John 9

The rift between belief and unbelief, darkness and light, which was brought to the fore after the feeding of the 5,000+ and made even more obvious during the Feat of Tabernacles, had now become a great chasm.  By now, many of those who had been following Jesus had deserted Him.  Religious leaders were not only wondering about Him, many were becoming outright violent toward Him and those who followed Him were now looked at as suspect.

These last few months of Jesus’ life were dangerous times for our Lord.  The Scribes and Pharisees were continually setting taps for Him and twisting His words, using them against Him.  Jesus, however, simply carried on His ministry as though He were unaware of the danger.  Of course, Jesus knew what was going on around Him, but He did not yield to the vicious designs of the religious elite.  In the face of certain death, Jesus kept on doing the work He was sent here to do.

1.  From blindness to sight, verses 1—7

This miracle is truly unique because, while Jesus had healed blind people before, this time the blind person was born blind; he had never seen.  This man’s sight was not restored, it was created.

To the disciples, this blind man presented a problem; not a physical problem but a theological problem.  They believed as other Jews of their day believed:  a persons’ physical problems were caused by some sin they committed.  While it is correct to say that all sickness and physical maladies are the result of sin in a general sense, the disciples reasoned that it was a specific sin that resulted in this man’s blindness.  The problem, though, was that this man was born blind; so how could his sin have caused his blindness?   This led the disciples to think it must  ave been his parent’s sin that resulted in their son being born blind; his blindness was therefore viewed as a judgment from God.  To this kind of unsound reasoning, Jesus replied—

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  (verses 3—5)

Jesus would have nothing to do with man’s ideas about His Father and He immediately dismissed the disciples’ silly reasoning.  Then He makes the stunning declaration that this man was born blind for one reason:  his blindness provided an opportunity for Jesus to do God’s work.  This man was not “born blind” in the sense that it was just “unlucky” that he was born this way.  God made him blind so that God’s power may be manifested to God’s glory; this miracle, then, is all about God, not about the blind man.  Hendriksen wrote:

All things—even afflictions and calamities—have as their ultimate purpose the glorification of God in Christ by means of the manifestation of his greatness.

Jesus then makes an interesting statement:  “We must do the work of him who sent me.”  Even though Jesus did the work, He included the disciples in the “divine imperative” to do the works of God.  So Jesus turned the reasoning of the disciples on its head; no longer was this blind man the subject of debate and discussion, he was now a man to be helped.

The application of these verses to believers today is quite compelling.  When we meet someone as bad off as this man was, we may react in different ways:

I.            You may react with scornful disdain and avoid him altogether, like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day did.
II.           You may talk about this person and discuss their plight and treat them like some sort of puzzle, just as the disciples had done with this blind man.
III.          Or, you may reach out in love and help them.

Obviously, Jesus’ way is the way of love, which is why He said, “While it is day…”  In other words, we should do God’s work while we can, when we can, and if we can.

Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.  (verses 6, 7)

Just why Jesus went through such histrionics is not known.  Other times Jesus’ spoken word was enough to affect a healing.   Some scholars have equated Jesus’ use of clay with the creative act of Genesis 2:7; since this man never had sight, it had to be created in him.  It seems that the obvious answer, though, has to do simply with the man’s obedience, which resulted in God being glorified, the stated purpose of this miracle.

Even as Naaman went to wash himself at the command of Elisha, so this blind man obeyed without question, and received sight.   The walk to the pool would not have been easy for it was some distance from where Jesus met this man.  This was an exercise of faith on the part of the blind man; notice that Jesus did not tell the blind man that if he did as Jesus had told him he would suddenly see!   The man may have expected it to happen, but he had no such assurance from our Lord.  What was to happen hinged on his faithful obedience to the word of Christ.

2.  From darkness to light, verses 8—41

The man’s gift of sight created a genuine sensation within the community.  It is interesting to read how this formerly blind man’s faith in Jesus evolved:

• He is a man, verses 8—12;
• He is a prophet, verses 13—17;
• He is Lord, verses 18—41.

There is something comforting as we read about this man’s journey of faith.  He did not have to posses perfect faith before he was healed; he had some faith, though, and apparently that was enough for the Lord.

