John 9:39-41

Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

Jesus is the great divider. New Testament scholar Merrill Tenney called Jesus, “…the pivot on which human destiny turns.” Jesus brought judgment by bringing a dividing line…a standard by which all men will be measured. The Jews were figuring that out back then and mankind still wrestles with this reality today. Talk of Jesus makes some people comfortable…and others agitated. In Luke 12:49-53, most bibles offer a sub-heading along the lines of, “Not Peace, but Division.” In that passage Jesus said it clearly:

“Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”

But how does that division take place? This is the main point of today’s passage. “Those who do not see” are the people who can admit their spiritual blindness. They are the seekers. The humble. The repentant. Those “who may see” are the people who wrongly assume that they have enough spiritual sight already. They are the proud. The self-righteous. The comfortable. They use phrases like, “I’m a pretty good person” and/or “I’m very spiritual but not religious.” They might say “Me and God are OK” or “I think there are many paths to God.” They think they can see…but they are actually blind.

The Pharisees sneered at Jesus, as one would expect. Their Messiah was staring them in the face—they could surely see him—yet they remained blind to the truth. There is a great difference between the person who is blind and knows it…and the person who simply chooses to shut their eyes. The honest assessment leads to Life, while the arrogant disbelief leads to death. The great Charles Spurgeon shares a personal story that illustrates this well:

“Take a homely illustration from myself: I used to be very backward in using spectacles for some time, because I could almost see without them, and I did not wish to be an old gentleman too soon. But now that I cannot read my notes at all without wearing spectacles. I put them on without a moment’s hesitation, and I do not care whether you think me old or not. So, when a man comes to feel thoroughly guilty, he does not mind depending upon God.”

Are you comfortable admitting your blindness, or do you refuse to acknowledge the fact that your vision is failing you? I remember the “miracle” of corrective vision once I put on my first pair of glasses. I could have remained in my blindness, assuming incorrectly that everything was just fine…but finally chose to admit that my vison was weak, and I needed help. The glasses corrected my earthly problem and the Gospel solved my eternal one. Both gave me the ability to “see.”