The Church of Divine Guidance Sunday morning Adult Bible Study is embarking on an exhaustive study of the book of John. Of the four gospels, John’s gospel presents Jesus as God most forcefully. John explicitly declared Jesus to be God who brought all things into existence. John’s gospel confirmed that Jesus was YHVH of the Jews . He is light and life . These are the notes of that study along with the recorded audio of the session.
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Chapter 8 Review
Jesus never spoke in public without creating controversy. In fact, he was constantly in trouble! Rather than retreating behind the safety of a pulpit, Jesus spoke in settings where people were bold enough to talk back. In this portion of John's story, Jesus makes a series of claims about himself. Each claim is met by a challenge from his enemies. Each challenge is then answered and the answer leads to the next claim. Throughout this interchange, Jesus shows us how to speak the truth in the face of hostility. He also reveals some amazing things about himself.
Jesus' first claim
John 8:12 (NLT)12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
What does it mean to walk in darkness?
Darkness is often used in Scripture as a symbol of sin and its effects. It is often contrasted with light, as a symbol of forgiveness and the presence of God.
John 3:19-20 (NLT)19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.
Job 24:16-17 (NLT)16 Thieves break into houses at night and sleep in the daytime. They are not acquainted with the light.17 The black night is their morning. They ally themselves with the terrors of the darkness.
Darkness is also a symbol of the effects of sin.
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT)4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
Psalm 49:16-19 (NLT)16 So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid.17 For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.18 In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success.19 But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day.
Jesus' reference to his Father leads to his second claim—that he came from God.
John 8:16-18 (NLT)16 And if I did, my judgment would be correct in every respect because I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me.17 Your own law says that if two people agree about something, their witness is accepted as fact.18 I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is the other.”
How does this claim heighten the tension between Jesus and the Jews?
Jesus said that He was following His Father and they were following their father who He said was the devil.
John 8:42-45 (NLT)42 Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me.43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me!44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.45 So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me!
Jesus makes another startling claim in
John 8:31-32 (NLT)31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Why does holding to Jesus' teaching lead to true knowledge and freedom?
He told them what to do if they really wanted to be his disciples. They could not just agree with his message. That was not enough. They had to obey him. They had to do what he said all the time. His words had to guide them in every part of their daily lives.
When people follow Jesus, they will know the truth. This is because Jesus himself is the truth. He frees us from the results of our sins. The freedom that Jesus gives to us is real freedom. It is not the freedom to do just what we want. It is the freedom to serve God. Then, we can become the kind of people that God created us to be.
All of these things along with the things He said after healing the paralyzed man on the Sabbath, and turning out the temple make His enemies want to stone Him.
John 8:48-59 (NLT)48 The people retorted, “You Samaritan devil! Didn’t we say all along that you were possessed by a demon?”49 “No,” Jesus said, “I have no demon in me. For I honor my Father—and you dishonor me.50 And though I have no wish to glorify myself, God is going to glorify me. He is the true judge.51 I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!”52 The people said, “Now we know you are possessed by a demon. Even Abraham and the prophets died, but you say, ‘Anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!’53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”54 Jesus answered, “If I want glory for myself, it doesn’t count. But it is my Father who will glorify me. You say, ‘He is our God,’55 but you don’t even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But I do know him and obey him.56 Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.”57 The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?”58 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!”59 At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple.
What is it about Jesus' statements that make his enemies want to stone him?
Verses 58 reminds us of John’s words at the beginning of his Gospel
John 1:1 (NLT)1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jesus himself said that he has always existed. Also, he said that he was God. It is not possible to misunderstand Jesus’ words here. This is because Jesus actually used God’s most holy name: ‘I am’
Exodus 3:14 (NLT)14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.”
Certainly, the crowd did not misunderstand Jesus. They understood clearly what he meant. That was why they became angry suddenly. Jesus was saying that he was God. But the Jewish leaders did not believe him. So they thought that he was insulting God. This was a very bad crime in the Law. The punishment was death
Leviticus 24:16 (NLT)16 Anyone who blasphemes the Name of the LORD must be stoned to death by the whole community of Israel. Any native-born Israelite or foreigner among you who blasphemes the Name of the LORD must be put to death.
So they picked up stones. They intended to throw these stones at Jesus until he was dead. However, he escaped from them.
Chapter 9
In this passage Jesus meets a man who has been blind from birth. The man illustrates that those who are blind often see clearly, while those with sight see nothing at all.
If you could have any of the powers that Jesus had to do good, which would you choose and why?
John 9:1-12 (NLT)1 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.
2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work.5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes.7 He told him, “Go wash yourself 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, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?”9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!” But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!”12 “Where is he now?” they asked. “I don’t know,” he replied.
