Saturday Study
Jesus at the Feast of Booths
7:1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews1 were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers2 said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him. 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not3 going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.
14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning,4 when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s5 will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
Can This Be the Christ?
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”
Officers Sent to Arrest Jesus
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
Rivers of Living Water
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as6 the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Division Among the People
40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”
[The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.]7
The Woman Caught in Adultery
53 [[They went each to his own house, 8:1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]
I Am the Light of the World
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father8 who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” 25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
The Truth Will Set You Free
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave9 to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
You Are of Your Father the Devil
39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
Before Abraham Was, I Am
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’10 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”11 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
9:1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18 The Jews12 did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus13 to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 And they reviled him, saying, “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 do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”14 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near 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 guilt;15 but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
I Am the Good Shepherd
10:1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
I and the Father Are One
22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me,16 is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.
The Death of Lazarus
11:1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus17 was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin,18 said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles19 off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.20 Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
Jesus Weeps
28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved21 in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”
Jesus Raises Lazarus
38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
The Plot to Kill Jesus
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.
54 Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.
55 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. 56 They were looking for22 Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” 57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.
Footnotes
[1] 7:1
Or Judeans; Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time
[2] 7:3Or brothers and sisters; also verses 5, 10
[3] 7:8Some manuscripts add yet
[4] 7:15Or this man knows his letters
[5] 7:17Greek his
[6] 7:38Or let him come to me, and let him who believes in me drink. As
[7] 7:53Some manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11; others add the passage here or after 7:36 or after 21:25 or after Luke 21:38, with variations in the text
[8] 8:16Some manuscripts he
[9] 8:34For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; also verse 35
[10] 8:54Some manuscripts your God
[11] 8:57Some manuscripts has Abraham seen you?
[12] 9:18Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verse 22
[13] 9:22Greek him
[14] 9:35Some manuscripts the Son of God
[15] 9:41Greek you would not have sin
[16] 10:29Some manuscripts What my Father has given to me
[17] 11:6Greek he; also verse 17
[18] 11:16Greek Didymus
[19] 11:18Greek fifteen stadia; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters
[20] 11:25Some manuscripts omit and the life
[21] 11:33Or was indignant; also verse 38
[22] 11:56Greek were seeking for (ESV)
(12.15.18)
Grab your Bibles and lets dive into John
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
9:1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18 The Jews1 did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus2 to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 And they reviled him, saying, “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 do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”3 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near 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 guilt;4 but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
Footnotes
[1] 9:18
Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verse 22
[2] 9:22Greek him
[3] 9:35Some manuscripts the Son of God
[4] 9:41Greek you would not have sin (ESV)
today.
John is often known as “the gospel of belief” because God’s purpose for John’s testimony of Christ’s life is to bring about belief in many who would study it and see Jesus as the true and eternal Son of God.
John states his purpose clearly in
31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
(ESV)
“… these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
I pray that those of you who are not saved would hear this testimony of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God and that you would believe. You would give your life to Christ in faith. For those of you who believe, I pray your faith would mature and your trust in Jesus as God the Son would mature all the more.
The word of God commands all men to believe in His Son. But, so many do not. So while John’s gospel is a telling of Jesus Christ that is designed to bring many to belief, it is at the same time a chronicle of unbelief. And, we’ve seen unbelief in a number of forms.
We saw the unbelief of Nicodemus, to whom Jesus said, “If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” We saw the unbelief of the people of Cana, to whom Jesus said, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” We saw the unbelief of the masses, the crowds who saw the miracles, and still didn’t believe. And Jesus says, “You have seen and do not believe.” Even the brothers of Jesus, of whom it was said, “Neither did His brothers believe in Him.”
The group that stands out most and we see Jesus interacting with the most is the studied, faithful, devote, zealous, Jewish leaders. Those who think they have a stronghold on God and the ways of God. But they are filled with unbelief in the Son of God. They reject Him for that which He testifies and claims. They mock Him and argue with Him and want Him dead. And this ninth chapter is no different, as we witness yet another display of a wonderful miracle of mercy and healing that Jesus has performed for a man that has suffered his entire life but the Pharisees are forging a full frontal attack.
- Unbelief (Man-made Religion)
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
(ESV)
The Pharisees say specifically that Jesus couldn’t be from God as He didn’t even honor the sacred practice of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a commanded day of rest given in the moral law. The purpose is to provide us a special day of worship to God. It is physical and mental rest and refreshment and fellowship with other believers. It was not to be a common day but a special day that was set aside for honoring God.
