Light for the Blind

MEMORY VERSE: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” —John 8:12

JOHN 9:1-7, 35-41

LAST week bread—the bread of life—was the central theme of the lesson. For this lesson it is light—the light of life. The theme is introduced by the story of a man who had been blind from his birth, and who was healed of his blindness by Jesus—one of those miracles by which he manifested his coming glory. While those who were benefactors of Jesus’ miracles greatly rejoiced in the blessing which came to them, comparatively few were thus blessed, because it was not the time in the divine plan for the healing of all the sick. Some were raised from the dead, but it was not the time for the general resurrection. Jesus performed these miracles to illustrate what divine power would yet do on behalf of all mankind, and in fulfillment of the promises of God relative to the blessings to be showered upon the people during the thousand years of the messianic kingdom. One of those promises reads, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped; Then shall the lame man leap as an hart.”—Isa. 35:5,6

The disciples asked Jesus if the blind man was born with this affliction because his parents had sinned or because the man himself had sinned. Jesus said that this was not due to special sin either on the part of the parents or the blind man. Jesus was not here discussing the general condemnation of death which rested upon all mankind because of original sin, in which sense all sickness, imperfection, and death are due to sin.

What Jesus indicated was that this blind man had not been singled out for special punishment because of some special sin. He explained however, that in this instance the man’s malady would be used as an opportunity for the works of God to be manifested; for divine power was used to give the man his sight.

Jesus added, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (vss. 4,5) Here daytime is used by Jesus to symbolize the productive period in one’s life; this is in contrast to nighttime, which illustrates the time in which no man can work, especially after being overtaken by death. Jesus knew that he had a great work to perform in connection with his Father’s plan, and that his “day” would not be a very long one. Indeed, the entire period of his ministry was only three and one-half years.

Jesus did not always ask the cooperation of those whom he healed, but in the case of this blind man he did. He anointed his eyes with clay and asked the man to go to the pool of Siloam and wash the clay off. We are not to suppose that there was any restorative power in the clay, nor in the water of the pool. But by this act the man was demonstrating his desire to co-operate with the Master—a desire which was based upon faith.

The man returned from the pool able to see. But he fell into disrepute among some of the Pharisees. They claimed that Jesus had violated the Law by working on the sabbath day in making the clay for the man’s eyes, etc. In the controversy that ensued, the man was not sure of the cause of the great miracle by which he had gained his sight, but he gave a wonderful testimony. He said, “One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.”—vs. 25

In due course Jesus came into contact again with the healed man and asked him, “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” The man asked, “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?” And Jesus said unto him, “Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.” The one who had been born blind then made a firm announcement of his faith. He said, “Lord, I believe. And he worshiped him.”—vss. 35-38

Jesus then made a symbolic application of blindness and of sight, saying, “For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind” Some of the Pharisees understood and asked, “Are we blind also?” Jesus then indicated that they had a measure of sight, and were therefore held responsible in their willful opposition to him and his message. In our memory verse Jesus uses sight to illustrate one’s vision of God, and to show that those who do not walk in darkness enjoy “the light of life.”—vss. 39-41

| Home Page | Table of Contents |