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“For Judgment I Have Come”

The blind man was no longer blind thanks to the miraculous intervention of Jesus Christ. But, there were plenty of other “blind men” in the area who also needed healing! They, however, were suffering from a significantly more dangerous kind of blindness, one which Jesus could also heal but only under certain conditions. One condition was that they admit their spiritual blindness and stop claiming otherwise. We will continue our thoughts along this line after dispensing with an alleged contradiction today.

The following is a quote from the ministry of Jesus and recorded by John: “And Jesus said, 'For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.' Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, 'Are we blind also?' Jesus said to them, 'If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, “We see.' Therefore your sin remains.'” (John 9.39-41).

The following is also a quote from the ministry of Jesus and also recorded by John: “And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him — the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” (John 12.47-48).

At first glance, there seems to be a direct conflict between the statement of Jesus in John 9 when compared to His words in John 12Of course, the idea of contradiction is wholly opposed to the concept of God and Divine truth. Disbelievers recognize the implications were it possible to show that such exists in the Bible, but especially in the words of Jesus. Before going further, it would be good to briefly think about what a contradiction means and how an alleged contradiction ought to be viewed.

If Jesus contradicted Himself, He would have automatically disqualified Himself from the role of Messiah and Son of God. That is why atheists and agnostics are so wont to find a contradiction in His teachings. They know that such is inconsistent with the concepts of truth. That is also why some people frequently array the wording of John 9 against the wording of John 12. However, in order to prove a contradiction, one would have to show that two sets of “facts” are irreconcilable. In order to disprove the claim of a contradiction, all the believer has to do is show that there is a reasonable explanation which could result in both sets of “facts” being true. To show this in the case of John 9 and John 12 is quite easy!

The word translated judgment in each of the cited passages is from the same basic Greek word. It means to pronounce judgment as well as to determine judgment. In several New Testament passages, this same word is translated as “condemn.” Now here's the probable reconciliation of the two passages. John 12 is an ellipsis meaning that Jesus did not come to condemn the world ONLY; He also came to save the world. That is the context of John 12 and it fits with John 9. His condemnation of the world was a necessary step toward saving the world. Unless the spiritually blind recognized their blindness (i.e. saw they were condemned), they could not be saved. Jesus came to condemn the world only with a view toward the world taking the necessary steps to be saved! There is no contradiction at all!

Spiritual blindness is fatal only when we refuse to admit that we have it! (Continued)

Questions:

1. What is the first condition that one must meet in order to be cured of spiritual blindness?

2. Why did Jesus want some people to own up to the fact that they were blind spiritually?

3. To what end did Jesus allow other people to understand the fact of their blindness/condemnation?

5. What, according to the scriptures, is the final destiny of those who continue as spiritually blind?

"God's Words For US" from Cecelia Lester

Yahweh Shammah,