After his astounding healing, this man testified to three very different groups of people, and their reactions to the miracle are telling.

I.          The neighbors, verses 8—12.  Just as Jesus divides, so the neighbors were divided about what Jesus did for this formerly blind man; he may have suddenly been seeing with perfect 20/20 vision, but apparently these neighbors weren’t sure if this was really the right man.  To these doubters, this man testified very simply:  “I am the man.  The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

II.        The Pharisees, verses 13—18.  Even before the religious leaders, the man’s testimony was plain and simple; he did not shrink from telling them the exact truth.  Notice what the man told them:  “He is a prophet.” (verse 17).

One cannot separate what Jesus does from who He is.  The healed man had an experience that was really just an acquaintance with Jesus’ work; his faith was imperfect, impersonal, and not quite complete.  The Pharisees tried to dissuade him and discourage him, but he would have nothing to do with them.  We have to admire this man’s simple faith, as immature as it is at this point in the story.

III.       The parents, verses 19—23.  The religious leaders did not believe the healed man, so they went to his parents.  These religious leaders were connivers and were trying to discredit this man by using his parents.  Unfortunately, the parents caved into the religious leaders and basically lied to them; notice what they said:  “But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself” (verse 21).  That was a bold-faced lie, because verse 22 hints that they did really knew the whole story.

The Pharisees then went back to the man and said a curious thing—

A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”  (verse 24)

In fact, this man was giving glory to God, but as in the case of the words of Jesus, they did not hear the man.  The phrase “give glory to God” is actually a technical term that means, “tell the truth” or “swear by God and tell the truth.”  The problem with these men, though, is that they were blinded by their own religion; a religion of their own making.  They had a concept of the truth yet they refused to listen to the truth from this man and refused to acknowledge the Truth of Jesus Christ.  With verse 25, we see the maturing of this man’s faith.  Remember as you read it, this man has never seen Jesus—

“Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”  (verse 25)

His life was changed and He knew it.  There is nothing quite as powerful as a changed life; it gives you confidence to proclaim the truth.

“Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.  Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.  If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”  (verses 30—32)

Talk about holy boldness!  The super-intelligent religious leaders had tried to insult this man, put him down, and they tried to use his own parents against him yet he remained unflappable in the face of their relentless personal attacks.  Finally, as though throwing his hands up in disgust, he utters logic so perfect, that he literally shut the Pharisees down, and they simply dismissed this man.

3.  Meeting the Light, verses 35—41

For this man born blind, his new life was off to a roaring start!  He faced down the intimidating “religious class” and did not back down one inch.  But his life must be different for a new relationship had begun.

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  (verse 35)

What an amazing verse:  Jesus went looking for this man!  Like a Good Shepherd, Jesus will not stop looking for an honest, seeking, and faithful soul.  It may seem like an odd exchange, but this man, though having had an encounter with Jesus, had never actually seen Jesus.

Westcott makes an interesting observation:

For the first time the Lord offers Himself as the object of faith, and that in His universal character in relation to humanity, as the “Son of man.” He had before called men to follow Him:  He had revealed Himself and accepted the spontaneous homage of believers:  but now He proposes a test of fellowship.

Obviously, the new believer passed Westcott’s  “test of fellowship” and came into a personal relationship with His Savior.  Practical and personal faith trumps theological knowledge every time.  The man with limited knowledge of Jesus Christ affirmed his faith in Jesus for who He is, not just for what He did.

We never read of this man again in Scripture, but we have a small clue about the depth of his faith.  The word “worshiped” is written in the aorist tense, indicating an “attitude and posture of life.”  This whole man’s life had completely changed and he lived for Christ the rest of his life.  His whole life from this moment forward would be lived in the posture of worship.  He had received light and life.

(c)  2010 WitzEnd

Patrons of Mike’s Place know that I rarely post external links; I figure you wandered in here to read my stuff not somebody’s else’s!    However, an article appeared in the Jacksonville Sun that is too good not to share.  It’s entitled Being a Christian cannot be separated from being in church.  Here is a snippet:

The God of the Bible and Jesus Christ are a package deal. You get one, you get the other, and what’s expected by God — and even expedient — is clear in Scripture, to “not forsake the assembling of yourselves …” (Heb. 10:25).

