Before you get started in your study, take some time to quiet yourself before the Lord and pray: Heavenly Father, open my eyes to see You in Your word. You are Almighty and You are worthy of my time, help me to seek You. Thank you for finding me. Amen
Read John 9.1-3
Just so you know: It was a common belief in Jesus' time that physical suffering (like blindness) was caused by sin. So, the question the disciples ask isn't uncommon or insensitive, they probably just wanted to know.
What reason does Jesus give for the man being born blind? ____________________
Read v.3 again, Spend some time in prayer and ask God if there is any place you feel compassion that he wants to move into action for His glory. _______________________________
Read John 9.4-7
What is Jesus doing while he's answering the disciples' question? ____________________
Just so you know: While smearing spit/mud in someone's eyes sounds disgusting to us, historians tell us that saliva was believed to be medicinal.
Read John 7-12
When Jesus tells the man to "go" what does the man do? ____________________
What was the man-who-was-blind's neighbors ask him when they see him? ______________
If you could speak with someone who had once been blind, but now they could see, what would you ask them? _____________________________________________________________________
How does the man-who-was-blind explain what happened (v.11) ___________________________
Read John 13-16
What day was it when Jesus healed the blind man? ___________________________
Just so you know: The Jewish people followed strict rules about what could and could not be done on the Sabbath. This isn't the first time Jesus has healed someone on the Sabbath, and in this instance (according to oral tradition) Jesus has broken two rules 1.making mud and putting it on the man's eyes 2.healing someone on the Sabbath.
The pharisees say, "this man is not from God" in v16, why do they say that? ______________
Some Pharisees defend Jesus, what is the reason they give in his defense? ___________________
The Pharisees ask the man-born-blind how he received his sight, what is his story in v.15? _____________________________________________________________
Read John 17-23
Since the Pharisees don't believe the man-born-blind, who do they call in v18? ________________
When the man's parents are asked about who healed their son, what do they say? _______________
Read v22 again, the man's parents seem scared as they dodge the question and give a weird answer. In contrast to his parents, the man-born-blind is incredibly bold. Why do you think the man is so bold?
________________________________
Read John 24-25
How many times have they questioned the man-born-blind about his healing? ____________
how does the man-born-blind answer their question this time? _________________________
What does he say he knows in v. 25 _____________________
Read John 26-34
The Pharisees are asking a lot of questions, but in v 27 the man-born-blind asks them a question-- what does he ask? ______________________________
How do the Pharisees respond to that? ______________________
What do the Pharisees eventually do to the man in v34? ________________________
Read John 35-41
What is the first thing Jesus asks the man when he finds him? (v.35) ____________________
Look at v36+37, the man-born-blind is finally face to face with Jesus! Seeing Him for the first time, how does the man respond when Jesus reveals himself as his healer? ____________________
How do you worship? ______________________________________________
maybe you're still learning what it mean that Jesus was God's son. Pray and ask God to help you understand what it means for Jesus to be the son of God. maybe it's time to find a Christian you trust and ask them to talk about these things with you.
in v.40, how does Jesus respond to the Pharisees' question? ________________________
"Those who admit their blind ignorance, come to Jesus and receive spiritual sight. But those who rely on their own arrogant erudition are blinded by God from seeing the truth." -Mark E. Moore
Be encouraged by this chapter
Isn't it amazing to know that Jesus came and healed the blind man? He didn't have to do that, you know? God wanted this man to be healed. While the disciples were compassionate (they felt bad, and wished they could help somehow) Jesus was moving into action and deciding how to help.
When i think about Jesus' "compassion into action"lifestyle, I think about a story I heard from my friend, Tony. Tony was on a mission trip in a remote village when his team encountered a little boy playing in the dirt, naked and by himself. This kind of thing is somewhat common in third world countries, so the team saw him and felt compassion for him but kept walking. Then a woman with them noticed the boy had a head wound. As the team tried to reunite the boy to his family, they discovered he had been abandoned. Someone from the village gave them authority to take the boy to the hospital where during treatment, the woman began making arrangements for the boy to be adopted. When they left, she had given him a new name and adopted him into her family. Occasionally I see a picture of the boy and every time I'm completely blown away by how happy and healthy he looks-- all because someone let their compassion become action by asking, "how can we help?"
This is the heart of God-- He longs to give us a family where we experience real love and true life.
ask God to give you spiritual eyes to see what He has done for you and begin to pray for a heart of worship. We serve a good God, He is worthy of all our praise!
