The Investigation | Tim Henderson

Hey, you guys have your Bibles open to the passage that Barbara just read, keep them there. If not, go ahead and open up to John chapter nine. We are about nine chapters deep into our series in John which started, I think it was September, so it's been a little while.

What I'm hoping to show you this morning is maybe the most obvious example of one of John's primary purposes. And in order to accomplish that, we're gonna look at the entire chapter. It's 41 verses, which is a bigger bite than I think we've taken so far in John. But I feel like this chapter needs to be kept together if you really want to understand what's going on in it.

The surface of it is what Barbara just read: Jesus heals a man who is born blind. We won't read it all, but I do think it'll be helpful to just be aware of the three different sections. We'll kind of skim through it.

First, verses one to seven is the actual healing that we just read. The next chunk is verses eight to 34, and that is about an investigation that this healing incites. That is honestly what I really want to focus our attention on this morning. But then the conclusion is also important in verses 35 to 41. That's a conversation that Jesus has with the formerly blind, but now seeing man that reveals the ultimate purpose of this whole event.

So we're gonna see what he does in the first section, why he does it in the middle, but then his ultimate purpose at the end.

Alright, so with that said, I'm gonna read the healing again to you. I just want you to pay attention to what Jesus did, and then we'll talk about that.

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'm 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. — John 9:1-7

The Man's Condition and Plight

So we have a man who's been blind his entire life. He was born blind, so obviously that means he can't see the beauty in a woman's face or the splendor of a mountain peak. He can't read a book or even navigate a crowded street. He is probably a beggar, and his loss of beauty and independence is an enormous grief.

But on top of all of that, all the natural consequences of his blindness, he's also being viewed with suspicion, right? There's a sense in his culture, and by the way, also in ours, that if you're suffering, it was probably your fault, right? You did something to deserve this. And that's why the disciples are like, "Hey, who sinned? This man or his parents?" And Jesus says, yeah, that is not the way the world works. There is a reason for his blindness, but it's not culpability for his sin.

We'll have more to say on that in a minute. But for now, I just want you to notice that this man is blind with all of the natural losses that come with that, and he lives under unjust suspicion. And it is into that bouquet of griefs and all the difficulties that ensue that Jesus steps.

The Healing Method

And basically, it seems like maybe what he's actually doing is just making this guy a new set of eyeballs. I don't know if you ever noticed this, but when Jesus heals people, he has a variety of ways he does it. Sometimes he'll just say something, sometimes he'll touch people. There's a couple of times where he uses spit, which is odd, right? Sometimes he'll heal from a great distance, like the centurion's son, I think it is, that's far away and he just says he's healed. In this instance, he just makes mud, right? He bends down and he spits in the dirt and he makes this wad of mud.

I don't honestly know exactly why he's doing it this way, but one thesis is that maybe he's literally making this guy eyeballs. If you think about it, when God made Adam, what did he make him out of? Dirt. Just made him out of dirt. And I just kind of wonder, is he like just being like, "Alright, great. We know how to make an entire body, we can make an eyeball." And so he just slams a new eye in there. I don't know what is going on—it's something strange with the mud, okay? That might be heretical, okay? But in a moment, just instantly, the lights come on, right?

He can see, he can work, he can delight in beauty, and the suspicion that hangs over him is lifted. Now, it's replaced with something else, we'll see that as the story unfolds. But could you just imagine what that's like? I mean, let's just say this guy's 25 years old, and he's never seen anything. What do you think was his favorite color? Can you imagine everything just comes on and red is like so red, right? Or the combination of blue and green which is clearly God's favorite combination of colors and mine as well. Like what everything that explodes before him, does he see for the first time ever his parents' face, or a pretty girl, or his own reflection in the water, and wonder, "This is what I look like"? Was there a good sunset that night? Just overwhelming him with awe. Whatever it is, whatever he gets to see, and all the things that begin to add up and collect, this was for him an unbelievable act of kindness and mercy that transforms his life immediately. Right?

And that is what Jesus does there in those first seven verses, which is relatively straightforward. But what I want you to think about is why he did it. Why does this whole thing happen? Right? And one answer obviously is what we've just said, it's to be kind. It is to show love. But Jesus is answering not just why does he do what he does, but why was a man blind in the first place, right?

