Saturday, July 23, 2016

Spiritual Blindness Rejects Spiritual Sight (John 9:41a)


SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/23/2016 9:20 AM

My Worship Time                                             Focus:  Spiritual Blindness Rejects Spiritual Sight

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  John 9:41a

            Message of the verses:  “Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin;”

            When you ask a question that shows that you expect a negative answer and you don’t get one then I suppose that you are a bit surprised at that answer as I am sure that the Pharisees were.  I also believe that this added to the anger that was building up in the Pharisees for Jesus. 

            John MacArthur quotes John Calvin in his commentary:  “He is blind who, aware of his own blindness, seeks a remedy to cure his disease.  In this way the meaning will be, ‘If you would acknowledge your disease, it would not be altogether incurable; but now because you think that you are in perfect health, you continue in a desperate state.’  When he says that they who are blind have no sin, this does not excuse ignorance, as if it were harmless, and were placed beyond the reach of condemnation.  He only means that the disease may easily be cured, when it is truly felt; because, when a blind man is desirous (longing for) to obtain deliverance, God is ready to assist him; but they who, insensible to their diseases, despise the grace of God, are incurable.”

            Solomon may have had these men in mind when he wrote Proverbs 26:12 “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”  “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel (Pr. 12:15).”  Isaiah 5:21 says “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight!”

            Warren Wiersbe writes the following on this verse “Our Lord’s reply was a paradox.  ‘If you were blind, you would be better off.  But you claim to see.  Therefore, you are guilty!’  Blindness would at least be an excuse for not knowing what was going on.   But they did know what was going on.  Jesus had performed many miracles and the religious leaders ignored the evidence to make a right decision. 

            “Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12; 9:5).  The only people who cannot see the light are blind people and those who refuse to look, those who make themselves blind.  The beggar was physically blind and spiritually blind, yet both his eyes and his heart were opened.  Why?  Because he listened to the Word, believed it, obeyed, and experienced the grace of God.  The Pharisees had good physical vision, but they were blind spiritually.  Had they listened to the Word and sincerely considered the evidence, they too would have believed on Jesus Christ and been born again.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The most important thing a person can do is to understand they are spiritually blind, receive Christ, and walk with Him for the rest of their lives.  Once I was born again in January of 1974 that took place, as I was no longer blind, however I must not be blind to what the Word of God teaches me as I am growing up in the Lord, as I could be blinded to some of the great truths of the Word of God if I don’t continue to study it every day.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to study the Word of God to learn what the Lord wants me to do.

Memory verses for the week:  (Romans 6:1-4) “1.  What shall we say then?  Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?  2.  May it never be!  How shall we who died to sin still live in it?  3.  Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?  4.  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we to might walk in newness of life.”

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Twelve.”

Today’s Bible question:  “What kind of meat did Isaac send Esau to get?”  (He was hoping that he would be a dear son and get what he wanted to eat.)

Answer in our next SD.

7/23/2016 9:56 AM

No comments:

Post a Comment