The Man Born Blind
4TH and 1
The Man Born Blind
Jesus
& The Man Born Blind (9:1-7)
1.
It was the common view of ancient people
that when bad circumstances came upon an individual it was due to some sin in
their life, but this viewpoint seemed inadequate in the case of a man born
blind.
2.
Jesus’ response does not focus on blame,
but purpose. God, in His sovereignty, allowed this birth defect to occur in
order to do a work in his life.
3.
Jesus had come to earth to do the work of
God. Each of us has a certain amount of time on earth to do God’s work (to
reflect the light of the Son).
4.
Jesus’ use of saliva and dirt is somewhat
mysterious, but the command to wash in the Pool of Siloam is a clear symbol for
being washed by The Sent One.
The Man & His Neighbors (9:8-12)
The man’s neighbors had grown so accustomed to
his blindness that it was easier for them to believe this seeing man was a
look-alike. The difference in the man provoked questions to which he responded
with open/honest testimony.
The Man & The Pharisees (9:13-17)
The Pharisees divided into 2 groups: one group
rejected Jesus b/c He worked on the Sabbath while others remained
opened-minded.
The Parents & The Pharisees (9:18-23)
The Pharisees continued to seek out some
discrepancy in the man’s story by interviewing his parents. Not only was there
no discrepancy, but the parents were unwilling to share much information
anyway.
The Man & The Pharisees (9:24-34)
The Pharisees continued to seek out some
discrepancy, but when questioned their motives they turned on him, ultimately
throwing him out.
Jesus & The Man Born Blind (9:35-38)
The story shows a slow and steady growth in the
man’s understanding of Jesus’ identity. After being healed, the man went from
being ignorant of Jesus (v.11-12), to considering Him a prophet (v.17) and
someone from God (v.33), to ultimately worshiping Him as the Son of Man (v.38).
Jesus & The Pharisees (9:39-41)
Jesus words in v.39 are not necessarily in
contradiction to His words in 3:17. Condemnation may be seen not as a primary
purpose of Jesus, but as the result of rejecting Him as Savior.
*The healing of this man’s physical blindness
obviously points to both the fact that we are all spiritually blind from birth
and to the fact that spiritual sight comes through Jesus Christ.
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