And, as we've said repeatedly throughout this series, in John's Gospel, in this whole section of John—the first 11 chapters—or what we call the Book of Signs, it is all about these miracles that Jesus does. But in John's Gospel, the signs, the miracles, aren't merely miracles. They're not just acts of mercy, they're not just demonstrations of power. They're always messages. They signify something, they convey meaning. And Jesus, with this particular miracle, this particular sign, is of paramount importance in terms of his message. He confirms that the thing is meaningful when he says in verse three:

Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. — John 9:3

What Jesus is saying is that this man was born blind on purpose. His blindness is neither retributive nor accidental. It's meaningful, it's part of the plan. And if you think about it, you guys, you don't make somebody blind so that you can make them see. You make someone blind so that in making them see, you can accomplish something that is worth the cost of the blindness. Our job this morning is to figure out what's the something else? What is it that's worth all of this thing? And we're gonna find the answer to that in the investigation that follows the healing.

The Investigation

Alright? I want you to notice how this act of kindness just snowballs into a controversy, and I want you to pay particular attention to the essence of the controversy. Okay? What is the critical question? And though the investigation that we're about to see may look like an interruption to the story, it's really the point of it. If you're reading John nine, you could read that he heals this guy in the first seven verses, and then a bunch of stuff happens, and then he has this conversation with the guy that was blind. Right? But that would be a misreading of the text. It's true that he heals him, and it's true there's a conversation that's coming that'll be important. But this middle section is the point. This sets this up. The healing sets this up. The conversation resolves this. But this thing in the center is what John wants us to see, okay.

Now, I'm not gonna read it all cause it'll take too long. I'm just gonna read you several verses within the midst of it. These are all about the investigation, and I want you to just pay attention. What's the thread that unifies this? What is true of all of these questions that are being asked? Okay?

Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was division among them. — John 9:16

His parents said these things because they feared the Jews. For the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be the Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. — John 9:22

So for the second time, they called in the man who had been blind and said to him, "Give glory to God," which means tell the truth. "We know that this man is a sinner." — John 9:24

We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we don't know where he comes from. — John 9:29

The man answered, "Why, this is an amazing thing. You don't know where he comes from and yet he opened my eyes." — John 9:30

We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. — John 9:31

If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. — John 9:33

Okay? So work this out.

It's like seven or eight different statements there. What unifies them? What is this investigation actually about? Okay. About God? Okay. This is true. Yes. We can be a little more specific though. What's the thing they're trying to get their head around? Is Jesus God? This is excellent, Mary Beth. What was it over here? Only God can heal. Okay. Yeah. So is he who can heal? How can this—the whole thing is about the identity of Jesus. Who is this guy? Like, who in the world just did this? All of their investigation when they're querying the blind man's parents, when they're querying the blind man, the discussion going around at people's dinner tables, it's like, who the heck is this? And that, my friends, is the point of this entire passage.

What John is doing over and over and over again throughout his gospel is he's trying to stir up in our minds a question, a curiosity. He's trying to incite a conversation about himself. Who is this guy? Who am I? Who do you say that I am? And you guys, here's the reason for that. The big deal about Jesus is not centered on what he does, but on who he is. He has not come principally to bring healing to the sick, nor food to the hungry, nor behavior modification to people who are misbehaving. Jesus has not come to bring cute little aphorisms or astonishing new teachings to the unlearned. What he is offering is himself. He is the prize and therefore, everything hangs upon his identity. He is the offer. Who is he? What is he offering? Is he, as we saw last week, Lord or liar or lunatic? Is he God in the flesh? Is he perhaps more modestly a prophet? Or worse still, is he a complete fraud?

Jesus did this miracle at this time and in this place, not merely to show love to the man, although he did do that. But his purpose in doing so was to force people to consider who he is. And it works. It works beautifully. Everybody is caught up in this question, it's just swirling through this middle section, and honestly throughout John's whole gospel. Who is this guy? Who is this guy? They're stuck in this eddy. This is the conversation that is happening in this community.

Now, when I said that he came, it's not about what he does, but who he is. Some of you might have been dismayed by that. So let me give that one more second. When I say it is not about what he does but about who he is, I stand by that. But it would be reasonable for you to take issue with that because in fact, he did do some really important things. He says he did not come to be served, but to serve, to give his life as a ransom for many, and his crucifixion is essential. And it would be ridiculous to say that the things that he did were of no consequence. But it's nevertheless true. So just consider this: if I had been crucified for you, it would be of no value to anyone. Not to anyone in this room, not to anyone in the world. And if Jesus, though crucified, were an ordinary person, neither sinless nor divine, then his death also would be worthless. What he did has meaning because of who he is. He is God and therefore, his life and his death is of infinite value. But if he wasn't, then the whole thing would be a pointless charade.

