Category: Studies in John

Sermon: Sunday, 25th October, 2026
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: John 9

People make claims all the time without being able to back them up.  Politicians claim they will reduce NHS waiting times, create more jobs and build more homes and put the ‘great’ into Britain again.  Sometimes they make some progress.  Often, they do not.  When the claims are tested, they don’t always stand up.  Banks and other businesses claim to put the customer first; however, when things go wrong, do they always put you first?  Friends might claim to be there for you, no matter what.  Are they there when we need them?  Sadly, not always.  What I love about Jesus is that the claim he makes is greater than all of these claims put together.  It almost sounds too good to be true.  But then he backs up the claim with evidence and reality.  In John 9:5, Jesus claims to be the ‘light of the world’.  Let’s consider this claim and whether or not it stands up to being tested.

1. Jesus’ claim

In what sense is Jesus the light of the world?  Light reveals things to us.  Imagine you’re in a dark place and feel disorientated, but then you turn on the light and you can see how things really are.  Jesus makes God known to us. He shows us who God is and what God is like, because he is God. ‘No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in the closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.’   (John 1:18) 

Light is needed to bring life to living things.  Jesus, and only Jesus, can give you eternal life in Heaven. ‘In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.’   (John 1:4)  In the Bible, light speaks of coming out of the darkness of a broken relationship with God and being saved so we can have true friendship with God. ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’   (John 8:12)

Finally, light also speaks about judgment.  Why?  Because light reveals what is really there; it exposes the difference between those who receive Christ and those who reject him.  If you shine a light into a messy cupboard, it exposes the dirt and the mess and so can be uncomfortable.  We might rather turn the light off again and ignore what the light reveals. ‘This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.’   (John 3:19-21)

Astonishing!  Jesus claims to be able to reveal to us exactly what God is like (because he is God), and that through him we can be true friends with God and live forever.  He also claims that he will expose the uncomfortable and horrible things in our lives, like pride and selfishness and godlessness. The question is, will Jesus’ claim stand up?  Yes!  In verse 1, we meet a man born blind and by verse 6 we are told that he comes home seeing. This miracle is a sign, given by Jesus, proving that he is the light of the world.  The man who had never seen a sunrise or a flower or a new-born baby can now see everything.  And even better, by the end, he sees who Jesus truly is.  He receives spiritual sight.  In this chapter, a blind man comes to see who Jesus really is and comes to trust him; and those Pharisees who think they can see are shown to be spiritually blind.

2. The miracle itself

This account starts off with the ignorance of Jesus’ disciples.  They see this congenitally blind man and make a seriously wrong assumption- they assume that the reason he is blind is because he has sinned in the womb or because his parents had sinned.  This is a hugely damaging and false assumption.  The man is not blind because of his own sin or that of his parents.  And yet when the disciples look at him, rather than helping him, they are judgmental as well as being plain wrong.  In effect, they think he deserves to be blind.  Jesus knows all things and so he knows that his blindness is not connected to a particular sin, but will result in a something wonderful- people will see the greatness of God as he is healed.

Is the relevant for us today?  Yes!  People make all kinds of false assumptions about suffering all the time.  Job’s friends wrongly assumed he deserved his suffering.  You might look at your own suffering and think, ‘God is punishing me for something.’  Do you really know that?  Of course not! 

God gives us no easy explanations about our suffering.  Hindus want to explain it with karma- as if our suffering now is a result of evil in a previous life.  This too is false.  The truth is most of the time we are not told why certain things have happened to us.  It is not explained.  What we can say is that for God’s people all suffering has a good reason, and is an opportunity to trust in God.  But we are not given facile answers to the specific reasons.  So, don’t be quick to condemn others or yourself when things go wrong, unless there is an obvious link between your sin and suffering.  We are not given big explanations by God about the details of our lives, however much we may want that.  Instead, Jesus focuses on what God can do in in our current situation.  That is what matters.  We must trust that there is a divine purpose in all our suffering, even though it is usually hidden from our view.

Notice that the blind man does not call out to Jesus for help.  Nonetheless, Jesus takes the initiative and goes to help him and heal him.  It is striking that Jesus makes mud with his saliva and the dust of the ground and covers the man’s eyes and then commands him to wash in Pool of Siloam.  Jesus instructed him to believe and to act on that belief. It was when the blind man ‘went and washed’ that he came back seeing. This is the message that Jesus has proclaimed all through John’s Gospel: that we must believe in order to be saved.  If you trust in the commands and promises of Jesus, all will be well.  In his obedience to Jesus’ instruction, we see the man’s faith.  He takes Jesus at his word.

