trying to find His way
“If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” (John 9:41) Who does Jesus think is blind? It is those who claim that they can see. That is, those who are confident they are right. They know the truth, and everyone else is…
” You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.” (John 9:34) The best way to beat your opponent is to shame and belittle them.When the goal of a debate is to win, attacking others is effective.You point out their weaknesses, their failures, their errors.You highlight your own…
“You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses!” (John 9:28) These religious leaders set up a contrast between Jesus and Moses.For them, Moses is the key to God’s truth, and Jesus has to measure up to Him.If there is a disagreement between what Moses says and Jesus, Moses wins.They are students of Moses, and…
“One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25) This man never went to seminary, and he is uneducated.He doesn’t know who Jesus is, or believe that He is the Messiah.His knowledge is just a dramatic experience with this man he doesn’t know.But there is one thing he does know: this…
“They were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.” (John 9:22) The parents were afraid of the religious leaders.The religious leaders controlled access to God.They decided who was in, and who was out.Anyone who disagreed with them was…
“Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam.” (John 9:7) The pool of Siloam was a large pool within the old city of Jerusalem.Pilgrims went there for ritual cleansing before going up to the temple.There is something symbolic in this man washing in this pool.It signifies that as far as God is concerned, He sees this man…
“‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” (John 9:3) This was the common belief: if something bad happens to you, you deserved it!This was what Job’s friends said to Job too.And it is how many people think today: we get…
“‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I AM!’” (John 8:58) In this verse Jesus identifies Himself with the great Name of God: “I AM”.He is claiming to be ‘God with us’, the incarnation of the God of Israel.He is greater than Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, mere human witnesses.He is the…
“If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God.” (John 8:42) In this section Jesus is challenging the religious leaders for their actions.They are not doing what God wants, nor are they doing what Abraham did.They are doing what Satan would do: looking for a way to kill Jesus.If…
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” (John 8:31) How can we know if a person is a Jesus follower?According to Jesus, they will hold to His teaching.The teaching of Jesus is primarily ethical, a life focused on loving God and people.Those who are committed to doing such ‘works’ belong to Jesus…