Christ’s healing of a man born blind was a liberal act of compassion which is also intended to demonstrate the way a person may be forgiven and renewed. Here are the striking similarities between his healing and the receiving of spiritual life from the Lord.

I am turning now to the Gospel of John, chapter 9 verse 1:

‘And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man, which was blind from his birth.’

And there follows a miracle which also serves as Christ’s own illustration of conversion to God, conversion to Himself. And it is about the man born blind. Now the location is easy. It was in Jerusalem. Christ, we are told, was just leaving the temple where he had been teaching. The last verse of the previous chapter: ‘Then took they up stones – the Jewish leaders – to cast at him. But Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by’. And he must have been still in the area of the temple where we assume this man who had been born blind took up his pitch, as it were, to beg for a living. But Christ saw him. He saw a man which was blind from his birth.

Now I generally give headings in a message, but I won’t give any headings tonight, but we will proceed in just a simple verse by verse manner through this remarkable narrative. The man blind from his birth, and Christ saw him. And then He goes on to say, and we will cover this in just a few moments, that this man’s blindness was arranged, if you like, foreordained by God, for the purpose of Christ restoring his sight, and giving a mighty demonstration of His own divinity and a demonstration of the giving of spiritual life in conversion.