Devotional Questions:
John 9:11-38
The Blind Man
- How does the man progressively refer to Jesus (vv.11, 17, 33, 38)? In my spiritual journey, how have I experienced this kind of progression in my understanding of who God is?
- What role did the harsh interrogation and his vigorous defense of Jesus before the Pharisees play in strengthening the man’s faith? What does this reveal about the role of personal evangelism in strengthening my faith?
“The expression ‘they had thrown him out’ refers to excommunication from the synagogue, isolating him from his family and friends and debarring him from employment.”[1]
“The term “Son of Man” was a Messianic title, and a term used of Christ to express his deity (see John 3:13; 5:27; 6:27; cf. Matt 26:63-64).”[2]
- What can I learn about Jesus from the fact that he finds the man after hearing “they had thrown him out?”
- What was the man’s response upon learning that he was standing before Jesus, the Son of Man?
- How have I experienced Jesus “finding” me and what are the ways that I have “seen” Jesus in my own life that led to worshipping him?
The Pharisees
- One recurring source of controversy between Jesus and the Pharisees was healing on the Sabbath, which the Pharisees interpreted as a violation of the fourth commandment. What is the Pharisees’ logic in v.16? How is their logic flawed? How could they have avoided this flawed logic? Are there human values that I hold that might be unbiblical and based on such flawed reasoning?
- What is the reaction of the neighbors (vv.8-12) and the Pharisees to the man, and what (of all things!) was the trigger for their response? What is surprising and not so surprising about the reaction of the neighbors and the Pharisees? What implication does this have on my view of the task of a Christian who bears (or should) witness to Jesus’ power to bring healing and change?
- Think about the progression of the Pharisees’ reaction from initial investigation to “hurling insults” at the man, and from saying “we know this man is a sinner” (v.24) to “we don’t know where he comes from.” How does this contrast with the progression of the blind man’s view of Jesus? What does this reveal about the operation of pride vs. humbly reflecting on what God has done?
- Why were the Pharisees so reluctant to actually respond with awe and praise at the man’s healing, though they gave lip service to giving God glory? What does this reveal about a fundamental feature of human response to God’s activity—which almost always involves specific people, and is often particular, historical, and local?
- Have I ever encountered those who seem to be interested in giving God glory, but resist and criticize any specific manifestation of God’s activity through actual people? How can the call to “give glory to God” sometimes be used to actually refuse to acknowledge the particular ways and instrumentalities through which God’s blessing or work occurs?
John 9:39-41
“Jesus’ remark, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind,’ makes him the pivot on which human destiny turns. The Pharisees, assuming that they could ‘see’ without his intervention, asked in resentment, ‘Are we blind too?’ Jesus’ reply indicated that if they had acknowledged blindness, they could be freed from sin; but if they asserted that they could see when they were really blind, there would be no remedy for them.”[3]
- How is v.39 a succinct summary of what happened to the blind man versus the Pharisees?
- What did the Pharisees “see” that led to them “becom[ing] blind?”
- What warning does this passage have for me?
Additional Questions:
John 9:2-3
- To what extent is the disciples’ view of sin, God and life’s circumstances, as represented by their question, typical of how I react either to others’ or my own misfortunes? What kind of relationship with God would such a view foster? How does Jesus’ response clarify this issue?
- How have some pains of the past been used as a necessary step for my experience of God’s work in my life?
John 9:4-5
- What is included in the “work of him who sent me?” Who is included in the “we” who Jesus says “must do the work of him who sent [Jesus]?” In what ways, to whom, or to where can I bring healing and Jesus’ light?
- What “days” or windows of opportunity are currently available to me that will end in the foreseeable future?
John 9:6-7
“The Pool of Siloam was located at the southern end of the city, probably a considerable distance from the place where the blind man was. The walk would call for some exertion. […] The trip the man made must have been a venture of faith. Jesus had not even told him that he would be healed but had merely commanded him to wash.”[4]
- Jesus is notably silent about what would happen after the man washed in the pool. What is the blind man’s response to Jesus’ command to “Go, wash?”
- How might the man have felt on his journey to the pool?
- What can I learn about obedience and blessing from the fact that this man obeyed despite his limited knowledge?
John 9:18
- How likely is it that the Jews were truly unconvinced that the man had ever been blind, and what is behind the fact that they “still did not believe” it? Have I ever found evidence of God’s work in somebody’s life personally threatening, and found myself subtly trying to undermine it, or being too eager to embrace a skeptical or cynical perspective about it?
John 9:19-23
- In what ways is this scene of interrogation of the parents reflective of those in our world today who have “already … decided” that “anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ” would be “put out” of the circle, and what examples of such circles are there?
- In what ways is the non-committal response of the parents—motivated by their fear of those who could deny them access to what they wanted—similar to my response under pressure? How has this muted my witness as a Christian?
[1] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for chapter 9.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Frank E. Gaebelein, Gen. Ed. Expositor’s Bible Commentary CD, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992) notes for John 9:7.
Commentary:
vv. 1-7 “The man whom Jesus meets at the Feast of Tabernacles has been blind from birth (9:1). This leads his disciples to ask about the origin of his suffering (9:2). They assume there must be a connection between sin and suffering, so they probe who is responsible, the man or his parents. Jesus rejects this entire line of questioning (9:3).
“The ‘purpose clause’ of 9:3b (‘so that the work of God … ‘) can just as well be applied to 9:4, and no doubt it should. Such clauses (introduced by Gk. hina) may begin the main sentence rather than follow it. Of eleven uses of the Gk. all’ hina (‘but so that,’ 9:3b) in John, four of them precede their main sentence (1:31; 13:18; 14:31; 15:25). If 9:2 – 4 follows this pattern, we may translate it as follows: ‘ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus. “But so that the work of God might be displayed in his life, we must do the work of him who sent me while it is still day.” ’
“The purpose clause now explains that Jesus must work so that God’s work may be displayed in this man’s life. God had not made the man blind in order to show his glory; rather, God has sent Jesus to do works of healing in order to show his glory.”[1]
vv. 8-34 “Each of these scenes probes the identity of Jesus, and each betrays a deeper literary function. As the story progresses, Jesus is more closely revealed by name: He is ‘Jesus’ (9:10), then he is called a ‘prophet’ (9:17), then ‘the Christ’ (9:22), and finally, he is declared to be ‘from God’ (9:33). It is easy to see the Christological progression of each name as the story develops. While the Pharisees repudiate Jesus and his role, the discussion drives home his true identity.
“Nevertheless the interrogation ends with the healed man experiencing the very thing his parents feared: He is expelled from the synagogue.”[2]
vv. 35-41 “The story closes with Jesus’ return visit to the now-healed blind man. He has heard that as a result of the healing this man was expelled from the synagogue community. Jesus similarly ‘found’ the paralytic in chapter 5 following his healing on the Sabbath (5:14). But while the paralytic’s disobedience to Jesus in refusing to remain silent led to Jesus’ increased persecution, the blind man becomes a model of faith and goodness.
“The blind man thus becomes a model of every believer who embraces Jesus’ lordship and suffers persecution as a result (15:18 – 16:4).
“It is significant that John’s story moves quickly away from the sheer fact of Jesus’ miracle-working capacity to the identity of the One who heals. The man’s faith is not in the miracle-working ability of Jesus. This is only the springboard. His faith quickly connects with the true identity of who Jesus is. He is ‘the Lord,’ and he rightly ought to be worshiped.”[3]
[1] Burge, Gary M. “John 9:1 – 41” In The NIV Application Commentary: John. By Gary M. Burge, 269-284. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 2000.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.