Because of the fall of mankind, our sinful tendency is to produce–to earn–our identity, to prove ourselves, to make something of ourselves. But Sabbath is about being satisfied in God, and resting in who God is and His promises.
So, the practice of Sabbath is a good thing and part of God’s moral commands which means that we are still to practice them today. The problem was that the Pharisees took the good commands of God and added regulation and parameters to them that were more than God intended them to be. For the Pharisees, any labor–picking a piece of wheat to eat–was not permitted. Any act even kindness to someone in need was not permitted. So, time and time again the Pharisees run into Jesus with disdain because He didn’t adhere to the same strict guidelines they had come to adopt.
In
27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
(ESV)
we read, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath and in His time on earth He gave us many great clarities that worked against the traditions of the Pharisees. For example, in calling back to David eating the bread of the presence in the house of God, Jesus is teaching that acts of necessity are permitted on the Sabbath.
Things that are necessary for living are permitted.
Another example is found in
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
A Man with a Withered Hand
9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
God’s Chosen Servant
15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Return of an Unclean Spirit
43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers1 stood outside, asking to speak to him.2 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Footnotes
[1] 12:46
Or brothers and sisters; also verses 48, 49
[2] 12:46Some manuscripts insert verse 47: Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak to you” (ESV)
. There, Jesus uses the example of the Old Covenant priests, and His point in that is to say that religious devotion, religious work, and worship is permitted on Sabbath.
So, pastors and other church staff are not in sin for “working” on the Sabbath because these are permissible acts of piety.
Another example is what we see in today’s text. And that is that acts of mercy are not prohibited on the Sabbath. On the contrary, it is glorifying to God to do acts of mercy to others on the Sabbath. We see this in Jesus healing others on the Sabbath.
Therefore, you have a friend in real need, and a solid opportunity to do good to them on the Sabbath? Do not decline that opportunity on the basis of it being your Sabbath day, rather, where wise and helpful, do acts of mercy.
These points of clarity may seem like common sense to us, but they were not viewed this way by the Pharisees in that day. They were lost in the unbelief of man-made traditions and religion.
The self-propelled practices of man are not what our faith in God is based on.
Our belief in God is a dependence and trust in Him. It is a belief into Jesus.
It is not grounded on or based on our performance. If we miss the gospel in our practice of religion or pursuit of God, we miss true belief all together.
This was evident in the Pharisees and the reason for their rejection of Jesus. Unbiblical belief or practice will keep us lost in long seasons of lostness and unbelief. We must be oh-so careful to not even put our hope or standing on our performance but on the performance and perfection of Jesus. The evidence of true belief in Jesus is obedience to God’s word and commands but it is never the basis of it as these judged Jesus for the fact that He didn’t meet their extracurricular parameters for the Sabbath.
Before we move on, do you get caught up in performing righteously in order to keep your spiritual persona looking good? We must be oh-so careful to not let man-made practices or standards be what drives our faith. But instead we live obediently and faithful out of the gospel. Out of the truth that we only have new life because of Christ.
Look with me at
18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.(ESV)
…
- Unbelief (Fear and Respect for the Wrong Master)
18 The Jews1 did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus2 to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
Footnotes
[1] 9:18
Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verse 22
[2] 9:22Greek him (ESV)
So, the Pharisees’ unbelief is stated clearly in
18 The Jews1 did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight
Footnotes
[1] 9:18
Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verse 22 (ESV)
and so they go on the hunt for Mom and Dad to try to solidify their hunch that this is all a falsity. But what they find is that Mom and Dad are vouching for the fact that this is indeed their son and that he was in fact born blind.
But they do not testify how he now sees. They pass it off to the son saying “he is old enough, just ask him.” Now, why do the parents do this? It says clearly in
22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus1 to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.)
Footnotes
[1] 9:22
Greek him (ESV)
.
Answer–they feared the Jews and the widely known propaganda that if anyone was verbal in siding with Jesus, they would be discredited and banned from the synagogue. This shows us another kind of unbelief. The kind of unbelief that is rooted in the sin known as “the fear of man.”
The Fear of Man = man’s deep seated, sinful desire to long for the approval, applause, acceptance, compliments, affection of other people rather than from God.
The fear of man is concern for what other people think of us.
It is a desire for approval and a fear of rejection.
It is when we place the opinion of others over that of God.
To make it personal for you today:
Do you often need something from others to make you feel good about yourself?
