The Gospel Of John Chapter 9If you're joining us for the first time, this is part of our weekly Bible study. Currently, we're checking out a chapter each week from the Gospel of John, and trying to find valuable truth that will help us understand our lives and give a clearer picture of who Jesus is.
If you haven't read chapter 9 yet, we strongly encourage you to pause and read through it (it's not a very long chapter) and then read our observations here:
The disciples bring to mind an interesting question. Do bad things happen to punish us for some wrong we have done? Are the events in life all part of some karmic machine in the spiritual world? Jesus denies this concept, stating that this man's blindness was put in place to show God's power. That's a reminder that we can take comfort from. When bad things happen, it's for some purpose God has in mind that will ultimately draw attention to him. We can be so focused on a "why me" attitude that we forget that the universe does not revolve around us, and humanity is not the main character of the cosmic story playing out. God is.
We've heard some people say that they would believe in God if they could only see some kind of clear miracle. Although in the end, based on what we read in chapter 9, that wouldn't necessarily be true. The Pharisees received clear proof that this miracle of healing had taken place. But they knew that if Jesus was the Messiah, their roles would become obsolete, their corruption would be revealed and their honored status would be taken away. In the face of undeniable evidence, they chose to continue in disbelief in order to hang on to their comfort and independence. To put it lightly, this truth has probably never been more relevant than it is today.
Another parallel to modern culture is found in the attitude of the blind man's parents. They were having a hard time denying what had happened to their son, but they didn't want to give Jesus credit because they knew they would be condemned by the Pharisees. Today, many sincere Christians feel hesitant to be open about their faith because the American culture is becoming increasingly antagonistic toward the Christian faith. We have to acknowledge that this antagonism comes in part as a response to extremists who, while calling themselves Christians, have done much harm while using their beliefs as justification for their offensive behavior. But despite the term "Christian" carrying a load of baggage, we can't hide in the crowd and avoid mentioning our faith. Genuinely loving and being a friend to non-Christians is the only way they'll understand what a real, Christ-following Christian is and it will also give them a glimpse of the character of God.
1 John 4:12- No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression through us.
Concerning the character of Jesus, we see two more noteworthy instances of his God-nature. He tells the healed man that he has "come to judge the world", something only God can do. Jesus knows the difference between absolute right and absolute wrong, and he came to reveal the truth about both. Likewise, the healed man began to worship Jesus, and Jesus accepted his worship. This is in contrast to angels, prophets and apostles in the Bible who, when given worship, are quick to correct those doing so, redirecting their worship to God alone.
Don't forget to read Chapter 10, and we'll see you back here again next week!
Question for commenting: We don't really know why Jesus chose to make mud with his saliva to put on the blind man's eyes as part of the healing miracle. Can you think of a possible reason why he chose to perform his miracle this way?
(Think as creatively as you want, there's not really a "right answer".)
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