April 29,2012
Lesson Focus:
Jesus power can change
blindness to sight
Lesson Scripture:
John 9:1-17
INTRODUCTION. As serious as physical blindness is, there is nothing more serious than spiritual blindness. In this week’s lesson, Jesus healed a man who had been blind since birth. Jesus used this experience to teach an important lesson to His disciples and to all Israel: He is Israel’s Light as well as ours.
(vs. 1).Our text begins with “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.” After a lengthy conversation with the scribes and Pharisees that led to an attempted stoning of Jesus from which He escaped (see John 8:12-59), He and His disciples came across a man in Jerusalem who had been blind since birth.In essence, he was born blind.
(vs. 2).At this point “his (Jesus’) disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?”The question on their minds was had this man suffered God’s judgment and was born blind as a result of his sin or by some sin committed by his parents?Their question was a bit odd because if the man was being punished for a sin he committed, he would have had to sin in his mother’s womb.That would be absurd!The disciples were merely repeating the teachings of their rabbis that a person’s suffering was always the result of specific sins on the part of him or his parents.Unfortunately many people feel this way today.
(vs. 3). Jesus’ response to His disciples was “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” We should take note of the first part of Jesus’ answer that “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents. There are those who are quick to accuse anyone who is suffering from illness or adversity of being chastised or punished by God. Sometimes bad things happen to people in the normal course of things, and are not the judgment of God. It is true that God chastens for all sins, but not all suffering is the result of specific, personal sins. The second part of Jesus’ answer “but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” gives us the reason why the man was born blind. It was so that God could use His divine power to make the blind man an instrument by which God could glorify Himself (see John 11:4).
(vs. 4). Jesus continued to say, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” A divine compulsion caused Jesus to focus on His Father’s work. He said, “I must work the works of him that sent me.”The phrase “while it is day” refers to Jesus’ time on earth as He carried out His public ministry. However, the time was coming when He would no longer be able to continue what He was doing. Jesus called that coming time “night” referring to His crucifixion. Note: Christians are stewards of the time God allots to us (see Ephesians 5:16). We should use our time on earth wisely before the arrival of “night,” that is, the end of our earthly sojourn when we can do no more.
(vs. 5).Jesus concluded His response to His disciples by saying “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”The first phrase of this verse, “As long as I am in the world” indicates that the Jesus’ public ministry in the world would last only about three years.His words therefore, contained a note of urgency.He needed to act decisively, for He had limited time.Christians should have this same attitude as we shine for God in the world (see Matthew 5:14-16; Philippians 2:15).
(vs. 6). At this point Jesus turned His attention to the blind man. John wrote that “When he (Jesus) had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.” After Jesus finished talking with His disciples, He spit on the ground and made clay and He put the mixture on the blind man’s eyes.
(vs. 7). After applying the spit and dirt mixture to the blind man’s eyes, Jesus “said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.” As in most, if not all the miracles of Jesus, the object of the miracle was required to demonstrate faith. In the case of this blind man, he had to exercise faith by going to wash the mixture off his eyes “in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.)” When he did, he came away with full sight. This was a miracle that produced complete ability to see instantly.
(vs. 8). When the former blind man returned home John says, “The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?” Able to see for the first time in his life, the man returned to his neighborhood. When the surprised local residents saw him, they began discussing whether or not this was really the man they had known as the blind beggar. They asked among themselves, “Is not this he that sat and begged?” In other words, someone asked, isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg? It appears that whoever asked this question was a bit confident that this was the same man. However, there also appears to be some doubt, for the speaker was seeking confirmation.