Do you crave compliments?
Do you worry that you might be exposed as an imposter?
Do you think about your self worth and look to others to shore up how you feel about yourself?
Do you often feel unappreciated?
Are you quick to shift blame so you do not look like a failure in front of others?
“I get that from my mother.”
What we have to understand is the gospel does not produce fear. It produces confidence and hope and boldness. Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:7, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
If you come this morning tense and depressed with fear and are feeling anxiety over life, your primary need is to see the gospel again.
You need to stop and ponder what it implies about God’s intentions toward you that He gave His Son to die for you.
True belief in God means you fear only God.
You understand that you are His and no one but Him holds the keys to your life.
But these parents showed unbelief in that they only were concerned in what man has to say or what man could do.
What do you do in your faith when confronted by a boss or a government official or someone else who threatens to negatively affect your life if you don’t comply? A true believer in God doesn’t bend to the will or ways of man in order to keep the life the way they want it or without consequence. The true believer says, I am the Lord’s and if He wills, I will do this or that.
- Unbelief (Head Knowledge is not Enough)
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
(ESV)
When the Jewish officials call the man who was healed back into their presence, they start by saying, “give glory to God.” In other words, they are saying “tell the truth.” They didn’t get the testimony they had hoped for out of his parents so they are back to him with a manipulative press on him to hopefully get the testimony they want.
The manipulation is in their words, “we know that this man (speaking of Jesus) is a sinner.” This is like when law enforcement arrests a number of people and they are bringing them in the room one at a time and after interviewing another witness they bring you back in the room and say, “Ok, we know that he is guilty.” This is to give the impression that they know something that allows the witness before them to go ahead and be honest because they already know he is guilty. Therefore, there is no need to hide any truth anymore since we already know. Now, they would say this was not a lie since they believe Jesus broke the law by healing a man on the Sabbath. But the point is still worth making which is that these Pharisees are full of unbelief and they are trying to sway this entire thing toward their view of Jesus.
Now, the once blind man’s reply is another sign of unbelief.
He says that he doesn’t know if Jesus is a sinner or not but he does know that he was blind and now he can see. He is saying, “I can’t vouch for who the guy is but I can tell you what he has done.”
There is a very real buy in and belief about Jesus that many can show based on head knowledge. Based on the facts of Christianity. Many people for many generations have sat in the pew faithfully and heard a lifetime of preaching and studied the Bible thoroughly. They know the information. They know it well. But what you must understand is that believing the information to be true, or just knowing the information of the gospel in your head is not saving faith or true belief.
No, you must be transformed. You must be given eyes to see and ears to hear it not just into your head but into your heart.
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
(ESV)
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
We must know Jesus personally. This man who was healed has interacted with Jesus and has been blessed by Him. He believes that He is someone important but doesn’t yet believe with saving faith. How do we know that?
Because he doesn’t vouch for Him as the Son of God when accused of being a sinner.
He only speaks of what he knows in his head which is about what Jesus did to him.
We also know this because we are given the testimony of his conversion. We will see that next week.
But first, the application here is important for us.
To just know God with our mind–to know tons of information about God is not enough.
We must know Him with our heart and soul also! With our deepest emotions and affections.
He must be someone we KNOW and not just someone we know about.
This is one of the most serious topics you can ever slow down and take seriously.
I fear that far too many people who casually pursue the things of God by attending church or by saying a prayer one day because they were told to in order to avoid hell believe they KNOW God intimately but, in the end, only know about God and the things of God.
This is serious because on Judgment Day many of these people will stand before Jesus and hear him say, “… I never knew you, depart from me …” (
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
(ESV)
)
On that day, your eternity will hang in the balance solely based on your relationship with Jesus and by works of your own doing.
The good news is that all God intends to save–all of His sheep–will know Him in saving faith.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
(ESV)
(NASB) My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
Jesus will say this so precisely in his High Priestly prayer in
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
(ESV)
And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”
(ESV)
“… let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
Let’s move on to the next example of practical unbelief …
- Unbelief (Devotion to the Wrong Leader)
26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
(ESV)
This is a particularly funny part of this exchange to me, in that, the man grows tired of their persistent inquisition as to what happened. He has said it plainly to them multiple times and has not mixed his words. But they ask once again. So he inquires back and says, “Why are you so driven to know this man? Do you want to become his disciple (his devoted follower)?
In a voice of disdain and mockery, they jest back at him and say, “You are the one who seems to be devoted to him Jesus. We are disciples of Moses. We are devoted followers of Moses.”
