Was Jesus A Sinner? The Giver of Sight
The Pharisees in this story believed that Jesus was a sinner. However, the man born blind, who had been healed by Jesus, challenged them.
Whether He is a Sinner I do Not Know
In the gospel of John 9:24-34 (ESV) we read the story of a man born blind,
“So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, ‘Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.’ He answered, ‘Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’ They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He answered them, ‘I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?’ And they reviled him, saying, ‘You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ The man answered, ‘Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’ They answered him, ‘You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?’ And they cast him out.”
John 9:24-34 (ESV)
There is so much to be learned from the story of the man born blind. Previously, we learned that his blindness was not a result of his sin or his parents’, which was the commonly-held view in biblical times. We also learned that Jesus healed the man and that He is willing to heal us of our spiritual blindness.
Focus on Pride
Today, I’d like to focus on another form of blindness: pride.
Many of us are familiar with Proverbs 16:18 (ESV), which reads,
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Proverbs 16:18 (ESV)
New York Times bestselling author, Ted Dekker, recently shared on Facebook that he had never met anyone who held to all the same things at age 60 that he or she did at age 20. In other words, we must always remain humble and open to learning new things.
Born a Sinner
Now, we mustn’t think that the Pharisees got it all wrong. They studied long and hard and knew what the Scriptures had to say. And some, like Nicodemus—whom we read about in John 3, were convinced that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah.
But the vast majority were not willing to admit to it publicly. And a great many of them were arrogant and proud. They saw themselves as better than others and most definitely better than a man they felt was “born in utter sin.”
The Pharisees diligently performed their spiritual rituals, but they did not have compassion for those who desperately needed love and compassion. And they certainly were too proud to learn from someone like the man born blind.
Childlike Faith
His faith reminds me of the childlike faith Jesus referred to in Matthew 18:3, the faith necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven. After all, this man who would have been considered not only a spiritual outcast but a social outcast as well was bold enough to challenge these leaders, while admitting he still had unanswered questions. At first, he didn’t know if Jesus was sinless, but he did know that he’d been healed.
As the interrogation continued, the man born blind began to see spiritual things more clearly as well. He said,
“If anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
Proclaim Spiritual Truth
Most of us would be flustered if challenged by those with far more education than we have. I know this is the case with me. But the man born blind knew what had happened to him and he was willing to speak up and proclaim the spiritual truths his experienced had revealed to him first-hand.
Do you believe Jesus was a sinner? How do you prove Jesus never sinned? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Steph Nickel
Steph Beth Nickel is eclectically interested and eclectically involved. In all she does, Steph seeks to nurture and inspire.
She is currently working on the first book in a nonfiction series. Nurture and Inspire LOVE is a compilation of the first devotionals she wrote for HopeStreamRadio.
Steph is a prolific freelance writer and editor. She is the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’ award-winning memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances, published by Castle Quay Books. Deb and Steph are working on a follow-up book.
You can visit her website, stephbethnickel.com, to learn more about her.
Visit Steph’s contributor’s page or at Steph Nickel’s Eclectic Interests.
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No Other God’s – Ten Commandments
Images Courtesy of:
Blind Egyptian: Dan Colcer
Jesus Heals A Blind Man: Bronze figure by German sculptor Ulrich Henn: Photo by “Sea Turtle.”
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