Anchor My Faith

Judgment Occurs Because of Jesus

Scripture: John 9:38-41

We ended the previous lesson wondering how the former blind man would respond to the information from Jesus that he was the Son of Man. ^{Jn 9:38} [The man responds], “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.”

After listening to the response from Jesus, the man’s faith has deepened, and he responds in belief. His faith adventure has been a step by step movement from “the man called Jesus” (John 9:11) to the confession that he is “a prophet” (John 9:17) to the belief that he is was “from God” (John 9:33). This is an example of John 7:17 ESV: “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.” The man believes and accepts Jesus as the Messiah; from the “Son of Man” to seeing Jesus as the “Son of God.”

A part of belief is worship. The man believed that Jesus was the Son of God and as an expression of his faith he worships Jesus. That act of adoration is a necessary expression of his faith. This former blind man has much to learn about the meaning of the title, “Son of God” but he at least knows that Jesus has the attribute of divine glory and is to be the object of human worship.

Jesus then turns his focus to those around him ^{Jn 9:39} “[and] said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”’

Consider the context of this verse. The former blind man, who used to sit and beg, has been lifted from a state of physical blindness to where he now has the faculty of sight. He has also passed from a state of spiritual blindness (seeing Jesus as only a man) to being able to recognize and believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Now conscience of his own spiritual blindness, he asked Jesus who the Son of Man was that he might believe in him and grow in his understanding. He was spiritually blind, but now he sees.

In contrast to this, the Pharisees believed they could see spiritually and were confident that they were guides of the spiritually blind; lights for those in spiritual darkness. Conscious of their own spiritual light, they felt no need for the light Jesus was offering. Believing they could see, Jesus was to show them that they were spiritually blind, whereas the man who saw his spiritual blindness was able to see Jesus and gain his sight and believe.

To this ^{Jn 9:40} “Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”’ Yes, they were blind because standing before them was their Messiah, the Son of God, and all they could see was a man claiming to be from the Father that they felt should die for his sin.

^{Jn 9:41} “Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”’ Having rejected Jesus, these Pharisees remain spiritually blind and guilty due to their sin. If they were to believe Jesus, they would desire to learn more, and they would see.

Conclusion

Jesus did not come to judge the world but to save the world (John 12:47). However, his presence in the world is a form of judgment because he divides all of humanity into two groups: those who humbly believe in him and are born spiritually, and those reject him in unbelief and remain spiritually dead.