Now, what I want you to do, I want you to watch the conversation that Jesus is going to have with this man who had formerly been blind. And I want you to notice the things that they talk about here because this is really where Jesus ultimately reveals his ultimate purpose and really finally answers the question, who is this guy? We are not left, we are invited to wonder, but we are not left to our own devices. The answer really is given to us. Okay. Take a look at verse 35.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, meaning the man who had been born blind. And having found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered, "Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, it is he who is speaking to you." And he said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshipped him. — John 9:35-38

Which is strong language. Okay. Now, if we had taken the time to read through all of that middle section, I think this third thing would pop a little bit differently. Because the demeanor change is so severe. If you guys remember this, if you just read John 9 before and you're familiar with that middle section, how would you characterize the demeanor of the formerly blind man during this investigation? Do you remember what he's like? Is this familiar to you? Say it again? Chippy. Chippy. Very chippy. Chippy, cheeky, disrespectful. He's incredibly, incredibly sassy. When they come to him and they're like, there's an intimidating crowd, he is not intimidated, right. His parents are like, "Hey, talk to him, I don't want to talk about it." But when they talk to him, he's not afraid of anything, and he's pretty disrespectful to them.

But when he has this conversation with Jesus, everything changes, and it is all respect. Right? Full honor. Jesus asks him, do you know who the Son of Man is? And the man's reply is, who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him. Which is basically the same as saying, if you believe in him, I'll believe in him because I'll do whatever you want me to do, you name it. He is just in full subordination to Jesus, not because he knows who he is—that's still about to be revealed—but only because of what he's done. He's beginning to draw some implications based on what he has done.

Jesus says, it's me, I am the son of man. Now, when Jesus uses that phrase, this is extraordinarily common in the gospels. Jesus' famous favorite title for himself was Son of Man. He uses it 80 times in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. When Jesus refers to himself, he's almost always calling himself the Son of Man. Every single time he calls himself the Son of Man, he's making an allusion to an incredibly important passage in the Old Testament. Do you know what it is? Daniel 7.

Daniel's Vision

Daniel 7 is one of those top 10 most important passages in the Old Testament. So to understand what Jesus is talking about, let's take a look at it. The setting here is that Daniel is having a vision and he's seeing all the nations of the earth. They're depicted as these snarling vicious beasts, fighting with each other and killing each other and trying to usurp power. And into that vision, like the screen kinda changes, and he's able to see into the throne room of God. He's able to see ultimate authority that everyone else is clamoring for.

So in Daniel 7, verse 9, it says this:

As I looked, thrones were set in place and the ancient of days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow and the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him. 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him. The court was seated and the books were opened. And, in my vision at night, I looked and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the ancient of days and was led into his presence and he was given authority, glory and sovereign power. All peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. — Daniel 7:9-14

Do you know who the ancient of days is? It's God the Father. It's not Jesus, that's God the Father.

Daniel 7 is one of my favorite passages because it's so incredibly important. It's revealing the most important moment in human history. This is the moment where finally, the original plan that the cosmos will be ruled over by a human being, finally comes to pass. This was the plan all along, but we have demonstrated richly that we are absolutely incapable of performing this function. And so God decides that he himself will become a human being, come to the earth, and as a human, take over the rightful reign of the earth. This is the description of that happening. The fulfillment of God's eternal purposes to rule over the cosmos through a human being.

When Daniel is seeing this moment, it hadn't happened yet. It was prophetic of what would someday happen. When Jesus uses this title to describe himself, it had not happened. He is the Son of Man. You gotta see this: the term Son of Man is actually not a very exalted thing. All that it literally means is human being. The reason he's called the Son of Man here, the reason that's pointed out in Daniel 7, is it's so completely absurd. We are in the throne room of God, there's 100,000,000 angels, everything is on fire, and in strolls this dude, this mortal, one of these walks into the room. And not only is he not destroyed instantly, not only is he not cast out, but he's actually escorted in. He is led before God the Father, where he is again not destroyed or obliterated, but he is granted all authority, sovereign power over the world. It is the most extraordinary thing that has ever happened. And it's all being done for a human being, the Son of Man.

And Jesus says, that is me. Now, when Jesus is telling the story, when he's alluding to this here in John, it still hadn't happened. It's not gonna happen until the same weekend that he is crucified and raised from the dead. It is by means of his sin atoning, Satan defeating death, and resurrection that he is made king. This is the moment where he becomes king.

And when he calls himself Son of Man, every time he does, he's saying, "I'm the one who will be made king." Now, from our vantage point, he has been made king. And when this blind man hears this and he realizes, "Oh, you are the guy from Daniel seven?" He does what you do when you meet the guy from Daniel seven. He worships. This is a strange thing that he would worship, but he realizes, "Oh my goodness, this is who you are." And so he hits the deck.