On the first day of Creation, God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light.  On the sixth day of Creation, God made man.  What material does he use?  The dust of the ground.  Here, in John 9, we find Jesus bringing both physical and spiritual light to a blind man.  How does he do it?  He uses the dust of the ground to create sight. 

Who do you think Jesus is?  Surely, giving sight to the blind is something that God alone does.  ‘The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind…’   (Psalm 146:7-8) 

Isaiah gives a prophecy about what will happen when the true Saviour comes: ‘In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.’   (Isaiah 29:18)

‘Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.’ (Isaiah 35:5)  I love the man’s reasoning: ‘Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’ &nbsp: (John 9:32-33) This miracle is a sign pointing to who Jesus is.  He is God who has come to earth to save us.  He is the light of the world.

3. From spiritual blindness to sight

What is Jesus saying to us through this sign?  All human beings are like the blind man without Jesus, who is the light of the world.  We do not know and cannot see the true meaning of life.  This means we are living in spiritual blindness.  We do not know the correct way to Heaven, and we do not give God his rightful place in our lives.  We are still in our sins and need God’s forgiveness.  We can no more save ourselves, than the blind man could heal himself of his own blindness.  We need the initiative of Jesus.  The good news is, Jesus comes to us too and freely offers us forgiveness and new life, if we believe in his promises to us.

As we read of this blind man gaining his sight, this is a spiritual picture of becoming a Christian.  Because we know Jesus as our King and Saviour, we now understand the true purpose of our lives- to bring glory to God and enjoy God’s goodness.  We can now see who Jesus really is, the Creator and Messiah and the Son of Man.  And we trust in him and through his death and resurrection are guaranteed to have new life in Heaven. 

I love the way that the blind man gradually begins to see more and more of who Jesus really is. In verse 11, Jesus is just ‘the man called Jesus’.  In verse 17, Jesus is a prophet.  In verse 25, we read: ‘One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’ Jesus the miracle-worker.  In verses 33 the man concludes that Jesus must be from God.  The climax comes in verse 38, where he believes and worships Jesus.

Let me ask you the same question that Jesus asks in verse 35: ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’  This is the most important question in all the world.  In other words, do you believe that Jesus is truly the light of the world?  Do you believe that he is the source of spiritual life and light and truth?  And if so, are you following Jesus?  He promises that those who follow him shall never walk in darkness but have the light of life. 

Jesus’ claim forces you to make a decision about him.  Will you recognise your spiritual blindness and come to him for light, or will you reject Jesus and remain in darkness? Jesus does not come to you and ask, ‘Do you understand all the suffering in the world?’ or ‘Do you understand the justice of God entirely?’ or ‘Can you explain why God has planned things out the way he has?’  These questions are beyond us.  They are not revealed.  God does not ask us such questions.  But he does ask you this: ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?  Do you believe he died for you?

4. A sad reality

‘Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’   (John 9:39)  When someone loves darkness, the very light that could help them may become something they resist or flee from.

Picture a room in which someone is secretly stealing from a cupboard. As long as the room remains dark, he can continue without being noticed.  Suddenly, someone switches on the light.  The light has not committed an offence against him. It has simply revealed what he was doing.  He might complain about the brightness, blame the person who switched it on, or demand that the light be turned off. But none of those reactions changes what the light has revealed.

Richard Phillips: ‘Why would the Pharisees so stubbornly reject Jesus, despite his saving power? The reason is that they did not want the kind of Saviour he was. They resented what it implied about them. They wanted to be affirmed by God on their own merits, not forgiven through a Saviour.’

People object to Jesus today for the same reason. They object to confessing their sin before God and admitting their need for the kind of Saviour Jesus is, the Lamb of God who died for our sins’ (John 1:29). Christ’s light reveals the pride and perversity of the human heart.  Jesus is confronting people who claim to see while refusing to acknowledge their blindness’. 

We see the blindness of the Pharisees in the way they twist and distort the Sabbath day, making it a burden instead of the blessing it is meant to be.  We see their blindness in their lack of joy at the miraculous healing which they know full well has taken place.  Rather than considering the evidence and what it reveals about Jesus, they focus on Jesus’ breaking their man-made and distorted rules, then they insult the man born blind, before eventually casting him out.  They are the opposite to Jesus.  Jesus promises that all who come to him in faith will never be cast out.  They think they see better than everyone else, but in fact they are blind.  Tragically, they reject Jesus, the light of the world.

Let’s end with the wonderful testimony of the man born blind.  He cannot answer every question, and he does not initially understand everything about Jesus.  But he knows what has happened to him. ‘Though I was blind, now I see.’   (John 9:25)

Jesus reveals more to him and we read: ‘Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshipped him.’   (John 9:38)  This is what true spiritual sight is: worshipping Jesus.

