Are We Blind Also?

"And Jesus said, 'For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.' Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, 'Are we blind also?' Jesus said to them, 'If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains'" (John 9:40-41).

Earlier in this chapter, Jesus restored sight to a man who had been blind from birth. Can you imagine never having seen a thing? And then, can you imagine all of a sudden being able to see everything? What an amazing experience that must have been. 

And yet the Pharisees - the religious elite of the day - weren't too thrilled when they heard what happened. After all, it was the Sabbath day, and no work on the Sabbath meant no healing on the Sabbath. Instead of rejoicing with this man, they interrogated him to ascertain the Sabbath-breaker. They failed to realize (or they forgot)  that "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17). 

The Pharisees were so self-righteous that they couldn't pass up an opportunity to show the world how right they were and how wrong everyone else - including Jesus - was. They liked pointing fingers. They enjoying sapping the joy out of faith. They took pleasure in making spirituality burdensome. In reality, they were more concerned about their own righteousness than the glory of God.

And so, at the end of the story, we find this interesting dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisees.

Jesus said that his mission on earth was to not only give sight to the blind but also blindness to those who claimed to have full vision. It seems to me that Jesus was using the physical healing of the blind man to illustrate spiritual blindness and spiritual enlightenment. So, in other words, Jesus was saying to the Pharisees that He came to this world to open our spiritual eyes to the truth of God.

"...to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me" (Acts 26:18).

"For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). 

But what does it mean that Jesus came so that "those who see may be made blind?" 

In John 9:40-41, Jesus went on to say that the Pharisees were among those who could see, or at least, claimed they could see. Again, he told them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains."

Contrary to conventional wisdom, Jesus seems to prefer blindness over claimed vision. Those who are blind have no sin, but those who claim to be able to see are still in their sins.

Ultimately, Jesus is repudiating arrogance and self-righteousness, not true spiritual enlightenment. He's not saying that those who are spiritually-enlightened and understand the truths of God's word are still anchored in the muck and mire of their own sin. He's saying that those who claim to be enlightened on their own apart from the work and grace of God are lost.

Those who come to Jesus freely admitting their need for His help and guidance will be warmly received into the kingdom of God. But those, like the Pharisees, who think they already have all the answers...well, there's nothing Jesus can do for them.

I'm reminded of the beatitudes where Jesus says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). 

And then there's this...

"For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence" (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

So which are you?

• Are you blind? Jesus is willing to open your eyes to His truth!
• Do you think you can see? If so, you are still in your sins and there is nothing that Christ can do for you so long as you persist in your self-righteousness!
• Has Jesus opened your eyes? Keep your eyes open, dear brother or sister! Remain humble and continue in the light and truth of Christ!