With Dale Ratzlaff
Note: this lesson and the next two are drawn in part from the chapter in Sabbath in Christ entitled, “The Paradox of Sabbath Law”.
John 9:1-17
As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam “ (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing. Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?” Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the one.” So they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.” They said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know” They brought to the Pharisees the man who was formerly blind. Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.
This story, like those in John 5 and 7, is a very important one and deserves our most careful attention. Again, we must not lose sight of any of the details in this chapter for they will give us insight into the deeper meaning intended by the author. John 9 is a long chapter in John’s gospel, and we cannot overlook any part of it. We will study it in sections, then at the conclusion try to pull all the ideas together.
The chapter starts with a man who was born blind. The reason for this blindness is that “the works of God might be displayed in him” (Jn. 9:3). It is important to note the frequent use of the word “work” at the beginning of this Sabbath incident. It is to alert us to the underlying theme of what follows. Jesus will again be accused of Sabbath breaking because of His work in healing this man. This healing, perhaps more than any other work of Jesus, will demonstrate the true nature of the redemption and “rest” of the new covenant.
We will soon see that Jesus and the Jewish leaders were thinking and conversing from two different reference points. It is almost as if they were “talking past” each other. Jesus understood what was going on, but the Jewish leaders seemed to have clouded reasoning and completely misunderstood Jesus. The reason for this misunderstanding is clear. They were still looking through the clouded veil of the old covenant law. It is equally true that Jesus continued to speak from His reference point: Himself, the new covenant center.
For Jesus the word “work” refers to doing the works of God—kingdom work, Jubilee ministry: healing the sick, casting out demons, releasing the captives, binding up the brokenhearted, opening the eyes of the blind, preaching the gospel to the poor, proclaiming the favorable year of the Lord. This work was designed to bring redemption from the bondage of sin and restore the rest of Eden’s seventh day—the true “rest” of God. The Jewish leaders, on the other hand, understood “work” to be that which was forbidden by a literal, perhaps rigid, interpretation of old covenant Sabbath law.
We note that Jesus seemed to express a certain sense of urgency. “We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming when no man can work.” Jesus included His disciples as fellow participants in this urgent work, “We must work.” They, too, were to be engaged in the kingdom, Jubilee “work” of proclaiming the “rest” of God.
Jesus had previously declared Himself to be the “light of the world.” We will see that those who do not believe in Him remain in the “blindness” and darkness of sin.
When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). And so he went away and washed, and came back seeing (Jn. 9:6, 7).
As Jesus previously healed the man at the Pool of Bethesda who had been there 38 years on the Sabbath recorded in John five, in the same way, it appears that Jesus intentionally healed this man so that His actions would be seen to be an open violation of Sabbath law. To us, making a little clay seems trivial and certainly not work. However, to the Jewish leaders, who operated from a literal interpretation of the old covenant, “making” clay was working, and the law said, “you shall not do any work” (Ex. 20:10). They felt this action was not in accord with the admonition of the law to have a “sabbath of complete rest” (Ex. 31:15). Further, they felt that Jesus’ instruction to send this man across town was not adhering to the command which said, “Remain every man in his place” (Ex. 16:29). Nor was “washing” in the pool of Siloam, which was big enough to swim in an appropriate Sabbath activity. Washing was to be taken care of on the day of preparation.
As is often encountered in the writings of John, small, apparently insignificant details provide additional evidence to support John’s underlying purpose in writing this gospel: that the reader would come to “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing, you may have life in His name” (Jn. 20:31). In the passage at hand, we have such details. Not only does John record that Jesus sent this blind man to the pool of Siloam, but he includes the translation of the meaning of the name, Siloam, as “sent.” This little clue is to remind us of other passages in John’s gospel. “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work” (Jn. 4:34). “And the Father who sent Me, He has borne witness of Me” (Jn. 5:37). John is seeking to lead his readers to a true understanding of who Jesus is.
And so he went away and washed, and came back seeing (Jn. 9:7).
Nothing could be more direct and to the point or less flamboyant. At the same time, we see the possible connections to the “washing” of baptism and the “seeing” of saving faith.
The neighbors therefore, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?” Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the one.” Therefore they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam, and wash’; so I went and washed, and I received sight.” And they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know” (Jn. 9:8-12).
At first this short passage appears to have little to do with our study of the Sabbath, yet in reality, it encompasses the very essence of new covenant Sabbath understanding. It is full of subtle insights regarding the gospel. First, notice the saving action of Jesus. This beggar did not ask to be healed! The entire action proceeded from Jesus. Second, note the kind of people Jesus chooses to save: blind beggars, people who have a strong sense of personal need. Third, note the simplicity of salvation: “I washed, and I received sight.” Fourth, note the transformation that takes place: his friends could hardly recognize him! Fifth, note the drawing power of the gospel: “Where is He?”
We begin to see that in each Sabbath exposure there is a progressive movement away from the details of the old covenant laws toward the one, central theme of the new: Jesus Christ and the redemption and “rest” He brings.
They brought to the Pharisees him who was formerly blind. Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. Again therefore the Pharisees also were asking him how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.
It appears from this passage that Jesus was making some headway in moving the reference point of judgment held by the Jewish leaders. In previous instances involving Sabbath breaking the Jewish leaders presented a united front against Jesus. Now, only “some of the Pharisees” stumbled over the old covenant Sabbath law and said, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath” (v. 16). Now, some are willing to look at Him from the “Jubilee ministry” perspective of the new covenant. They evaluate the ministry of Jesus saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” So “there was a division among them.”
They said therefore to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”
The miracle of healing took place while this man had an incomplete knowledge of who Jesus was and is.
Application
- As Jesus included His disciples in His gospel work, so we too should remember that we have a part in this gospel ministry.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Mt. 28:19-20).
- Jesus presented the message of the gospel with urgency. In the same way, we ought to realize the eternal importance and urgency of proclaiming the gospel.
- The Jews misunderstood Jesus for several reasons: first, their interpretive framework was a literal interpretation of old covenant law. We must be careful that we do not follow the same example in hyper-literalism. The second reason the Jews misconstrued the message of Jesus was that they had previously rejected both His words of truth and His person. We cannot turn our back on God’s word or who Jesus is without falling into deception.
- The self-righteous Jews of Christ’s day rejected the simple gospel of Jesus. They were scandalized that Jesus would perfume His ministry to outcasts whom they considered as sinners and the crowd who do not know the law. We ought to never pass by those caught in the clutches of sin and habit. Let us ever remember why Jesus came.
I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance (Lk. 5:32).
- The fact that this healing took place while this man had an incomplete knowledge of who Christ was and it shows us that we poor mortals may often have an incomplete or even faulty understanding of doctrine, yet God’s power to save can transcend these difficulties. Not only for us does God’s power rise above our theology, but we should recognize that God saves others who are lacking in understanding.
Prayer
Father, I thank you for the way Jesus set the example of caring for sinners who needed healing and your grace. May I always see others without judging them. May I sense what you are doing and just how you want me to work with you to save those who need and will receive your grace.
In Jesus name. †
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