this is a marvellous thing, that you do not know from where He is, and He has opened my eyes.

Preached at Glen Aros Christian Fellowship on
Sunday 10th May 2009


Let’s look at John chapter nine

John 9:1 and passing by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.
2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, has this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God might be revealed in him.
4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me, while it is day. Night comes when no man can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.
6 And when He had spoken these things, He spat on the ground and made clay from the spittle. And He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.
7 And He said to him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which translated is Sent). Therefore he went and washed and came seeing.
8 Then the neighbors and those who had seen him before, that he was blind, said, Is this not he who was sitting and begging?
9 Some said, This is he. Others said, He is like him. He said, I am he.
10 Then they said to him, How were your eyes opened?
11 He answered and said, A man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, Go to the pool of Siloam and wash. And going and washing, I received sight.
12 Then they said to him, Where is he? He said, I do not know.
13 They brought him who once was blind to the Pharisees.
14 And it was a sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
15 Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said to them, He put clay upon my eyes, and I washed, and I see.
16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath. Others said, How can a man, a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
17 They said to the blind man again, What do you say about him, for he has opened your eyes? He said, He is a prophet.
18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him having received sight.
19 And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?
20 His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind.
21 But by what means he now sees, we do not know. Or who has opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age, ask him. He will speak for himself.
22 His parents spoke these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
23 Therefore his parents said, He is of age, ask him.
24 Then a second time they called the man who was blind and said to him, Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.
25 He answered and said, Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that being blind, now I see.
26 Then they said to him again, What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?
27 He answered them, I have told you already, and you did not hear. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also desire to be His disciples?
28 Then they reviled him and said, You are his disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.
29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know from where this man is.
30 The man answered and said to them, Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know from where He is, and He has opened my eyes.
31 But we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.
32 From everlasting it was not heard that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.
33 If this One were not of God, He could do nothing.
34 They answered and said to him, You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us? And they cast him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and finding him, He said to him, Do you believe on the Son of God?
36 And he answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?
37 And Jesus said to him, You have both seen Him, and it is He who is speaking with you.
38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped Him.
39 And Jesus said, I have come into this world for judgment, that they who do not see might see, and that they who see might be made blind.
40 And those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, Are we also blind?
41 Jesus said to them, if you were blind, you would have no sin. But now you say, we see. Therefore your sin remains.
To quote the beggar who was blind from birth in Verse 30

30 The man answered and said to them, why, this is a marvellous thing, that you do not know from where He is, and He has opened my eyes.

• Why, this is a marvellous thing
• You do not know from where He is
• And He has opened my eyes


This is indeed a marvellous thing, and as we explore this passage together we will see how marvellous this thing is.

I have counted eight ‘Knows’ and four ‘believes’ in this passage.

Verse 12

Then they said to him, Where is he? He said, I do not know.

The blind beggar says he does not know where Jesus is.

Verse 20

His parents answered them and said, we know that this is our son, and that he was born blind.

His parents said they know that this is our son

His parents know that he was born blind

Verse 21

But by what means he now sees, we do not know. Or who has opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age, ask him. He will speak for himself.

His parents do not know by what means he now sees!

Verse 24

24 Then a second time they called the man who was blind and said to him, Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.

The Pharisees know that Jesus is a sinner

Verse 25
25 He answered and said, Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that being blind, now I see

The man born blind replies that he does not know if Jesus is a sinner

The man does know one thing – I once was blind now I see.

Verse 29

29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know from where this man is.

The Pharisees know that God spoke to Moses

The Pharisees do not know from where Jesus comes from!

Verse 30

30 The man answered and said to them, Why, this is a marvellous thing, that you do not know from where He is, and He has opened my eyes.

The blind beggar says this is a marvellous thing

You do not know from where Jesus comes from

And yet Jesus has opened my eyes

Verse 31

31 But we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.

The Pharisees know that God does not hear sinners

Then Jesus comes on the scene.

In Verse 35

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and finding him, He said to him, do you believe on the Son of God?

Jesus asks the beggar a question

Do you believe on the Son of God?

Here is the word ‘believe’.

Verse 36

And he answered and said, who is He, Lord that I might believe on Him?

The beggar too, uses the world Believe.

The Pharisees want to know things, but Jesus wants us to believe.

Let’s look at Verse 25

He answered and said, Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that being blind, now I see.

• one thing I do know
• that being blind
• now I see.

Verse 29

We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know from where this man is.
• We know that God spoke to Moses

Big deal, it did not help them.

