“No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
The witness of Jesus to Nikodēmos – John 3:13-15 NASB
(the world knows where He is leading)
Returning to the Light
We have been following the signs of the Messiah which the Apostle John presents in his Gospel.
Jesus had healed a man born blind who confronts the religious officials of Jerusalem with the evidence that this man must be the Messiah!
“While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”
The witness of Jesus to His Apostles – John 9:5
To give a sense of some time passing in these events which took place I paused John’s story Jesus – Siloam – “I washed and I see where the man sent to Siloam to wash and could now see was questioned by Pharisees.
Before returning to the seeing man’s witness of the Light in John 9, first let’s return to a scene of a Pharisee questioning Jesus. John has already set the stage for this sign of the Messiah giving sight to the blind.
29:18 וְשָׁמְעוּ בַיֹּום־הַהוּא הַחֵרְשִׁים דִּבְרֵי־סֵפֶר וּמֵאֹפֶל וּמֵחֹשֶׁךְ עֵינֵי עִוְרִים תִּרְאֶֽינָה׃
John 3:
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him,
“Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
John 9:13 They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees.
John 3:9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.
12 If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
John 9:24 So a second time they summoned the man who had been blind ...
John 3:19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
John 9:28 They ridiculed him: “You’re that man’s disciple, but we’re Moses’s disciples. We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man—we don’t know where he’s from.” 30 “This is an amazing thing!” the man told them. “You don’t know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes.
John 9:
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, and when he found him, he asked,
“Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
Now here is a question from our Lord to the man whose sight He returned worthy of consideration by each and every soul who for a brief time dwells in this world of darkness.
- “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
- Is Jesus who now confronts you in plain sight?
- Does the Messiah of our salvation sent to the world by God our Father ask you to believe?
Listen, learned Pharisee of these last days, and see the Light of the Gospel. Is the Spirit of the living LORD speaking to you?
But returning to the response of the man formerly blind:
36 “Who is he, Sir, that I may believe in him?” he asked.
37 Jesus answered, “You have seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
38 “I believe, Lord!” he said, and he worshiped him.
Wouldn’t you, if the Messiah had given you sight?
Shouldn’t you, since the Messiah Jesus has drawn you from the darkness of your sin to the Very Light of Life?
Son of Man – a view from Scripture
Where did the Messiah Jesus come up with this favorite self-designation by which He describes His humanity to man?
Jewish rabbis who studied scripture knew it well, for the Prophet Ezekiel uses ‘son of man’ in numerous descriptions of his heavenly encounters. First, a definition from the Hebrew:
Son of Man!
Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.
Then He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet that I may speak with you!”
Ezekiel 1:28-2:1 NASB
2:3 וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי בֶּן־אָדָם שֹׁולֵחַ אֲנִי אֹֽותְךָ אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־גֹּויִם הַמֹּורְדִים אֲשֶׁר מָרְדוּ־בִי הֵמָּה וַאֲבֹותָם פָּשְׁעוּ בִי עַד־עֶצֶם הַיֹּום הַזֶּֽה׃
בֵּן
ben
- Meaning ‘son’ in a broad sense, specifically as ‘son’ (2978x); but also as ‘first’ (51x)
- Genesis 27:32 וַיֹּאמֶר לֹו יִצְחָק אָבִיו מִי־אָתָּה וַיֹּאמֶר אֲנִי בִּנְךָ בְכֹֽרְךָ עֵשָֽׂו׃
- Revelation 22:13 [gk] ἐγὼ τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ τέλος
- “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
אָדָם
‘adam
- man or mankind, generally, only occasionally specific to the first man, Adam or a human man rather than a human woman
- Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed man H120 of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man H120 became a living being.
- Ezekiel 1:5 Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human H120 form.
Son of man most frequently designates a human being, one born of flesh. More than any other Prophet Ezekiel uses it to describe a mortal human chosen by God to tell God’s people what the LORD must say to them.
