The Gospel of John - 9
Author: Steve Amato
Description: The Blind Man
Keywords: bible study,jesus, gospel, blind

Translations: 简体中文 繁體中文

# John 9:24-41 (web)

# The Blind Man: Part II

### The Theology Lesson

24 So they called the man who was blind a second time,
and said to him,
"Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner."
25 He therefore answered, "I don’t know if he is a sinner.
One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see."
26 They said to him again,
"What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"
27 He answered them, "I told you already, and you didn’t listen.
Why do you want to hear it again?
You don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?"
28 They insulted him and said,
"You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
29 We know that God has spoken to Moses.
But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from."
30 The man answered them, "How amazing!
You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.
31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners,
but if anyone is a worshipper of God,
and does his will, he listens to him.
32 Since the world began it has never been heard of that
anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind.
33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."
34 They answered him,
"You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?"
They threw him out.

### The Revelation

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said,
"Do you believe in the Son of God?"
36 He answered, "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?"
37 Jesus said to him,
"You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you."
38 He said, "Lord, I believe!" and he worshiped him.
39 Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment,
that those who don’t see may see;
and that those who see may become blind."
40 Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things,
and said to him, "Are we also blind?"
41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin;
but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains."

# Discussion Questions

vs 24 On what basis did they reckon Jesus a sinner?
vs 25 Why would the blind man's rejection of that basis for determining whether Jesus was a sinner particularly offend the religious elite?
vs 27 And how did the blind man further offend the religious elite?
vs 28 How had the blind man demonstrated that he was a disciple of Jesus?
Were the religious elite really disciples of Moses? (John 5:46)
vs 29 How have they contradicted themselves between John 7:27 and this verse?
vs 30-33 What was correct and incorrect about the blind man's argument?
vs 34 How did the religious elite justify their contemptuous attitude towards this man?
Relate this verse back to verse 2.
vs 35-38 What had the blind man formerly concluded as to who Jesus was in verse 17, and how did this fact bring him to conclude that Jesus was the Son of God?
vs 39 How is this related to John 3:17,19? What is the judgement here?

# Comments

vs 24 Interesting that in John 8:46 Jesus says, "Which of you convicts me of sin?" and at that time no one could point out sin in his life. Yet here these people accuse him of being a sinner. But their accusations were based upon their human dogma concerning the way in which the Sabbath is to be kept.

vs 25 By not agreeing with them concerning Jesus being a sinner, the blind man was disagreeing with their interpretation disallowing healing during the Sabbath to which he had been subjected. By not submitting himself to such human dogma he was inviting persecution. For woe is he who disagrees with the religious elite in their interpretation of the Bible.

vs 27 Why did they keep asking him this same question? I suspect they were waiting for him to go beyong the simply facts and to say something heretical so they could condemn this man, discount the miracle, and bring further accusations against the Lord. But to imply that they wanted to become disciples of Jesus was to them the greatest of insults. They despised the Lord and wanted him dead, and yet now this man knowingly and fearlessly would identify them with Jesus? How dare he!

Indeed it appears this formerly blind man had become quite a disciple of the Lord. For he did just what the Lord was doing. He humilated the religious elite fearlessly, defeating them with their own arguments, and became an object of contempt eventually being rejected and thrown out of the religous community. May all Christians follow such an example.

vs 28 They insulted him. Of course, being insulted is just part of the Christian life. (Not being insulted? Maybe you're doing something wrong) "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."Matt 5:11,12

And though the religious elite identified themselves with Moses, yet they were not really disciples of Moses. For Jesus said,"if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me." Joh 5:46 So also today there are religious elite who believe themselves to be followers of Jesus, but it is not the Jesus of the Bible they follow, but a Jesus fabricated in accordance with their own human dogma.

vs 29 It seems that they can't figure out whether they know where he come from or not. For their former argument was "we know where this man comes from, but when the Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from." John 7:27 But their position in John 9 now contradicts that their former argument.

vs 30-33 This may or may not have been the blind man's theology. He may have simply been using their own theology against them. God does not listen to unrepentant sinners. "Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." Isaiah 59:2 But taken universally he may have not been correct in saying, "If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." For there are also Satanic forces and false prophets who may work wonders by such forces as allowed by the Lord.

> If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them, "you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul ... That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God." Deut 13:1-5

The AntiChrist and his prophet will also do such miracles, yet not be prophets of God.

vs 34 And yet while they could have rebutted him with this argument, they didn't. Although they had presented similar such rebuttals saying that he casts out demons by the prince of demons and such. But I don't think they even were willing to entertain such a dialog with this man whom they despised from the start. For didn't this who chapter start with "who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind." And that was from Jesus' own disciples influenced by the false theology of the Jewish religious elite. Now the religious elite concluded that it was this man who was altogether born in sin, thus demonizing the man (which is quite common in "winning" debates in religious and political circles) Such contempt they had for the man. "Do you teach us?" - How dare you, a person who was altogether born in sin (unlike us who were elected to grace) lecture us. Here's an experiment - as a layman try to lecture someone among the religious elite and just see what happens. If you find your pastor or elder of your church holds a view differing from yours, and you believe you hold the Biblical viewpoint, confront him, reason with him, and see where it gets you. For it's been my experience that even in the Christian community the Nicodemus's are rare. That's one reason why ordinary Christians are rarely allowed to share their point of view in most church programs.

They threw him out. As the society was centered around the synagogue, being ostracized from such was not like being throw out of a church. It was more like being excommunicated from the Catholic church in the Middle Ages. But then again breaking these old ties also had its positive aspects. For now he was more freed up to follow Jesus.

vs 35-38 It was after he took a stand and burned his bridges that Jesus came to find him. As I said, perhaps that was his intention all along. If at times Jesus leaves us to stand on our own, we shouldn't think that we are abandoned, but rather that we have sufficient conviction to minister, and not simply be ministered to. Or perhaps he brings us through such circumstances to develop our convictions further, by applying them and taking a stand, and thus preparing us for the next step.

The next step for this man was to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God. Having been convinced that Jesus was a prophet, he was putting his trust in whatever Jesus had to say, as being truth from God. And thus after Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, there was no need for debate or further discussion. "Lord, I believe!" He acknowledges Jesus as Lord as well.

vs 39 The Greek word being used for "see" in this verse has the same kind of dual connotations as we have in English. Do you see? Jesus brought revelation of the understanding of who he was to the blind man who obeyed him. And such in the case for all who obey. "One who has my commandments, and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him." John 14:21 Formerly it was the religious leader who was considered wise and insightful. But this was only external in the flesh. In the New Testament it is the ordinary layman, formerly despised by the theologians, who is shown to have depth of spiritual insight. And so also in the Christian community today.

Jesus turned the tables upside down. The proud was put down and the humble lifted up. This was the judgment he was referring to. But he was not speaking of the final judgment. Rather it was this judgment which set the stage for people to receive the truth, being release from the human dogmatism of the religious elite.

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