INTRODUCTION: The actions of Jesus are an apparent contradiction. The poor are filled with good things while the rich are sent empty away. The righteous are declared to be sinners while sinners are made righteous. To those who laugh He brings weeping and He gives laughter to those who weep. The last He puts first and the first, last. The wise He shows to be foolish and to the foolish He gives wisdom. He is the world’s Savior but in our Gospel lesson for today He declares, “For judgment I came into the world” (v. 29) Is Jesus’ coming into this world a self-contradiction? Let us see.

I.        He came that the seeing may become blind.

A.      The Jewish leaders thought they could see.

1.      But they refused to believe that the man brought before them had been given his sight. In verses 17-26 of our text we read:

“Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet."       The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. "Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?" "We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God," they said. "We know this man is a sinner." He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" (NIV)

2.      When they could no longer deny the fact, they treated the whole matter with contempt. “Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! (V. 28)  “To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.” (V. 34)

3.      They would not admit their blindness. Therefore their guilt remained. “Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”  (V. 41)

B.      Many today think they can see. Spiritually speaking they believe they have 20/20 vision. They are in no need of a physician.

1.      Skeptics substitute for the religious formula of the Pharisees. “Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided.” (V. 16) They held to the belief that the supernatural cannot exist and that miracles simply cannot and do not occur.

a.      They try to prove discrepancies in the Gospel story and to accuse Jesus of deception.  Yet they are troubled by the facts.  A man, born blind, stands before them whole. How could this be?

2.      Agnostics lack the moral courage to face the facts.

3.      Sadly, some even from within Christendom twist God’s Word, deceiving and being deceived. They refuse to be instructed by the Word. St. Paul put it this way in his second letter to Timothy, “But evil men and impostors will proceed {from bad} to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”  (2 Timothy 3:13)

Transition: Jesus’ purpose in coming is to the judge all such people. They see Jesus, the light, but they deny Him. Insisting that they see, they remain blind. But there is another self-contradiction.

II.                 He came into the world so that the blind may see.

A.   We are by nature “those who do not see” (V.39a)

1.      We cannot discern spiritual things. St. Paul said it best, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

2.      We are opposed to God. That’s what Paul reminds us in Romans 8:7-8, “because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able {to do so} and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (NAS)

B.   Jesus alone can open our eyes.

1.      He works through the Gospel, which proclaims Him as Savior. In Acts 26:28 we read, “And Agrippa {replied} to Paul, "In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian." (NAS) and in 1 Timothy 1:15 this Gospel is explained, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost {of all.}” (NAS)

2.      This Gospel is the salve of the Spirit, which opens our eyes to that we can say, “I believe!” “Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him’.” (V. 38)

3.      Jesus sharpens our vision.

a.       Obstacles can blur us.

o       Rational and theological arguments - In V. 24“A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God," they said. "We know this man is a sinner."

o       Reviling  - In Verse 28, “Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses!”

o       Persecution – In verse 34, “To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.”

b.         Jesus enables us to confess Him simply and boldly. In Verses 30-33, “The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

c.          We now see Jesus more clearly.  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.”

CONCLUSION: The blessed aspect of Jesus apparent self-contradiction is fulfilled in our own lives when we can say with Simeon of  old, “Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation!” (Luke 2:30)

 + Soli Deo Gloria +