Episode 68 - "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" John 9:35-41

John 9:35   Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

One of the things I love about the stories of Jesus is that often he is the one finding people in need. How awesome it is that God finds us when we need Him. I sometimes wonder if people who say they are looking for God continue searching after He finds them. Perhaps like the Pharisees, they really don’t want to acknowledge that Jesus is God. 

This man who was born blind did not seek Jesus out and did not ask Jesus to give him his sight. Yet, he listened to Jesus and obeyed his command to go wash in the pool of Siloam. If he just wanted the mud off of his face he might have washed it off with a pitcher of water or some other source. But, he obeyed Jesus and received his sight. 

As we progress through the story, he doesn’t seem to know anything else about Jesus except for the basic things. At first, he didn’t even seem to consider the significance of what Jesus did or what it might indicate concerning Jesus’ identity. Yet, by the end of this story, he believes that Jesus is from God and is willing to say it in spite of the threat of persecution by the Pharisees.

When Jesus finds out that this man has been cast out of the synagogue, he finds the man again and asks him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” If you recall, this is a term from the book of Daniel in which the Son of Man is led before the Ancient of Days (God) and is given authority to rule an everlasting kingdom. Jesus has used this term for himself and when the man asks who is the Son of Man, Jesus tells him that he is the Son of Man. 

If you think about this, you realize that Jesus could have had this discussion right after he gave him his sight. But, he didn’t do that. He waited until after this man had time to process things, even to the point of a resolve that led to his expulsion from the religious community. I can’t help but think that perhaps God does this same kind of thing in our own lives. God finds us, does something special for us, and then gives us time to work through challenges to see if we are going to trust Him before meeting us again and teaching us more. 

Notice how when Jesus revealed that he is the Son of Man, the man who had received his sight worshipped Jesus. That’s the same kind of response we should have when God reveals himself to us.

The Pharisees appear to be witnesses to everything that is happening. They cannot escape the fact that this man has pointed out that never before have they heard of someone giving sight to a man born blind. But, are they truly curious, seeking out Jesus’ true identity leading to worship of him? No way. They dig in their heels with respect to their refusal to believe Jesus. They think they have perfect sight in a spiritual sense. But, Jesus tells them they are blind.

May God continue to give each of us spiritual sight when it comes to His truth and His self-revelation through His Son, Jesus Christ.