John Bible Study - Lesson 26

John Bible Study - Lesson 26

Read the passage below using the 2 different Bible translations:

John 9:1-34 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴ As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵ While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

⁶ After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ⁷ “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

⁸ His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹ Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

¹⁰ “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

¹¹ He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

¹² “Where is this man?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

¹³ They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. ¹⁴ Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. ¹⁵ Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”

But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.

¹⁷ Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”

The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

¹⁸ They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. ¹⁹ “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

²⁰ “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. ²¹ But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” ²² His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. ²³ That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

²⁴ A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”

²⁵ He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

²⁶ Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

²⁷ He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

²⁸ Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! ²⁹ We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

³⁰ The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will.³² Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. ³³ If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

³⁴ To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

John 9:1-34 New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. ² “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”

³ “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. ⁴ We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. ⁵ But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

⁶ Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. ⁷ He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!

⁸ His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹ Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”

But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”

¹⁰ They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”

¹¹ He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!”

¹² “Where is he now?” they asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied.

¹³ Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees,¹⁴ because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. ¹⁵ The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.

¹⁷ Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”

The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”

¹⁸ The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. ¹⁹ They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?”

²⁰ His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, ²¹ but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.” ²² His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue.²³ That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”

²⁴ So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”

²⁵ “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”

²⁶ “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”

²⁷ “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”

²⁸ Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! ²⁹ We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”

³⁰ “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? ³¹ We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. ³² Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. ³³ If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.”

³⁴ “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.

Note:

Here are the 3 questions for you to answer. I have given some basic answers below the questions to help you understand the passage. Answer the questions first yourself before you look at my answers. Take a moment before you begin and ask God to help you understand what you are reading.

3 questions to answer:

1.    Content: What is this passage about?

2.    Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

3.    Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

Answers to the questions above and some background:

Content: What is this passage about?

·        Jesus’ disciples ask about the spiritual condition of a man born blind.

·    Jesus answers and explains why this man was born blind and what Jesus Himself offers as the light of the world.

·        Jesus tells the disciples about the importance of doing God’s work.

·        Jesus heals the man born blind and tells him to go back home.

·        Neighbors of the now healed blind man were amazed that he could see.

·        The man told them that Jesus healed him.

·        The Pharisees investigate the healing based on what the neighbors told them.

·        The Pharisees found out after questioning the man that Jesus had healed him by making mud from spit and dirt and then put it on his eyes. Then Jesus told him to go home and after washing his eyes, the man had received his sight.

·      Some of the Pharisees state that Jesus could not be a man of God since He had disobeyed the law and supposedly healed a man on the Sabbath. They felt that Jesus was just another sinner and had no power or authority from God to heal anyone.

·        The man born blind calls Jesus a prophet

·    Many Jews did not believe that this man was born blind but his parents confirmed he was.

Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

·        Jesus answering the question about the man born blind states that the reason the man was born blind was not due to sin but rather to display the power of God through Jesus’ healing of the man.

·        Judaism at the time taught that all personal suffering was the result of a person’s sin.

·        We do acknowledge, and scripture does teach, that sin brings personal suffering.

·        Think about it, God provides a way to take away the power and bondage of sin in a person’s life through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.  In fact the Holy Spirit will convict us of our sin and give us the power to repent.

·        Also, God uses suffering in a person’s life for transformational purposes:

Romans 5:1-5 New International Version (NIV)

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

·        We know that God used Jesus’ suffering for the benefit of all (The Cross)

·        The metaphor for healing a man born blind relates to the fact that God opens the eyes of lost people and reveals the truth about Himself and their purpose for existence. We exist for God’s Glory and His purpose, which ultimately is our privilege and blessing.

·        We must be able to grapple the healing of this blind man. The man never had sight to begin with. Jesus created the ability for this man to see.

·        Jesus also told this man to go and wash His eyes from the mud Jesus put on them.  The man being obedient to Jesus’ command did so, thus the healing was based on the man’s faith and trust in Jesus.

