Healing the Blind Man

Transcription

1 April 29 BIBLE STUDY GUIDE 9 Healing the Blind Man Bible Background JOHN 9 Printed Text JOHN 9:1-17 Devotional Reading ISAIAH 29:17-21 Aim for Change By the end of the lesson, we will: KNOW that traditions should not be used to ignore human suffering or needs; REFLECT on a situation where we felt discriminated against or ostracized; and PARTICIPATE in activities that help people in need. In Focus Stefan? Is that you? The voice came from across the plaza. It s Rico. Man, I haven t seen you since high school. Rico! How s it going? said Stefan. Last I heard, you were doing time in jail. Best thing that could have happened to me, said Rico. The prison chaplain led me to the Lord. Really? I didn t see that coming. Yeah, me neither. I got out early for good behavior, and now I m going to seminary to become a pastor. Well, no offense, but do you really think a church is going to hire someone with a record like yours? They re looking for positive role models, not drug dealers. And you know these prison conversions aren t always legit. That s harsh, man, said Rico. All I can say is look at what I was before, and look at what I am now. I used to push drugs, and now I m pushing the Gospel. How could that happen without Jesus? Legalistic religion can make people judgmental, but true faith in Jesus results in a supernaturally transformed life.

2 Keep in Mind 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 ( John 9:16).

3 Focal Verses KJV John 9:1 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 neighbours 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.

4 NLT John 9:1 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 Teacher, his disciples asked him, why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents? 3 It was not because of his sins or his parents sins, Jesus answered. He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, because there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end. 5 But while I am still here in the world, I am the light of the world. 6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and smoothed the mud over the blind man s eyes. 7 He told him, Go and wash in the pool of Siloam (Siloam means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing! 8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, Is this the same man that beggar? 9 Some said he was, and others said, No, but he surely looks like him! And the beggar kept saying, I am the same man! 10 They asked, Who healed you? What happened? 11 He told them, The man they call Jesus made mud and smoothed it over my eyes and told me, Go to the pool of Siloam and wash off the mud. I went and washed, and now I can see! 12 Where is he now? they asked. I don t know, he replied. 13 Then they took the man to the Pharisees. 14 Now as it happened, Jesus had healed the man on a Sabbath. 15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, He smoothed the mud over my eyes, and when it was washed away, I could see! 16 Some of the Pharisees said, This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath. Others said, But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs? So there was a deep division of opinion among them.

5 17 Then the Pharisees once again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, This man who opened your eyes who do you say he is? The man replied, I think he must be a prophet. The People, Places, and Times Pharisees. The Pharisees were a group of orthodox Jews who prided themselves on strict faithfulness to their rigid interpretations of the Law of Moses. Jesus emphasis on the proper interpretation and spirit of the law and the hypocrisy of self-righteousness led to many clashes with them. Siloam. The pool of Siloam was a springfed pool located in the southeastern corner of Jerusalem. The Gospel writer points out that the Hebrew word Siloam means sent, probably referring originally to the outflow of water from the spring, but in this context serving as a symbol connected to Christ s messianic ministry as well. Jesus was the Messiah sent by God, and He sent the blind man to be healed. Background In the first-century world, blindness was a severe hardship. Usually, it meant that blind people had to support themselves by begging. Some scholars report that mud made from spittle was a common treatment for eye problems in Jewish medicine of the time (Vincent, 182). Modern medical science suggests that, for that remedy to work, it would take a miracle. At-A-Glance 1. Jesus and the Disciples: A Doctrine or a Person? (John 9:1-7) 2. The Healed Blind Man: A New Creation (vv. 8-12) 3. The Pharisees: The Poison of Legalism (vv ) In Depth 1. Jesus and the Disciples: A Doctrine or a Person? (John 9:1-7) As long as people have talked about theology, they have debated the problem of evil. Why does a loving God allow people to suffer? Why do bad things happen to good people? These are deeply troubling concerns, but sometimes doctrinal debates about them cause us to miss the point. That seems to be what happened with Jesus disciples. John begins the story: And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? (John 9:1-2).

