Read John 9:1-12
What can we learn from these opening verses?
- In Jesus time there was a belief that calamity or suffering like this was the result of some great sin. But Jesus used this man’s condition to glorify God.
- We live in a fallen world where seemingly innocent people will suffer, whilst those who are perceived to be wicked might go unpunished.
- If God removed all pain and suffering, we would follow him for comfort and convenience, and not necessarily out of love.
- Questions such as, ‘What did I do to deserve this?’ and ‘Why is this happening to me?’ are common in times of suffering.
But what should we be asking God for to help us through those bad times?
Read John 9:13-34
Looking at the role of the Pharisees in these verses, what do we discover?
- People were being healed and lives were being changed, but they were too busy looking for ways to discredit Jesus.
- They were more interested in the letter of the law than the practicalities of it. But what about us today, how would we react in a similar situation?
What about the role of the parents of the blind man in these verses?
- They believed in what they saw, but were afraid to acknowledge this. How often are we afraid to acknowledge our beliefs, for whatever reasons?
Then we come to the man himself, what can we learn from him?
- He knew he had been healed, although unsure of exactly how this had happened. Yet he was no afraid to tell the truth when questioned by the authorities.
- Even when they press hard on him, still the man is defiant in the truth. What about us today, how faithful to the truth are we when we are sorely tested in this way?
Who are we more like here, the Pharisees or the blind man?
Read John 9:35-41
What do these final verses teach us?
- This man was physically healed of his blindness, but great as that was, it was nothing to the healing of his spiritual blindness
- The longer this man experienced his new life in Christ, the stronger and more confident he became in the one who healed him. Today the same applies to us, the longer and closer we walk with Christ, the stronger our faith and belief in Him will become.
- The spiritual blindness that Jesus is speaking of comes about as a result of selfishness, complacency and self-centeredness and we need to keep asking ourselves if any of these are beginning to creep into our lives, because once they do, it is then that we lose sight of Jesus.
In this passage we are introduced to four groups of people who react in different ways to what they witness:
- The man’s neighbours revealed surprise and scepticism, and didn’t commit themselves.
- The Pharisee’s showed disbelief and prejudice, and rejected the claims of Jesus.
- The man’s parents believed, but kept quiet through fear.
- The man himself believed and showed consistent growing faith in Jesus as a result of what He did for him.
The question is, where do we fit into this?