If you choose to ignore this, you will not grow spiritually, neither will you develop the desire to help others do likewise.

This is a real bugaboo for me; “Christians” who say they don’t need to be in church on a regular basis or, even worse, those “stealth Christians” who “have church at home.”  Don’t even get me started on that one, my eyes bug out and steam comes out my ears.  While the church is not a mechanism of salvation, not going to church is being in willful disobedience to the revealed will of God.  If you think you are a Christian yet skip church, that puts you in a very precarious position, at least if you believe the Bible.  Of course, if you don’t go to church, then you probably don’t know what the Bible says, anyway.  Still, ignorance is not bliss when it comes to God’s will:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  (1 John 1:7)

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.  (1 John 2:3-6)

If you run around claiming you are a Christian, then prove it!  Get off the dime and do what Christ has told you to do in His Word:  get your backside in church on Sunday!

John 8:12—59

The 12 verses that make up the first section of John 8, an incident concerning the woman caught in adultery, are not found in any of the oldest and most reliable manuscripts.   That raises the questions:  Did John write them?  Are they inspired if he didn’t?  Did the incident actually take place or was the whole story made up and inserted into this Gospel?

Here are quick facts surrounding these uncertain verses—

• The story contains language and words not used by John elsewhere in any of his New Testament writings; this leads many to question the authenticity of this section.
• The oldest and most reliable manuscripts do not contain the story.  It found its way into the KJV because it does appear in Codex Bezae and later uncials (the Koine text).
• Many of the old Latin versions of Scripture completely omit this portion.
• Greek expositors of Scriptures like Origen, Chrysostom, and many others make no comments on this incident.

Many faithful and highly conservative Bible scholars regard this whole incident as a “gloss,” an addition caused by a scribal error; one that is “spurious” and completely “anecdotal” and they believe it should be omitted from the John’s Gospel.

Given what we know about John, his style of writing and use of certain words, and the indisputable manuscript evidence, it is highly unlikely that these verses were written by John and therefore they shouldn’t be considered at part of this Gospel.

Having said that, however, is not to say that this incident never took place and that is unhistorical and a fabric of some scribe’s imagination.  In fact, the Jesus we see portrayed in these 12 verses is completely in agreement with the Jesus of history.  He is seen acting completely “in character” and nothing He said or did is at odds with what we know about our Lord.

So, what do we do with the first 12 verses?  The fact is, they add nothing new to our knowledge of Christ if they are kept, and removing them takes nothing away from Scripture.  That’s why most reputable and modern translations keep them, but usually offset them from the rest of the text by italicizing them and making mention of their uncertain origin.  For the sake of this study, though, which is already a lot longer than it should be, we will omit them for the sake of moving along.

1.  Light of the world, verses 12—20

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  (verse 12)

The remainder of chapter 12 makes up a single unit—a single incident—that probably took place just after the Feast of Tabernacles, while Jesus was still in the Jerusalem.  It is within this section of the Gospel that we read a series of declarative statements, beginning with “I am the light of the world.”

The first declarative statement of Christ reminds us of how John began his Gospel—

In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.  (John 1:4, 5)

The scribes and some of the Pharisees had left the Temple, but Jesus continued to teach the people who remained in the shadows cast by the great golden candelabra, lighted during the Feast of Tabernacles.  This was done to commemorate the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites during the exodus from Egypt.  Even as God led His children in the wilderness, so now Jesus is ever present in the lives of His people, guiding them, illuminating the way, and dispelling the darkness.  As John had already stated, light and life go hand-in-hand, and the Light of the world came to give eternal life to all people.

Jesus’ majestic claim was not well-received by the Pharisees, who considered such a claim as a prideful boast.  They saw Jesus as “full of Himself.”  Responding to what they said, Jesus’ response is succinct—

Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going.”  (verse 14)

In other words, Jesus declares, “I know myself!”  Once again, we see that the judgment of the religious leaders was completely wrong because they did not know His real nature.  Because they did not know who He was, they could not make the right judgment about Him or anything He said.  Their judgment about Him was based on what they saw (verse 15).  This is a very common theme in John’s Gospel and cannot be stressed enough as it is a common problem within His Church today.  Many, many immature or moderate Christians—even leaders within the Church!—don’t know Jesus and therefore are incapable of making correct judgments regarding His Word, His will, etc.  This is precisely why denominations get embroiled in one controversy after another; those involved don’t know Jesus, either well enough or not at all.  Those who don’t know Jesus make judgments about Him based on “the flesh,” or based on their perspective and limited understanding.  The most ignorant person in the world is worldly Christian; someone who thinks they know all about God and His ways.  Without a personal relationship with the Son, what such a person knows about God couldn’t fill a thimble.

