Faith Over Sight: Spiritual Blindness and John 9

Opening Banter: The Bistro Charm

• Ryan and Brian kick things off with their usual laid-back vibe—no bloopers reel needed, just authentic charm.
• They tease the topic: Bible theology and all things Christian faith, with a focus on “walking by faith, not by sight.”

Main Discussion: Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Scripture Starter: 2 Corinthians 5:6-7

• Text: “Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight.”
• Ryan’s Take: Living 2,000 years after Christ, faith means trusting the Bible’s truth without seeing Jesus firsthand—like leaning on the book in front of us.
• Brian’s Insight: Paul’s talking about trusting God for our eternal state, even when we can’t see it. It’s a funny spot to be in—betting our eternity on someone we’ve never met face-to-face!

Deep Dive: John 9 – The Blind Man’s Story

• Text: John 9:1-38 (Healing of the man born blind).
• Key Moments:
• Verses 1-2: Jesus sees a man blind from birth; the disciples ask, “Who sinned—him or his parents?” (Reflecting the 1st-century Jewish view tying blindness to sin.)
• Verses 3-5: Jesus flips the script: “Neither… but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” He’s the light of the world!
• Verses 6-7: Jesus spits, makes mud, sends the man to wash in the Pool of Siloam (“Sent”)—and he comes back seeing.
• Verses 13-15: Plot twist—it’s the Sabbath! The Pharisees grill the man: “How’d this happen?”
• Verses 24-34: The man sticks to his story—“He put mud on my eyes, I washed, now I see”—even as the Pharisees excommunicate him.
• Verses 35-38: Jesus finds him, reveals Himself as the Son of Man, and the man worships Him.
• Brian’s Narrative Lens: Why tell it this way? John withholds the Sabbath detail to pull us in—miracle vs. lawbreaker tension! The man’s consistent testimony, despite never seeing Jesus till the end, mirrors our faith today.
• Ryan’s Thoughts: The Pharisees can’t accept any explanation—sin or no sin, they’re stuck. The man’s boldness stands out.

Big Idea: This story’s about seeing with faith—Jesus as the light, and us as witnesses, boldly sharing what He’s done, even without seeing Him ourselves.

Connecting the Dots: More Scripture on Faith and Sight

1. 1 Peter 1:7-9

• Text: “Though you have not seen him, you love him… you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”
• Takeaway: Peter nails it—we love and trust Jesus without seeing Him, and trials prove our faith’s genuineness.

2. 2 Kings 6:12-20

• Story: Elisha’s servant panics seeing Syria’s army, but Elisha prays, “Open his eyes!”—revealing God’s angel armies. Then blinds the enemy and leads them to Samaria.
• Connection: Faith sees God’s greater reality beyond the visible trouble. Bonus: Naaman’s wash in 2 Kings 5 ties into John’s “sent” theme!

3. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

• Text: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
• Insight: Paul contrasts light, momentary troubles with eternal glory. Focusing on the unseen takes effort—closing our eyes to distractions to see what’s real.

So What? Applying It Today

• Ryan’s Question: How do we focus on the unseen when the seen (troubles, news, daily grind) is so loud?
• Brian’s Answer: It’s tough! We need quiet—turn off the noise, close our eyes, and connect to Jesus’ eternal reality. Like the blind man, we testify to what He’s done, even without seeing Him.
• Practical Tip: Take time to be still. Reflect on what’s eternal—Jesus, whom we love though we haven’t seen, is more real than what’s in front of us.

Closing Thoughts

• Ryan and Brian wrap up with a nod to Mark’s blind man (partial sight to full)—a reminder to see beyond the daily blur to the eternal Messiah.

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