The Veil of Blindness

THE VEIL OF BLINDNESS

In John 9 Jesus and the disciples see a man, a beggar, who has been blind from birth.

John 9:1 NET Now as Jesus was passing by, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.

The disciples asked, “Who sinned, the blind man, or the parents.”  Jesus answers that neither the man’s parents nor the man is responsible, but that he is blind so that the acts of God may be displayed through him.

How were the acts of God displayed through this blind man who was healed?  This man was physically blind but the religious leaders were spiritually blind.  It can be said that the beggar’s eyes were veiled until Jesus unveiled Himself to the man.  Everyone is born spiritually blind until Jesus unveils Himself to us and removes the veil from our face so that we may see the truth of God and believe in Him.

Jesus covered the beggar’s eyes with mud made from dirt and spit and He told him to wash his face at the pool of Siloam.  He did what he was told and came back with the ability to see.

John 9:7 NET and said to him, "Go wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated "sent"). So the blind man went away and washed, and came back seeing.

When the beggar returned, Jesus and His crew had previously left.  Some people recognized him as being formerly blind and took him to the Pharisees who questioned him about his recent ability to see.  The religious leaders disagreed among themselves as to whether Jesus was a Man of God because His healing had been performed on the Sabbath and later excommunicated the healed blind man from the Temple.

John 9:16 NET Then some of the Pharisees began to say, "This man is not from God, because he does not observe the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such miraculous signs?" Thus there was a division among them.

The religious leaders during the time of Jesus did not understand that their eyes had been veiled since the days of Moses, when Moses put a veil over his face to hide from them the glory of God.

Exodus 34:29-30, 33 NET Now when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand -- when he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. (30) When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to approach him.  (33) When Moses finished speaking with them, he would put a veil on his face.

The veil did not prevent Moses from seeing, it only hid the glory of God from the people because they did not want to see that glory.

2 Corinthians 3:13-16 NET (13) and not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from staring at the result of the glory that was made ineffective. (14) But their minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away. (15) But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds, (16) but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

Moses was not blind but the Israelite people were blind.  Paul points out that their minds were closed and were still closed because the same veil remains and has not been removed, when they hear the old covenant read.  Only in Jesus Christ can be veil be removed.  The Jewish religious leaders, then and now, retain the veil as long as they have confidence in the Old Covenant and reject the Mediator of the New Covenant (i.e. a veil lies over their heart).

When the blind man was healed he discovered that his belief in Jesus brought him into direct conflict with the religious leaders who claimed to believe in Moses.  However, the religious leaders did not believe in Moses either for the veil remained over their eyes preventing them from viewing the glory of God upon Moses and the glory of God in front of their eyes in the person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus then told the religious leaders in John 5-44-47 that Moses will be their accuser because if they actually believed Moses then they would believe Jesus because Moses wrote about Jesus.

John 5:44-47 NET How can you believe, if you accept praise from one another and don't seek the praise that comes from the only God? (45) "Do not suppose that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. (46) If you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. (47) But if you do not believe what Moses wrote, how will you believe my words?"

The Jews must come to Moses and request him to remove the veil from their face, so that they may read his writings with New Covenant eyes.  (Actually, this applies to everyone).  It is only then that someone can truly see His glory and understand His truth, because when the veil is removed one may read the writings of Moses with New Covenant eyes.  It is then that one comes into direct contact with Jesus Christ who was described as the prophet similar to Moses.

Deuteronomy 18:18 NET I will raise up a prophet like you for them from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them whatever I command.

A paraphrase in the New Testament:

Acts 3:22-26 NET Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey him in everything he tells you. (23) Every person who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed from the people.' (24) And all the prophets, from Samuel and those who followed him, have spoken about and announced these days. (25) You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to Abraham, 'And in your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.' (26) God raised up his servant and sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each one of you from your iniquities."

The veil is connected with the Old Covenant.  According to Galatians 4:24 the Old Covenant, allegorically (or metaphorically) is Hagar, the slave woman, and the earthly city of Jerusalem as stated in Galatians 4:25.  The current Jerusalem is in slavery with her children (i.e. Jews, Edomites, Khazarians, and Zionist Christians).  It can be said the earthly city of Jerusalem is the visible symbol of the Old Covenant that must be “cast out” as a bondwoman.

Anyone who maintains confidence in the Old Covenant and considers Jerusalem to be their spiritual mother is yet veiled and cannot see the glory of the unveiled Christ. Such people are spiritual Ishmaelites and will not be inheritors of the Kingdom unless they repent and become children of the New Jerusalem (i.e. Sarah).

Paul states in Galatians 4:28 that sons and daughters of Jesus Christ are like Isaac – they are the children of promise.

Galatians 4:22-26 NET For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. (23) But one, the son by the slave woman, was born by natural descent, while the other, the son by the free woman, was born through the promise. (24) These things may be treated as an allegory, for these women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar. (25) Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. (26) But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

Galatians 4:28 NET But you, brothers and sisters, are children of the promise like Isaac.

Galatians 4:30-31 NET But what does the scripture say? "Throw out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the son" of the free woman. (31) Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman but of the free woman.

In verse 25 states that the present Jerusalem represents Mt. Sinai and is in slavery.  Verse 26 promises a New Jerusalem i.e. the Jerusalem that is above which is free from slavery because the New Jerusalem like Sarah is our mother.