Why was Jesus the first one to heal the blind?

‭‭The Passage

This week we will study ‭‭John‬ ‭9:1–11‬. Let’s read the passage, “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 was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.”

‭‭What We will Discuss

In this blog, we will discuss what it means for Jesus to be the first one to heal a blind person. Also, we will talk about why there is sin, suffering, and death in the world. This week we are studying John‬ 9:1–11. We will consider why some ailments are caused by sin and/or demons. We will also discuss what it means in this passage for the man to be born blind, so that the works of God could be displayed.

‭‭Not Sin or Demonic

So let’s get started, we see that after Jesus left the temple, He passed by a man who had been born blind. His disciples were with Him and they asked, who sinned to make this man blind, him or his parents? There are several reasons why they thought this, first in the past when Jesus healed the lame man, He had said, “Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” (John 5:14). Which led the disciples in thinking that the lame man’s ailment was a result of His sin, which is a definite possibility (John 5:1–17). Second, their worldview varied from our twenty-first century worldview, in that they believed that illness, sickness, and ailments were often caused by sin and demons. Now, I am not saying all or even most illnesses are directly due to sin and/or demons, but I think there are more than we believe. Jesus can forgive sins and cast out demons, as well as heal physical ailments.We should first turn to Jesus, while at the same time seeking the proper medical care if needed.

‭‭Works of God

Jesus responded to their question by telling them that neither this man nor his parents had sinned, but this man was blind, so that the works of God might be displayed in him. This makes many of us today uncomfortable because this could mean that God caused or at least allowed him to be blind. This is similar to why people are uncomfortable with the account of Job, because it makes it sound like all of Job’s calamities were caused or at least allowed by God. This of course is hard to comprehend, why would God allow pain. Now when considering Biblical principles, it is vital to look at the traditional view. Because unlike the belief of many today, people who lived before us were not automatically less intelligent, in fact many of them were likely more intelligent than us. It was not until the theory of evolution, that this view shifted to the people in history being less intelligent than us. Also, when considering the Bible, traditional views are best, and the closer to the original written Word the better, the traditional view of this passage, as well as many others like it, is that God caused or allowed pain. This passage is not the only time in the Bible, we see instances that reinforce this principle. Another instance would be Paul, with his thorn in the flesh, we do not know if this was a physical ailment, what we do know is that Paul says that God gave it to him, so God’s glory could be displayed (2 Corinthians 12:7–9).

‭‭Why is There Sin and Death?

God is life and not sin and death (Romans 6:23). It is important to realize that God is sovereign over everything and holds everything together (Colossians 1:17, John 1:1–5). This means that when something bad happens, God allows it, which is so hard for us to comprehend. Now, this is one of the hardest parts of Christianity and I have struggled with this in my walk with the Lord. The blind man in this account, was not even born yet when his eyes had not formed properly. The eye is one of the most complex organs in the body and is often declared by evolutionists as the part that is the hardest to explain via evolution. In fact, it is impossible for the eye to form without God much less form properly. Now, I am not saying that God is responsible for suffering. We need to understand that suffering in this world can be caused by demons and sin. I would argue that God did not and does not directly or indirectly cause any suffering. God made the world in six literal days, it was perfect, and there was no suffering. Nothing bad happened to good people, because there were two people and they were both perfect and had never sinned, until they decided to sin and broke the one rule God had given them. Then death and suffering enter the world, as a punishment, so it was not God who caused the pain, suffering, and death, but man. I understand that this is hard and honestly, it is easy to see this and instead of turning to God to turn away. But that is not the answer, because that is what started the suffering. Instead, turn to Him and He will bring you into His perfect Kingdom, where there will be no more death or suffering. The day is coming when He will call us Home. Are you ready, because you have to decide in this lifetime rather you want to live forever with Him? He will not force you to accept Him, because He wants you to choose to accept Him. If you like to accept Jesus and live forever with Him in His perfect Kingdom, all you have to do is, admit that you are a sinner, repent of your sins (repent means turn away), and believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and God raised Him from the dead, then confess Him as Lord and Savior of your life (Romans 10:9).

‭‭Work Before Night

Jesus continued by saying, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” The work Jesus is talking about is sharing the gospel. Every Christian is His ambassador and we are to continue His work. But, the night is coming where Jesus will call all Christians home and then later will end the world and start a new one. Our goal is to help as many people as possible to find Jesus. Now keep in mind, we can only plant and water the seeds, we can not make them grow, so we can not save anyone, only Jesus can. So as Christians we should set a goal to share more, than we are currently, because we are now the light of the World and ambassadors of Jesus.

‭‭Sent

Jesus then spit in the dirt to make mud and anointed the man’s eyes with the mud. Then He told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam, so the man went and came back seeing. This reminds me of Naaman, who was healed of leprosy after washing seven times in the Jordan and trusting in the Lord and the words of Elisha (2 Kings 5). The blind man’s healing was similar, but he only had to wash once and trust the words of Jesus. Jesus was the first one to heal a blind person. I think that is amazing for many reasons. First of all, Jesus is the light of the World, the only one that can make the spiritually blind see and all they have to do is trust in Him. I think this is why we never see the blind healed by anyone else, before Jesus. Second of all, when the blind man washed himself in the pool of Siloam, he could see. Thirdly, the pool of Siloam means sent and this man became a sent beacon in the world, that was a testimony of who Jesus is. He could say, once I was physically blind, but right now if you do not know Jesus you are spiritually blind, but Jesus can heal you. We are also called to be sent beacons in this world, we are to share who Jesus is and our testimony, because that is one of the most powerful evangelical (sharing the gospel) tools. This is what we see him doing when he returns and tells everyone who knew him what had happened and how Jesus had healed him. There are so many things you can see in this healing. How Jesus made mud to heal the man’s eyes, points back to creation when God came down and made man out of dust and breathed into man. This not only shows that Jesus is God, but also that Jesus cares deeply for all men, even the least of these, who the world sees as worthless, because they cannot work and are seen as a burden on this world. You have to keep in mind that during this time, there was little to no care for people with ailments, where they would be treated as humans and cared for. The ones that society overlooks and sees as a burden, Jesus sees and cares deeply for them and sees them for who they are: who He has made them to be.

Conclusion

So this week, if you do not know Jesus, strive to learn more about Him, because this is the most important decision you can ever make. For those that do know Jesus, look into this account and see your own story of healing, this should encourage you to praise and worship Jesus. As well as motivating you to share your testimony and the gospel with someone. Now, we have not even been able to discuss the Pharisee’s or the people’s response to this healing. So, if you would like to know when that video comes out and when we post a new video, please consider subscribing. to our newsletter. https://www.biblicalencouragement.org/join-our-newsletter/

If you would like to see the video where I explain why Jesus hid and left the temple click here. https://www.biblicalencouragement.org/2022/09/07/why-did-jesus-hide-himself-and-leave-the-temple/