The Jewish leaders clearly rejected Christ’s claims, even though He offered the Word of God as proof that His teachings were indeed valid—

I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”  (verse 18)

With great arrogance and disdain, these men also rejected the testimony of God, mocking Jesus, as it were, with the question, “So, where is your father?”  What makes this so sad is that these very religious men were in the process of hardening their own hearts to the truth of God, which was standing right in front of them!  Everything Christ had said had fallen on deaf ears.  When the human heart gets that hard, blindness and woeful ignorance always result.

2.  Consequence of man’s sin, verses 21—30

No wonder Jesus again announced the doom of the Jews; they were so derisive in the way they spoke to Him and their arrogance seemed to be boundless.

Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”  (verse 21)

The significance of this section is in Jesus’ clear declaration of His deity (verses 24 and 28) and the awful consequence of sin:  death.   What is very telling about the state of these Jews was their dense response—

“Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”  (verse 22)

They completely ignored the fact that Jesus declared they would die in their sin, preferring to focus on His statement that pertained to Himself and His will.  This is a classic example of sinful man’s stubborn refusal to see himself the way he really is.  If you have ever wondered why some people never respond to the Gospel in repentance, it is because they don’t hear it, or they ignore it.  The very thing that keeps man separated from God has only one antidote—

I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.  (verse 24)

The fact that the religious leaders continued to ask Jesus who He was shows that His message of simple faith was lost on them.  Our Lord was speaking, yet His words were not getting through to them.  The translation of the second part of verse 25 is difficult; the precise meaning of archen (literally “beginning”) does not seem to fit the overall context of the passage.  The tNIV’s “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning” is a good compromise, but the RSV’s footnote translation may be more revealing of how Jesus was feeling at this moment—

Why do I talk to you at all?

The very last sentence of this paragraph deserves special mention because it shows the power of God’s Word over His mighty acts—

Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.  (verse 30)

Signs and wonders serve to draw sinful man’s attention to Christ, but it is faith in His Word that results in saving faith.

3.  The truth makes you free, verses 31—38

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  (verses 31b, 32)

If we compare verses 30 and 31, we notice an interesting thing:  there appears to be a difference between belief and faith.  Consider—

Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.  (verse 30)

To the Jews who had believed him  (verse 31)

It seems that some “regular folk” listening to the exchange between Jesus and the Jews came to have faith in Jesus.  But some of the Jews, we are told, “believed” Jesus.  Remember, when John uses the word “Jews,” he is almost always referring to the religious leaders.  According to verse 31, then, some of these religious leaders had a measure of “belief” in what Jesus was saying.  But that is not the same thing as faith, as evidenced by what follows.  This is a very important distinction that must be noted.  Many people claim to believe in God and believe in Jesus and believe in the Bible, but belief is never enough!   Belief costs a person nothing; it is an intellectual assent to ideas and philosophy.  Faith, however, is something else; it demands repentance and a change of allegiance.  Belief is easy, faith is not.

How exactly does one “hold to” Christ’s teaching?  According to John’s writing “holding to” Christ’s teaching is the same thing as “obedience” to Christ’s teaching; only those who strive to live in obedience to the Word of God are considered by Christ to His disciples.

In what sense does the truth make one free?  This is an oft-quoted phrase, usually misapplied.  A person is free when sin no longer rules over them and the Word of God dominates their lives.   The kind of freedom spoken of by Christ, which is the only true freedom, has nothing to do with being able to “do your own thing” or live any way you want to.

The mention of freedom resulted in a question—

“We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”  (verse 33)

Of course, they were in bondage of the very worst kind:  bondage to sin, but didn’t know it.  What makes one a slave?  Jesus points out three things:

• Verse 34:  “…everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”
• Verse 35:  “…a slave has no permanent place in the family”  In other words, separation from the Source of true freedom enslaves one to something else.
• Verse 37:  “…you are looking for a way to kill me…”  The motivation of these people in looking for Jesus was completely wrong.

