The Gospel of John: John 9.1-12

Read and meditate on John 9.8, 9.
When work that reveals God is accomplished, things change, and people notice.

                                        ⁸So then, when
the people who had known him saw this, they
inquired, “Is this not he who sat and begged?”
⁹Some said, “It is.” But others said, “No, he
is merely like him. He said, “I am he.”

- John 9.8, 9

Reflect
1.  Why were people confused about this man?  Complete the following prayer: Lord, when You work in my life, I change, and when I change…

2.  We see people trying to account for something new, wonderful, and strange. Some said one thing, some said another. They all seemed perplexed. How should we expect people today to respond to seeing God’s work done in the life of someone they know? Have you experienced this in your life? Explain. Lord, You are making all things new, and this can be a little confusing to people. This is why we need to…

3.  Bless his heart, the man who had been healed from blindness could only say one thing (v. 9). Nothing theological, nothing apologetical or polemical, not even a clear witness to Jesus. But why should we commend him here, and what can we learn from him? Lord, sometimes all I can say to people is…

4.  Why do you suppose that today we don’t see people puzzling among themselves about the changes they see in folks they know who have been touched by Jesus? Meditate on 1 Peter 3.15. How should we expect our hope to be evident in our lives? Lord, let Your light shine in me today, and my hope in You and Your glory be…

5.  Jesus brought a new Kingdom to earth – a Kingdom of light to overcome the darkness, life to bring victory over death, and newness to liberate us from our old, sinful ways. Jesus healed a blind man, bringing all the newness of that Kingdom to bear on him, and the blind man owned up to fact. How does this instruct us as those who are called to be witnesses for Jesus? Bring together your prayers from questions 1-4 into one prayer.

Summary
“The strangeness of the miracle made people incredulous. The neighbors and those who had seen that he was blind said, ‘Is this now the man who used to sit and beg?’ What wonderful clemency and condescension of God! With such great kindness he even heals the beggars. In this way he shuts up the mouths of the Jews, because he made, not the great, illustrious and noble, but the poorest and meanest, the objects of his providence. Indeed, he had come for the salvation of all.” John Chrysostom (344-407 AD)

Where Jesus brings the Kingdom, newness ensues. We may not understand how our daily doing the works of God can accomplish this, but it can, and does. How will you seek the Kingdom of healing and newness today? How will you work the works of God?

Closing Prayer
Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!
Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
O seed of Abraham His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
He is the Lord our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.
He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
The covenant which He made with Abraham…

Psalm 105.1-9a

Psalm 105.1-11 (Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
Give thanks unto the Lord Most High; call on His Name, before Him cry!
Make known His deeds in every land; sing praise for all the works of His hand.

Glory in God, rejoice in heart, all you who seek His holy part.
Him and His strength and presence seek; His works proclaim, His judgment speak.

You holy children of Abraham, you chosen ones of Jacob, stand!
He is our Lord, of wondrous worth; His judgments are in all the earth.

He will His covenant faithfully guard – His oath, the promise of His Word.
That which He to our fathers swore, He will perform forevermore!

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.