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THE KING’ S BUSINESS
Sunday, June 18 . John 9 : 35 - 41 ,
Saturday, June 17 . John 9 : 24 - 34 .
The Jews were still determined not to believe anything good about Jesus. That the man had been born blind they could not deny; his parents had testified to the fact» unwilling witnesses though they were, and as to the fact o f his now seeing, the man stood right there before them. So they told the man to give the glory to God but not to Jesus. O f Jesus they said, “We know that this man is a sinner,” and thus they proved themselves both liars and blasphemers 1 they knew nothing o f the kind. But there are many who follow in the footsteps o f these Jews even today. Into a discussion o f the theological question the .man refused to enter and stood fast by the one thing he did know, “whereas I was blind, now I see.” A h ! there is many a man today who cannot enter into the subtleties o f Bible criticism or metaphysical theology, but who does know that he was once lost and is now saved, and that Jesus, and Jesus only saved him, and that there fore Jesus is divine, in spite o f all the spec ulations o f self-confident philosophers. Still determined to find Jesus in the wrong the Pharisees sought to inquire more carefully into the method o f the cure. But they had already been told "all the details and would not listen; why tell them over again ? After all the man who was healed proved a bet ter theologian even than they, he said, “We know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper o f God, and do His will, him. He heareth.” That was not only good theology, but unanswerable argu ment. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing. Beyond a question it is proven by the facts in the case that Jesus was from God. They could not answer him, therefore they sneered at him, and excommunicated him. Practically the same method is followed by the destructive crit ics today, who, when they cannot answer the arguments o f those who stand for the integrity o f the Bible, content themselves with saying, “You are no scholar, all the scholars agree with us.”
When the Jews cast the man out they cast him right into the arms o f Jesus. It is well worth while to be cast out by men if separation from human fellowship brings the fellowship o f Jesus, and it often does. The Lord led the man on to a deeper faith. He had already believed in Jesus far enough to do His bidding and go to Siloam and thus be healed. Later he had believed in Jesus as a good man and a prophet from God (vs. 17, 30-33), but now he is to be brought into the great sav ing, transforming faith that Jesus is the Son o f God. Jesus put to hirfi a great question, indeed the great question, “Dost thou believe on the Son o f God?” A h ! there is a whole world of meaning and a whole world o f life and power in that ques tion and in its right answer. Put it to yourself, “ Do I really believe on the Son o f God?” You say, “I do,” but do you? I f you do, really do, happy are you (John 20:31; 1 John 5:1, 4). This man did not as yet, but he will shortly. How honest and eager the man is: “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe on Him?” Then Jesus just made Himself known, and then the man cries, “Lord, I believe.” And he proved that he really did believe, “he wor shipped Him.” Do you worship Jesus? You ought to. Then Jesus gave utterance to a deep saying, one that we should ponder much, “ For judgment came I into this world,” etc. In another place He tells, us that He came not to judge (ch. 3:17, R. V .), and He did not come to judge men in the sense o f the context there, i. e., to sit in judgment upon men and down them; but He did come for judgment in the sense o f the context here, i. e„ that His xoming might test what was in them and bring blindness to those who judged themselves seeing, and therefore, without need o f Him, and might bring sight to those who knew they, were blind, and thus turn to Him for light. The coming o f Jesus and man’s con ception o f Him is every day judging men and bridging them blindness or sight.
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