This is the trappings of religion 101. To not believe that Jesus is God and the only way to the Father is to not believe in the one true God. You don’t have God without Jesus. Any deviation from Jesus as the only way to salvation is a deviation to death. To false belief. Devotion to Moses combined with unbelief in Jesus is a recipe for judgment and eternal death. Because you don’t have saving faith and a restored right relationship with God without the atonement and lordship of Jesus, without trusting your life to Jesus alone.
Jesus says Himself, “… I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
(ESV)
)
The unbelief of the Jewish faithful before Christ that day is perpetuated by the fact that they think they are good because they are devoted to Moses. Please hear this today: It is devotion to Jesus alone that gains us favor and life with God. No amount of religious fervor or devotion outside of Christ earns us eternal life. Let us always be most careful to be devoted followers of Jesus Christ alone.
- Unbelief (Lacking Ears to Hear and Eyes to See)
29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”
(ESV)
The Jewish leaders argue that they are confident and solidified in their belief in the teachings and testimony of Moses but Jesus is an unknown entity from Galilee. They are saying the will of God was made known through Moses and written in the Pentateuch and passed on in the oral tradition. They are saying, “These are the hallmarks of our faith. Not His ill-founded new revelation given from Jesus.”
The response of the man who was healed is bold and strong in opposition to his parents who were fearful and timid. What a cool sign of the work God is doing in him to awaken him unto true faith in Christ. God has set His love on him. What an amazing view into this man’s life as we are about to see a miracle of superior quality in comparison to his physical healing of lifelong blindness.
30 The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.
(ESV)
The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! …”
This is amazing. The work of Jesus is amazing!
This is God revealed and at work in the presence of man. Power of healing, preaching of truth, grace and mercy being shown to guilty, sinful people. The life and work and word of Jesus Christ truly is amazing! It is grace in the flesh. It is a rescue mission of love of infinite proportions.
What is cool is that this man still doesn’t see and savor the best part of who Jesus is.
He is simply praising the things we see in the physical.
We have so much more in our salvation. We have spiritual insight into who Jesus is and what He has done! We see how it changes everything about us and we see God like never before.
Praise God. The gospel of Jesus Christ truly is “an amazing thing.”
Is this the way you speak of Jesus? Let us who are spiritually made new not be outdone by a man in his flesh who still did not know Jesus as Lord. Let us who are saved and set free proclaim how amazing He is. Let us do it OFTEN!
Look at what he goes on to say in
30 The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
(ESV)
.
Now, the man is using their own Jewish history and belief to make his case. It was understood that God only listened to the cries of the righteous man and not the enemy of God. It was also understood that this kind of healing was extremely rare and only happened as an answer to faithful fervent prayer.
So, the man is making a case that the works they see Jesus performing are a great sign that He is indeed of God. The Jews are so enraged and angered that they do not have any view of the messianic promises that they were raised hearing. Their unbelief is fueling a deep blindness that is worse than the man who was blind for a lifetime until this point.
This is an ironic backdrop to the words the Pharisees say next.
34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
(ESV)
They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
They use the man’s lifelong blindness and disability at birth as a way to discredit him as worth anything valuable. They mock him and try to discredit his argument not by addressing what he said but by discrediting him based on their view that because he was steeped in sin at birth he surely cannot exercise wisdom greater than they who are righteous and devote.
They cast him out. They threw him out. They threw out the one man who was pointing them to life-changing truth. To the light. To the only one who saves … Jesus!
Hear me today:
We must see these many ways that unbelief blinds us from living in the truth of saving belief.
They surely lacked eyes to see and ears to hear. This is the sobering reality for all unregenerate people. We are desperate for God to give us a new heart, a new view of the gospel, one that brings us to utter confession and repentance of sin and total life surrender to Jesus as Lord. Believing not just about Him but believing into Him. Trusting our lives to Him.
This is the greatest joy of life. The greatest truth you could ever know. I pray you know Him and not just about Him.
Now, even we who are saved, we have a danger of practicing any of these modes of unbelief in our sin. So let us be mindful always to not slipping into:
- Looking for your solidification with God to be grounded in our man-made religion and practice.
- A fear and/or respect for the wrong master. To fear man and not God.
- To lean on our head knowledge over the transformation that must happen in the heart.
- Exercising devotion to the wrong leader. May we be devoted to nothing or no one more than Jesus Christ.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Joshua Kirstine
Disciples Church