Sermon: Sunday, 18th October, 2026
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: John 6:16-24

When was the last time you felt completely overwhelmed?  In todays passage, we find the disciples in the middle of a great storm: ‘A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.’   (John 6:18)  They’ve been rowing for hours but, because the winds are against them, they’re not getting anywhere and are unable to reach their destination.  It’s likely that the disciples, many of whom are experienced fishermen, are exhausted and frustrated and frightened.  The Sea of Galilee is a dangerous body of water. 

Phillips: ‘It is located in a depression seven hundred feet below sea level and circled by hills, many of which are quite steep. When the cold air descends from Mount Hermon’s summit at 9,200 feet above sea level and crashes down against the warm air at the level of the lake, violent storms suddenly occur.’

Imagine being in a sail boat, in the pitch black, and no matter how much you try and fight against the prevailing winds, your efforts are no match for the strength of the storm.  I think the disciples would have also felt all alone, because Jesus is nowhere to be seen. 

Why are the disciples in this dangerous predicament?  Have they done something wrong?  Is it like Jonah, who deserved to be in the storm because he is disobeyed God, and sailed in the opposite direction?  No!  The parallel passage in Mark’s gospel tells us: ‘Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.’   (Mark 6:5)  It is Jesus who instructs his disciples to set sail.  They are doing exactly what Jesus asked them to do, and yet, they end up in trouble and danger.  The logical question, then, is why does Jesus deliberately send his disciples out onto the lake, knowing full well that they would experience such testing times?

1. Jesus often sends his followers into testing circumstances

If you are a Christian this morning, be assured that again and again, Jesus will send you into stormy circumstances.  Perhaps, sometimes this might be to discipline us, like Jonah experienced.  However, much of the time the suffering comes to rescue us from pride and self-reliance.  In other words, Jesus sends us into storms because he knows that we need to be sent into them.  It is in the storms that we are reminded of our own weakness and it is in the storms when we have nothing else to cling onto, save the power, wisdom, love and promises of God.  Were it up to me, if I am honest, I am sure I would like my life to be one where I am sailing on calm water every day.  But that is not Jesus’ way. 

A few weeks ago, I was about to chop up around 1000 apples.  Samuel wisely suggested we stop, and get the sharpening stone out before beginning.  He sharpened the knives.  It made a huge difference.  The knives were now fit for purpose. 

J.C.Ryle: ‘Affliction and crosses are the grindstones on which God is continually sharpening those instruments which he uses most.’

This truth has been powerfully underlined in our studies in Exodus.  As we see the Israelites wandering in the wilderness on route to the promised land, we are given a picture of Christian discipleship as we sojourn to Heaven.  Again and again, God leads his people to one test after another.  They find themselves in severe danger, hemmed in by the sea on one side and the Egyptian army on the other.  It is God who has led them to this exact place.  Following God’s pillar of cloud and fire, they find themselves in a place where they lack water.  Then they are attacked by the Amalekites.  It is all a test, orchestrated by God, to teach them dependence upon him alone for success in life.

Let’s be honest, sometimes when God leads me into a time of testing, I can start to question his goodness and love.  Why the sudden death?  Why the illness?  Why the lack of growth in the church?  Why is my work going badly?  Why are relationships so hard?  Why are my children doing this? Why another family problem to contend with when I already have three other ones loading me down? 

Here is a simple but revolutionary way to think about these difficulties: they are orchestrated by God and are given as opportunities for us to learn to trust in him more. Think of what is testing you right now.  What might God be teaching you in it?  Have you come to an end of your own resources yet?  Are you daily depending on God in prayer for what you need?

J.C.Ryle: ‘Trial… is part of the diet which all true Christians must expect. It is one of the means by which their grace is proved, and by which they find out what there is in themselves. Winter as well as summer, cold as well as heat, clouds as well as sunshine – are all necessary to bring the fruit of the Spirit to ripeness and maturity.’

2. Jesus never abandons us in the storm

It is true that Jesus does delay in coming to them.  This is something we need to wrestle with.  Jesus could have come out to them after just one hour of struggle.  Why does he delay?  He delays to stretch their faith and so ultimately to strengthen their faith.  When Jesus delays coming to us it is not easy at the time, but it is for our good.  Faith is like a muscle which needs to be stretched and exercised.  We often wish Jesus would change things far sooner than he does and we can even become disillusioned with him when we feel abandoned. 

