John 9:35-41, Blind to the Light

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36 He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" 37 Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you." 38 He said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind." 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, "Are we also blind?" 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains."

This story is an acted parable of faith and unbelief. The once blind man has his eyes of faith opened to behold the Son of Man while the seeing Pharisees are blind to whom the Son of Man is. Isaiah (29:18) foretold that in the day

of the Messiah the eyes of the blind shall see. Jesus is fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies that predicted the work of the Messiah, yet the experts in the Old Testament remain blind to his identity. Actually, they are openly hostile, excommunicating the man who puts his faith in Jesus.

Of his identity, Jesus uses the title “the Son of Man,” which he takes from Daniel 7:13-14:

“In my vision I saw one who looked like a son of man. He was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Eternal God. He was led right up to him. And he was given authority, glory and a kingdom. People of all nations, no matter what language they spoke, worshiped him. His authority will last forever. It will not pass away. His kingdom will never be destroyed.”

One of the keys to identifying the Son of Man is that people will worship him. Immediately after referring to himself as the Son of Man, the now seeing man worships Jesus. It is not as an ethical teacher or a social reformer that Jesus receives the adoration of his new follower but as his Savior. This man knows first-hand how he has been saved. The Pharisees could also be saved, but because they choose not to recognize Jesus they remain in their guilt. They have seen the evidence of a miraculous healing and reject it as out of order because it occurred on the Sabbath. Unbelievable! But then, that is the point: they are unable to believe.

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known through signs and miracles, open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work and share this good news with others; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.