THE OF JOHN Small Group Discussion Guide

Text: John 9:1-12

Theme/ Big Idea: The is bringing light to the eyes of a blind man in order to give a visible parable of the work of redemption came to provide.

Context/ Background Information: In , Jesus claimed to be "the light of the world" and the great "." Now in chapter 9 both of those claims are visibly displayed in the miraculous healing of a man born blind. The setting for chapter 7 and 8 was in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. Chapter 9 begins somewhere outside the temple as Jesus was leaving and "passing by" (John 9:1). It was not uncommon for those with physical ailments, especially the blind, to sit outside the temple and beg. As Jesus passed by he saw a man, John says, "blind from birth." This immediately elicits a question from the disciples regarding the relationship of suffering and sin. Jesus carefully redirects their question to the purposes of God in suffering. Jesus then heals the blind man, sending him as a living parable that Jesus is the great "I Am" come to give light to the world.

THE QUESTION OF SUFFERING Immediately upon encountering the man blind from birth, the disciples asked Jesus, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (John 9:2). Their question is a question of theodicy. Theodicy is the attempt to explain the relationship of sin and suffering. More specifically, it is the attempt to understand the relationship of God to suffering and why suffering exists. Their question reveals the prevailing sentiment of the day. Like so many others, the disciples assumed that if suffering is present then it must be the result of personal sin. This sentiment is as old as Job. His friends assumed that the tragedy and suffering he experienced was directly related to sin in his life (Job 4:7-8; 5:17; 8:4; 11:6). Here, the disciples can only assume this man's blindness is the result of his sin or his parents.

At root, the questions the disciples are asking is a question of "why?" Even more specifically, they are asking a question of fault. Whose fault is it that this man was born blind? Who violated the laws of God that resulted in this physical suffering? Is it this man's fault, or is it his parent's fault? One is a question of personal guilt. The other is a question of blame. While all suffering is generally the result of sin and the fall, the disciples falsely assume, like Job's friends, that all personal suffering is the result of personal sin. As Bruce Milne helpfully reminds, "Sin has produced a suffering world, but an individual's personal suffering is not always attributable to his or her personal sin." (1)

THE PURPOSE OF SUFFERING Remarkably, Jesus transcends their question. The disciples asked a question of fault. Jesus, on the other hand, says it was neither this man's sin nor his parent's "but that the works of God might be displayed in him" (John 9:3). While the disciples asked a question of "why," Jesus redirected them to the question of "how?" In other words, this is not an issue of fault. This is an issue of opportunity. Jesus leads the disciples to consider a different question, specifically, "How will this occasion be used to glorify God?"

First, Jesus says, "but that" or "so that." This gives clear indication of purpose. We are not given any specifics on why this man is blind. But we are told, and know for sure, that this occasion is not or nothing. This man's blindness and this encounter serve a divine purpose. Jesus' words are reminiscent of the story of Joseph. Even though Joseph was forsaken by his family, sold into slavery, accused of assault, and forgotten in prison, "The Lord was with Joseph" (Gen 39:2). Joseph rose to prominence in Egypt, and when confronting the brothers who betrayed him, he said, "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen 50:20). Although we cannot always know "why," we can always know "that." Specifically, we can know that God is at work, that God is still on his throne, that God has not forgotten or forsaken us, and that God has a purpose.

Secondly, Jesus says that this occasion and opportunity is so "that the works of God might be displayed in him" (John 9:3). Any time we see the phrase "works of God" in the , it refers to the works of God in Jesus. Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work" (:34; 5:36; 17:4). What is that work specifically? It is the work of redemption. It is the work of the good news of the gospel that Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Jesus transcended the disciples' question of who was at fault and redirected them to consider how God would use this occasion to accomplish his purpose of redemption.

