OCTOBER 29, 2017
JESUS AND THE MAN BORN BLIND (PART II – VERSES 13-34)
INTRODUCTION:
1. Jesus had just performed another notable miracle, the healing of a man born blind.
2. He had described His actions as the manifestation of the works of God. (Verse 3b)
a) He had done this as the consequence of being “the Light of the world.” (Ch. 8:12)
b) He had done this as the Heavenly Father’s Workman. (Verses 4, 5)
c) He had done this to show forth the way of salvation.
3. The notable means of the blind man’s healing was his washing in Siloam’s pool, which remarkably signified the gentle nature of the Messianic kingdom. (Verse 7; Isa. 8:5-8)
4. By using means, Jesus teaches us that salvation, which is God’s divine work, comes by the use of means.
a) There must be submission.
b) There must be faith.
c) There must be obedience.
5. So much interest and fascination attaches itself to this story of Jesus and the man born blind.
I. FIRST, THERE IS THE ACCOUNT OF THE MIRACLE ITSELF. (VERSES 1-12) (See previous lesson)
II. SECOND, THE PENETRATING INVESTIGATION THAT FOLLOWED. (VERSES 13-34)
A. THERE IS THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE BLIND MAN. (VERSES 13-17)
1. Those who push for the investigation are the ill-disposed questioners of Verses 10, 12.
2. The Pharisees here are the local party leaders. (Verse 13)
3. The day of the miracle is noted, for it will form the basis of the Pharisees’ charge. (Verses 14, 16)
a) This inquisition took place the day after the Sabbath, for when the miracle was done the sun was setting. (Verse 4)
b) The phrase, “Jesus made the clay…” suggests the charge of anti-Sabbatical work. (Verse 14)
c) Jesus never broke the Sabbath, only the Jewish caricature of it.
4. There was a divided decision concerning Jesus’ action. (Verse 16)
a) Those who laid emphasis upon the ceremonial dogma concluded He was not of God.
b) Those who emphasized the divine fact could not but reason that He was of God.
5. The testimony of the formerly blind man was incisive – Jesus had to be a prophet of God. (Verse 7)
B. THE BLIND MAN WAS CONFRONTED WITH HIS PARENTS. (VERSES 18-23)
1. The more hostile ones insisted on calling the man’s parents.
a) They are denominated Jews because of their disposition to Jesus. (Verse 16a)
b) They suspect collusion between Jesus and the blind man.
2. They ask the parents a three-fold question. (Verse 19)
a) Is this your son?
b) Was he born blind?
c) How does he now see?
3. The parents answer the first two, but defer the last. (Verses 20, 21)
a) Yes, he is our son.
b) Yes, he was born blind.
c) Why don’t you ask him how his eyes were opened? He’s old enough to answer for himself.
4. The parents answered this way out of fear. (Verse 22)
a) They knew of the Jews’ agreement to excommunicate any who confessed Jesus as the Christ. (The first such anti-Christian rule.)
b) They also knew the firmness and ability of their son. (Verse 23)
C. FINALLY, THERE WAS THE SECOND APPEARANCE OF THE BLIND MAN. (VERSES 24-34)
1. This ecclesiastical court had reached a decision. (Verse 24)
a) Concerning Jesus – this man is a sinner, i.e. a man without principles, a violator of the Sabbath.
b) Concerning the blind man – “Give God the praise,” i.e. denounce Jesus and thus repent of your blasphemy of thinking Him to be a prophet.
2. The healed man adamantly asserts the fact that he sees. (Verse 25)
a) He is not willing to have the miracle overthrown by dogmatics.
b) He is not willing to deny what God has done for him.
3. Again, they question, hoping to criticize some detail. (Verse 26)
4. Now the healed man answers them with great boldness. (Verse 27)
a) He detects their spiritual blindness and willing ignorance.
b) He sarcastically asks if they would be Jesus’ disciples.
5. They answer him with pious pretentions. (Verses 28, 29)
a) They revile him as a disciple of Jesus.
b) They profess their discipleship of Moses, to whom they know that God spoke.
c) They indirectly insult the legitimacy of Jesus’ birth.
6. Emboldened, the healed man gives a most reasoned reply. (Verses 30-33)
a) He declares their unbelief to be a greater miracle than his healing. (Verse 30)
b) By his healing, he logically process Jesus’ divinity. (Verses 31-33)
7. In casting him out, the Jews inadvertently admit this man’s healing. (Verse 34)
a) His being “altogether born in sins,” refers to his being born blind, i.e. under God’s curse of blindness.
b) Therefore, he had been healed by Jesus.
c) They should have been taught by him, but rather, “they cast him out.”
d) What an honor to be persecuted for Jesus’ sake.
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