(vs. 9). As the discussion about the man born blind continued among his neighbors, John tells us that “Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.” In answer to the question in verse 8, someone declared, “This is he.” Another neighbor challenged that opinion and stated that “He is like him” suggesting that this was not the same man but rather someone who merely looked like the man born blind. Since miracles, then as now, were not common or expected, mistaken identity was the easiest way to explain what they saw. Overhearing this conversation, the healed man decided to end the speculation and simply said, “I am he.” The healed man assured his neighbors that he was indeed the man who had been blind.(vs. 10). Having settled the identity question, this verse says “Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?” The neighbors wanted to know how someone who had never seen before could all of a sudden have normal eyesight prompting them to ask the once blind man, “How were thine eyes opened?”They wanted to know how he was now able to see.
(vs. 11). The once blind man “answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.” The man simply told them what had happened, even though he didn’t understand it himself. He told them that a man named Jesus had made clay, put it on his eyes and told him to wash it off in the Pool of Siloam. When he did this, his eyes were opened and he was able to see.
(vs. 12). This verse says “Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.” The neighbors wanted to know where this Jesus was. The healed man could only answer, I don’t know. He didn’t know where Jesus was because he returned to his own neighborhood immediately after the miracle. He had no idea what Jesus looked like. Jesus could’ve been standing right in front of him and the healed man would not have recognized Him. It would be sometime later when Jesus would come to the healed man and reveal Himself as the One who gave him his sight (see John 9:35-38).
(vs. 13). John now tells us that “They (the neighbors) brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.” Instead of rejoicing with the healed man over this miracle, the neighbors took him to the Pharisees. No doubt they felt something as unusual as this required the insight of their highly respected religious leaders.
(vs. 14). In this verse, John gives us a significant bit of information when it comes to the opposition of the Pharisees to Jesus. John wrote “And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.” The Pharisees had a very legalistic view of the Sabbath which caused them to oppose almost everything Jesus did on that day of the week. It provided them with numerous excuses for condemning Jesus and His ministry. Note: Jesus had come to fulfill the law and was not bound to it legalistically as the Pharisees were. In fact, He had informed them that the Sabbath was made for man and not the other way around. He also told them that He was Lord of the Sabbath (see Mark 2:23-28). For this reason, it was not an issue for Jesus to give this man his sight on the Sabbath, but it was an issue for the Pharisees.
(vs. 15). Now John writes, “Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.” The Pharisees immediately wanted to hear for themselves how the healed man received his sight so they asked him “how he had received his sight.” The healed man simply repeated for the second time that Jesus put clay upon his eyes, he washed it off, and was able to see.
(vs. 16). After the healed man repeated how he received his sight before the Pharisees, this verse says “Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.” The Pharisees concluded that Jesus was not a man of God because “he keepeth not the sabbath day” meaning that Jesus didn’t keep it holy by not performing any work on that day. Note: The Jewish Sabbath, Saturday, was the weekly holy day of rest. The Pharisees had made a long list of what one could and could not do on the Sabbath. Making clay and healing the blind man was considered work and therefore not allowed. Jesus may have purposely made the clay in order to emphasize His teaching about the Sabbath---that it is right to care for others’ need even if it means working on a day of rest. Since Jesus broke their petty rules, the Pharisees decided that He was not from God. While some of the Pharisees considered Jesus to be a sinner, others wondered if he was a sinner, how could He do such miracles? Of course this caused a division among the Pharisees.
(vs. 17). Since the Pharisees couldn’t agree on who Jesus was, John says “They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.” When the Pharisees asked the healed man for his opinion of Jesus, his conclusion was “He is a prophet.” This man who had been blind from birth now had more insight into who Jesus was than Israel’s leaders. It was because as the healed man would say later to the Pharisees, “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25). Since this man was open to the truth, Jesus later found him and he became a believer (see John 9:35-38).
CONCLUSION. We can trust Jesus to shed light on our dark situations at any time today if we are willing to trust Him with our burdens and impossible predicaments.The blind man’s situation was something he had become accustomed to. But when Jesus stepped in, it changed His life. He not only received his sight because he was willing to believe and obey, but he also received Jesus for whom He truly is, the One sent from God. We too need to see Jesus as the One who saves us from our darkness. Indeed, He is the Light of the World!
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