Grace Bible Church
Basic Training in Doctrine
Pastor Joseph P. Sugrue
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The once-blind man recognises the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees—and he is an unbeliever.
He suffered from physical blindness; they suffered from spiritual blindness. The one who cured his physical blindness is the only one that can cure their spiritual blindness.
“put him out” – exbalo – they picked him up and throw him down the temple steps.
There is no one way to witness. The sensitive ambassador knows which way to witness in any given circumstance.
When the blind man got his sight he said he could see – blepo – hello brand new world. And he was described as seeing everything – anablepo meaning to keep looking at everything.
“You have both seen Him,” He uses horao, which refers to the perceptive ability of the soul – the eyes of the soul.
“worshipped” – proskuneo (pros = face to face; kuneo = to kiss) He didn’t kiss Him physically but he kissed Him with his soul.
It is possible for a new believer without any Bible doctrine to worship the Lord. It is a soul response to grace and a love response to who and what the Lord is.
The Pharisees (not God) made it illegal to spit on the Sabbath or to make clay, and Christ did this right on the steps of the temple.
Ps 146:8
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous;
They can’t deny the genuineness of the miracle. It’s happened and they can’t refute that. So they’ll discredit the people involved.
This is different from the first interrogation. They want him to renounce any gratitude for what Jesus did because of their Sabbath rule.
He chooses to call Jesus a prophet because he still doesn’t know who He is. It’s the highest office he can think of.
They try three ways to discredit.
1. Is this your son?
2. Was he born blind?
3. How does he now [temporarily] see?
1. Is this your son? Yes
2. Was he born blind? Oh yeah.
3. How does he now [temporarily] see? We don’t know. Ask him.
Why were they intimidated? They would have been kicked out of the temple. This meant excommunication which meant social and economic ostracism.
They say of the only sinless man ever, “we know that this man is a sinner,” and they hand out the command to glorify God – ironic at best.
He uses a debaters technique, “if he’s a sinner I don’t know, but here’s what I do know.” – Let’s stick to the facts!
The blind man from birth does not judge the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Why do you keep asking about Him? You don’t want to become His disciples too, do you? The question with the negative means he already knows the answer to this is no.
Reviled is loidoreo, which means verbal abuse. They called him everything that a religious person should not call anyone!
Exasperated the Pharisees make a critical error. They admit their ignorance but continue judging anyway and this uneducated man is going to see right through it.
Moses spoke of Christ. Christ is the Passover and the Levitical offerings, but they never saw Him because of their NV.