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①Two weeks ago, in our worship service, we looked together at John chapter 9.
Today, I would like us to continue the story and see what happened afterward to the man who had been healed.
This man had been blind from birth, but through the work of the Lord Jesus, he was given his sight.
But this was not simply a matter of one man suddenly being able to see. It was not such a simple event.
Things were about to move in a big way.
First, when the people heard what had happened, they were amazed and gathered around. Because they had often seen him around,
they said in their astonishment:
“Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”
(John 9:8, NIV)
Now, was there anyone who shared in his joy and said to him, “You can see now! That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you!” ?
Sadly, it seems there was not even one person who showed him that kind of compassion.
Perhaps we could say that the people at that time lacked compassion for him.
Rather than being concerned about what had happened to this blind man, they seemed to be much more interested in another question:
“Who in the world is this man called Jesus? He performed such a miracle.”
②
Some people thought : “No, this isn’t the man who used to sit there. He just looks like him.”
Yes, the change in this man was so remarkable that some people even took him for a different person.
Imagine the faces of the people surrounding this man who had been healed. I imagine there must have been many puzzled and bewildered faces.
And so, one question after another was thrown at him.
“Are you really the man?”
“How is it that your blind eyes are now open?”
“Where is this man called Jesus now?”
Then, in verse 9, the man clearly says to them:
“I am the man.”
(John 9:9, NIV)
His response was off in a way that most people would overlook at first glance.
And yet, there is something familiar about these words that came from his mouth.
Yes. In the original Greek, the expression used here is the same expression that Jesus Christ used in John 8:58 when He was being questioned by many people and declared:
“I am!”
(John 8:58, NIV)
This does not mean that we should understand this man as somehow becoming another version of Jesus Christ the Savior and answering the people’s questions in Jesus’ place.
I think that would be taking the interpretation a little too far.
That is not what the Gospel of John is telling us here.
Rather, what Scripture wants us to see is this:
This man, who had been blind from birth, was surrounded by many people.
They pressed him with questions, almost as though they were saying,
“Well? What do you have to say? Surely you’re not going to tell us that this Jesus is the Savior, are you?”
And when they questioned him in that way, this man, just as the Lord Jesus Christ had done, spoke clearly and firmly about who he himself was:
“I am the man.”
When I was younger, every time I read this passage, I often found myself thinking,
“Does it really matter that much to our faith what this man said?”
But then I passed fifty, then sixty, and then seventy…
And little by little, I began to understand the weight of these words of Scripture.
③
Let me step away from the bible for just a moment.
I would like to share a small personal confession with you.
You may find this a little hard to believe…
but the truth is, I actually have a rather shy side to my personality.
Being a pastor is a fairly visible position. You tend to stand out.
And, to tell you the truth, that is something I do not particularly like.
About twenty years after I became a pastor, our youngest child became a university student.
One morning, after my morning prayer, a thought suddenly came to me.
“Now that the busiest years of raising our children are behind us, perhaps this would be a good opportunity for me to step down from such a visible position as being a pastor.
What if my wife and I went away somewhere together—to a small town where no one would come looking for us and no one knew who we were—and simply lived a quiet life?
Would God allow me to do that?”
Have you ever felt something like this?
Have you ever wanted to become, so to speak, a kind of “hidden Christian”?
Now, let us return to the Bible.
This man who had once been blind stood before the people and said firmly,
“I am the man.”
He said it clearly and decisively, almost as Jesus Christ Himself had said “I am” in John chapter 8.
When we consider the society of that time, it must have taken tremendous courage for a person with a serious disability to stand up and speak openly and clearly about himself in public.
And yet, he openly declared to the people around him who he was, what he was going to believe, and what hope he was going to live by.
When I read this,
I am deeply moved by him, and my heart is stirred:
“What an amazing man. What an admirable man. This is exactly the first step a Christian should take.”
④
Come to think of it, the Lord Jesus said something like this in the Sermon on the Mount.
We find it in Matthew 5:13–16.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Jesus particularly emphasizes: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14, NIV)
Sometimes, especially when I am tired, I find that without even realizing it, my faith grows weak and I want to hide myself.
But this man who had once been blind was surrounded by people and placed under tremendous pressure.
And at that very moment, he declared clearly:
“I am the man.”
“What a remarkable man. What a strong man.”
Whenever I read this passage, I am deeply moved by him.
⑤
I told you about my own tendency to want to hide myself. How about you?
Do you ever put yourselves under a bowl I sometimes do?
Do you place your light on its stand and let it shine so that the people around you can receive its light?
Let me say once again what Jesus said.
You are the salt of the earth.
Because of your saltiness, this world is kept from decay.
You are the light of the world.
No matter how many dark events may occur or no matter how painful and sorrowful things may happen, through the light that shines from you, people will come to discover true hope.
Yes. in God’s hands, each and every one of you Christians is a vital instrument—someone God intends to use to make a decisive difference in this world.
This is what the Lord Jesus is telling us.
⑥
Now then, what happened afterward to this man whose sight had been restored by Jesus?
Because he did not hide himself before the people, but spoke the truth openly, he was eventually cast out by the people of the community.
But the Lord Jesus Christ sought out this man and spoke to him.
We read in verses 35–38:
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “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.”
Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
Christians throughout the world have heard this man’s confession of faith and have been deeply moved by it.
Every time I read this passage, I too receive new strength, and I find myself thinking,
Perhaps I can make another effort to share the gospel.”
I would like to close today by sharing with you the Word of God spoken through Isaiah, a prophet in the Old Testament.
It is Isaiah 41:10.
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Amen.
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