Hi John,
Of particular importance & meaning to Me is the passage from John. Chapter 9 regarding " The Man born Blind." It reminds Me of a good example & object lesson about the principle: First comes the Physical and then comes the Spiritual. Although, not too many people are Born physically blind, even Helen Keller had literal sight for at least approximately 6 Months, it isn't often We hear of anyone Born physically blind. However, All of us are Born spiritually Blind, spiritually immature, spiritually weak & eventually are spiritually deceived with a very few Chosen to receive spiritual enlightenment. Almost the entire Human Race is spiritually Blind to a great or lesser degree, even if not totally. Read passage below from John chapter 9, taken from The Concordant Literal Translation.
Chapter 9
1 And, passing along, He perceived a man, blind from birth.
2 And His disciples ask Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he should be born blind?"
3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man sinned, nor his parents, but it is that the works of God may be manifested in him.
4 I must be working the works of Him Who sends Me while it is day. Coming is the night, when no one can work.
5 Whenever I may be in the world, I am the Light of the world."
6 Saying these things, He spits on the ground and makes mud out of the spittle, and anoints the blind man on his eyes with the mud,
7 and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is being translated "Commissioned"). He came away, then, and washes, and came, observing.
8 The neighbors, then, and those beholding him formerly, (for he was a beggar) said, "Is not this the one who is sitting and begging?"
9 Others said that "This is he." Yet others said, "No, but he is like him." Yet he said, "I am he."
10 They said, then, to him, "How, then, were your eyes opened?"
11 He answered and said, "The Man Who is termed 'Jesus' makes mud and anoints my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool Siloam and wash.' Coming away, then, and washing, I receive sight."
12 And they say to him, "Where is that man?" He is saying, "I am not aware."
13 They are leading him, who once was blind, to the Pharisees.
14 Now it was on a sabbath day that Jesus makes the mud and opens his eyes.
15 Again, then, the Pharisees also asked him how he receives sight. Now he said to them, "He places mud upon my eyes, and I wash, and I am observing."
16 Some of the Pharisees, then, said, "This man is not from God, for he is not keeping the sabbath." Yet others said, "How can a man who is a sinner be doing such signs?" And there was a schism among them.
17 They are saying, then, again to him who once was blind, "What are you saying concerning him, seeing that he opens your eyes?" Now he said that "A prophet is He."
18 The Jews, then, do not believe concerning him, that he was blind and receives sight, till they summon the parents of him who receives sight.
19 And they ask them, saying, "Is this your son, of whom you are saying that he was born blind? How, then, is he observing at present?"
20 His parents, then, answered and say, "We are aware that this is our son and that he was born blind.
21 Yet how he is now observing, we are not aware, or who opens his eyes, we are not aware. Ask him; he has come of age. He will speak concerning himself."
22 These things his parents said, seeing that they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should ever be avowing Him to be Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
23 Therefore his parents say that "He has come of age. Inquire of him."
24 A second time, then, they summon the man who was blind, and they say to him, "Give the glory to God. We are aware that this man is a sinner."
25 He, then, answered, "If He is a sinner, I am not aware of it. One thing I am aware of, that, being blind, at present I am observing."
26 They said, then, to him, again, "What does he do to you? How does he open your eyes?"
27 He answered them, "I told you already, and you do not hear. Why again are you wanting to hear? Not you also are wanting to become His disciples?"
28 Now they revile him and said, "You are a disciple of that man, yet we are disciples of Moses.
29 We are aware that it was to Moses that God has spoken. Yet this man -- we are not aware whence he is."
30 The man answered and said to them, "For in this is the marvelous thing, that you are not aware whence He is, and He opens my eyes!
31 We are aware that God is not hearing sinners, but if anyone should be a reverer of God and doing His will, him He is hearing.
32 From out of the eon it is not heard that anyone opens the eyes of one born blind.
33 Except this Man were from God, He could not be doing anything."
34 They answered and say to him, "You were wholly born in sins, and you are teaching us!" And they cast him out.
35 Jesus hears that they cast him out, and, finding him, said to him, "Are you believing in the Son of Mankind?"
36 He answered and said, "And Who is He, Lord, that I should be believing in Him?"
37 Now Jesus said to him, "You have also seen Him, and He Who is speaking with you is He."
38 Now he averred, "I am believing, Lord!" And he worships Him.
39 And Jesus said, "For judgment came I into this world, that those who are not observing may be observing, and those observing may be becoming blind."
40 And those of the Pharisees who are with Him hear these things, and they said to Him, "Not we also are blind?"
41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have had no sin. Yet now you are saying that 'We are observing.' Your sin, then, is remaining.
Comment: The Pharisees claimed to SPIRITUALLY SEE, but Jesus told them that if They were blind, they would have no Sin, but they claimed to See, so their Sin remained. I believe that this is an example of "The Relative," in regards to Jesus saying: " They would have no Sin." Obviously, All have Sinned, but they(Pharisees) knew that Jesus was the Son of God & came from God as mentioned by Nicodemus at John. This Man Born Blind apparently began to spiritually see to at least a small degree, whether or not He had His eyes spiritually opened more in the days to come, WE DON"Y KNOW. " For this Judgement, I came into the World that those blind would receive sight and those seeing would be made blind.
Chapter 3
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus his name, a chief of the Jews.
2 This one came to Him by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we are aware that Thou art a Teacher come from God, for no one can be doing these signs which Thou art doing, if God should not be with Him."
Kind Regards, Samson.
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Topic: Passages that strike a nerve (Read 5585 times)