Seeing Sickness Through God's Eyes | Sermon 06/25/2023

John 9:1-12

After leaving the temple when the Jews tried to stone Jesus for claiming divine identity, He saw a man blind from birth. Profoundly, the Creator God, who is in the flesh, sees the one who is ailing. He sees those in need. Jesus’s disciples ask him a theological question about the relationship between personal sin and infirmities. Jesus does not disregard sin and fallenness incurring sickness but clarifies personal and individual sin does not always result in sickness. Despite the fall being the cause of this man’s predicament, it will be the sovereign purpose of God to display His works through him. Specifically, it will be the shining of the Light of the world that will move through this man and impact many others. And what this means for us is that even our ailments, diseases, and conditions are not realities of futility but opportunities for God’s glory, our maturity, testimonies to others of God’s sufficient grace, and character-building humility.

Jesus then establishes that the Light must work the works of God while it is still day. Night is coming in which He will be betrayed, slain, and although He will resurrect, He will depart back to heaven. However, the Holy Spirit will take up His stead here on earth and the work will continue. We must keep shining the Light of Christ until the end. At this point, Jesus then makes a clay pack with dirt and His saliva, showing He is able to cleanse and heal. The man washed in the Pool of Siloam and gained his sight. This is a foreshadow of the spiritual sight he will gain later in John 9. The man has become a witness of the power of Jesus and showcases Christ’s work to all his neighbors who were astonished by this miracle. In the end, the biggest miracle is the salvation Christ gives. He is the primary blessing; while healing in this life or the next is only secondary.