THE DISPLAY OF REDEMPTION In verse 6, Jesus reiterates something he first clearly proclaimed in John 8:12. He says, "I am the light of the world." John connects the following miracle directly to this claim saying, "Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, 'Go, wash in the ' (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing" (John 9:6–7). The light of the world is bringing light to the eyes of a blind man. If the purpose of this miracle is primarily to display the work of redemption in Jesus, then we must ask, "How?" There are two ways, one general and one more specific.

First, in the previous accounts of Jesus' miraculous healings, he healed by command. When he healed the official's son in John 4:50, he did so without even being present and by the simple statement, "Go, your son will live." And again in :8-9, when Jesus healed the paralytic, he simply issued a command for him to walk. Why then does Jesus cover the man's eyes with mud (making the issue of sight worse) and then send him to the Pool of Siloam to be healed? Some see in this an intensification of the man's blindness, thereby increasing the emphasis on the miraculous cure. That is possible. But it is more likely that intensifying the man's blindness, or darkness, actually highlights his obedience. Jesus made things darker and even harder for the man and then called for obedience and faith. Remember, the man is blind, but he can still hear and, therefore, can still receive instruction. Jesus covered his eyes and then invited him to trust and obey. What is happening here?

In Genesis 2:16-17, God said to Adam, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." With this command was an implied invitation to obey without full explanation. It is a request to trust and obey. In Genesis 3 Adam and Eve believed the lies of Satan and believed their eyes. Genesis 3:6 says, "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate…." All humanity and all of creation were instantly plunged into darkness and suffering.

Then comes Jesus, the and Son of God. In John 8, he emphatically declared that the world is walking in darkness and that he was the light of the world. In other words, mankind does not see accurately, truly, or rightly. Therefore, Jesus invites us to "follow" him and receive "the light of life" (John 8:12). What is he inviting us to do? Jesus is inviting us to obey without a full explanation. In other words, he is inviting us to trust him with our lives. Now in John 9, we see a tangible example of this. A man born blind trusts, obeys, and submits to Jesus, and the result is that he sees! His blindness, darkness, and suffering are lifted. In this way, this healing of the blind man visibly displays the work of redemption Jesus came to accomplish.

But there is a second, and more specific, way this miraculous healing of the blind man displays the work of redemption. After smearing the mud and saliva on the blind man's eyes, Jesus "said to him, 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam' (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing" (John 9:7). John specifically draws our attention to the fact that Siloam "means sent." Two things are happening here. First, a blind man with mud on his eyes immediately trusted and obeyed Jesus, marching down to a pool of water in front of crowds of people who claimed to see but refused to obey. He is blind, trusts Jesus, is enabled to see, and it leads to worship. They claim to see, reject Jesus, revealing they are blind, and leading to their condemnation. This man and his miraculous healing are intended to be a visible and tangible parable for the religious leaders who oppose Jesus. Though they claim to see and know the truth, in reality, they are blind and in darkness. And the one who was blind now sees and worships Jesus. This is precisely how Jesus ends the chapter in John 9:39-40.

Secondly, it is very likely that this miraculous story of healing was intended to call to mind another miraculous story from the Old Testament. Specifically, the story of the prophet Elisha sending Naaman the leper to be healed in the in 2 Kings 5. Naaman was "a great man," "high in favor," "a mighty man of valor," and "the commander of the army of the king of Syria." He was wealthy, prominent, and influential, "but he was a leper" (2 Kings 5:1). Naaman heard about the prophet Elisha and came to him to be healed. He brought with him all of his wealth and power to pay for his healing. Elisha, however, did not even go out to see Naaman but instead sent a messenger to him. Through his messenger, Elisha instructed Naaman to "go and wash in the Jordan river" (2 Kings 5:10). Feeling disrespected, Naaman turned in a rage to leave. Fortunately, Naaman's servants prevailed, pointing out that the prophet Elisha had offered him a way to be healed. It could not be bought or earned; it simply required trust and obedience.