6 When the disciples saw the man who had been born blind, their minds jumped to an old theological argument. Many people (going all the way back to Job s friends) believe that suffering is a punishment for sin or lack of faith. Among the many problems with this belief, it doesn t explain how a person could suffer from blindness since the moment he was born. Some might argue that the man s parents had sinned or that the man had somehow sinned before birth. The disciples were curious about Jesus opinion. Jesus, however, didn t see a theological problem. He saw a man (v. 1). Even if we were able to completely understand all the theological issues, it doesn t change the fact that people are suffering. When our neighbors are in pain or need, God asks us to help and comfort them, not to figure out why they are suffering. They are not puzzles; they are people. Jesus answered the disciples question by showing that their way of thinking was flawed: It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him (v. 3, NASB). As Job realized, suffering should not be seen as a punishment for sin but as an opportunity for us to see the goodness of God against a background of contrast. Jesus said that since He is the light of the world, He must do the works that God does (vv. 4-5). By using the word we, He shows that the same is true of us (compare Matthew 5:14). Jesus was about to do something that had never been done before. Jesus spat on the ground, made mud, applied it to the blind man s eyes, and told him to wash it off in the Pool of Siloam. When the blind man came back, he could see. 2. The Blind Man Healed: A New Creation (vv. 8-12) Not surprisingly, the sight of the man who had until recently been a blind beggar created a stir in the neighborhood. Some of the neighbors tentatively recognized him; others thought he was a different person who happened to look the same. The neighbors question Isn t this the same man who used to sit and beg? (John 9:8, NIV) shows how greatly Jesus miracle affected the man s life. The man used to sit and beg, but after Jesus healed him, he could walk and run on his own and would be able to earn his own living. By giving the man the ability to see, Jesus transformed his entire life. This miraculous healing is one of many fulfillments of prophecies foretelling that the Messiah would give sight to the blind. God declares through Isaiah, I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness (Isaiah 42:6-7, NIV; compare Isaiah 35:5; Matthew 11:2-6). Miracles, like this one, point directly to Jesus identity as God s promised Servant. Blind eyes being opened is also used throughout Scripture as a metaphor for spiritual insight or visions that people could only have received from God (Numbers 22:31; 2 Kings 6:17; Luke 24:31).

7 The healed man is eager to claim his identity as the former blind beggar: I am the man (John 9:9, NIV). When his neighbors pressed him for details of this extraordinary event, he replied with a simple, matter-of-fact retelling of his story, centered on Jesus. Later, he summarized his experience in a brilliant, pithy statement: One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see! (John 9:25, NIV). 3. The Pharisees: The Poison of Legalism (vv ) Not all the witnesses of this remarkable event were enthusiastic. The neighbors brought the healed man before the Pharisees, religious authorities who (perhaps they expected) would be interested to see a reallife miracle. Instead, the Pharisees grilled the man with questions, observing that Jesus healed him on the Sabbath (vv ). According to the Pharisees interpretation of Moses Law, activities such as making clay or washing your eyes were considered work that was unlawful on the day of rest (Vincent, 184). Some of them reasoned, This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath (v. 16, NIV). This is a clear case of legalism. The law or worse, someone s interpretation of it is set as a measure for judging a person s standing with God. While the law itself is not a bad thing, God never intended it to be the foundation of our relationship with Him. The law points out our sinfulness, but it has no power to keep us from sinning or make us live better. For those things, we need faith in Christ alone. The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24). Some of the Pharisees pointed out the flaw in the legalistic logic: How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? (John 9:16). This led to a disagreement and a quarrel. In the end, all the Pharisees missed the point. They were judging people based on their own inflexible understanding of the law, rather than allowing for any compassion toward their neighbors or understanding of the fact that God doesn t always work the way we expect. Though he lacked specifics, the healed man knew what he thought about Jesus: He is a prophet (v. 17). The healed man s insistence that Jesus could represent God without following the Pharisees legalistic understanding of the law led them to verbally harass him and ultimately throw him out of the synagogue (vv. 27, 34). This is a sad instance of what has been called spiritual abuse : using religious beliefs as a pretext for authoritarianism, abuse, manipulation, and other hurtful behavior (Provender). Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, saying that insistence on one s self-righteousness is the real form of blindness. Jesus miraculous healing, His acceptance of the blind man, and His refusal to work within the system of legalism show that the Pharisees approach missed the point. The point is to allow God to transform us supernaturally into something new. It is similar to what Paul said, Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation (Galatians 6:15, NIV). Search the Scriptures

