AS we live in a day when profession abounds on every hand it is well for us to challenge ourselves whether we know as a divine reality that we “have passed from death unto life.” (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)). Living in a so-called Christian land, most profess to be sinners, and most profess to believe in Jesus.
In the 9th Chap. of John we read of a man who was blind from his birth—a true picture of every unsaved soul—blind. Blind from his or her birth, and needing to have the eyes opened, as to the things of God, as much as the man in the chapter alluded to, who was blind to the things of the world.
Dear reader, have you had your eyes opened? Do not say I do not know. This man not only had his eyes opened but he knew it. The blessed Lord Jesus came down into this world to recover sight to the blind (Luke 4:1818The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (Luke 4:18)) and He not only came to do it but He did it. As He is passing by He sees a man blind from his birth (v. 1). In the graciousness of what He ever was—and is—He acts. “He came to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:1010For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)). He sees one who needs Himself in all that He was in Himself, and all that He could do, and it immediately draws forth His gracious loving heart to meet the one who thus needed Him.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb. 13:88Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (Hebrews 13:8)) He has never changed, and dear unsaved reader you can count as much upon His loving gracious heart to day to meet you in all your need, as when he was down here, and met the need of all who came to Him to get their need met. No one but Jesus—the Saviour—could give sight to the blind, and no one but Jesus can meet you in your deep need as a ruined, lost, hell-deserving sinner.
Jesus anoints the eyes of the blind man and sends him to Siloam’s pool to wash. He does exactly as he is bid—he trusts implicitly the word of the one who thus sends him and he gets immediate relief. To get relief from Jesus you must come in contact with Jesus. Directly the sinner and Jesus come together there is immediate blessing. The woman in Mark 5:2727When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. (Mark 5:27) who had not been able to get relief from any physician although she had tried many and spent her all—not only hears about Jesus, but comes to Jesus and touches Jesus, and she got immediate blessing, and like the man in John 9, knew it. May you dear reader, if you have not, as yet, come to Jesus, know what it is to come to Him who is yearning over you, desirous to bless you. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31).
The change in the man who had been born blind was so apparent that every one recognized it. Fellow believer on the Lord Jesus, we can rejoice that Himself “bear our sins in his own body on the tree;” (1 Peter 2:2424Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)) that God laid all our sins upon Him; (Isa. 53:66All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)) that we have been “brought to God;” (1 Pet. 3:1818For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: (1 Peter 3:18)) that all our sins are forgiven (Col. 2:1313And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (Colossians 2:13)) forgotten (Heb. 10:1717And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 10:17)) that “we are accepted in the beloved.” (Eph. 1:66To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:6)). But are we so living Christ that all our friends and acquaintances, and the world generally, can take knowledge that we have been with Jesus (Acts 4:1313Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)). Let us challenge ourselves as to this in the presence of God.
This man had not only received blessing from Christ, but testified to it and to Him. True, lie was not at all clear as to the Person, but according to his knowledge—which at first was limited—he confessed Christ. The change was so marvelous, as we were saying before, that it was apparent to those who knew him before his eyes were opened. The neighbors began to talk about it and to reason about it. So great was the change, that some began to question whether he was the man or not; but he assures them that he is the person who was blind but now sees. He is brought to the Pharisees and they cannot agree—as to the blessed Person who wrought the miracle. The Jews would not believe the testimony of the man himself without a witness, and ascribe the name “sinner” to the spotless, holy, Son of God, as in the previous chapter 5:48. they said he had a devil. Such is man, and man too, under great privileges.
Is it not a privilege to live in a Christian land?
And yet with all its boasted privileges how few, in comparison, know what it is to be divinely and everlastingly saved because of the precious blood-shedding of the Lord Jesus Christ, which cleanseth from all sin; (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)) and how few of these are confessing Christ in living Him, as well as telling others about Him.
Are you, my reader saved? or let us ask you another question; Are you condemning those who say they are saved? There is no credit due to the one who is saved. He is saved by grace, not of works (Eph. 2:88For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8)). Then why condemn him? He is precious to Christ: take care!
Let us warn you to “flee from the wrath to come,” (Matt. 3:77But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Matthew 3:7)). In condemning the one who by grace can say “I am saved,” you are condemning Christ, and God’s word says that every knee shall bow to Him, and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10-1110That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10‑11)).
This man, however, only knew the work of Christ, but not the Person of Christ. Many know the work of Christ, which has put away their sins, and fitted them for the presence of a holy God, but is this the place God would have us stop at No! assuredly not. That is only the commencement. God’s word not only reveals a blessed precious work but a real living adorable Person. One who has not only died for the sinner, and who loves to save on account of what He has done, but who lives at the right hand of God for the believer.
We have been writing a little about the work of Christ as wrought in a man down here. Let us look a little deeper, and seek to find the Person; we get both in this chapter. When the man was asked who did it and how, (in. v. 9) he answers “A man.” Yes, He was truly a man— “the man Christ Jesus”; but faith recognizes something deeper than this.
He gets more light as he goes on. He gets a deeper revelation of “Himself” He says to the Pharisees (v. 17) “He is a prophet.” Now a prophet in the New Testament does not always, or exclusively mean one who foretells future events. The woman in John 4 tells the blessed Lord Himself, “Sir I perceive that thou art a prophet” (v. 19). What brought this from her? The simple fact that she found herself in the presence of God Himself. So in our chapter. The man recognized God at work, and it brings forth his blessed answer to those who knew Him not “He is a prophet.” Further down (v. 33) he says He is “of God.” Those who ought to have been teachers, are taught; they resent, and they cast him out, who confesses, and stands for Christ. How blessed it is to read such a verse as the 35th, where we find that Jesus hears. Yes beloved, tried believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, not only have we got His heart, His shoulder, and His hand, but His ear. He is ever at our side—may we know how to use Him. This man is cast out for confessing Christ and now he learns Christ in His very highest character—as Son of God (v. 35, 36).
Do you know Jesus as your Saviour? Are you confessing Christ? Are you a worshipper?
You cannot worship until the question of your sins is settled. It may have the appearance of worship but it is not intelligent worship.
Are you a purged worshipper, according to Heb. 10?
What a change has come over this man! In the beginning of our chapter in rags, a beggar, blind, destitute, possessing nothing for this life or eternity, now at the feet of Jesus, a worshipper, sight restored, a thorough wonder to all around, yet cast out because He now belonged to Christ. This man knew all this for himself, and confessed it. “One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” Reader, dost thou know it, for thyself? If so praise God, and seek to live for Christ.
E. G.