In John 9 and 2 Kings 5, we see that suffering is no respecter of societal status, wealth, moral performance, or prestige. We also see that rescue and redemption only come to those who refuse to boast in themselves. Instead, it is those who trust, obey, and humble themselves that experience the grace of God. The healing of the blind man in John 9:1-12 forces the question, "What will the do?" Will they humble themselves and believe? Jesus was sent, the blind man was sent, and the pool to which he was sent means, sent. Will they listen to the multitude of messengers and witnesses sent to them? The text also forces the question, "What will I do?" Will I trust and obey Jesus despite my circumstances and regardless of what it cost me personally? Will I see my circumstances and trust my eyes or trust the savior that stepped into suffering on my behalf?

What initially appeared to the reader to be a story about suffering turns out to be the story of redemption, and our only way of accessing it. The story of the gospel clearly reveals that God's saving power is displayed and experienced through a suffering person. Specifically, God's saving power is displayed and experienced through the suffering of Jesus. This is the good news of the gospel. God is not distant from our suffering. No, he entered into our suffering in flesh and blood, suffering on our behalf so that we who are suffering would be healed, liberated, and set free. This tells us that not only can he empathize with our suffering, he is also powerful and wise enough to leverage suffering. There is no better place to see this than the cross where God leveraged the suffering of his son to pay the ransom for the children of God.

Jesus said he is the light of the world, and he came to accomplish the works of redemption that God had given him to accomplish. The work of redemption is on display in Jesus' suffering on the cross and in the work of redeeming the blind man. But is not enough that we simply watch the works of Jesus in redemption as though we were spectators. Jesus invites us into the display and proclamation of the gospel, saying, "We must work the works of him who sent me…" (John 9:4). Jesus includes his disciples in the work of displaying and proclaiming the work of redemption. Just like the blind man, and alongside Jesus, we too have been invited to display and proclaim the works of God in Jesus on the cross. We too, have been invited to declare our stories of how we once were blind, but now we see. And when asked how we now see, we too are invited to declare, "The man called Jesus" gave me sight!

Quotes For Further Consideration/ Discussion: • "All shall work together for good; everything is needful that he sends; nothing can be needful that he withholds. Hide yourself under the shadow of his wings; rely upon his care and power; look upon him as a physician who has graciously undertaken to heal your soul of the worst of sicknesses, sin." —John Newton • "Yes, we do not know the reason God allows evil and suffering to continue, or why it is so random, but now at least we know what the reason is not. It cannot be that he does not love us. It cannot be that he does not care. He is so committed to our ultimate happiness that he was willing to plunge into the greatest depths of suffering himself." — Timothy Keller • "The good news about my trials is that God is forcing them to bow to His gospel purposes and do good unto me by improving my character and making me more conformed to the image of Christ." —Milton Vincent

Discussion Questions: 1. What is wrong with the perspective the disciples have? What hidden premise is embedded and implied in their question? How is it similar to what Job’s friends assumed about him? How does this perspective still prevail today? 2. What does the gospel teach us about punishment, condemnation, and suffering according to Romans 8:1? 3. What do we have as a result of our justification according to Romans 5:1. Therefore, according to Romans 5:3-5 and James 1:2-4, what attitude are we enabled to take towards suffering? 4. How does Jesus transcend the disciples' question and redirect them to the primary point? What do we learn about suffering as a result? 5. Why is "How can God be glorified in my suffering?" a better question than "Why is this happening to me?" 6. How does the blind man serve as a witness and evidence to the work of redemption in this story? When asked how he sees what does he say in John 9:11? 7. How does the argument from the lesser (i.e., that Jesus can heal the physically blind) give assurance of the greater (i.e., that Jesus can heal spiritual blindness)? 8. How does the fact that Jesus can heal our greatest enemy of sin, death, and spiritual blindness give comfort, hope, and assurance in the face of the daily suffering, adversity, and tragedy we face?

Footnotes: 1. Bruce Milne, The Message of John: Here Is Your King!: With Study Guide, The Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 137.