8 1. What answer did Jesus give to the disciples question about the cause of the beggar s blindness? 2. How did the Pharisees understand the law? How should we understand the purpose of the Sabbath? Discuss the Meaning 1. According to Jesus, should we view suffering as a punishment for someone s sin or lack of faith? What is a better response to seeing someone in pain or need? 2. The Pharisees legalism caused them to condemn the healed man and Jesus. According to Scripture, what is wrong with their attitude? What biblical arguments can you think of that show why legalism is contrary to the Gospel of Jesus? Lesson in Our Society In this story, the Pharisees show several characteristics of what modern researchers call spiritual abuse, such as legalism, judgmentalism, authoritarianism, rejection, and placing doctrine above people. If you re not familiar with the topic of spiritual abuse, study a list of its characteristics. Have you seen spiritually abusive or legalistic behaviors in religious groups in your experience? How can you avoid these in your own church or ministry? What facts about Jesus might you point to if you needed to encourage someone who had suffered this kind of abuse in His name? Make It Happen Examine your own approach to people in need. Is it theoretical like the disciples, judgmental like the Pharisees, or compassionate like Jesus? If there are any people or groups of people you ve been avoiding unintentionally or on purpose, take the initiative to offer them some tangible help or encouragement in Jesus name. Follow the Spirit What God wants me to do: Remember Your Thoughts Special insights I have learned: More Light on the Text John 9: And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

9 Jesus saw a blind man as He was walking along in the city of Jerusalem or probably outside the temple (see John 8:59; cp. Acts 3:2). The man had been blind from birth. His case was desperate (compare [cp.] John 5:5-6). Jesus is all-powerful (cp. Luke 1:37). He is able to help even in a hopeless situation. 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? For the disciples, and for the Jews of the time of Jesus, personal suffering of this nature was supposedly due to personal sin. Here, since the suffering began at birth, the problem was in identifying who was responsible: either this man sinned in the womb, or his parents had committed a sin before the man s birth (cp. Ezekiel 18:4; Exodus 20:5). The Greek conjunction hina (HIN-ah), translated that or as a result, indicates a consecutive (result) clause declaring the end of some sequence of events. To people of Bible times, the man s blindness was a consequence of his sin or the sin of his parents (Gk. goneus, gon-yooce). While the Bible allows a general relationship between suffering and sin due to the Fall, it refuses to permit the principle to be individualized in every case (cp. Genesis 3; Romans 5; Job). A person s suffering is not always due to a particular sin he or she committed. Sometimes, of course, it may be, as when suffering results from alcoholism or sexual promiscuity. 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. Jesus told the disciples that this man s blindness was not due to his sin or the sin of his parents. It occurred so that the work of God might be displayed in his life (cp. Exodus 4:11; 2 Corinthians 12:9). It is not to be understood that God made this man blind (or allowed it) in order to use him to reveal His glory (see James 1:12-18). As in all seemingly hopeless cases, the man s blindness allows the works of God to be revealed. The man s story is a sign revealing the glory of Jesus sent by God. One of the marks of the coming of the messianic age is the receiving of sight by the blind (Isaiah 29:18; 35:5). 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 pointed out to the disciples an urgency to be reckoned with (cp. John 4:34; Matthew 24:36-51). Jesus used a short parable about day and night to talk primarily about His ministry and later the ministry of the disciples. He compared His ministry to light shining in darkness (see John 1:9; 3:19; 8:12), with limits just as the light of the day. His life is compared to one day of labor, and it will finish with the night of His death (5:17; Luke 13:32). Thus, He must take advantage of the hours of the day in order to finish the job before the coming of the night (see John 11:9-10). He was talking about His imminent death. This is an explicit connection to Jesus earlier claim (John 8:12). As the Light of the world, Jesus offers salvation to all human beings. After His death, His disciples will be called to be His witnesses (John 4:34-38; 11:7, 15; Acts 1:8).

