Jesus' Religion of Faith and Grace
John 9:31
"We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him."
Do we? Do we really know this?
It was not an uncommon belief in their age and in their faith that the Lord will not hear, or more precisely will not listen to the prayers of an unrighteous person (e.g. Proverbs 15:29 "The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous", or Psalm 66:18 "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" ).
And they were right to think this, because they did not have the advocate living inside them, the Holy Spirit was not available to give voice to their prayers. And likewise, they did not have the benefit of the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ.
But truly, just the same, who is righteous?
Some interpretations vary on this, and some theological perspectives argue that God may still hear sinners’ prayers, especially if they are repentant (e.g., Luke 18:13-14, the parable of the tax collector).
Luke 18:13
"the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’"
And Jesus said that man was justified. But why? Because he was righteous?
Jesus tells us...
"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
And even the Old Testament confirms that...
Psalm 51:17
"A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise"
Humility and acknowledgment of sin aligns with the biblical principle that God responds to those who seek Him in sincerity and brokenness. Jesus’ declaration that the tax collector was "justified" means he was declared righteous in God’s sight, not because of his own works but because of his faith and God’s grace.
The key lies in the concept of justification by faith, a cornerstone of New Testament theology, particularly emphasized in Paul’s writings (e.g., Romans 5:1, Galatians 2:16).
Why Does This Matter for John 9:31?
The saying was an Old Covenant perspective, where righteousness was tied to obedience to the Law. This view was limited because the Holy Spirit had not yet been given as the indwelling advocate (John 14:16-17), and the imputed righteousness of Christ was also not yet available (2 Corinthians 5:21). So I suppose they were operating under the law they knew. But the fact of the matter is, God hears the prayers of repentant sinners, not because they are righteous in and of themselves, but because they approach Him in faith and humility. Sincere repentance and a humble approach.
Do you think the Pharisees were sincere?
I'd say yes, very much so.
Were they repentant?
No, not so much.
The tax collector’s justification prefigures the New Covenant reality, where Christ’s righteousness is imputed to believers (Romans 4:22-24), and the Holy Spirit intercedes for them (Romans 8:26-27). Therefore, the "righteous" in the New Testament are not those who are sinless but those who are justified by faith in Christ.
Who, Then, Is Righteous?
I think if you follow on in this story about the blind man and his testimony, you'll discover in real-time the truth about this paradigm.
John 9:35
Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
Jesus is looking around for the man he healed from a lifetime of blindness. Jesus is the One looking for him. The man hasn't been baptised. He hasn't even prayed a sinners prayer that we know of. And the Son of God is seeking him out. Doesn't seem very much like a God who isn't interested in the sinner.
And so, Jesus finds him, and the man says...
John 9:36
He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"
So, not only did he NOT ask, but he also didn't even know who to ask, were he trying to ask. He's pretty much clueless in regard to the spiritual path of righteousness. This man is emblematic of the average person of the world, completely blind to the truth. And yet, Righteousness seeks him out, hears his prayer before he even knew to ask it.
John 9:37
Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you."
That's right, he has seen Him. In fact He's the first person he's ever seen. Think about that. The man was born blind. He never knew the look of another human face, in fact, not even his own face. And now the first face he sees is the Son of God.
And He said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him. (John 9:38)
If you were to ask me how I felt about this, I'd have to say I fall into the Wesleyan camp. I believe God’s mercy enables sinners to repent and seek Him, as seen in the tax collector’s prayer. God's work preveniently does that. I don't add to that the idea that justification is a process involving faith, repentance, and cooperation with God’s grace through sacraments and good works. I see those works as an outpouring of the Holy Spirit working through the person of faith. Again, its God doing the good, He's doing the righteousness, He's accomplishing that which pleases the Father. And He's doing the things he was sent to do.
But why is he doing these things?
Is it because the sinner is owed this? No of course not. Is it because the sinner does not sin anymore? No of course not. Is God responding or reacting to the sinner's initiatives? No, turns out not even for that reason Christ came seeking the lost.
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."
"that those who do not see may see" Hmmm.
That's why.
This takes us back to chapter 4 and the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus sought her out. No prayer of her's is required. Jesus came to where she was before she ever got around to praying about it. And I can testify to this reality in my own story. In my own encounter with the Holy One.
But the story isn't finished.
All the while as this conversation between Jesus and the blind man who is no longer blind is still going on, the Pharisees are watching and listening...
John 9:40-41
Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, "Are we also blind?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains."
There's a saying,
"There is none so blind as they who will not see. "
They refused to see. If they say they can see it's because they believe their works reflects their sight for them. They believe in the light of their own works. They see only their own self-righteousness.
Jesus explains this:
John 10:10-3
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens."
What is the door? If it's not sinlessness, adherence to the law, doing good, or works to balance out the accounts, then what is that door?
And Jesus answers this question...
John 10:7-9
"So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture."
They go in and out. Think about that. Jesus is the door to the sheepfold. But he's not only calling them inside. They go in and out. They hear his voice and they know his voice. No other voice leads them. In fact they will flee from another voice. In the evening he calls them and they come because they know his voice. And he stands watch over them in the doorway of the sheepfold. In the morning, he leads them out again into pasture.
John 10:3-4
"The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice."
This is Jesus' religion such as it is. His religion is His voice. His religion is His infinite love and his word. His religion is His leading them out, and as they go God's endeavoring to find his own. He's calling them out. And he's calling them to Himself. Together they all go and seek the others. That's the religion of seeking the lost.
Final thought for today:
A central truth: righteousness is NOT about human merit but it's about God’s grace, mediated through Christ, who seeks out the lost. The Pharisees were deeply committed to their understanding of righteousness, rooted in strict adherence to the Mosaic Law and their oral traditions. Their sincerity is evident in their zeal for religious purity, their rigorous study of Scripture, and their efforts to maintain Israel’s covenant identity under Roman occupation.
And yet, repentance requires humility and a willingness to acknowledge one’s spiritual need, as seen in the tax collector’s plea for mercy or the blind man’s openness to Jesus’ identity (John 9:36-38).
Fact of the matter is, God seeks those who are open to His grace, not those who trust in their own works. Jesus is the door into righteousness. The door is not about achieving sinlessness or balancing good works against sin. It’s about entering through Christ by faith, trusting in His righteousness rather than one’s own. Salvation is not contingent on achieving sinlessness (perfection). The New Testament consistently teaches that salvation is by grace through faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9). The works of righteousness are the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit at work within the one who hears Jesus' voice. It's not about the faith that is alive and at work, it's about the Holy Spirit that gives life to that faith and works through it.
The Pharisees’ reliance on works and self-righteousness is an attempt to bypass the true door, Jesus Himself. And we see these people even today. People trying to find another way into the sheepfold. They see only their own self-righteousness. This is why Jesus says their "guilt remains" (John 9:41).
But the story is not over, I'll see you next time.