In these Jews we see the kind of person who knows about Jesus, knows His message, and maybe even believes parts of that message, but he is repulsed with idea that he is a sinner in need of a Savior.  This is the kind of person who resents being told that their fine morality and sense of ethics is imperfect and even motivated by sin.  This is the kind of person who is deluded into thinking that “good people go to heaven” and that they are essentially a “good person.”  The fact is, apart from Jesus Christ, there are no good people.  Period.

4.  Jesus was before Abraham, verses 39—59

Although these Jews claimed to be Abraham’s children, Jesus informed them that if they were, then they would act like Abraham did.  In other words, they would live by faith, not by legalism and pride; they would live in obedience to the Word of God, as Jesus was advocating.

The Jews’ proud contention was based solely on their lineal descent from Abraham, to whom God gave the great covenant.  However, God demands personal commitment from people.  What your father’s standing before God was or is has nothing whatsoever to do with you.  Your ancestors may have been great evangelists or missionaries, but if you haven’t made a personal commitment to follow Christ, then you’re lost.  This is what Ezekiel 18:4 means—

The soul who sins is the one who will die.

The whole chapter is all about personal responsibility; something these Jews did not possess when it came to their spirituality.

As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things.  (verse 40)

These Jews had fallen so far from God’s grace; they were out to kill God’s Son.  What is interesting about this verse is the fact that this is the only instance in the Bible where Jesus refers to Himself as a “man.”  This is, in fact, a pretty power-packed section of verses, for in it Jesus declares that He is a man, and also that:

• He was sent out from God, verse 42
• God is His Father, verse 49
• He Himself is Deity, verse 58

The obtuseness of the Jews was so obvious to Jesus, that asked what amounted to a rhetorical question—

Why is my language not clear to you?  (verse 43)

Jesus’ answer to His own question is vitally important because it applies to all the people you have shared your faith with who seemed to totally miss your point:

• They were “unable to hear” what Jesus was saying, verse 43.  These unbelieving Jews were spiritually deaf.
• Their spiritual deafness was an inherited family problem, passed on to them from their father, the Devil, verse 44.
• They were unable to face the truth even when it was right in front of them, verse 45.
• Because of their sin, these Jews could only be blinded by Christ’s purity and holiness, verse 46.  They could not prove Jesus guilty of anything, yet they could not see Him for who He really was.
• They did not belong to God in any way, verse 47.

As if to show just how hardened these men were, they accused Jesus of being a Samaritan (which would have been an insult to a Jew) and demon possessed!  The truth of Jesus, simple as it is, can arouse very strong feelings of antagonism in people.  Since no fault could be found in Jesus, all they could do was ridicule Him and insult Him.  Jesus’ response, though full of pure love, actually added fuel to the flames—

“I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me.  I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”  (verses 49—51)

Verse 51 is the clincher.  Note the word anyone.  Even one of these insulting, arrogant, and prideful Jews were to put their faith in Christ and live in obedience to His word, he would be saved.  This is God’s unconditional love.  No soul is beyond the reach of God’s redeeming grace.

With verse 58, we see that Jesus had had enough and He ends the conversation.  This is His supreme self-disclosure—

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

The two verbs, “was” and “am” (ego eimi) are two different words in the Greek.  The word “was” means literally, “came into history,” and has a temporal connotation attached to it.  The verb “am” is not temporal at all, but refers to “being forever.”  Here is the great contrast between Jesus, the man these Jews hated, and Abraham, the man they thought was so great:  Jesus was around before Abraham was, and Jesus will be around long after Abraham has passed from the scene.  Jesus always was and will always be.  Abraham was just temporary.

These men were so incensed; they wanted to stone Jesus on the spot.  Jesus had forced these men to make a decision.  Jesus forces all people to make a decision:  follow Him or not.  Each of us must make a decision concerning Jesus Christ.  Either His words are truthful or they are not.  He is either a liar or He is what He claimed to be.  The burning question of the moment is as it has always been: what will you do with Jesus Christ?

(c)  2010 WitzEnd