JOHN 9:1 – 41
Bible Study Notes Rev. Betsy Perkins
Blindness – Physical and Spiritual
o Do actions have consequences? Do good things result from good actions? Do bad things result from bad actions? How do we then explain why bad things happen to good people, or the other way around?
The Man Born Blind (9:1-12):
Joe Boyd, Bible Experiment – Gospel of John (RightNowMedia), 1:14:05-1:22:10
o What is the assumption that Jesus’ followers make about the man’s blindness?
o How does Jesus correct their misconceptions? What is the purpose of the man’s blindness?
o What does Jesus mean when he says, “Night is coming, when no one can work”?
At the start of the book of Genesis, God was faced with chaos. He didn’t waste time describing the chaos, analyzing it or discussing whose fault it was. Instead, He created light; and, following the light, a whole new world. So here, John wants us to understand, Jesus is doing ‘the works of the One who sent him.’ A new chaos is on the way – the ‘night’, the darkness, when Jesus will be killed and the world will seem to plunge back into primal confusion. But at the moment he is establishing the new world of light and healing. After the chaos of Good Friday and Holy Saturday, he will bring the new creation itself into being with the light of the first Easter Day (Jn.20:1). N. T. Wright
o How does Jesus involve the man in the healing process? Why doesn’t Jesus immediately give him sight?
o How do the people of the town respond to the miracle? How do you think you would have responded if you had been one of the man’s neighbors?
Max Lucado, Life Lessons from John, pg.57-58
o When have you seen a person’s weakness or disability used for God’s glory?
o Max Lucado writes, “We are all born with disabilities, whether they are physical, emotional or spiritual ones. The hard part is admitting this and letting God use them.” How has God worked through your weaknesses for His glory?
o Why does God choose to use weaknesses and problems to bring glory to Himself?
o Does this change the way you should view challenges and weaknesses?
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing (9:13-34):
o The Pharisees are still trying to determine if Jesus is from God or not. In the case of the blind man’s healing, what are their reasons for and against?
o The easiest solution for the Pharisees would be if the healing turned out to be a hoax, so they call the man’s parents as witnesses. What do the parents have to say? What are the parents afraid of?
o Why are the Pharisees working so hard to prove Jesus is not from God? What are the Pharisees afraid of?
o When the Pharisees call the man back to testify again, what do they ask him to say and why do they think he should say it? Who is actually giving God the glory and who is refusing to give God the glory?
o How does the man respond to the question, “How did he open your eyes?” How would you explain how the man’s eyes were opened?
It isn’t just the man born blind who can now see; it is John’s readers, who are being led towards he light which is Jesus himself. As throughout the gospel, we are meant to look at what Jesus is doing and draw the correct conclusion about the presence of God with and in him. It may be surprising; it may upset some cherished assumptions; it may even be shocking. But when blind eyes are being opened there is only one conclusion to be drawn….The only explanation is that God is powerfully at work. N.T. Wright
o What does John want us to see as we read this story?
Seeing and Not Seeing (9:35-41):
o Why do you think Jesus took the initiative to find the man?
o How does the man’s understanding of who Jesus is, change through his encounters with Jesus and with the Pharisees?
o Who gets to decide if a person is spiritually blind or not?
Jesus’ presence divides the world into those who come to the light and allow it to change, heal and direct their lives, and those who resist the light and choose to remain in darkness – even while, in some cases, declaring boldly that they see everything clearly. N.T. Wright
o How can we be sure that we truly see and are not deceived as the Pharisees are?
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
that saved a wretch like me;
I once was lost but now am found,
was blind but now I see.
In light of this passage and our discussion, what one truth about God and about yourself stand out as something to “take to heart” this week?
Are there steps you will take, by God’s grace, to more fully apply it to your life?
Resources: NIV Zondervan Study Bible, 2015
N.T. Wright, John for Everyone, 2002
Max Lucado, Life Lessons from John, 2018
Joe Boyd, Bible Experiment – Gospel of John (RightNowMedia), 2014
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