I. SERMON NOTES​

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Introduction & Core Premise

 

We do not just see things as they are; we see things as we are. Humans naturally view situations through their own assumptions, biases, and experiences.

 

The Optical Illusion Illustration

• The Image: A classic optical illusion can be interpreted concurrently as either an elegantly dressed young woman looking away, or an elderly woman with a large nose looking down.
   

• The Lesson: Once the brain locks onto one interpretation, it becomes difficult to see the other. Similarly, when encountering human suffering, two people can look at the exact same tragedy and arrive at completely different conclusions.

 

Connecting John 5 and John 9

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John’s Gospel deliberately pairs two Sabbath healing encounters to expose our misplaced dependencies and force us to look in the mirror:

• John 5: An invalid man who could not walk for 38 years at the Pool of Bethesda.

• John 9: A man born blind from birth who cannot see.

 

Scripture Context: The Transformation of Sight and Heart

In John 9, Jesus does not just heal a man's physical eyes; He helps everyone to see. There is a sharp contrast between how the healed man in John 5 responded versus the blind man in John 9:​​​​​

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​​​The Progression of the Blind Man's Faith

As the neighbours and Pharisees interrogated the man, his spiritual vision sharpened incrementally:

1. Verse 11: Identifies Him simply as "the man called Jesus".

2. Verse 17: Concludes under questioning that "He is a prophet".

3. Verse 33: Counters systemic opposition with sharp logic: "If this man were not from God, he could do nothing".

4. Verse 38: Upon reuniting with Christ, declares, "Lord, I believe", and falls down to worship Him.

 

Remember that optical illusion we looked at earlier? How two people can look at the exact same picture, yet see two completely different realities? 
 

Three Profound Shifts in Vision

Across these 41 verses, Jesus challenges us to trade broken human perspectives for three distinct lenses of faith.

 

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Lens 1: How We View Suffering​

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The Shift: Moving from a lens of backward-looking blame to a lens of forward-looking redemption.

 

• The Disciples' Flawed Theology: Upon seeing the blind man, the disciples viewed him as a theological puzzle rather than a person to love. They asked: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (v. 2). This reflects retributive theology—the assumption that specific suffering is always directly traceable to a specific personal sin.
   

• Jesus' Correction: Jesus decisively rejected this framework, stating, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him" (v. 3).

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• Understanding Verse 3: In the original Greek text, there are no punctuation marks. Reading verses 3 and 4 together clarifies that Jesus is not calling God the author of evil for the sake of His own applause. Rather, He is redirecting the conversation toward God's redemptive response to brokenness already present in a fallen world.

 

Scholar Constable's Commentary:

"It is wrong to conclude that every instance of suffering springs immediately from a particular act of sin… Some suffering does, but some does not… It is also wrong to conclude that God permits every instance of suffering because He intends to miraculously relieve it... The disciples viewed the man’s condition as an indication of divine displeasure, but Jesus saw it as an opportunity for divine grace."

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• Application: Instead of looking backward to ask, "What did I do wrong for God to punish me?", faith looks forward and asks, "How can Your works and grace be displayed through my response to this trial?"

 

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Lens 2: How We View Obedience

 

The Shift: Moving from a lens of human logic to a lens of radical faith.

 

• The Act of Creation: Jesus spat on the ground, made mud, and rubbed it on the man's eyes. This echoes Genesis 2:7, where God formed mankind from the dust of the ground. Jesus used the dust of the earth to fashion a new pair of eyes.

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• The Walk of Trust: Instead of an instantaneous healing, Jesus placed muddy slime over the man's eyes and commanded him to "Go" and wash in the Pool of Siloam. The man had to walk across town while still blind, unable to verify the outcome beforehand. Every step was a declaration: "I trust the word of Jesus more than my present experience."

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• The Principle: God’s grace does not always arrive instantly; it often invites us into a walk of obedience before we fully understand what He is doing. This can look foolish to the world.

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• Illustration: A modern pastor sensed God telling him to sell his house without listing it anywhere. Human logic and property agents would call this impossible, yet through unexpected events, the house was successfully sold at a desirable price.

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• Application: Confident faith means moving your feet in obedience to Jesus' command even when you are still in the dark.

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Lens 3: How We View Trust

 

The Shift: Moving from trusting what we can see (self-sufficiency) to confident faith in the Light of the World.

 

• The Irony of Spiritual Blindness: Because Jesus made mud on the Sabbath, the Pharisees focused entirely on a broken protocol. They interrogated the man, threatened his parents, and eventually excommunicated (threw out) the healed man. Consequently, the physically blind man ended up seeing Jesus clearly, while the religious elites who held the Scriptures became completely spiritually blind.
   

• The Barrier of Pride: In verse 39, Jesus warns: "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." The greatest barrier to receiving grace is not weakness or sin, but the pride that claims we do not need a Saviour.
   

• Illustration: A student who believes they already know everything because of expensive outside tuition will sit in class and stop listening to the teacher.
   

• Modern Parallel: When life is comfortable—possessing shelter, cars, AI tools, money, intellect, and comfortable church routines—it is easy to slide into self-sufficiency and become blind to the disruptive, supernatural moves of God.

 

Conclusion: Turning Your Eyes Upon Jesus

 

Today, the Light of the World is standing in our midst, and He is asking us to examine our sight.

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• Are you stuck in a theology of blame, bitter over a hardship? Look to God's forward-looking redemption.

• Are you hesitant to step out because you are afraid of looking foolish? Obey the command and step out in faith.

• Have you become reliant on your routines and self-sufficiency? Repent of spiritual blindness.

 

When we talk about shifting our lens, it is easy to treat it as a nice theological theory. 

 

But church history shows us what happens when a soul actually does this.

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The Story of Helen Lemmel (1918)

In the early 1900s, Helen Lemmel was a brilliant vocalist and musician of vibrant faith. In her mid-forties, she rapidly lost her vision. Her husband subsequently abandoned her, leaving her entirely alone in deep poverty. Under a framework of retributive blame, she had every reason to ask why God was punishing her.

 

In 1918, while nearly completely blind, a friend shared a gospel tract written by a missionary. One sentence pierced her darkness:

 

"Turn full your soul's vision to Jesus, and look and look at Him, and a strange dimness will come over all that is apart from Him."

 

Helen recorded that a brilliant spiritual light flooded her soul. Turning her heart to the Saviour rather than her circumstances, she wrote the famous hymn:

 

O soul, are you weary and troubled?

No light in the darkness you see?

There’s light for a look at the Savior,

And life more abundant and free.

 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full, in his wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of his glory and grace.

 

Helen lost her physical sight but kept her spiritual eyes wide open. She understood what the blind man in John 9 understood: when the world casts you out, Jesus finds you.  

 

Shift your lens towards Jesus, the Light of the World, today.