When Abraham climbs up Mount Moriah, the help comes at the last possible moment, and that is often the way with the LORD as he stretches our faith.  It is often right at the point when we feel we cannot go on that he arrives.

However, even before Jesus arrives walking on the water, he has not abandoned his disciples.  What has he been doing?  He has been on the mountainside praying and I think it is safe to say that he has been interceding for his disciples, as he prays to his Father.  He knows exactly where the disciples are, what they are facing, what they need and when they need it.  He is in control of all things. 

Richard Phillips: ‘They were under his caring eye the whole time, as he measured out the trials that would strengthen their faith…’

The same is true in the storms of your trials. You feel alone, and your circumstances suggest a lack of divine aid. Your former power has dwindled, and perhaps your faith has grown dim. You think of giving up because you doubt the presence of the Lord. But where is Jesus during your trials? He is high above the heavens, at the right hand of God the Father, enthroned with authority and power. And he is looking upon you. He is lifting up nail-scarred hands that suffered for you, praying for you. Though the circumstances suggest that you might truly be lost, there is no real danger to your ultimate well-being.’

Many Christians can have a childish and spiritually damaging understanding of prayer.  When they enter tough times and cry out to God, they expect their circumstances to change very quickly.  When they do not, they imagine God does not care, and has just left them to suffer for no reason, or that prayer is a waste of time.  This whole miracle reminds us that Jesus saw the struggles of his disciples out on the lake and he sees ours too.  When he delays answering our prayers or answers them in a way which is different to what we expected or wanted, it is part of his good plan for us.  We must trust his goodness and power in the storm.  Why should we trust Jesus?

3. Jesus reveals his identity and majesty

‘When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But he said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’   (John 6:19)   

We all know that you cannot walk on water.  It is impossible.  Does that mean this did not happen?  No!  it means that Jesus must be the Lord of Creation as only he will not be bound by the laws of creation.  Here, Jesus the Creator of all things, reveals that he is God by doing something only God could do in his own strength. 

‘He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.’   (Job 9:8:)  

‘Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.’   (Psalm 77:19) 

And in Psalm 107, we have an amazing prophecy of one day the Messiah coming, calming the storm, and leading his people to the shore: ‘They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end.  Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.  He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.’   (Psalm 107:27-30)

When you are in a storm, your greatest need is not simply for a change in our circumstances but for a right understanding of who Jesus is and just how powerful and loving he is.  This will enable us to trust him, even when we cannot see what is going to happen. 

That is what faith does – it keeps on trusting when we cannot see the outcome. 
This is not blind faith – we cannot see the outcome but we can see the one in control of all things and we rest in him.  When we face forces beyond our control, we must remember that they are not beyond his control.

There are echoes of the Exodus story in this chapter.  Through Moses, the Lord fed his people with manna from Heaven.  Jesus is greater than Moses and comes feeding the 5000 and declaring that he is the bread of life!  Moses divided the waters of the Red Sea; Jesus is greater and comes walking on the water. The storm is an enormous barrier to the disciples on the boat but it is nothing to Jesus.

There is another echo to Moses here.  Jesus comes into the boat and says: ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’  In Greek this is ‘ego eimi’, literally ‘I am’.  This reminds us of the Lord revealing his name to Moses at the burning bush.  Jesus is not just the greatest prophet – he is the Lord God Almighty. 

And that is why he can say to us, whatever circumstances we might be in, ‘Do not be afraid.’  No matter what you are going through, you don’t need to know when the storm will end, or what will happen after the storm, or when the next storm will come.  What you need to know is this: Jesus can handle our storms and is with is in them.

‘Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’   (Hebrews 13:5-6)

4. Jesus guarantees our success and security

‘Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.’   (John 6:21)

For hours and hours, the disciples were working so hard in the storm and it felt like they were wasting their time.  They were not getting anywhere.  Often the work of the church can feel like this.  The winds of atheism and pluralism and unbelief batter against us at work and in the media.  And then there are the winds of our own sinfulness and the relentless pressures of life.  For sure, the Christian life really is tough – we must work in the middle of storms. 

But let’s end on a high note of huge encouragement. ‘Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.’   (1 Corinthians 15:58) 

‘Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.’   (Galatians 6:9)     

Friends, our boat shall reach the shore. The disciples’ journey is not governed ultimately by the wind, water or human effort. Christ’s authority is decisive.  He took the disciples safely to the shore and surely this speaks to us of the shores of Heaven.  Some storms last for years. Some faithful Christians die in the storm. However, the ultimate security of God’s people rests in Christ’s saving purpose, which will be completed in the resurrection and the new creation.  :

‘He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.’   (1 Corinthians 1:8)  Our boat shall reach the shore.