בֶּן־אָדָם צֹפֶה נְתַתִּיךָ לְבֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל וְשָׁמַעְתָּ מִפִּי דָּבָר וְהִזְהַרְתָּ אֹותָם מִמֶּֽנִּי׃
“Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.
Ezekiel 3:17 – Masoretic text; NASB
Judgment by the Light
Prior to this witness by the man who was blind the Apostle John has already witnessed the context of this sign by the Messiah Jesus.
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying,
“I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12 NASB
13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.”
Jesus’ debate with the Pharisees, some who do not believe, has already taken place. John now presents a proverbial metaphor at the conclusion of this sign by Jesus that indeed, He IS the Messiah.
John 9:
39 And Jesus said,
“For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.”
Would we expect any better reaction to Jesus from those who have already publicly proclaimed their opposition to the Messiah before their very eyes?
40 Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him,
“We are not blind too, are we?”
Are they? For they know well their own Scripture of the coming of the Messiah.
Isaiah 29:
הֹ֚וי אֲרִיאֵ֣ל אֲרִיאֵ֔ל קִרְיַ֖ת חָנָ֣ה דָוִ֑ד סְפ֥וּ שָׁנָ֛ה עַל־שָׁנָ֖ה חַגִּ֥ים יִנְקֹֽפוּ׃
וְחָנִ֥יתִי כַדּ֖וּר עָלָ֑יִךְ וְצַרְתִּ֤י עָלַ֨יִךְ֙ מֻצָּ֔ב וַהֲקִֽימֹתִ֥י עָלַ֖יִךְ מְצֻרֹֽת׃
הִתְמַהְמְה֣וּ וּתְמָ֔הוּ הִשְׁתַּֽעַשְׁע֖וּ וָשֹׁ֑עוּ שָֽׁכְר֣וּ וְלֹא־יַ֔יִן נָע֖וּ וְלֹ֥א שֵׁכָֽר׃
כִּֽי־נָסַ֨ךְ עֲלֵיכֶ֤ם יְהוָה֙ ר֣וּחַ תַּרְדֵּמָ֔ה וַיְעַצֵּ֖ם אֶת־עֵֽינֵיכֶ֑ם אֶת־הַנְּבִיאִ֛ים וְאֶת־רָאשֵׁיכֶ֥ם הַחֹזִ֖ים כִּסָּֽה׃
הֹ֛וי הַמַּעֲמִיקִ֥ים מֵֽיהוָ֖ה לַסְתִּ֣ר עֵצָ֑ה וְהָיָ֤ה בְמַחְשָׁךְ֙ מַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶ֔ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מִ֥י רֹאֵ֖נוּ וּמִ֥י יֹודְעֵֽנוּ׃
Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.
And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.
Be delayed and wait,
Blind yourselves and be blind;
They become drunk, but not with wine,
They stagger, but not with strong drink.
For the LORD has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep,
He has shut your eyes, the prophets;
And He has covered your heads, the seers.
Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the LORD,
And whose deeds are done in a dark place,
And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”
On that day
18 On that day the deaf will hear words of a book,
And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
19 The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the Lord,
And the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
24 And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding,
and those who murmur will accept instruction.”
These scriptures from Isaiah, a true Prophet of Israel, the Pharisees would know well.
How will we know that the Messiah stands before us as the Son of Man?
“The eyes of the blind will see.
Give glory to the LORD your God,
Jeremiah 13:16
Before He brings darkness
And before your feet stumble
On the dusky mountains,
And while you are hoping for light
He makes it into deep darkness,
And turns it into gloom.
“We are not blind too, are we?”
“What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”
“… one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
“… You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?”
41 Jesus said to them,
“If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
“But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Genesis 1:4; John 1:5; Matthew 6:23 NASB
John 9:41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
Have you born blind confronted your sin?
Will you now worship the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, who opens your eyes to the Light?
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying,
“I am the Light of the world;
he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness,
but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12 NASB
Abraham is standing before God pleading for mercy for the people of his nephew Lot’s city. It is a city and a place full of sin on which God will rain down His Almighty wrath and judgment – the city of Sodom.