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

There will be those who just don’t understand.

John 9:13-18 English Standard Version

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight.

If I were to say “I was blind but now I see.” there is no one to testify to you that I was blind. I speak of spiritual blindness of course and for anyone that is spiritually blind they will not “see” what I am saying. For those that have spiritual sight they have the Holy Spirit to show them the truth.

Anyone can copy and paste scripture into a document and lay claim that this is God’s chosen word. The spiritually blind will never “see” the truth in the matter. Those who are not blind will see for themselves if God is speaking truth to them.

The opening verse will cause some to say God causes maladies while those with spiritual eyes might see how grace works. Or they might see what God needs them to see. God’s will is done regardless of good intentions.

What I like in John 9:13-18 is the religious leaders of the day were exposed for having differing opinions and the ensuing schism.

Luke 11:17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.”

There is another way of looking at this.

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

The spiritually blind will not see themselves in scripture.

Deuteronomy 32:20

And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

Faith here in Vine’s is ʼêmûwn, ay-moon’; from H539; established, i.e. (figuratively) trusty; also (abst trustworthiness:—faith(-ful), truth

How can we place our faith in someone we do not know? How can we trust someone that has not proven themselves to be true? The fact that God hid His face from that generation was because forward is tahpukâh, tah-poo-kaw’; from H2015; a perversity or fraud:—(very) froward(-ness, thing), perverse thing.

We do not see ourselves as perverse. At least I hope we don’t. What can we do to break this cycle of God’s hidden face and our perverse nature?

The answer is nothing.

Matthew 19:24-26 English Standard Version

24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

What has God done to make salvation possible?

John 3:16-17 English Standard Version

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

These are the most quoted scriptures in history. It is very likely that a world full of unbelievers have heard it. What moves them from unbelief to belief in order to place their faith in Christ? Do they even know what that means?

Mark 5:19 “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

I can tell you what the Lord has done for me, but first you must know me and trust me in order to believe my witness. We cannot do that by hiding our faces from them.