Back in John 8: 12 Jesus makes the statement “I am the light of the world.” Tonight we see Jesus paint a picture by giving light to a blind man. Tonight we will see one man’s eyes opening brighter and brighter to the light and a group of Pharisees’ whose eyes are becoming closed.

Encounter Jesus – John Week 12

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

John 9: 1-41

AUDIO

Lecture Handout

John Week 12 Handout

Lesson Notes

The Stage (John 9: 1-5)

  • John reintroduces us to Jesus’ disciples, which haven’t been on the stage since John 7:3
  • The text says His disciple ask a question on the nature of this man’s blindness. The disciple’s question has two meanings: One is why and other is who is to be judged. The disciples are trying to figure what happened to this man that God made him blind.
  • This is nothing new in those times. Jews believed that if someone was born with a disability or an ailment that someone sinned in order for the person to be born in such a way.
  • Genesis 25: 22-23, The struggle of Esau and Jacob in Rebekah’s womb comes to mind
  • We see Jesus responding to the Disciple’s question by saying neither. Jesus shifted the discussion of blame to a discussion of grace. Jesus was going to use t his man’s tragedy to reveal works of God (John 9: 3). John certainly does not think that the occurrence of blindness from birth was outside the sweep of God’s control and therefore his purpose.
  • In fact, we see his situation became a celebration and the situation of the Pharisees became the tragedy.
  • Jesus’ mention of works of God lead to a further statement on work both in terms of reaffirming the personal mission of Jesus (him who sent me) and the role of Jesus with his followers (“we must do the work”).
  • The emphasis in this verse clearly falls on the earthly work of Jesus (“as long as it is day”)
  • It’s important to note also the symbols of light and darkness (John 1: 4-5; 8:12) as ancient universal religious symbols used to represent themes of good and evil.
  • The contrast of day and night would be read in the post-resurrection era as a reminder that after the “Night” of the Lamb of God’s death (John 13: 30), and the daylight had reappeared with the resurrection of the Lord (John 21: 3-4).
  • The night was to be an extremely difficult time for the disciples.
  • However, “Night” has not come yet. Jesus was still in the world, and was the “light of the world” (John 9: 5).

The Miracle(John 9: 6-7)

  • The first five verses serve as a window to the meaning of the sign in the remaining verses.
  • There are a lot of different ideas why Jesus used mud to cover the man’s eyes. I might note that it reinforces his blindness even more and makes the outcome of the miracle much more beautiful.
  • Jesus sent the blind man to a pool named, “Siloam.” It is interesting to see that John includes the name of the pool, “Sent”
  • As such the pool’s name is indicative both of Jesus’ mission and his command to those who would receive his blessings and become identified as his followers.
  • The man’s eyes are opened not by the pool, but the light of the world.
  • Now comes the funniest and saddest parts of the whole story. We will see 5 different conversations regarding this miracle.

The Neighbors (John 9: 8-12)

  • The first group of people that the man has a conversation with is his neighbors.
  • The neighbors were the first to observe the transformation in the man, and they began the typical questioning when something is difficult to accept.
  • They literally ask if this was the same beggar?
  • They ask him how his eyes were opened. He tells them “the man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go wash in the pool called Siloam”
  • The Beggar who is now starting to see more clearly the light knows Jesus name, but simply calls him a “Man”

The Pharisees (John 9: 13-17)

  • John tells us they take t his man to the Pharisees; they wanted to get advice from the local religious leaders.
  • We also now find out that it is also the Sabbath, which should remind us about what happened last time Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath.
  • Three things regarding the Sabbath
    • Healing was allowed, in the case of someone being extremely sick and his or her life was in danger, the beggar’s life was not in danger.
    • Jesus made mud on the Sabbath, which mud or clay is the same word for bread. So Jesus is in essence making bread on the Sabbath.
    • Finally, the Pharisees don’t know if anointing eyes are legal on the Sabbath
  • So the Pharisees open up their investigation about “this man called Jesus”
  • There were two main divisions
    • Some of the Pharisees decided that Jesus was not from God because He doesn’t keep the Sabbath
    • Some find it hard to believe Jesus is a sinner since he does wonders and signs
  • The result of their investigation was a division among their group, so they sought the healed man’s own evaluation/witness to the healing.
  • This time the Blind man, who is now starting to see clear and clearly seeing the light, calling Jesus not a man, but a prophet.

