John 9: The Fence of Knowledge, The Door of Experience
John 9: The Fence of Knowledge, The Door of Experience
John 9
Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." (John 9:3, NIV)
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, NIV)
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, NIV)
1. One Thing I Know: A Seeker's Honest Starting Point
John 9 opens with the story of a man born blind. By the standards and conventions of his day, he was considered someone born into this condition because of sin. Yet Jesus reveals God's work through him. The miracle of his sight being restored was an overwhelming experience that shook his entire life to its core.
In the midst of sharp conflict with the Pharisees, he makes a remarkably honest and straightforward confession: "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" This is not a faith confession dressed up in elaborate theological language. Rather, it's like the first step of a seeker who has just begun exploring based on the clear truth of what happened in his own life. His faith stands not on understanding, but on the bedrock of experience. He had the humility to admit what he didn't know, and the courage to stake his life on the one truth he did know. True faith begins not with grand slogans, but with honestly acknowledging the traces of Jesus' touch on our lives.
2. The Prison of Those Who Know Everything: The Fence of Knowledge
In stark contrast, the Pharisees—who prided themselves as Moses' descendants and believed they possessed the highest intellect and faith of their time—display the opposite response. Rather than investigating the miracle before their eyes, they try to drag Jesus within the fence of their preconceived law and regulations, their conventional wisdom, to correct and judge him. For them, theological knowledge and religious tradition had become not windows to encounter God, but prisons that confined the living God.
This image speaks painfully to us today. It's a warning that years of faith, countless sermons heard, and mountains of theological books can actually become obstacles to meeting Jesus as he truly is. My personal definitions of how God must be—contrary to my intentions—can become spiritual cataracts that prevent me from recognizing God who comes into my life now to do new things. When knowing much hinders believing deeply—this is precisely the spiritual tragedy that John 9 exposes.
3. A Confession That Burst Forth: When Grace Transcends Reason
Jesus seeks out and meets the man who had been cast out of the synagogue. Finally, he reveals himself to him: "In fact, he is the one speaking with you." The man's explosive confession "Lord, I believe!" before this revelation is not the final conclusion of rational, logical reasoning. It was a response that burst forth from the depths of his soul through the Holy Spirit's illumination, in the face of overwhelming grace that surpassed his reason and understanding. This was God's true gift to one who had once been blind and considered a sinner, but was now cast out by those who had labeled him as such—a gift that existentially redefined and affirmed him in God's eyes.
This is the beauty of faith life we must never forget. Not reaching faith through our efforts and understanding, but responding with our entire being to the revelation of the Lord who never gives up pursuing us. In the mystery of the Holy Spirit's miracle—coming to humble hearts that acknowledge the limits of knowledge and poor spirits open to truth, opening the eyes of faith—we stop the stubborn questioning of the Pharisees and simply bow down like the protagonist of John 9. Faith is not intellectual agreement, but prostrating our hearts, minds, and entire bodies before him who came as light.