The Gospel of John: John 9.13-27

Read and meditate on John 9.24, 25.
When we have truly experienced the healing touch of Jesus, no amount of badgering, cajoling, threatening, or intimidating can cause us to deny Him.

                                          ²⁴Once more
they called him in and said to him, “We know
this Sabbath-breaker is a sinner. So
give God the glory!” ²⁵But he answered, “I
do not know if this Man’s a sinner. I
know only this: I once was blind, but now
I see.”

- John 9.24, 25

Reflect
1.  Can you feel the level of exasperation rising in these Pharisees? Exit, parents; re-enter, blind-man-now-healed. What were these religious leaders hoping to achieve?  Complete the following prayer: I know that many people want me to see You as they do, Lord – harmless, irrelevant, and (hopefully) non-existent. But I…

2.  The Jews, in effect, put this man under an oath (“Give God the glory!”), then they put words in his mouth, trying to help him help them come to terms with Jesus (v. 24). Does this sort of badgering and leading-on affect the way some people think about Jesus? Explain. What’s the antidote? I have the truth about You, Lord, in the earthen vessel of my frail life. If others are to see You clearly through the lies of this age…

3.  The blind-man-now-healed would neither speculate nor draw conclusions about Jesus’ character. He didn’t know about Jesus’ moral character! What did he know? What do you know? I know Whom I have believed, O Lord, and I know that…

4.  Meditate on verse 25. If you had to summarize your experience of Jesus in one short phrase – “One thing I know: that though I was blind, not I see” – what would you say? Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You…

5.  We note that the Pharisees have brought their argument back to the beginning. There before them was the blind-man-now-healed. There could be no denying that. So they reverted to the “sinner” charge, and tried to get the man to concur. It wasn’t going to happen. Wouldn’t it have been a lot simpler, more convenient, for this man to say, “OK, OK, He’s a sinner”? Why wouldn’t he? Bring together your prayers from questions 1-4 into one prayer.

Summary
“He says, in effect, I do not want to declare what I do not know; nor can I keep silent or hide what I know. I really do not know whether he is what you say he is. In fact, I did not come to know him as a sinner. I was blind, and through my hope I received sight; I know this first of all. It is up to you to judge whether a sinner can do that, because this is what you assert he is.” Theodore of Mopsuestia (350-428 AD)

Your personal testimony can be a powerful tool in your witness for Christ. Meditate on Psalm 30. Do you pray your testimony back to the Lord from time to time? Do you think this might be a good discipline? Would it help to make you a readier witness for Christ?

Closing Prayer
I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my foes rejoice over me.
O LORD my God, I cried out to You,
And You healed me.
O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave;
You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes  in the morning.
Now in my prosperity I said,
“I shall never be moved.”
LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong;
You hid Your face, and I was troubled.
I cried out to You, O LORD;
And to the Lord I made supplication:
“What profit is therein my blood,
When I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise You?
Will it declare Your truth?
Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me;
LORD, be my helper!”
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

Psalm 30

Psalm 30 (Madrid: Come Christians, Join to Sing)
We will extol Your Name!
            You have lifted us, O Lord!
Our foes retreat in shame –
            You have lifted us, O Lord!
You healed us when we cried; safe shall our souls abide;
Hell’s claim have You denied –
            You have lifted us, O Lord!

Lord, we extol Your Name!
            You have lifted us, O Lord!
Thanks we with joy proclaim –
            You have lifted us, O Lord!
Anger shall not prevail; grace will for us avail;
Day frees us from travail –
            You have lifted us, O Lord!

Firmly in You we stand –
            You have lifted us, O Lord!
Kept by Your gracious hand –
            You have lifted us, O Lord!
Lord, when You hide Your face, I cry to You for grace;
Living, I’ll sing Your praise –
            You have lifted us, O Lord!

Lord, hear our earnest plea –
            You have lifted us, O Lord!
And our strong Helper be –
            You have lifted us, O Lord!
You turn our tears to song; praises to You belong.
Thanks is our endless song!
            You have lifted us, O Lord!

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.