In Luke 16:29

Abraham said to him, they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them.
30 And he said, No, father Abraham, but if one should go to them from the dead, they would repent.
31 And he said to him, If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded, even though one rose from the dead.

You have to mix faith with what you hear.

The Rich man thought if Lazarus went back from the dead to his five brothers they would repent.

No said Abraham, if they do not hear Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded, even though one rose from the dead.

These Pharisees know that God spoke to Moses, but what good did it do them?

They needed to come to the place where they believed what they heard.

Verse 29

They do not know where Jesus is from!

Here is a marvellous thing

You do not know where Jesus is from

And yet Jesus has opened my eyes

Verse 31 tickles me

But we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.

The blind beggar, hears Jesus, believes Jesus is the Son of God, and falls down and worships him.

The very thing the Pharisees are saying should happen, the blind beggar fulfils.

This is a marvellous thing!

Verse 35

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and finding him, He said to him, Do you believe on the Son of God?

• Here is something marvellous”
• Jesus hears that the beggar is cast out
• And he seeks him out and finds him
• Saying so you believe on the Son of God?

I ask you the same question. Do you believe on the Son of God?

Not that you know about him like the Pharisees and Jews – they knew him, they had first hand contact with Jesus, he walked among them, they saw the fruit of His ministry.

A man born blind is given sight, this had never happened before since the foundation of the world. No wonder the beggar said ‘this is a marvellous thing’.

Down at their root they did not Know that he was from heaven. Peter had to have a revelation of the Father, to know that Jesus was the son of the living God. Do you have that revelation of the Father?

Who is Jesus to you?

A man called Jesus

A prophet

The Son of the living God

Flesh and blood did not tell you that, my Father in heaven revealed that to you.

Along with the beggar who was blind from birth we too can say this is a marvellous thing.

A man born blind, has his eyes opened and yet there is a point where he does not know that Jesus is the Son of God. The opening of the eyes did not give him the revelation. He stands before Jesus with his natural eyes open, and still he does not know that the one standing before him is the Son of God, the anointed one, the messiah!

Seeing him made no difference!

Hearing his words made no difference!

Jesus walked with the two on the road to Emmaus

Jesus had to open there eyes and hearts to understand the scriptures about him.

The beggar replied

Lord, I believe, and he worshiped him

Believe what?

The Words of Jesus!

The Pharisees and Jews had their own knowledge source from Moses the law.

It is the words that the Father speaks through Jesus which reveal his Sonship.

This is the work of God that you believe on him whom he has sent.

For a Jew to be cast out of the synagogue was an awful thing. He becomes an outsider, a heathen, cast out of his religious family, becomes an outcast.

Once Jesus hears that this seeing blind beggar has been cast out, he comes to him and leads him into a deeper revelation of him self.

Previously this beggar had known Jesus as a man, then he knew him as a prophet, and now Jesus reveals himself as the Son of God!

Jesus goes to one who is cast out and reveals himself, asking only that they believe.

John 6:29 says

This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Verse 36

And he answered and said, who is He, Lord that I might believe on Him?

• The beggar asks
• Who is he Lord, that I might believe on Him

Verse 37

37 And Jesus said to him, you have both seen Him, and it is He who is speaking with you.

• You have both seen him
• It is he who is speaking with you.

The beggar mixes faith with what he is hearing and the result

38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped Him.

This man was put out of his world

Jesus found him

He believes in his heart

Confesses with his mouth

Verse 22

His parents spoke these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.

• The Jews had agreed that if any one confessed
• That Jesus was the anointed on, the messiah
• He should be put out of the synagogue

Verse 24

Then a second time they called the man who was blind and said to him, Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.

• Give God the glory
• We know that this man is a sinner

How do the Pharisees know that Jesus is a sinner?

Because he has broken their traditions, by healing and anointing eyes on the Sabbath day, which they say is breaking Gods law, when in fact thy are only the traditions of men.

Verse 15 and 16

The Pharisees declared that Jesus had broken the Sabbath, when in fact it was not a violation of the law but of their own tradition.

Verse 28

Then they reviled him and said, You are his disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.

• They declared the man to be a disciple of Jesus
• They declared themselves to be disciples of Moses

The Law comes through Moses

Grace and truth comes through Jesus!

Even our enemies declare that we are disciples of Jesus, and walk in grace and truth.

Being under the law the Pharisees could not see.

Remember Paul, who was a Pharisee,

The scales had to fall from his eyes in order for him to see.

Remember Nicodemus, a Pharisee

He had to be born again!