The Fisherman's Story

A Study of the Gospel of John John 9   Part One:  "The Beginning of the Fisherman's Story"  John 1:1-18 Part Two:  "The Telling of the Fisherman's Story"             John 1:18-12:50   Introduction   I.  The "The Fisherman's Story" Contains the Unveiling of  the Redemptive Promise of God, 1:19-4:54. II.  The "The Fisherman's Story" Contains a Record of the Rising Controversy Over Jesus' Claims and Demonstration of His Divine Nature and Power, John 5:1-47. III.  The "The Fisherman's Story" Contains a Record of the Growing Conflict Between Jesus and the Jews Over His Identity Claims, John 6:1-8:11.  IV. "The Fisherman's Story" Contains a Record of the Intensification of the Controversy Between Jesus and the Unbelieving Jews, John 8:12-59.   Let us continue our study.   V.  The "The Fisherman's Story" Contains a Record of Several Manifestations of the Opposition Against Jesus, John 9:1-11:57   The miracles in John show both the power and Person of Jesus Christ.  In review the miracles performed to this point in the gospel we note   1. The miracle of water into wine shows Christ's creative power (John 2:1-11). 2. Healing the noble man's son shows Christ's  transcendent power (John 4:46-53). 3. Healing the man at the pool shows Christ's authoritative power (John 5:1-9). 4. Feeding the 5,000 shows Christ's resourceful power (John 6:4-13). 5. Jesus walks on water shows Christ's supernatural power--power over the natural (John 6:16-21).   In continuing the study in John's gospel we are presented with the . . .   6. Healing of a blind man shows Christ's purposeful use of power (John 9:1-12).    Here is . . .   A. Jesus' Opposition Manifested After Healing of the Blind Man   1.  A Miracle with a Purpose, John 9:1-11:57   a.  The disciples express a popular notion about the physically challenged, John 9:1-2.   (John 9:1-2 NIV)  As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. {2} His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"   b.  Jesus presents another divine purpose specific to this incident, John 9:3    (John 9:3 NIV)  "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.   1) There is a limited amount of time to serve God, John 9:4.   (John 9:4 NIV)  As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.   2) While Jesus is in the world, He is the light to reveal God to the world by His works, John 9:5.   (John 9:5 NIV)  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."   c. Jesus displays both His divine power and compassion in the healing of the blind man, John 8:6-7    (John 9:6-7 NIV)  Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. {7} "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.   2. A Miracle Without an Explanation, John 8:8-11   a.  One explanation from his neighbors was "there was no miracle, this is the wrong man!", John 8:8-9a,b.   (John 9:8-9a,b NIV)  His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" {9} Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him."   b. The testimony of the healed man was that indeed he had been healed, John 8:9c.   (John 9:9c NIV)  But he himself insisted, "I am the man."   c. The question was "Really, how is it that now you can see?", John 9:10   (John 9:10 NIV)  "How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.   d. The answer of the healed man, "I did what Jesus told me to do.", John 9:11   (John 9:11 NIV)  He replied, "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."   3. The First Inquiry into the Miracle, John 9:12-23   a.  Jesus:  the subject of the inquiry, John 9:12-13   (John 9:12-13 NIV)  "Where is this man?" they asked him. "I don't know," he said. {13} They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.   b.  The man healed of blindness:  the cause of the inquiry, John 9:14-15.   (John 9:14-15 NIV)  Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. {15} Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see."   c.  The Pharisees:  the prejudice in the inquiry, John 9:16-23.   1) Their conclusion came before the inquiry, John 9:16.   (John 9:16 NIV)  Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided.   2) Their "fishing expedition" was unproductive, John 9:17-23.   a)  The healed man asserted Jesus must be a prophet, John 9:17.   (John 9:17 NIV)  Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet."   b)  The Pharisees seek another explanation from the parents, John 9:18-19.   (John 9:18-19 NIV)  The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. {19} "Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?"   c)  The parents, knowing the truth of the miracle, must evade the question to maintain their standing in the community, John 9:20-23.   (John 9:20-23 NIV)  "We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. {21} 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." {22} His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. {23} That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."   4. The Second Inquiry into the Miracle, John 9:24-34.   a. The Pharisees ask the healed man to deny Jesus power, John 9:24.   (John 9:24 NIV)  A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God, " they said. "We know this man is a sinner."   b. The healed man refuses to deny his experience with Jesus, John 9:25   (John 9:25 NIV)  He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"   c.  The Pharisees seek more details, John 9:26.   (John 9:26 NIV)  Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"   d.  The healed man asks a valid question followed by a possibly sarcastic one, John 9:27.   (John 9:27 NIV)  He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?"   e.  The Pharisees react with insults and false piety, John 9:28-29.   (John 9:28-29 NIV)  Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! {29} We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from."   f.  The healed man answers with inescapable logic, John 8:30-33.   (John 9:30-33 NIV)  The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. {31} We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. {32} Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. {33} If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."   g.  The Pharisees resort to a debating tool as old as arguments themselves, "If you can't attack the point, attack the man", John 9:34.   This classic device even has a Latin name,   Argumentum ad Hominem (abusive and circumstantial): the fallacy of attacking the character or circumstances of an individual who is advancing a statement or an argument instead of trying to disprove the truth of the statement or the soundness of the argument. Often the argument is characterized simply as a personal attack.   http://philosophy.lander.edu/logic/person.html   (John 9:34 NIV)  To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.   5. The Epilogue, John 9:35-41   (John 9:35-41 NIV)  Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" {36} "Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him." {37} Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you." {38} Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.  {39} Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." {40} Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?" {41} Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.   Spiritual blindness was the infirmity of the unbelieving Jews and Pharisees which becomes the main lesson in this story of Jesus' healing of the blind man.   a. Spiritual blindness is the effect of willful sin, John 3:19-20.   (John 3:19-20 NIV)  This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. {20} Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.   b. Spiritual blindness is the decision to believe Satan's lies rather God's truth, 2 Cor 4:3-4.   (2 Cor 4:3-4 NIV)  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. {4} The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.   c.  Spiritual blindness is to be found in those who are righteous in appearance but not in heart, Mat 23:27-28.   (Mat 23:27-28 NIV)  "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. {28} In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.   d. Spiritual blindness is characteristically disinterested in spiritual things, not searching for spiritual truth, Mat 13:13-14.   (Mat 13:13-14 NIV)  This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. {14} In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.   e. Jesus came to heal spiritual blindness, Luke 4:18 with Isa 42:7.   (Luke 4:18-19 NIV)  "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, {19} to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."