John 9:8-41 | What's the lesson for the original audience?

The contrast between belief and unbelief, and the contrast between sight and blindness would be prominent to the reader of the time. It is a very clear message all throughout the Old Testament. Consider these following passages knowing the the audience of the time would likely have reflected over this.

9      And He said, “Go, and tell this people:
    ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
    Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
    10      “Make the heart of this people dull,
    And their ears heavy,
    And shut their eyes;
    Lest they see with their eyes,
    And hear with their ears,
    And understand with their heart,
    And return and be healed.”
-Isaiah 6:9-10

    9      Pause and wonder!
    Blind yourselves and be blind!
    They are drunk, but not with wine;
    They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.
    10      For the LORD has poured out on you
    The spirit of deep sleep,
    And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets;
    And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers.
-Isaiah 29:9-10

10      His watchmen are blind,
    They are all ignorant;
    They are all dumb dogs,
    They cannot bark;
    Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
-Isaiah 56:10

21      ‘Hear this now, O foolish people,
    Without understanding,
    Who have eyes and see not,
    And who have ears and hear not:
-Jeremiah 5:21

2 “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.
-Ezekiel 12:2

The contrast that is highlighted encourages the reader to take a single course of action: open their eyes and see. Do not be as those that have eyes and do not see. Consider the testimony of the man. Once he was blind, but now he saw. That is powerful. More than his eyes being physically open, he saw the spiritual reality of who Jesus is, while those who were blessed with sight their whole life, could not see beyond their own pride.

What lesson do you see?