Joh 8:56 - 59 "Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Jesus declared Himself to be I Am. He was before Abraham, Abraham had faith in Him and looked forward to His rule and reign. Abraham had seen by faith and acted in belief at Yahweh's commands.

The religious elite wanted to kill Him by stoning.

Jesus left and they were dumbfounded, He had slipped away and they didn't know where He went or how He had slipped away.

Jesus was walking away, He, Father God and The Holy Spirit had prepared a teaching opportunity. 

A man born blind from birth was sitting there. 

The disciples, as was common, thought that physical malady was a punishment from God. Not so, all things are meant in each persons life to draw them to rely upon God. God is Absolute Love. 

Jesus had been teaching them about the nature of faith and the grace, forgiveness and love of God. Through healing, through turning water to wine, through His confrontations with the religious elite, through the woman brought to Him accused of adultery. 

So all of it, all things are used by God to display the Glory of His infinite grace and righteousness. Jesus is the illumination the light of God's character and purpose. Look to Him and you will be fully illumined. Look away from Jesus you will be in the dark. 

Joh 9:1- 5 "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 was born blind?  Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."


Rom 8:18 - 28 "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." 

 

The man obeyed and He was healed. Faith culminates in obedience. Disobedience and sin flow from unbelief.

Joh 9:6, 7 "Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing."

Everyone knew this man was blind from birth, they knew his family. They were awestruck that He could now see. 

The focus of the religious elite was rules and regulations. They did not understand the Spirit of God or the spirit of the law. 
They were angry. They saw healing on certain days as breaking of the rules. They were looking for a way to convict and do away with Jesus. 

Joh 9:8 - 14 "The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?  Some said, "It is he." Others said, "No, but he is like him." He kept saying, "I am the man.  So they said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened? He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed and received my sight.  They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know. They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes."

The religious elite wanted to discredit Jesus. To counteract His witness and glorious displays of authority. 

They declared, "This man Jesus of Nazareth cannot be from God. For God rests on the seventh day." How petty and without understanding. "God declared the seventh day as a day of receiving the entire attention of people so that He could revive and restore them.

They wanted the blind man's opinion. How desperate could they be to question a man's understanding just after Jesus had healed the man from a lifelong malady. 

The man blind from birth could say nothing else. "He is a voice direct from God, telling us about God and God's will!" 

Joh 9:15- 17 "So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, "He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see. Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them.  So they said again to the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."