John 9-10
John 9-10
John arranged his Gospel such that the miracles Jesus performed were a springboard for His messages about revelation and redemption. The sixth miracle though provided an opportunity for the healed-one to give the message about Jesus. After the blind man received his sight, Jesus said little to His opponents; the man’s testimony was a sufficient witness. In fact, as one progresses through John’s Gospel they notice a growing sense of abruptness in Jesus’ speech to the Jewish leaders. Time-and-again He had revealed Himself and His mission to them, and they in-turn tried to kill Him. Jesus would eventually tell them frankly, “You don’t believe because you are not My sheep” (10.26). While Jesus was growing tired of the unbelief of the Pharisees, He was tender with the one He had healed; here then is “the Good Shepherd” (10.11)
The disciples were yet operating by the spiritual paradigm of tit-for-tat retribution; when they saw a man who was born blind, it provided them the unique opportunity to investigate who was at fault in the matter. Perhaps Jesus’ reply shocked them; He said, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned…This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him” (9.3). The blind man was healed so that he could be “sent” (9.3-7):
- To his neighbors, and those who knew him as a beggar (9.8-12). While the healed-man had trouble convincing his neighbors(?) that he was in fact the man who’d been healed, they finally listened to his confession of Jesus
- To the Pharisees (9.13-34). Such an extraordinary healing beckoned comment from the experts in the Mosaic law. At this juncture John reveals a significant element of the miracle: it was performed on the Sabbath (9.14; cf. ch 5)—a cause for doubt about Jesus’ claims to be sent from God, “for He doesn’t keep the Sabbath” (9.16), they said! Yet, the nature of the miracle demanded esteem beyond that afforded to mere men, and the healed-man confessed that Jesus was a prophet (9.17). Rather than believe the man’s testimony, they decided to move further down the road of skepticism—questioning if the man had ever been blind! To verify the matter, the Jews called in the man’s parents—who testified that he was blind. Their fear of being banned from the synagogue (9.22-23)—akin to being cut off from most social, financial, and relational connections—forced the healed-man’s parents nothing beyond a vague testimony of the healing. But the one who’d been healed would not cower before the authorities; he spoke plainly of how Jesus healed him, and then rebuked the unbelief of the Pharisees—who were unsure of where Jesus had come from. The man who had been healed marveled at their hardness:
“‘This is an amazing thing,’ the man told them. ‘You don’t know where He is from, yet He opened my eyes! We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him. Throughout history no one has every heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He wouldn’t be able to do anything’” (9.30-33)
The “sent-one” was promptly “sent-out” of the synagogue community (9.34). Jesus soon found him, and revealed that He was the Son of Man—who’d come “in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind” (9.39), a reality the Pharisees were not able to grasp. One should not overlook the harsh sentence the “sent-one” had received. His early life had been characterized by begging because of his blindness, his seeing years would be characterized by begging because he boldly testified that Jesus made him see; without the synagogue community one enjoyed few financial connections. It was this occasion that prompted Jesus’ sermon of “the Good Shepherd.” While the Pharisees were characterized as thieves and robbers (10.1, 8), Jesus claimed ownership of the sheep, calling them by name, leading them by His voice (10.2-5). Further, He is in fact the Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (10.11-18).
A few months later, during the Feast of Dedication, Jesus was approached and surrounded by the Jews, who asked, “How long are You going to keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly” (10.24). One can imagine Jesus shaking His head in response, “I did tell you and you don’t believe…The works that I do in my Father’s name testify about Me. But you don’t believe because you are not my sheep” (10.25-26). Who then are Jesus’ sheep? The ones who hear His voice, and follow Him—they are the ones who will never be taken from Him, nor perish (10.27-30), because the Father had given them to the Son and Jesus confessed, “The Father and I are one” (10.30). While the Jews could stand it no more and tried to stone Him, He again eluded their grasp (10.34-39; cf. 7.44; 8.59). Despite the unbelief in Jerusalem, “many believed” beyond the Jordan (10.40-41).
In the events of Jn 9-10 it is apparent that many in Israel, following the Pharisaic leadership of the day, rejected the Messiah. John’s comment, “He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him” (1.11), had numerous illustrations. Despite this rejection, Jesus proclaimed that His message was for all. Earlier He hinted at this when, at the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles, He announced, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life” (8.12). Jesus repeated this line to His disciples when they asked about whose sin caused the man’s blindness; He said, “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him. We must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (9.3b-5). It may be that Jesus’ statements at the Feast of Tabernacles and to His disciples concerning the man born blind were meant to prompt their thinking about the prophet Isaiah’s prediction of the future day of light shining in the darkness. In two places he wrote about God’s light shining as a witness to the salvation of all peoples: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of darkness, a light has dawned” (9.2), and “It is not enough for you to be My servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. I will also make you a light for the nations, to be My salvation to the ends of the earth” (49.6). These scenes of John’s Gospel thus have significance for the storyline of Scripture, understanding the flow of redemptive history. Israel loved darkness rather than light, and rejected the Messiah, while many among the Gentile nations believed. It is thus noteworthy that apostle Paul testified to the Jews in Antioch of how Isaiah’s prophecy was being realized in his day too; Luke records:
“The following Sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the message of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to oppose what Paul was saying by insulting him. Then Paul and Barnabas boldly said: ‘It was necessary that God’s message be spoken to you first. But since you reject it, and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles! For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have appointed you as a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth’” (Acts 13.44-47; cf. Is 49.6).
*For a complete list of references, please see scripturestoryline.com