Seeing Isn't Believing | The Gospels | John 9:13-34
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How does the episode introduce the problem of ‘seeing is believing’?
Welcome to 10 Minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work.
I'm Jensen Holt-McNair.
I had a friend a few years back whose dad unexpectedly gave up on God for what seemed like a logical reason to him. Now, I don't think this was probably the real reason he gave up on God, but it was the reason he gave when people asked. And so I do believe it was at least part of the equation. My friend's dad had a simple question. If God exists, why hasn't he seen him? If God exists, why hasn't he seen God do anything? My friend's dad said that he told God that he would believe him if God did one simple thing, wrote him a message, wrote him a word on a piece of paper. My friend's dad framed a piece of paper and put it on his desk. And every day he showed up to work and checked the frame. And every day the piece of paper was blank.
After a year or more of this, he finally gave up.
What story about the framed blank paper illustrates skepticism toward God?
If God loved him, if God was real, then he would have done something. but there was nothing there because there is no God. For him, seeing is believing, and he hadn't seen anything. Well, I don't know how many people have gone to those lengths. I do know people who felt the same thing. They say that if they just saw God do something, then they'd believe. One miracle and they'd be on board. Maybe you've thought that too. Fair enough. But here's the thing. I don't know if it would work. Why? Because it never worked in the past. Seeing isn't believing. There's always some other explanation to explain away what God has done.
How does John 9 set up the conflict after Jesus heals a man born blind?
If you don't believe me, consider this story from John 9. To set up the context, Jesus healed a man born blind on the Sabbath. After the healing, Jesus disappears, but this man remains. Now, the religious leaders were angry at the idea of someone healing on the Sabbath day. And of course, they're also deeply opposed to Jesus. So they did what they saw to be the only logical thing. They brought the once blind man in for questioning to verify the veracity of his claims. Let's pick up in John 9, 13. They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now, the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore, the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight.
"'He put mud on my eyes,' the man replied, "'and I washed, and now I see.'" Some of the Pharisees said, "'This man is not from God. He doesn't keep the Sabbath.'" But others asked, "'How can a sinner perform such signs?' So they were divided." Then they turned again to the blind man. What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened. The man replied, He is a prophet. They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. So let's pause for a moment. This is how skepticism works. There's crowds of people who know this blind man who saw the miracle, but that's not enough for the Pharisees. They suspect some sort of corruption or collusion.
Jesus and the so-called blind man put on some sort of act. And so to prove the point, they call on the man's parents to invalidate his claims. Let's continue in verse 19.
Why do the Pharisees summon the healed man and question his testimony?
"'Is this your son?' they asked. "'Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that he can now see?' We know that he is our son, the parents answered, and we know that he was born blind, but how he can now see or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him, he is of age, he will speak for himself. His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had already decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents had said, he is of age, ask him. So what do you think happens next? They have piles of evidence. People saw the healing. People knew he was blind. Even his parents agreed that he was born blind, even though they were scared.
So now do they praise God and believe in Jesus? They've seen a miracle. Seeing is believing after all. Well, of course, seeing isn't believing. Let's continue in verse 24.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
How does the episode introduce the problem of ‘seeing is believing’?
0:05–1:01
2
What story about the framed blank paper illustrates skepticism toward God?
1:01–1:38
3
How does John 9 set up the conflict after Jesus heals a man born blind?
1:38–3:13
4
Why do the Pharisees summon the healed man and question his testimony?
3:13–7:03
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study
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