The Sixth Sign: Man Born Blind Healed (9:1–10:42): Uncovering Blind Spots

The proposition of this sermon is to rely on Christ’s light to uncover our blind spots. As in the other sermons in this series, the proposition is supported by examining the five textual features that define the textual units of the seven miracle narratives in John: the time marker (section divider), festival, saying(s), discourse, and prologue theme(s). These textual features interpret the miraculous sign of the literal and physical restoration of sight to a man born blind as a prophetic parabolic act that symbolizes Jesus’ mission to restore the spiritual perception of people to see that he is the divine messiah who saves them from their sin. The implication of the symbolic meaning of the sign is that in the ongoing process of progressive sanctification Jesus continues to restore the believer’s limited sight (1 Cor 12:12) by uncovering blind spots in their lives (Lev. 4:13–14; Psalm 19:12–13; 139:23–24). The application section argues that rather than the culturally prominent categories of race, gender, class, and the ecological movement, that biblically honesty, purity, humility, and salvation are the more important and prior issues for which believers should examine themselves for blind spots.