As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” …

He spat on the ground, made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes. Jesus said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam (meaning ‘sent’).” So he went away and washed, and came back seeing. …

“For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” John 9:1:-7, 39.

Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind, literally and figuratively.

For those who see, or think they do, Jesus came that they may become blind.

I understand the first part. I understand the literal, compassionate healing of the physically afflicted. And I understand (in part) and am grateful for Jesus illuminating His truth.

I do not understand the second part. Why would Jesus want anyone to become blind, even figuratively?

Perhaps the answer lies in the colloquy that follows. Those Pharisees standing nearby said, “We are not blind.” Pause. “Are we?”

Jesus says remarkably, “If you were blind, you would have no sin. But since you say, ‘we see,’ your sin remains.”

His statement “if you were blind” is reminiscent of the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The idea seems to be that it is when I recognize my spiritual lack, my poverty, my blindness, that I then stand to receive God’s blessing of filling that deficit. On the other hand, when I think I have no such lack, or will not admit it, well, Jesus says I will become blind. That is, my sins will remain.

Jesus’ statement about sins remaining illuminates the phrase that precedes it (the Bible is the best commentary on the Bible) about those being blind having no sin. It’s not that they never sinned. It’s that their sin does not remain.

What is this blindness? This seeing? What is Jesus talking about? Accurate appraisal of my spiritual condition, for one thing. Understanding God’s redemptive work and purposes, for another.

Paradox alert: fessing up to lack – is gain. Claiming insight – is blindness. The pure logic of this risks circularity. If I am blind, I see, and if I see, I am blind, etcetera. But Jesus interrupts this loop with Himself. Pure logic assumes a closed system. We live in an open system, not a closed one. Jesus steps into it.

To one who is blind, and knows it, Jesus comes, to bring sight, to remove sin. One who is in that healed condition is not pompous. He knows his new, redeemed condition is solely because of the work of the Savior. Always keeping the Savior’s work in mind, he will not risk falling back into self-assuredness, but will walk forever grateful. The man Jesus healed from blindness in John 9 models this.

One who denies blindness is wrong, but worse, will not admit it. This erroneous self-assuredness is, get ready for it, blindness. But not the kind of blindness that leads to healing. This kind of blindness leaves no opening for healing. One with this kind of blindness thinks he needs no healing, and will not open himself to the healing work Jesus would bring. So, claiming no need, no lack, his blindness, and his sin, remain.

In each case, there is no circularity, because there is no continuation of the loop. The progression stops after one iteration. Confession of blindness: healing. Stop. Denial of blindness: no healing and continuation of blindness. Stop.

The only possibility of change is to go back to the beginning. Confess, admit blindness. Receive healing.

In what areas of my life am I claiming no blindness? Where am I smug, self-assured? Answering these questions requires distinguishing between areas where Jesus has done His healing work, and areas where He has not yet but I claim in my own self-confidence not to need it.

Paul wrote that he put no confidence in the flesh. He got it. Every place he knew he was weak, he knew Jesus had strengthened, and he knew then he was really strong as a result. Every other place he put no confidence.

So it is worth asking, where am I confident because of what Jesus has done? In those areas, rejoice. And where am I confident because I think I have it together? In those areas, beware. Jesus’ healing and redemption is still needed.

To return to the original question, why would Jesus want anyone to be blind? The answer is, He doesn’t. He comes as the Light of the World. He comes to heal and save. It is the erroneous thinking that His work is not needed that is the problem.

Jesus created us from dust, an ignoble beginning, were it not for Jesus’ hand. In this case, Jesus gets some more dust, mixes with His spittle, and creates an opaque eye patch. This is hardly an obvious path to vision. But that is exactly what results. The first step to healing of blindness is more blindness at the hand of Jesus, to recognize that we really cannot see.

Interesting that Saul’s encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road resulted at first in blindness. Jesus confronted Saul in his blindness spiritually as to who Jesus is. Physical blindness followed, where Saul experienced physically and emphatically what had been his spiritual condition. And then, as Saul received Jesus’ redemptive work, something like scales fell from his eyes. Saul went on to receive divine revelation and insight from the Lord. He would later write about those who do not yet know the Savior’s work as having a veil over their eyes. Saul, renamed Paul, would continue to be afflicted in his physical vision, requiring scribes to write the letters he would dictate. He continued with the physical reminder of his dependence on Jesus to really see.

The removal of spiritual blindness requires first my admission of it, and then sometimes even dramatic confirmation of it. Thank God that He does not stop there. Jesus then stands ready take away what impedes my vision.

Lord Jesus, thank you for all the ways you have already removed my infirmities, my blindness, and my sin. Please don’t stop. Please keep lovingly exposing areas where I am still a poser, and in denial even to myself, and move in those areas too, to remove blindness, remove of sin, and bring healing and life.

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