Living in Darkness? Are You Blind to the Truth? Jesus can Heal You!

Many people are born with an illness or a disability. I, myself, have asthma. I always have to have a rescue inhaler with me, just in case. The other day, I went for a walk and the Phoenix “brown cloud” of dust, and whatever else is up there, must have been exceptionally bad. I started the annoying cough as my lungs tried to get good air. I had to go back home for the inhaler.

Here in John 8, Jesus encounters a man who was born blind and He heals him. Of course, it was on a Sabbath. In those times, the Jewish leaders had taken a simple commandment of God’s and loaded it with more and more prohibitions. The commandment says not to work on the 7th day. One day of rest from labor. But with the Pharisees, you couldn’t do a lot more.

If you’ve been going through the Gospels with me, it seems like Jesus always picks a Sabbath to heal someone. Probably just to anger the Pharisees and Saducees. Notice, too, that each time, it always leads to a discussion on WHO Jesus is. This is also leading to His ultimate arrest and crucifixion. Let’s dig in….

John 8

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”

“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. I must quickly carry out the tasks assigned me by the one who sent me. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”


Jesus, is no longer physically in the world, but His light still shines through the Holy Spirit in every born-again Christian believer.


Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!

His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”

But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”

10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”

11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!”

12 “Where is he now?” they asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied.

13 Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, 14 because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. 15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”

16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.

17 Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”

The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”

18 The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?”

20 His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, 21 but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. 23 That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”

24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”

25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”


Those words should sound familiar! At the bottom you’ll find the famous hymn which includes that passage…


26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”

27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”

28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”

30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.”

34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.

Spiritual Blindness

35 When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man.”

36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”

37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”

38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.

39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”

40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”

41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.

John 8 NLT

The Blind Leading the Blind

You have that situation in this chapter. Jesus accuses the Pharisees of being blind to His truth. Unfortunately, today there are many priests and preachers, who fail to teach the true salvation of Jesus Christ. Hence, their parishioners are also blind. What happens when a blind person tries to lead another blind person? They end up in a ditch or falling off a cliff. When it comes to Spiritual Blindness, the blind guides lead the people to hell.

It’s Not Too Late for you!

If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…

Amazing Grace


The Life of Jesus Part 9



Soli Deo Gloria! To God Alone Be the Glory!

Top picture by Good News Productions Int. from FreeBibleImages.com, (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

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