The Pharisees and his parents (John 9: 18-23)

  • The Pharisees think it would be helpful for their investigation if they go talk to the blind man’s parents. Which I think is one of the funniest parts of this whole story. Remember that the disciples asked Jesus who sinned, this man or his parents, so I guess the Pharisees wanted to see if their son sinned or they sinned.
  • Notice John shifts from the Pharisees to the “Jews” which might mean that the differences of the group before was ended by now. They joined forces to attack this poor man.
  • The parents had no problem answering the first question of the Jews (John 9: 19). They affirm that this man is indeed their son
  • The parents however don’t answer the second question they ask, like people who refuse to become involved in assisting helpless victims for fear of consequences to themselves.
  • The parents lack the knowledge to even answer the second question.
  • So they tell the Jews he is of age to speak, which means he was at least 13.

The Beggar and Pharisees Again (John 9: 24-34)

  • A second time they call upon the beggar to tell them the “who and the how”
  • Notice they call upon the man to “give glory to God.” This is not a praise statement but the equivalent of a Jewish oath, which the authorities employed to call the man to give an honest witness and confess any sinfulness in his testimony.
  • Notice they seem to  have reached the conclusion that Jesus was a sinner, the beggar doesn’t challenge their technical verdict, but instead he asserts the truthfulness of his own authority.
  • The Pharisees again ask him “how and who.” This time the beggar seems to have gotten angry. Reaffirming what he already told them, he hilariously asks them if they “also want to become his disciple.”
  • John slips in the revealed fact that the beggar has become the disciple of Jesus. “Also”
  • In contrast the Pharisees assert their own acceptability by their connection to Moses.
  • The Pharisees knew God spoke to Moses and we would all agree to that statement, but the second part of the statement concerning this Jesus fellow was clearly steeped in irony. John writes two other times in his gospel that Moses was a witness to the primacy of Jesus (John 1: 17; John 5: 45-47).
  • The Beggar’s response makes me laugh! The religious authority of the day whom were supposedly represented the perspective of God actually failed to recognize the work of God.
  • They also failed to recognize where the healer came from
  • The Beggar goes on to instruct the Pharisees in his theology of God, he asserted the uniqueness of his experience, and he concluded the certainty of Jesus’ Divine ministry.
  • The Pharisees don’t listen to this transformed man, and throw him out into the streets.
  • They categorized this man as sinner, he was ignorant of correct theology and by their standards lacked respect for the law and traditions of the rabbis
  • The irony of the story is the answer to the question concerning his right to teach them was such in fact that he could have taught them a lot
  • By excluding him, it meant that they could avoid his testimony, as a result they failed to hear the message from God in the transformation of a previously helpless reject of society.
  • Accordingly they failed to experience the joy of the tabernacles’ proclamation of hope and freedom. Instead, they remained in spirit of bondage (John 8: 31-34) as did those who died in the wilderness even though they had crossed the sea as a result of the Passover.

Jesus and the Beggar (John 9: 35-38)

  • This is the first time we actually see Jesus being a part of the story since the beginning of the chapter.
  • Notice that Jesus searches out for the blind man and finds him, it’s no accident that in the next chapter is about Jesus as the shepherd who gathers his sheep.
  • Jesus asked him a question that probed him to the very core of his being. Here believing did not mean the mere acceptance of signs, but the active commitment of himself to the son of man, who brought God’s hope and forgiveness to the world.
  • The blind man, now standing in front of the light of the world, sees everything so clearer and does the only thing he thinks is appropriate: He worships the son of man.
  • Jesus does the works of God. Jesus is the glory of God. Jesus is to be worshiped. The man was blind. And then he called Jesus, “the man.” And then he called him a prophet. And t hen defended him at a huge risk. Then fell down and worshiped him. This is why Jesus came into the world. He is seeking worshipers.
  • John 1: 14: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. That’s what the blind man saw. That’s what the Pharisees did not see, which is why this chapter ends with blindness just like it began, only worse.