10 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, Jesus proceeded to heal the blind man using a mudpack made from saliva. No reason is given for using a mudpack instead of just saying a word as in previous healings (see John 4:50, 53). It may be that the man needed to be involved in the healing process by an act of obedience to Jesus. Jesus probably used the mudpack, not as medicine, to stimulate the man s faith (cp. 2 Kings 5:13). 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. Jesus sent the man to the pool called Siloam (Gk. hermeneuo, her-mayn-yoo-o, in Hebrew shalach, shaw-lakh), meaning explained, interpreted, or sent (cp. 2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chronicles 32:30). Water flowed from the spring at Gihon into a pool in the city of Jerusalem. Jesus sent the man, and He Himself was sent by the Father. In John 9:7, having obeyed the command to go and wash in Siloam, the man came (back) seeing (Gk. erchomai blepo, ERkhom-ahee BLEP-o), meaning he came away seeing or able to see. Healing was the reward of his obedience (cp. 1 Samuel 15:22-23). It is not that the water of Siloam had a curative virtue; it is his faith leading him to where he had been sent (cp. Luke 17:14, 19). 8 The neighbours 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? As a result, of the miracle the man s neighbors started discussing his identity. They were used to seeing him when he was a beggar (cp. Acts 3:2), but they were seeing a different person. They were not sure he was the same person who used to be a blind beggar. They explored different opinions. The man assured them that he was the same person. He used the same self-identifying expression used by Jesus: I am he (cp. John 6:20; 8:24, 28, 58). He was asked to tell them what happened to him. 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. The how of a miracle is always difficult to explain, but the man stuck to the facts. He explained very simply how the miracle happened and who did it. The man who healed him was called Jesus. 12 Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not. They asked the man where Jesus was. In F. F. Bruce s view, The question Where is he? suggests that those who questioned the man would have liked to question Jesus too, to see if the two accounts tallied (Bruce, 211). Since the man could not see when Jesus made mud and

11 smeared his eyes with it, when he went back home after his healing, he could not really know where Jesus was. 13 They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. They took the man to the Pharisees aforetime (Gk. pote, pot-eh), meaning at some time or once. They brought (Gk. ago, AG-o, to lead to a court of justice or to a magistrate in this context) him to the Pharisees, probably because the miracle was so out of the ordinary and religious issues related to the Sabbath were involved (see v. 14). The Pharisees as religious authorities would know how to handle the situation. 14 And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. The day on which the healing occurred was the Sabbath day. At this point, the reader is told that the healing of the man, who was born blind, had happened on the Sabbath. One of the categories of work specifically forbidden on the sabbath in the traditional interpretation of the law was kneading, and the making of mud or clay with such simple ingredients as earth and saliva was construed as a form of kneading (Bruce, 212). For the Pharisees, the healing of this man violated the laws of the Sabbath. The making of clay constituted work and caused the worker to be a Sabbath-breaker. 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. The Pharisees asked the man again (Gk. palin, PAL-in), meaning anew, to explain how he was healed. They repeated the same question as the neighbors in verse 10: How can you see? It was important for them to find out a basis for an accusation of the breaking of the law (see v. 16). The man explained the healing very simply and briefly using three verbs: put (Gk. epitithemi, ep-ee- TITH-ay-mee), meaning to lay on or put upon ; wash (Gk. nipto, NIPto), meaning to wash oneself, to bathe ; and see (Gk. blepo, BLEP-o). Basically, the man told them, He put clay upon my eyes, I washed myself, and now I 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. The man s account of what happened was so persuasive that some of the Pharisees were clearly impressed (cp. John 3:2). They said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? Others, however, accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath instituted by God and of being a false prophet trying to lead the people away from God (cp. Deuteronomy 13:3-5). So, they were divided (see John 7:43; 10:19). 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.

12 They asked for the man s opinion of Jesus. His opinion did not count much among the hostile Pharisees (see vv. 22, 34). They probably just wanted to get some words out of the man that would allow them to make an accusation against Jesus and even the man. The man said that Jesus was a prophet maybe in the succession of Elijah and Elisha [or] perhaps he simply used prophet as a synonym for man of God (Bruce, 214). It may also have been that it was the highest category the man could think of at this point (see John 4:19; 6:14). Sources: Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (BACD). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, Bonnet, Louis. Evangile Selon Jean. Bible Annotée NT2. Saint-Légier, Suisse, Bruce, F. F. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, MI: W. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, , 214. The Holy Bible. Contemporary English Version (CEV). New York, NY: American Bible Society, Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. (accessed October 4, 2010). New Testament Greek Lexicon. Bible Study Tools.com. (accessed January 9, 2011). Passage Lookup. Bible Gateway.com. (accessed January 9, 2011). Provender: A Clearinghouse of Sources on Spiritual Abuse and Cult-like Practices in Churches and Groups. (accessed July 26, 2010). Rochedieu, Charles. Les Trésors du Nouveau Testament. Saint- Légier, Suisse: Editions Emmaüs, Vincent, Marvin R. Word Studies in the New Testament. Vol. 2. Grand Rapids, MI: W. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, , 184.