The Gospel of John: John 9.28-41

Read and meditate on John 9.37-39.
Jesus brings the blind beggar fully into the light of life.

                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.”

- John 9.37-39

Reflect
1.  This man had “seen” Jesus. In what way? Jesus does not show Himself physically to people today. But He does show Himself. What is a believer’s role in showing Jesus to lost people? Complete the following prayer: O Lord, You dwell in my heart, and I am being transformed into Your image. I want others to see You in me, to see…

2.  The local church, which is the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12), should also be a means whereby people in a community “see” Jesus. Explain. Lord, I long for our church to be more visibly the Body of Christ in our community. Show me how I…

3.  Seeing Jesus was not enough to convert this blind-man-now-healed. He needed to know Jesus; and for that, some explaining was needed. Jesus focused on His being the Son of God (v. 35). Is there a sense in which “Son of God” sums up what we need to tell others about the person and work of Jesus? Explain. I know that You are God’s only-begotten Son, Lord, sent to the world for…

4.  The man believed, and then he worshiped (v. 38). What does this suggest about the role of worship in the life of a believer? What is worship? You are worthy of our worship, Lord, and I worship You today by…

5.  How was Jesus using the ideas of seeing and being blind in verse 39? He said that He came for “judgment,” that is, to exercise divine choice “that” (Greek: ina – in order that) seeing and being blind might result. What does this suggest about the saving work of Christ, and how people come to be saved? Bring together your prayers from questions 1-4 into one prayer.

Summary
“Worship follows faith, and faith is confirmed by power. But if you say that believers also know, they know from what they believe; and vice versa, they believe from what they know. We know God from his power. We, therefore, believe in him who is known, and we worship him who is believed.” Basil of Caesarea (330-379 AD)

The combination of showing Jesus to people and telling them about Him is what it means to be a witness for Jesus. But our witness need not be perfect. God does not expect us to be perfect, only faithful. Salvation is of the Lord, no matter how clear and compelling or halting and incomplete our witness. We do not bring people to saving faith. Jesus does. We show them Jesus and tell them how to know Him. How does this work out in your experience?

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, andI was troubled.
I cried out to You, O LORD;
And to the Lord I made supplication:
“What profit is there in 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.