John 9:2 (NLT)2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”
Based on the question the disciples ask Jesus how do they view the relation between sickness and sin?
They believed like many believe today that if you are sick it is the result of sin. The rabbis had developed the principle that “There is no death without sin, and there is not suffering without iniquity”. Remember when we studied Job and his friends suggesting that his problems came about because of some sin, and the he should confess and ask for forgiveness. They were even capable of thinking that a child could sin in the womb or that its soul might have sinned in a preexistent state. They also held that terrible punishments came on certain people because of the sin of their parents.
Now it is true that sin has consequences and sometime sin can affect your descendants. Not necessarily physically but in other ways.
Exodus 20:5 (NLT)5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.
That is not the case with this man. .
John 9:3 (NLT)3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.
What is Jesus' view of the same issue?
This reminds us that good people suffer, too. And sometimes it seems that bad people do not receive any punishment. But problems can also provide an opportunity for God to show his power in a person’s life. In this man’s case, that is what actually happened. It reminds people for all time that Jesus can cure *spiritual blindness, too. Sometimes, when people suffer, God can use this as an opportunity to show his power in their lives.
In your opinion, which of these views is more widely held among Christians today? Explain.
That’s why a lot of parents ask, and I have heard them say, “what did I do that my child is sick or a bad actor”.
John 9:4-5 (NLT)4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work.5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Jesus claims to be the light of the world. In what sense does the physical healing of the blind man confirm his spiritual claim?
He is repeating what He said in chapter 8
John 8:12 (NLT)12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
It was clear then that He was talking about spiritual blindness not He making the same comment prior to healing a physically blind man. Not only can he cure spiritual blindness but because He’s the Messiah, the Son of God He can also cure physical blindness.
By the way Jesus performed more miracles of curing the blind that anything else. Giving sight to the blind was a prophecy as something that the Messiah would do.
Isaiah 35:5-6 (NLT)5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf.6 The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.
The words ‘daytime’ and ‘night’ had a double meaning here. The ‘daytime’ probably referred to Jesus’ short time on the earth. When he was travelling with his *disciples, they were doing God’s work all the time. Jesus was teaching people about God. Jesus was curing people who were ill. Good things were happening because of Jesus, the *light for the world. But very soon, people would arrest Jesus. Jesus, the *light for the world, would die. This would be like the ‘night’.
John 9:6-8 (NLT)6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes.7 He told him, “Go wash yourself 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, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?”
Why do you think Jesus goes through the process of making mud and instructing the man to go wash, instead of simply healing him instantly?
Jesus could have healed him instantly but in this instance the man had to do something first. It served to put the man's faith to a severe test. He had to go to Siloam Pool and to wash the mud from his eyes. Because he obeyed Jesus, he received his physical sight.
Remember Naaman’s healing in the Old Testament (2 Kings 5 1-19)
In Naaman’s case Elisha told Naaman to go dip in the Jordan River seven times. He didn’t want to do it at first but his servants convinced him and when he did it he was cured of leprosy.
This reminds us of an important lesson. Real *faith begins when we obey Jesus. Then we will see good results in our lives. And Jesus will give to us the gift of *spiritual sight. In other words, we will understand more about *spiritual truth.
John 9:9-12 (NLT)9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!” But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!12 “Where is he now?” they asked. “I don’t know,” he replied.
Some people couldn’t believe that this guy who was not seeing was the man that they knew.
The man seemed to be the same man that they had always known. But he was different because something wonderful had happened to him. It can be like this when a person starts to *believe in Jesus. The *Holy Spirit changes them inside their hearts. So although they have the same face and body, they seem very different. Their attitude and behaviour change. Their family and friends realise that something very important has happened to them.
The man did not really know Jesus. He knew only his name. But he had trusted Jesus enough to obey his instructions. And he knew that now he was able to see!
John 9:13-15 (NLT)13 Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees,14 because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him.15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”
Since he told the people who had seen him that this man named Jesus had healed him and it was done on the Sabbath they took him to the Pharisees. You will remember that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath before and according to the Pharisees that was breaking the law. We talked about that in John 5.
John 5:10, 15-18 (NKJV)10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed." 15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.17 But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
John 9:16 (NLT)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.
You had two different points of view with the Pharisees. The first group objected because Jesus and done this on the Sabbath so they said that He could not be from God. The second group said that sense Jesus was a sinner He could not do any miracles signs.
Since they couldn’t agree they asked the man that was healed what he thought about it and he said that he thought He was a prophet because he knew that he was blind that then he went and did what the man told him to do and he could see. In his opinion this man must be a prophet. He would have been familiar with people being healed by the actions of prophets.
The Pharisees still didn’t believe that he had even been blind so they wanted to talk to his parents.
