Bible Lesson: Miracles Of Jesus: Man Born Blind, Healed.
Bible Location: Jerusalem.
Bible Text: John 9:1-41 KJV
1 And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
4 I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6 When He 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,
7 And 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.
8 The neighbors therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
9 Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.
10 Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
11 He 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.
12 Then said they unto him, Where is He? He said, I know not.
13 They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.
14 And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
15 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.
16 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.
17 They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of Him, that He hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.
18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.
19 And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see?
20 His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
21 But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
22 These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that He was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
23 Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.
24 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this Man is a sinner.
25 He answered and said, Whether He be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
26 Then said they to him again, What did He to thee? how opened He thine eyes?
27 He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be His disciples?
28 Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art His disciple; but we are Moses' disciples.
29 We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this Fellow, we know not from whence He is.
30 The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence He is, and yet He hath opened mine eyes.
31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshiper of God, and doeth his will, Him he heareth.
32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
33 If this Man were not of God, he could do nothing.
34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
36 He answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?
37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee.
38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped Him.
39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
40 And some of the Pharisees which were with Him heard these words, and said unto Him, Are we blind also?
41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
John 9:1,2 KJV
1 And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Coming from the temple, beggars were there aligned, so as to extract the generosity of the passing throngs. Jesus saw a blind man, one who had been blind since birth.
The disciples eagerly submitted their theological take on the situation, “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?”
Certainly in the depths of their thinking it had to be the one or the other. Certainly it is true that sin may take away ones health, but the disciples admitted they did not know.
Perhaps it was a case of the sins of the fathers being passed on to the children, which again could happen, and again, they did not know.
John 9:3 KJV
Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Jesus corrected His over zealous disciples, “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents:”
Oh how careful we must be in judging others!
Reasons for personal affliction:
1) Personal sin.
2) Sin of parents.
3) For the glory of God.
4) Testing of ones faith (Job's testing.)
5) Accidents.
6)
Matthew 7:1-5 NLT
1 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.
2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?
4 How can you think of saying to your friend,‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?
5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
John 9:3 KJV
“...but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Had this man grown into adulthood, blind, so that Jesus could show He was the Son of God?
It seems so, who are we to question God?
Psalm 145:17 KJV
The LORD is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works.
Isaiah 55:8,9 KJV
8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Romans 11:33,34 KJV
33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!
34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counselor?
John 9:4,5 KJV
4 I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
Jesus “had not,” come to teach this man braille, or teach him how to be a more successful beggar!
Jesus “had come,” to care for, and to give to him as no other, giving him physical sight and then that which is spiritual so that forever the man would be able to see.
John 13:15 KJV
For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
I Timothy 4:12 KJV
"...but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
I Peter 2:21 KJV
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps:
Every Christian, is to be busy doing the works of God. The time will come soon enough for everyone when the day of labor will be for ever over.
It is not hard to ask one's self, just what am I doing as far as work for the kingdom of heaven, but it may be painful, if indeed one is truly honest.
Matthew 5:16 KJV
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father (not you or any other one) which is in heaven.
John 9:6,7 KJV
6 When He 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,
7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) …”
This account is some what familiar to that of the king of Syria, King Naaman (II Kings 5:1-14), whereupon our Lord, used the prophet Elisha to cleanse the King from leprosy.
Why did our Lord require of the king seven plunges beneath the muddy Jordan river?
Why did our Lord, make clay, and put it on the blind man's eyes?
1) For the opportunity of an act of faith by the recipient.
2) For the opportunity of those present to exercise their trust or distrust.
3) For the opportunity of drawing those of trust to draw closer, while helping those of distrust to go further away.
What might seem to come as total amazement of some, is the simple fact that our Lord has come to help all! And if your choice is to cherish Him as the Messiah, Saviour that He is, He will draw near to you and bless you.
But for those who of their own volition, choose to refuse and reject with their last breath, the blest Saviour, yes, He will help them, help them to go further away!
Oh, how the Pharisees must have mocked, seeing the blind man fending his way to the waters of Siloam. “Surely, if he finds the water at all, at best he will fall in and drown” no doubt they roared.
In Matthew the twenty third chapter, Jesus spoke at length, concerning the Scribes and Pharisees.
Everyday, we are presented with the opportunity of being for or against, and one day when the books are opened, all will be revealed.
John 9:7 KJV
“...He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
The Lord our Healer:
Luke 4:16-21 KJV (Isaiah 42:7/Isaiah 58:6,7/Isaiah 61:1)
16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17 And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him.
21 And He began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Does the Lord heal the sick today?
Malachi 3:6 KJV
"For I am the LORD, I change not..."
Mark 16:15-18 KJV
15 And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 ...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Luke 10:19 KJV
“Behold, I give unto you power...over all the power of the enemy:
and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
John 9:8-34 KJV
Pharisaical nonsense.
First, they don't believe the healed man is really the blind man, even when the man's parents testify that it is him, and having the man speak for himself, they are not really sure.
How were you healed? The man tells them, but they ask the same question again.
The Pharisees maintain that the healer, has done this work (making a mixture of spittle and clay) on the sabbath, and is therefore a sinner, and the man, at best is a disciple of his.
The healed man replies, Jesus must be a prophet, for since the very beginning, no one has opened the eyes of the blind.
The Pharisees seriously doubt the man was ever blind.
The Wondrous testimony of the blind man.
John 9:25 KJV
He answered and said, Whether He be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
The Pharisee's said we believe Moses, but certainly not this sinner.
The blind man testified...
John 9:33 KJV (See Nicodemus' words John 3:2.)
If this Man were not of God, He could do nothing.
John 9:34 KJV
They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
The Pharisees excommunicated the man from the temple, his sin was that of being a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:16-18 KJV
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Nothing can convince a person, who's heart has been hardened with sin, that Jesus is the Messiah.
Many a sinner has stood to say, show me God, and I will believe, but the simple fact is even if that were to be done, as it had been done in the life of the Lord Jesus, still they would not, believe.
Proverbs 29:1 KJV
He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
John 9:35-38 KJV
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
36 He answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?
37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee.
38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped Him.
Jesus the Son of Man:
John 5:26,27 KJV
26 For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself;
27 And hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
Acts 7:56 KJV (Stephen)
And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.
John 9:39-41 KJV
39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
40 And some of the Pharisees which were with Him heard these words, and said unto Him, Are we blind also?
41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
John 9:39-41 NLT
39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard Him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”
41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
I Corinthians 18-31 KJV
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in His presence.
30 But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
