November 2 – Healing on the Sabbath

Read John 9:1-34

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 would be born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world." When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing. Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, "Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?" Others were saying, "This is he," still others were saying, "No, but he is like him." He kept saying, "I am the one." So they were saying to him, "How then were your eyes opened?" He answered, "The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash'; so I went away and washed, and I received sight." They said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know." They brought to the Pharisees the man who was formerly blind. Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, "He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see." Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, "This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." But others were saying, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?" And he said, "He is a prophet." The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, and questioned them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?" His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner." He then answered, "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." So they said to him, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" He answered them, "I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?" They reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from." The man answered and said to them, "Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing." They answered him, "You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?" So they put him out. John 9:1-34

 The Jews were thorough in their interrogation of this blind man—they even asked his parents about him. It was evident that he had been blind and was healed…and it was Jesus who had healed him. Illness was associated with sin—but since this man had been blind since birth, the question was “who sinned, the man or his parents?” Jesus answered the question that neither the man nor his parents sinned—but that the blindness was evident so that God could be glorified in this healing. Do people associate illness and sin today? Some diseases are directly associated with sinful acts, such as venereal diseases with adultery. But congenital blindness of a person can be from a variety of causes like rubella, genetic disorders, infections or parasites, not associated with sinful acts. The real problem here was not why the man was blind, but that Jesus had made mud, thus “working,” on the Sabbath and in healing this man, breaking the fourth commandment, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8. Do we keep the Sabbath day “holy” and not do any work? (See Exodus 20:8-11) What is the Sabbath day to you? Saturday, the seventh day of the week…or Sunday, when you attend church?  

The Jews put the healed man out—out of the synagogue. They ostracized him for believing that Jesus was from God. Verse 22 tells us “for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.”  That is he would be excommunicated from worship and fellowship with fellow Jews. His family would consider him disloyal and disown him. At that time a Jewish believer in Christ could face imprisonment. The same thing happens today—family and religious persecution—if a Jew believes in Jesus. I recently read an interesting news article about a 108 year old Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri who died in 2006 in Jerusalem leaving a note to be opened a year after his death. The note revealed that he believed had encountered the Messiah and He was Jesus. They couldn’t ostracize this rabbi since he was dead, but some people, including his 80 year old son, also a rabbi, believe that the note is a forgery. The Jews are still waiting for their Messiah.  

Jesus – You are the Light of the world and the Healer. Please reveal Yourself as the Messiah to the Jews around the world. In Your miraculous compassion continue to bless and guide us all that we would know Your healing touch physically and spiritually. Feed us.

© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).