After Jesus healed the man born blind in John 9, all hell broke loose because of the healing. The joy of the man was not allowed to continue, for the religious leaders became incensed at the implications of the healing. Likely, everyone knew the man because he was begging at the city gates. When people saw him full of joy at his healing, they wanted to know what had happened to him, for who had ever heard of someone healing a man blind from birth? This healing by Jesus was particularly significant, for the Jewish teachers taught that someone born blind was a result of sin by the parents. To cure a person born blind would also beg the question: how did they deal with the sin problem?
Before this event, Jesus had healed blind people, but this was the first healing of a man blind from birth. When people heard it was Jesus Who 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 says He is: The Messiah of Israel.
There was more to this miracle than meets the eye. This healing was a sign to the Israelites that Jesus was the Messiah, which is why John the Apostle went into great depth about the details and the controversy that followed. Anyone educated in Israel knew what the prophet Isaiah had foretold:
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 did all these things and more during his estimated three years of ministry, but this recent healing was too much evidence for the Pharisees to bear. They did not see or accept Jesus as the Messiah. They believed the Messiah would be a great King who would come with great power and glory, not this humble person 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 appearance as a substitute to put away sin, and another as a righteous warrior King who will destroy all of His enemies. Even though they had eyes, they refused to see the truth even when it was plain before them. They had seen the four sign miracles before, but this was close and personal, inside Jerusalem—the city they claimed as their territory.
How about you? Are you convinced as to who Jesus is? Are you on His side, or are you still in enemy territory and 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.
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