JOHN 9:1-7
1
Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was
blind from birth.
2 And His disciples asked Him, saying,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his
parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.
4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me
while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the
light of the world.”
6 When He had said
these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He
anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.
7
And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated,
Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
True or false - God is the one who ultimately allows
disease or suffering to take place?
True, because He is ultimately sovereign over all situations:
"Are
not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the
ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are
all numbered." (Matthew 10:29-30)
Then what are some of the different biblical examples of
why God allows disease or suffering?
To demonstrate His power to heal:
"that the works of God should be
revealed" (John 9:3)
To be blessed:
"Even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake,
you are blessed." (1 Peter 3:14)To demonstrate and develop our
faith. (the entire book of Job)
To punish sin:
“See, you have been made well. Sin no more”
(John 5:14)
To punish parents' sin:
"For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and
fourth generations." (Exodus 20:5)
Note that disease and suffering entered the world when sin entered. There
was no disease, suffering or death when God created the world, and there
will be none when we are reconciled to God:
"And God will wipe away
every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor
crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed
away." (Revelation 21:4).
Why do you think Jesus chose to use spit and mud instead of
just saying, "Be healed”?
The answers will follow below.
The passage below can be read as a six-part
script. If you are leading a study with at least five others, assign
parts as follows and role-play a few times:
Blind Man
His Parents
His Neighbors
Pharisees 1
Pharisees 2
Narrator
JOHN 9:8-34 8
Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was
blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”
9 Some said, “This
is he.” Others said, “He is like him.”
He said, “I am he.”
10 Therefore they said to him, “How were
your eyes opened?” 11 He answered
and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and
anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So
I went and washed, and I received sight.”
12 Then they said to him,
“Where is He?” He said,
“I do not know.” 13 They brought
him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 14
Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
15 Then the Pharisees also asked him
again how he had received his sight. He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said,
“This Man is not from God, because He does not keep
the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man
who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among
them. 17 They said to the blind man
again, “What do you say about Him because He opened
your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18 But the Jews did not believe
concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until
they called the parents of him who had received his sight.
19 And they asked them, saying,
“Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How
then does he now see?” 20 His
parents answered them and said, “We know that this
is our son, and that he was born blind; 21
but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we
do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.”
22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews,
for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was
Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.
23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 So they again called the man who was
blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We
know that this Man is a sinner.” 25
He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or
not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I
see.” 26 Then they said to him
again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your
eyes?” 27 He answered them,
“I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do
you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”
28 Then they reviled him and said,
“You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples.
29 We know that
God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is
from.” 30 The man answered and
said to them, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that
you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!
31 Now we know that God
does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His
will, He hears him. 32
Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes
of one who was born blind. 33
If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
34 They answered and said to him,
“You were completely born in sins, and are you
teaching us?” And they cast him out.
Does this work as a script?
Yes. The next time anyone says the Bible is a nebulous allegory, feel free to show them this passage. A 10-year old can read this and understand it with absolute clarity.
What are they accusing Jesus of in John 9:16?
That He didn’t keep the Sabbath.
What are they saying He did on the Sabbath?
That He worked.
Are they right?
No, they mistakenly categorized doing good as 'work':
"Then He
[Jesus] said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if
it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?
Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to
do good on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:11-12)
What did the blind man's parents fear from the Jews?
Being
"put out of the synagogue."
(John 9:22)
What was the big deal about that? Couldn't they just join
another synagogue or do without it altogether?
Life back then revolved around the synagogue, which was the center of
religious, economic and social activity. There was one synagogue per town,
so being "put out" meant the end of one's religious, social and economic
life in that town.
Why do the Pharisees say that the blind man was
"completely born in sins" (John 9:34)?
They were attributing his blindness to the sins of his parents.
Are they right?
No, see Jesus' statement in John 9:3 above.
What is the blind man's demeanor toward the religious
leaders?
He shows no fear or intimidation toward them or the possibility of being put
out of the synagogue.
What's remarkable about that?
Having been born blind and therefore deemed into sin, he must have been
ostracized all of his life. This was his chance to impress the local leaders
- tell them what they want to hear, if needed - and gain acceptance into the
community. Yet, he stands by the truth and the One who healed him.
How would you characterize what he tells the Pharisees?
He doesn’t get into complicated theology. He just tells them what he knows.
What does he even admit in John 9:25?
What he doesn't know.
What are the lessons for us?
It’s never too early to be a witness for Christ. Being a witness doesn't mean
we have to have all of the answers, but rather simply telling people what
Jesus did for us and what we do know about Him.
JOHN 9:35-38 35
Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He
said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
36 He answered and said, “Who is He,
Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 And
Jesus said to him, You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking
with you.” 38 Then he said, “Lord, I
believe!” And he worshiped Him.
What were the stages in the blind man's identification of Jesus?
“The Man called Jesus (John 9:11)
He is a prophet (John 9:17)
“Lord” (John 9:38)
What should the blind man have done the second he saw
Jesus in John 9:35?
Fell on his knees and thanked Jesus.
Why didn’t he do that?
He didn’t recognize Jesus because he hadn’t yet seen Him. Remember, Jesus
put clay on the man's eyes and was gone by the time he returned after
washing in the pool.
So why might Jesus have healed him using clay to be washed
off?
To give him an “action” story
to tell instead of just, “He said something, and I saw”, and also to give
him a chance to make all the more commendable stance in front of the
authorities by witnessing for someone he knew but hadn't yet seen face
to face.
In that sense, how is the testimony he gave similar to our
testimony today?
We also know who Jesus is and what He did for us, but have yet to see Him face to face.
JOHN 9:39-41 39
And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those
who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”
40 Then some of the Pharisees who were
with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?”
41 Jesus said to them, “If you were
blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your
sin remains.
Who is Jesus speaking to in John 9:39?
It sounds more like a declaration to the crowd, which includes
"the
Pharisees who were with Him" (John 9:40) than a private statement to the man He
had healed.
What is Jesus saying?
He is speaking in the spiritual realm, saying that His presence overturns
the world's notion of who is right and wrong, whereby those whom the world
sees as visionaries - i.e., the Pharisees - are exposed to be spiritually
blind, while those whom the world ignores turn out to
be the spiritually discerned. So, although He didn't come to to
implement judgment, judgment is what results, and not according to the
notions of
"this world" (John 9:39)
Does it hit a nerve with the Pharisees?
Yes,
"Then some of the Pharisees who were
with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?”
(John 9:40)
What is Jesus' response in John 9:41?
Their self-proclaimed spiritual knowledge convicts them of their own sins.
What did the Pharisees end up doing to the healed man?
"They cast him out." (John 9:34)
Does something like that happen today to those who turn to
Christ?
All the time. Becoming Christian doesn't just rock our world, but also those
of our family and friends, who often don't know what to make of our
conversion and witnessing, feel uncomfortable, and could end up "casting us out" as well.
But what we believe must be a function of the truth, not a function of the potential
fallout from that belief. And don't just believe who Jesus is; believe
also in His sovereignty over earthly relationships. Submit first to the
truth of Jesus, then ask Him to manage those relationships as He sees best,
and to use you to touch them with His truth as well. And remember the blind
man, as well as the millions of Christians in places like China, Sudan and
Saudi Arabia who risk imprisonment, torture and even death for their faith
but continue to stand fearlessly for Jesus, just like the blind man.