A Healthy Eye in Life

A Healthy Eye in Life: What Jesus Reveals in John 9

"Are your eyes okay?" That's the simple question the sermon opens with. It runs deeper than it first appears. Some people see and know it, others don't see and know it, others still don't see and don't realize it, and there are even those who know they see poorly but refuse to put on glasses. So what about you, is your eye healthy? The text of John 9 leads us gently to that question, through the encounter between Jesus and a man born blind.

1. Jesus sees first the one no one else notices

"As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth" (John 9:1-5). That detail matters. It wasn't the disciples who saw this man first. It was Jesus. Jesus always sees first the one who needs help the most.

Maybe you walk into a place, a church, a meeting, and a small voice tells you, "I have no business being here, I don't belong." Jesus sees that thought. And he doesn't look away thinking, "what is that one doing here?" He looks at you the way he looked at that blind man: with a "welcome, come in." He wants to meet your need. That is who Jesus Christ is.

The disciples, for their part, immediately ask a question that betrays what's really in their hearts: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" They're looking for someone to blame. We do the same thing. Faced with suffering, our first instinct is often to point to someone responsible, to spread a rumor, to build a theory. It's a trap. We don't really know a person's heart. What we take for cruelty may in fact be a deep wound that was never healed.

Jesus answers: "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him." He shifts the whole question. He isn't looking for someone to blame, he's looking to reveal God.

2. The work of God is to believe in the one he sent

What is this "work of God" Jesus is talking about? Healing, yes, in part. But Jesus himself defines it elsewhere: "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent" (John 6:29). Everything starts there. Miracles, healings, deliverance: Jesus doesn't perform them only out of physical compassion. He wants to give spiritual forgiveness, a relationship with God, salvation, eternal life. If he had simply wanted to relieve every body, he would have healed everyone. He didn't. He preached the good news, using healing as a means.

Being a Christian doesn't exempt you from suffering. Trials come. But they come so that the work of God might be revealed: so that you learn, in the midst of what overwhelms you, to stand firm, to take the way out that God is preparing, and to come through saying, "God is amazing, he sustained me, he led me."

3. The day when it's still possible to work

Jesus adds: "We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work" (John 9:4). Day is life on earth. Night is death. As long as you're alive, you can share the gospel. In heaven, there's no more need, everyone already believes. And as long as the person you want to speak to is still alive, it's still day for them. Once they're gone, no one can bring them the good news anymore.

That's why Jesus will later tell his disciples, in another passage: "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). As long as he's here, he is the light; once he returns to the Father, it's his own people who carry that light. You too.

4. The mud, the pool, and a faith that lights up

Jesus spits on the ground, makes mud, spreads it on the blind man's eyes, and tells him: "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which means Sent)" (John 9:6-7). It's a rather strange scene. Why go through all this? A word would have been enough.

Two reasons appear in the text. First, that day is a Sabbath (v. 14). Making mud and healing were, according to the Pharisees' tradition, forbidden acts. Jesus doesn't break God's law, he deliberately shakes up their religious tradition. He wants to provoke them, not to hurt them, but so they would open their eyes to who he is.

Second, sending the blind man to wash in Siloam lights up his faith. He has two options: complain about this man who just smeared mud on his face, or trust and go. He trusts. He goes. He comes back seeing. Faith and the power of Christ come together, and the miracle bursts forth.

5. Two blind men: the one who recognizes and the one who refuses

The story continues with a whole series of interrogations. The neighbors can't believe it. The Pharisees summon the man, then his parents, then the man again. They're trying to dismantle the miracle. But the healed man keeps advancing in his faith with every question. He says first: "A man called Jesus…" (v. 11). Then, pressed further: "He is a prophet" (v. 17). Then, before Jesus himself: "Lord, I believe," and he falls at his feet (John 9:38).

He hasn't studied theology. He doesn't have sophisticated arguments. He has one fact: "I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25). And no one can argue that fact away. That is what it means to witness for Christ. Telling what he has done for you, with whatever simple words you have. The Holy Spirit does the rest.

Beside him stands another kind of blind man: the Pharisees. Blind spiritually, they claim to see. "Are we also blind?" they ask. Jesus answers: "If you were blind, you would have no guilt, but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains" (John 9:39-41).

6. A healthy eye recognizes it cannot see on its own

Here is the heart of the message. Having a healthy eye doesn't mean claiming to understand everything. It means recognizing: "Without God's help, I see nothing of spiritual things." Jesus puts it another way: "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3); "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17).

The preacher uses a very concrete image: without my contact lenses, I can't drive. A relationship with God is like those lenses. As long as you stay in that relationship, you see. As soon as you step out of it, everything blurs, and over time, you get used to the blur and think it's normal. A healthy eye knows it needs the lenses. An eye that thinks it's perfect will never go looking for help.

7. Baptism and true humility

This same logic sheds light on baptism. You don't get baptized because you've finally become perfect, otherwise you'd have to do it over and over. You get baptized because you've understood: "I can't. But you, Lord, you can change me. I commit to coming to ask you for help, every day, without stopping." That's the vow of a rightly ordered heart, not of a heart that claims to see clearly on its own.

Key Takeaways

• Jesus sees first the one who thinks they don't deserve to be seen.
• Suffering doesn't always have a "culprit"; sometimes it's the very place where God wants to reveal himself.
• The work of God is to believe in Jesus Christ (John 6:29).
• The strongest testimony isn't theology, it's the fact: "I was blind, now I see."
• A healthy eye recognizes it cannot see on its own and stays in relationship with God.

Personal Application

• When you see someone suffering, what's your first instinct: to look for someone to blame, or to ask God what he wants to reveal?
• Who, this week, could you simply tell about what Jesus has done in your life, without worrying about saying it "the right way"?
• Is there an area where you tell yourself "I'm fine, I've got this," when deep down you know you're not seeing clearly? Are you ready to admit that to God today?
• Does your relationship with God look more like "I put on my glasses every day" or "I've gotten used to the blur"?
• If Jesus asked you the question from the end of the chapter, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?", what would you answer him right now?

Verses Cited

• John 9:1-41: the central passage, the healing of the man born blind
• John 6:29: "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent"
• Matthew 5:14: "You are the light of the world"
• Matthew 5:3: "Blessed are the poor in spirit"
• Mark 2:17: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners"
• Isaiah 35:5: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened"

FAQ

Do you always have to find a cause for suffering?

In John 9, Jesus rejects the disciples' reasoning as they try to pin down someone to blame. He doesn't rule out that sin has consequences in the world, but he reminds us that not every trial is punishment for a specific fault. Often, the real question isn't "why?" but "what does God want to reveal through this?"

What does "having a healthy eye" mean according to this sermon?

It means recognizing that you can't see spiritual realities on your own, that you're weak, that you need help, and so running to God to receive it. On the other hand, saying "I see fine, I've got this, I don't need anyone" is the mark of a diseased eye.

How do I witness when I don't know the Bible very well?

Like the healed blind man: "One thing I know: I was blind, and now I see." Tell what Jesus has done for you, in simple words. The Holy Spirit uses what you share, even if you think it sounds clumsy. The fact is stronger than any polished argument.