And now with that, we have found the ultimate purpose for this event. When Jesus says, "I am the Son of Man," he was inviting worship. He was calling him not just to see, but to see himself. For this blindness that set up this healing, which itself provoked an investigation, is meant to come to its ultimate conclusion in the revelation of Christ as king.

And Jesus' ultimate purpose is to draw women and men into a relationship with himself. He is the Son of Man and everyone needs to know it. What this guy needed more than sight was a relationship with Jesus, because only Jesus can reconcile him to the Father.

And don't miss this because this is important. In the very act of healing him, Jesus incites this investigation. And when he did, he was necessarily also picking a fight with the religious establishment. That fight will culminate in his crucifixion, where he will pay for the man's sins and ours as well. Because in meeting this man's need for sight, Jesus is ensuring his own death, whereby he will meet this man's ultimate need for salvation.

It is because he opens this man's eyes that Jesus' own eyes will be closed in death. It is because this man gets to see that Jesus will have to suffer. And in this act, we see the breadth of God's purposes. Jesus heals him and he cares for him and he restores his sight. He covers the shame of suspicion, because all of those things matter. And he takes the next step on the inexorable road to the cross by inciting an investigation that will reveal his identity and antagonize his enemies, so that they will kill him—because his atoning work matters even more.

And this is really important. So let me end with this thought. We've seen in this passage Jesus loves someone well in the here and in the now. He loves them well also unto eternal life. This event here shows us both the good deeds of the gospel as Jesus cares about an immediate right-now physical practical need. But it also shows us the good news of the gospel that is ultimately spiritual in nature. They both matter, and Jesus is a genius at both.

But I do not want to mislead you because equivalency of skill does not imply equivalency of value. Jesus does all things well, but the best thing he does is die on a cross for sinners, absorbing the wrath of God and rising from the dead to reign forevermore. This is why he came.

Jesus loves with excellence and so should we. The world is broken. It is filled with pain, and there are countless opportunities to love as we have been loved. But in his own words, Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He came to give his life as a ransom for many. He did not come merely to be kind to a few people. He came to die for all people.

And some of our Christian brothers and sisters, I think, are confused on this point and mistakenly believe that the wonderful and necessary acts of kindness to people's immediate needs fulfills our obligation as Christians. But it does not.

Consider what Jesus said in Matthew 18:

If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, then gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. — Matthew 18:8-9

Jesus loved the blind man and he ended his blindness. He showed him the immediate, practical, life-changing kindness. But more importantly than that, he called him to faith and to eternal life. Because according to Jesus, receiving eternal life is more important than having two functional eyes.

Friends, what would it look like for us if in this community we had this dual purpose that Jesus has—these dual priorities? That as we encounter Jesus loving us in our right here, right now, immediate physical, emotional, particular needs, as we experience that, we reflect that love to others the way that he does. That we would move with urgency to meet people's right-now needs in their brokenness and shame.

But what if we also move toward them in their badness and their guilt, and that we made it the purpose of our lives to spin up this same question? What if everywhere we went, people would walk away from those conversations thinking, "I don't know who Jesus really is, but I wanna know. I'm curious to know. I want to understand."

What if we were raising questions in people's minds all the time, everywhere we go about Jesus's identity? It's actually the case that in Roanoke, it's hard to go anywhere and not run into somebody that goes to Church of the Holy Spirit. I have not been to Kroger in like ten years that I didn't run into somebody that goes to this church. We are everywhere.

But what if, everywhere we go, we're just starting these little conversations? We're spinning up these controversies. People that are curious, they're wondering—all over this place at dinnertime, at work, people are curious, they're pondering, they're wondering, they're unsatisfied until they can come to an answer: Who is this guy? Honestly, what's the truth? Who is this guy?

We want to help people think about Jesus's identity. We want them to think about the identity of the one who loves us in such a way that as we speak about his cross, as we point to his empty tomb, they find themselves not just curious about who he is, but curious if they might know him themselves, so that they would find life in him.

Our lives should be about the good deeds of the gospel as we show kindness everywhere we go, and it should be about the good news of the gospel, but especially about the good news. Amen?

Lord Jesus, you are the great one. You are the one that we love and adore. Would you give us the grace to spin up a controversy here in Roanoke, that people would be questioning, "Who are you?" They've heard before, they know your name, but have they ever really stopped to consider who you are?

Lord, we confess that we know who you are. You are the king of all things. You are the king whose crown was made of thorns. You are the king who took his throne through humility, lowliness, unjust suffering, and death. Would you give us the grace to worship you in ways that reflect your kingdom and invite people to know you? We love you, love you, love you. Thanks for loving us. Amen.

Thanks for listening. To learn more about our church or to plan a visit, head to chsroanoke.com. We'll see you Sunday.