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The Scriptorium

Witness and Worshiper

Salvation is all of grace, and has powerful effects.

The Gospel of John: John 9.28-41

Read and meditate on John 9.28-41.

This blind beggar proved that his healing was complete. He showed his prowess as a witness for Christ, and he proved his faith as a worshiper of Christ.

28Then they reviled him, and they said, “You are
His follower; we follow Moses, 29for
we know God spoke to Moses. But this Man,
we do not know where He is from.” 30The man
replied to them, “This is a marvel! You
know not where He is from, yet He could do
this work of opening my eyes! 31We know
that God does not hear sinners; even so,
whoever worships Him and does His will,
God hears. 32Since everything began until
this day, it was unheard that anyone
should open eyes born blind. 33So if this One
were not from God, He could do nothing.” 34They
replied and said to him, “What’s that you say?
You who were born in sin, do you presume
to teach us?” So they cast him from the room,
and from the synagogue. 35Now Jesus heard
that they had cast him out, and spoke this word
to him, when He had found him: “Friend, do you
believe in God’s own Son?” 36He said, “But Who
is He, my Lord, so that I may believe
in Him?” 37Said Jesus, “Truly, you have seen
Him, and He is the One Who talks with you
just now.” 38The man replied, “O Lord, I do
believe!” and worshiped Him. 39And Jesus said,
“I have for judgment come. Blind eyes instead
will see, while those who see will be made blind.”
40Some Pharisees were there, and they replied,
“Are we then blind?” 41And Jesus said, “If you
were blind, you’d have no sin, but now you do,
because you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin
remains.”

- John 9.28-41

Reflect
1. Let’s review this episode for what we can learn about salvation and being witnesses for the Lord. First, it is clear from this account that salvation is all of grace. What does this mean? How does the story of this man’s healing and coming to faith illustrate this? Complete this prayer: I know, Lord, that I do not deserve to be saved, and I have done nothing to merit your salvation. Thank You that…

2.  Next, let’s observe that sometimes salvation unfolds in stages for a person. That is, coming to faith can be a gradual process, rather than a sudden conversion. How do you see that in this story? How does this lead us to think about the unsaved people we know, and what it might require of us for them to come to the Lord? You healed the blind man, then You revealed Yourself to him. Help me always to do good to people, and, at the same time, to…

3.  Coming to faith in Jesus has immediate effects, as well as ongoing effects. How does the story of this blind man show us this? What does this suggest about your own salvation? I’m saved, Lord, and I thank You for saving me; show me more of Your salvation so that…

4.  Those who have experienced the saving power of the Gospel talk freely and boldly about what they have come to know. What are the most important lessons about being a witness that we can learn from this blind-man-now-healed? Make me a more consistent witness, Lord, beginning today. Open my eyes to…

5.  Even in the face of the most compelling evidence, there will be those who deny our testimony and will try to discredit our witness. How should we respond to them? Bring together into one prayer the prayers you composed for questions 1-4.

Summary
“‘Some of the Pharisees’ were disturbed by these words ‘and said to him, “Are we also blind?”’ What had moved them were the words ‘And those who see may become blind.’ ‘Jesus said to them, … “If you were blind, you would have no sin,”’ that is, if you identified yourselves as blind you would run to the physician.… For I have come to take away sin. But now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains. Why? Because when you say that you see, you are not looking for a physician, and that is why you will remain in your blindness. Therefore, what he has just said before about coming for those who do not see so that they may see concerns those who acknowledge that they do not see and seek a physician so that they may receive their sight. ‘And those who see may become blind’ concerns those who think they can see without looking for a physician, and so they remain in their blindness. He calls this act of division ‘judgment,’ saying, ‘For judgment I came into this world.’ … He is not referring here to that ‘judgment’ when he will judge the living and the dead at the end of the world.” Augustine (354-430 AD)

In what sense does our witness for Christ function as a form of “judgment”? Is this a good thing? Explain.

Closing Prayer
Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
The LORDhas made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
Sing to the Lord with the harp,
With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
With trumpets and the sound of a horn;
Shout joyfully before the LORD, the King.
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap theirhands;
Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He shall judge the world,
And the peoples with equity.

Psalm 98.1-9

Psalm 98.1-9 (Duke Street: Come, Let Us Sing unto the Lord)
Come, let us sing unto the Lord new songs of praise with one accord!
Wonderful things our God has done: Jesus has our salvation won!

Now is God’s saving mercy known; His glory to the world is shown.
Faithful and kind is God our Lord; earth has the Name of Jesus heard.

Raise to the Lord your loudest voice! Break forth and sing! Rejoice! Rejoice       
Praise, praise to You our God and King, with all our hearts and strength we bring!

Now let the whole creation ‘round burst into song with joyous sound!
Jesus will come to judge the earth; let all proclaim His matchless worth!
T. M. Moore

We are happy to offer each week’s Scriptorium studies in a free weekly PDF, suitable for personal or group use. You can download all the studies in our series on the Gospel of John by clicking here. Please prayerfully consider sharing with The Fellowship of Ailbe through your giving. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

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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.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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