·        In the same way, our healing of our spiritual condition comes from faith and trust in Jesus.

·        Jesus made a personal connection with this man. Likewise Jesus makes a personal connection with us when we are willing to trust Him with our lives. Jesus even said this:

John 14:23 New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.

·        Our relationship with Jesus is rooted in love and love is why Jesus went to the Cross:

John 3:16 New Living Translation (NLT)

 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

·        Every human is born with a sin nature alienated from God

·        Jesus was sent to change our relationship with God. He reconciled us to God through His work on the Cross. Reconciliation means that Jesus’ work changes how God’s sees those who become His followers. We are no longer enemies, but friends who are now part of God’s family. We are at peace with God.

·        The healing of the blind man mystified His neighbors.

·        The Pharisees, who did not recognize Jesus’ power sought to discredit Him.

·        The Pharisees accuse Jesus of breaking the Sabbath which was sinful according to God’s law.

·        The Pharisees wanted to undermine the validity of Jesus’ miracle.

·        When the Pharisees questioned the man that was born blind, they got so frustrated with his answers that they threw Him out of the synagogue.

·        The Parents of the man born blind confirmed he was born that way but in fear of retribution from the Jewish leaders did not comment on the miracle that took place

·        When we speak for Jesus we run the risk of being ridiculed and persecuted. Jesus even told us that this would happen:

John 15:18-20 New International Version (NIV)

The World Hates the Disciples

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

·        The Pharisees insult the man for telling the truth:  ^“Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses!”.  “You were born a total sinner!”

·        We can expect the same treatment from those who reject God’s truth.

·        So, declaring the work and truth of Jesus always carries a cost but always remember the cost Jesus paid for us!

·        The fact is, the Pharisees refused to acknowledge God’s Messiah. They rejected what the prophets foretold. They refused to believe that they needed saving from their sin. They did not know what God’s Word truly revealed about His plan of salvation. The Pharisees and many other Jewish leaders held onto their prideful ignorance and rebellion against God. They were more concerned about holding onto power than knowing the real truth.

·        The real truth is this:

Romans 5:8 New Living Translation (NLT)

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners

·        The story of the man born blind tells us a lot about God’s love and the sinful nature we inherited.

·        God loves us regardless of our sin, yet He wants us all to confess and repent so we can be healed and no longer be separated from Him.

·        God cares about our spiritual condition and offers His grace and free gift of eternal life.

·        We are all truly born blind in a spiritual sense but God has revealed Himself to the world and we have no excuse to ignore His creation and His work of redemption.

Romans 1:20 New International Version (NIV)

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

·        The Pharisees claimed to have all this knowledge about God but they missed having a personal relationship with Him.

·        They could have learned from Moses about what a personal relationship with God looks like. They claimed to be disciples of Moses and children of Abraham but neither of these Patriarchs would have rejected God and His Son. In fact, both trusted God to keep His promises and His covenant with His people.  

·        Jesus said, “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”  As followers of Jesus we must act on our faith and tell the world the Truth about the Gospel while there is still time!  

Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

·        Continue to ask God to reveal His truth and to keep your eyes open to His plan for your life.

·        Be careful of false teachers. Test everything with God’s Word.

·        Help open the eyes of those who are lost by speaking the truth in love.

Don’t forget:

John’s main purpose in writing this Gospel:

·        To tell the world that Jesus is the Messiah for the Jews and Gentiles

·        The events were recorded so that we might believe and have eternal life

John 20:30-31 New International Version (NIV)

The Purpose of John’s Gospel

³⁰ Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Questions to ponder:

·        How are you helping others who doubt the work of Jesus?

·        Does your life represent one whose eyes have been opened by Jesus?

·        How are you dealing with the sin in your life?

·        Has fear prevented you having your identity in Jesus?

·        Are you sharing your God story with others?

Have a great week…………….Dave