The Great Reversal: Seeing, Blindness, and the Crisis of Christ Text: John 9:35-41
Introduction: The Parable in Shoe Leather
The ninth chapter of John is not simply the account of a miracle. It is a living parable. It is a spiritual reality played out in the mud and spittle and water of the real world. A man born blind has his eyes opened by Jesus, and in response, the religious leaders with perfect vision prove themselves to be utterly and profoundly blind. This entire episode is a divine setup. It is a master class in irony, designed to illustrate a central truth of Christ's ministry: His coming into the world forces a great sorting, a great division. He is the light, and light does two things. It illuminates, and it casts shadows. It reveals, and it exposes. When the light of the world shows up, you can no longer pretend you are in a gray area. You are either drawn to the light because you love what it reveals, or you shrink from it because you love the darkness.
The man who was healed has just been excommunicated. He has been thrown out of the synagogue by the Pharisees for the high crime of telling the truth. He told them what happened, and he drew the logical conclusion that the one who did it must be from God. For this simple act of honest reasoning, he was declared a heretic and cast out. He was canceled. But as we see so often in the Scriptures, when a man is cast out by a false and corrupt religious system for the sake of Christ, he is never left an orphan. He is, in fact, put in the precise location where the true Christ can find him. And that is where our text begins.
The Text
Jesus heard that they had put him out, and after finding him, He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"
Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you."
And he said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped Him.
And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind."
Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, "Are we blind too?"
Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains."
(John 9:35-41 LSB)
The Good Shepherd Finds His Sheep (v. 35-37)
We begin with the divine pursuit.
"Jesus heard that they had put him out, and after finding him, He said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?'" (John 9:35)
Notice the sequence. Jesus hears, and then Jesus finds. This is the doctrine of sovereign grace in miniature. The man is now an outcast, rejected by the gatekeepers of the covenant community. But the Lord of the Covenant, the true Shepherd, seeks out the sheep that the false shepherds have abused and cast aside. This is not an accidental meeting. Jesus is intentional. He hunts the man down. This is a glorious comfort. When you are rejected by the world for Christ's sake, you are put on Christ's radar. He does not abandon His own.
And what is the first thing He does? He moves the man from the physical to the spiritual. The healing of his eyes was just the opening act. Now Jesus gets to the heart of the matter. He asks the central question of all human existence: "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" This is not a generic question about faith. It is a specific, christological probe. The title "Son of Man" comes directly from Daniel 7, where it refers to a divine figure who comes on the clouds of heaven and is given everlasting dominion and a kingdom that will not be destroyed. Jesus is asking, "Do you trust in the divine Messiah, the sovereign King of the universe?"
The man's response is beautiful in its humility and honesty.
"He answered and said, 'Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?'" (John 9:36)
He does not know who this "Son of Man" is, but he is eager to know. He is teachable. His heart is prepared soil. He has already experienced the power of this man Jesus, and now he is ready to submit to His person. He calls him "Lord," a term of great respect that is about to tip over into full-blown worship. He has a believing heart that is simply looking for the proper object to land on. This is the state of every soul prepared by the Holy Spirit for conversion.
Jesus does not leave him guessing.
"Jesus said to him, 'You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.'" (John 9:37)
This is the great reveal. The first face this man ever saw with his new eyes was the face of the one who is the Light of the World. The physical sight was a sign pointing to the greater spiritual reality. Jesus connects the dots for him. The power you experienced is embodied in the person you are talking to. The healer of your eyes is the Lord of your soul.
Faith and Worship (v. 38)
The man's response is immediate and profound.
"And he said, 'Lord, I believe.' And he worshiped Him." (John 9:38)
This is the climax of the story. Faith and worship are two sides of the same coin. True belief is not a sterile intellectual agreement. It is not ticking a box on a doctrinal survey. True belief bows the knee. It is doxological. The moment the man understands who Jesus is, he falls down and worships Him. And here is a critical point that the Jehovah's Witnesses and other cults must choke on: Jesus receives his worship. No mere man, no prophet, no angel in Scripture ever accepts worship. Peter tells Cornelius to get up. The angel tells John not to do it. But Jesus, the Son of God, accepts the worship that is due to God alone. By accepting this man's worship, Jesus is making an unambiguous claim to full deity.
The Great Sorting (v. 39)
Jesus now turns this personal encounter into a universal declaration. He explains the meaning of His entire ministry.
"And Jesus said, 'For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.'" (John 9:39)
Christ's coming is a crisis. The Greek word is krisis, which means judgment, separation, a moment of decision. His presence in the world acts as a great sorting mechanism. He is the dividing line of humanity. He comes to bring about a great reversal. Those who know they are blind, who confess their need, who are humble and lowly, these are the ones who will be given sight. The man born blind is Exhibit A. He had no sight, and he knew it. He was therefore in a position to be healed.
But for those who claim to see, for the proud, the arrogant, the self-righteous who believe they have all the spiritual answers, Christ's coming results in their blindness being exposed and solidified. Their rejection of the light confirms their condition. He doesn't make them blind; He reveals that they were blind all along and gives them over to the blindness they have chosen.
The Pride of the Seeing (v. 40-41)
The Pharisees, who are lurking nearby, overhear this. They know He is talking about them, and they are incensed.
"Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, 'Are we blind too?'" (John 9:40)
This is not an honest question. This is sarcasm dripping with contempt. "Us? Blind? Don't you know who we are? We are the custodians of the Torah. We are the teachers of Israel. We are the spiritual guides for the entire nation." Their question is a fortress of pride. They cannot even entertain the possibility that they might be wrong. Their credentials, their education, and their position have become their idols, blinding them to the God standing right in front of them.
Jesus' reply is a hammer blow. It is one of the most terrifying verdicts He ever pronounces.
"Jesus said to them, 'If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.'" (John 9:41)
He distinguishes between two kinds of blindness. There is the blindness of simple ignorance, like the man who was physically blind. If they were in that state, aware of their deficiency and open to help, they would be in a position to be forgiven. Their condition would not be held against them as sin. There is mercy for the person who knows he does not know.
But their problem is not ignorance. Their problem is their arrogant claim to sight. "But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains." Their sin is their pride. Their sin is their refusal to admit they need a savior. By claiming to have perfect spiritual vision while staring directly at the Light of the World and calling it darkness, they are taking full responsibility for their unbelief. Their sin "remains" because they are rejecting the only one who can take sin away. They are locking their own prison door from the inside and throwing away the key. This is the sin that cannot be forgiven, not because it is too great for God's grace, but because it is a settled refusal to ask for that grace.
Conclusion: The Only Necessary Confession
This passage lays it all out for us. There are only two kinds of people in the world: those who know they are blind and those who pretend they can see. The gospel is good news only for the first group. The kingdom of God is not for the spiritually competent, the morally impressive, or the theologically astute. The kingdom of God is for blind beggars.
The most dangerous spiritual condition is not to be lost, but to be lost and think you are found. It is not to be sick, but to be sick and insist you are well. The Pharisees' sin remained because they said, "We see." They had a diagnosis for everyone else, but they refused to be examined themselves.
And so the question comes to us, stripped of all sarcasm: "Are we blind too?" Do we approach God with our hands full of our accomplishments, our Bible knowledge, our church attendance, our good works? Or do we come like the blind man, with empty hands, knowing we have nothing to offer, and simply say, "Lord, I cannot see. I need you to give me sight." Your answer to that question determines everything. To confess your blindness is to be put in the path of the one who is looking for you. To claim you can see is to guarantee that your sin will remain.