We now continue with the account of the Christ's healing of the man born blind. It is not only a remarkable story, but it also tells a profound truth which Jesus speaks of in verse 39 - "Jesus said, 'For Judgement I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind'".

Jesus gives us the reason he came into the world. It is a reason that we do not associate with his coming. He says he came for judgement. We need to think deeply as to what Jesus means.

To understand what Jesus means we must hear what he tells us as the outcome of his judgement. His judgement was to bring sight to the blind, and blindness to those who claim that they can see. Straight away we can see that in healing the physical sight of this man born blind Jesus had a deeper reason for his action. Jesus was seeking in this miracle to bring us to consider another blindness, which is a much more serious blindness. Jesus is directing our attention to a blindness in the mind, heart and soul. Physical blindness only effects our temporal existence. The blindness Jesus is directing our attention to effects our eternal existence.

The judgement Jesus brings by his entering our world has a two fold effect. On the one hand Jesus brings this spiritual sight to many who are blind. On the other Jesus confirms the blindness of those who claim to have spiritual sight. The difference between the two sorts of people is whether they will receive, believe, and obey Jesus, or whether they will reject Jesus altogether.

This is illustrated in this story. The blind man was not only blind physically, but he was blind spiritually also. However the blind man was ready to listen to Jesus, and receive his word, and afterwards to hold fast to Jesus, and draw out of his experience more understanding and truth about Jesus, which he also received with obedient faith. So we see, as he is pressed and abused by the Pharisees, this man is thinking through his experience, and growing in faith and understanding. Firstly, he comes to the conclusion, and affirms strongly, that Jesus must be a prophet at least. (v.17b). When he is challenged a second time in verse 24, his own meditation and reflection on what Jesus has done refuses to accept the Pharisees assessment that Jesus must be a sinner, though he can't explain his conviction, so he simply holds on to what he knows, I was blind but now I see. Thirdly, when the Pharisees insult the healed man and vilify Jesus, he argues from what he knows. God only listens to godly people. God must have listen to Jesus because he did what only God can do. Conclusion Jesus comes from God.

This healed man was faithful in holding on to the truth he had learnt about Jesus, and he was rewarded. Jesus came to him after the Pharisees had thrown him out, and reveals himself fully to the man. Jesus says he is the Son of man, the Christ. The man's spiritual sight is made clear, and he sees Jesus as he is truly, and he worships him in faith as his Lord.

This man, not only receives his physical sight, but he is made to see. Jesus gives him spiritual and eternal sight.

On the other hand we see how Jesus brings judgement to the Pharisees. They claimed to see. They were the teachers in Israel. They were students of the Scriptures, which were God's revelation to his people. But they were blind, and could not see the light of truth contained in those Scriptures.

This is the problem of spiritual blindness. It is not a matter of how much knowledge a person has of the Bible, or of religious matters. The heart of the matter is whether we can see the revelation of God in those Scriptures. With all their knowledge the Pharisees had no real idea of the real revelation of God in their own Scriptures. They said they saw, but they showed by their actions to Jesus that they were blind.

The trouble with spiritual blindness like this is that when Jesus comes, the blindness grows worse. This is the judgement. If a person can't admit they are blind, then when the light of the knowledge of God comes, the blindness is only increased.

The Pharisees thought they saw spiritual things. So when Jesus came and taught and acted the light of God, it clashed with the light the Pharisees thought they had, and created a reaction in the Pharisees of a rejection of the light. The more light Jesus shone on them, the more blinded they became, and the more angry and violent they became towards Jesus and the light of God.

We can see how this blindness grew throughout this story, until it caused them to throw the healed man out of the felowship of the church, and so shut themselves off from the light in Jesus completely.

This scene is repeated in the church today. The Pharisees talked about the hope for Messiah, but when he came he was not the Messiah they expected or wanted. The same is true today. People in the church, ministers and people, talk about Jesus, and claim to believe on him, but like the Pharisees have made up their own image of Jesus. When the true light concerning Jesus is brought to them, either in their reading, or as they have witness brought to them, they reject the light, and the more the light is pressed on them, the more strongly they oppose it, and the time comes when they rejected it and became totally spiritually blind, although outwardly they claim to see.