I Was Blind, Now I See: What John 9 Teaches Us About Faith and Spiritual Sight
At Open Arms Community Church in Bradford, PA, Pastor Zoe Hatcher continued the Listen to Jesus series with a message from John 9 titled “Now I See.” Throughout this series, we’ve been following Jesus through real moments—on a mountaintop, in the wilderness, in quiet conversations, and at a well. This week, we step into something a little more uncomfortable… a little more real. We see Jesus in the middle of messy ministry—and how people respond when He changes a life.
Watch the Message
John 9 – A Story About More Than Blindness
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
John 9:1–5
As Jesus walks along, He sees a man who has been blind since birth.
And right away, the disciples ask the question that so many people still ask today:
Who sinned?
It’s such a natural question—but it comes from a misunderstanding. There was this belief that suffering must be tied directly to sin. That if something is wrong, someone must have done something to deserve it.
But Jesus gently corrects that thinking.
This man’s blindness wasn’t about punishment.
It was an opportunity for the work of God to be revealed.
And that’s hard for us sometimes, because we want things to make sense. We want a clear cause and effect. But the reality is—we live in a broken world.
Sometimes people suffer, and there isn’t a simple explanation.
So instead of asking, “Why did this happen?” maybe the better question becomes:
“God, what are You doing here… and how do I trust You in it?”
Messy Ministry – Why Did Jesus Use Mud?
After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
John 9:6–7
And then Jesus does something unexpected.
He spits on the ground, makes mud, and places it on the man’s eyes.
It’s messy. It’s uncomfortable. It’s not what anyone would expect.
But nothing Jesus does is random.
This moment echoes something deeper:
Then the Lord God formed a man[a] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 2:7
From the very beginning, God formed humanity from the dust of the ground. And here is Jesus—working with that same material.
It’s a reminder that He isn’t just healing something broken.
He is the Creator.
He understands the design.
He has authority over it.
Then He sends the man to the Pool of Siloam—which means “sent.”
Sent to be healed.
And then sent to go and tell.
Four Reactions to Jesus
As the story unfolds, what really stands out isn’t just the miracle—it’s how people respond to it.
And honestly, their reactions feel pretty familiar.
The Disciples – Assumption
They assume there must be a reason. A cause. A sin.
But not everything fits into that kind of equation.
The Neighbors – Skepticism
His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
“Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
John 9:8–12
The people who had seen this man for years… can’t believe it.
They question him.
They doubt him.
They even wonder if he’s the same person.
Because sometimes, when something doesn’t fit our understanding, it’s easier to explain it away than to accept that God might have done something miraculous.
The Pharisees – Prejudice
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
John 9:13–17
The religious leaders don’t celebrate what happened.
They focus on how it happened.
Jesus made mud.
It was the Sabbath.
That breaks the rules.
And in the process, they completely miss the point.
A man who has never seen in his life… can now see.
And they’re more concerned about the method than the miracle.
It’s a reminder:
It’s possible to be so focused on being right that you miss what God is doing.
The Parents – Fear
They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
“We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
John 9:18–23
His parents know something real has happened.
But they stay quiet.
Because identifying with Jesus comes with a cost.
And for them, that cost felt too high.
So they step back.
They stay safe.
They don’t speak up.
And if we’re honest… we’ve probably all been there at some point.
The Man’s Journey of Faith
While everyone else is debating, questioning, and holding back… the man himself is moving forward.
His faith doesn’t arrive fully formed.
It grows.
From Confusion to Clarity
At first, Jesus is just a man.
Then, maybe a prophet.
And then, when pressed, he says:
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
John 9:25
“I was blind, but now I see.”
He doesn’t have all the answers.
He can’t explain everything.
But he knows what happened to him.
And sometimes, that’s where faith begins.
Standing Firm Under Pressure
A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”
Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
John 9:24–34
As the pressure increases, he doesn’t back down.
He speaks honestly.
He stands firm.
Even when it costs him.
Even when others are silent.
He chooses to identify with Jesus.
From Belief to Worship
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
John 9:35–38
After everything—after the questions, the pressure, even being cast out—Jesus finds him.
And asks:
Do you believe?
And you can feel the shift.
There’s a desire now.
A readiness.
And when Jesus reveals Himself, the response is immediate:
Belief…
Surrender…
And then worship.
Because when you truly encounter Jesus—when you know what He’s done—
worship becomes the natural response.
Seeing with Spiritual Eyes
This man didn’t just receive physical sight.
He began to see differently.
God Sees Differently
When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:6–7
We tend to look at what’s on the surface.
God looks deeper.
And as we grow in faith, He begins to reshape how we see too.
Faith Means Seeing Beyond What’s Visible
Faith isn’t about ignoring reality.
It’s about trusting that God is at work—even when we can’t fully see it yet.
Growth Is the Goal
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
2 Peter 3:18
Faith is a journey.
It unfolds over time.
And the more we walk with Jesus, the more clearly we begin to see.
The Warning – Spiritual Blindness
Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
John 9:39–41
At the end of the story, there’s a sobering moment.
The ones who could physically see… were actually blind.
Not because they couldn’t understand.
But because they refused to.
They were too focused on control, on certainty, on being right.
And they missed Jesus completely.
Where Are You on the Journey?
This story invites a response.
Not just reflection—but honesty.
Maybe you’re curious.
Maybe you’re unsure.
Maybe you’ve seen glimpses of God at work, but haven’t fully stepped in.
Or maybe you’re ready.
Ready to believe.
Ready to surrender.
Ready to worship.
The question is simple:
Where are you right now?
And what would it take to take one step closer?
👉 Plan Your Visit to Open Arms Community Church
If you’re exploring faith, asking questions, or ready to take a step—you’re invited.
Join us Sunday mornings at 71 Congress Street in Bradford, PA and experience what God is doing in our community.
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This message is part of the Listen to Jesus series at Open Arms Community Church in Bradford, PA — a church where you can find hope, healing, and purpose.
