words, but the gospel is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. It was this Son of Man who the blind, the man who had been blind, looked at and said, Lord, I believe. May we never forget the great joy of what it is to be a child of God. May our sufferings never dissuade us from delighting in the Son and rejoicing in God every moment, just as this man did here. Let us give praise to God every moment. Amen. Let's bow our heads. Our God and Father in heaven, you have worked wondrously throughout history. You are not a God who is far off, but you are a God who is with us, who has saved a people throughout the ages, and you have given grace upon grace. You have given even Your own Son, Jesus Christ, to take our sins upon Himself. Suffer Your wrath for our sins. The wrath which we rightly deserve. So that we would become the righteousness of God. So that we could even now cry out to You as our Father. We praise you for this amazing grace, a grace which is unheard of. We ask that you would strengthen us as we leave this place and as we begin this new week, that you would grant us strength for every trial, for every joy, for everything that you send our way this week, that we would glorify and honor you in all things. And we pray that you would hold us up, Lord, when we suffer. We are often confused, not knowing why these things are happening. And yet we ask that you would grant that we would bear patiently with you, knowing that you do work all things together for good. And all things happen according to your purposes, according to your wisdom, according to your plan. Grant that we would wait on you, O Lord, and trust in you always. In this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.