How would you describe the parents' attitude and response?
John 9:18-23 (NLT)18 The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents.19 They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?”20 His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind,21 but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.”22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue.23 That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
The Jewish leaders could not explain the miracle. They knew that the man could see. But they refused to believe that he had been blind from birth. So they asked his parents about this.
Still skeptical, the Jews send for the man's parents. How would you describe the parents' attitude and response?
The man’s parents told the leaders that he was their son. And they told the leaders that their son had been blind from birth. They knew that he could see. However, they refused to say anything else about the situation because they were afraid.
The Jewish leaders had decided to punish anybody who believed in Jesus. They would not allow that person to meet with other Jews in the synagogue. Any Jew would consider that this was a terrible punishment. The man’s parents did not want this to happen to them. So they told the leaders to talk to their son about what had happened.
They said he can talk for himself. He’s grown.
John 9:24-29 (NLT)24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”
26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses!29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”
The leaders had said that Jesus was not obeying the Sabbath rules. They wanted the man to agree that Jesus was bad because of this. But the man could not agree because he knew hardly anything about Jesus. The man knew only that Jesus had cured his eyes. And the man was not afraid to tell this to the people.
If we are Christians, we should be like this man. We may not be able to answer every question about Jesus. But we know what Jesus has done on our behalf. We know that he died to save us from the results of our sins. And we know how he has helped us personally. We must not be afraid to share this with other people whenever we have an opportunity.
When the leaders continued to ask him questions, the man became impatient with them. They insulted each other. The Jewish leaders again emphasised that they were following Moses and the Law. It was true that God spoke to Moses. He gave the Law to *Israel by means of Moses. The Law showed people God’s standards. But it did not free people from the power of sin. Only Jesus himself could save us from the power of sin. And Moses himself prophesied that Jesus would come. He said that God urged people to listen to Him
Deuteronomy 18:15 (NLT)15 Moses continued, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.
On what grounds do the Pharisees object to this miracle?
They said that Jesus was a sinner and as such could not do this or any other miracle.
John 9:30-34 (NLT)30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from?31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will.32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind.33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.”34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.
But the man continued to argue with them. He said that Jesus had certainly come from God. Otherwise, Jesus would not have been able to do such a wonderful miracle.
The Jewish leaders had no answer to this. So they became angry that this man disagreed with them. And because of his beliefs about Jesus, they would not allow him to attend the synagogue. They forced him to be separate from other Jews as a punishment.
How do the Pharisees react when the genuineness of the miracle becomes undeniable?
They excommunicated the man who had been healed. That way they could keep him away for other worshipers.
When might Christians today exhibit the Pharisees' attitude to a marvelous work of God's grace or power?
John 9:35-38 (NLT)35 When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”
37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.
What is Jesus' purpose in seeking out the healed man the second time?
Remember the man had been kicked out of the synagogue and had no place to worship now. He was all alone. But Jesus after hearing about it went looking far and finding him. We may be in a similar situation ourselves when we talk about our belief in Jesus. We may lose friends or even our families. But Jesus will always help us and he will comfort us. Nobody can separate us from his love. He gave the man an opportunity to increase his faith and to find out who Jesus really was.
The man’s faith was growing still. Jesus asked him if he believed in the Son of Man. The man showed that he was ready to believe in him, but the man did not know who the Son of Man was. When Jesus told him, the man’s faith in Jesus became complete and he worshipped Jesus.
Jesus had given the man physical sight when he (Jesus) cured the man’s eyes. But the man received spiritual sight also which happened after talking to Jesus and realizing that Jesus was God’s Son, the Messiah
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.
Throughout this chapter, how have the Pharisees exhibited the kind of stubborn spiritual blindness Jesus describes in?
Our beliefs about Jesus affect the judgement that we will receive. So really we choose our own judgement. If we do not believe in him, then we have condemned ourselves. But if we have faith in him, he will not condemn us.
Remember when we studied in chapter 3 what Jesus told Nicodemus?
John 3:18 (NLT)18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.
When Jesus referred to ‘blind people’, he did not mean just physically blind people. Some people, they realise the effects of their sin. And they know that they have a problem. Because of sin, people cannot see (know) God’s truth. In other words, people cannot understand more about God as a result of their sin. Such people may not be physically blind. But, spiritually, they are ‘blind people’.
However, other people think that they understand all about God. They think that they understand spiritual matters. But they do not realise that sin makes them unable to see (know) the truth about God. They think that they are good. So they become proud. The Pharisees were like this. Jesus said that they would remain guilty. He said this because sin had made them spiritually blind. But they would not agree with this. Therefore, they would not ask for help. They did not think that they needed it!
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