NLT Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 44
J ohn 9
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page 1818
told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now
I can see!”
12“Where is he now?” they asked.
“I don’t know,” he replied.
Religious Leaders Question the Blind Man (149)
13Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, 14because it was on the
Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. 15The Pharisees asked the man
all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away,
I could see!”
16Some of the Pharisees said, “This man J
esus is not from God, for he is working on the
Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?”
So there was a deep division of opinion among them.
17Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded,
“What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”
The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”
18The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now
see, so they called in his parents. 19They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born
blind? If so, how can he now see?”
20His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, 21but we
don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for
himself.” 22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who
had announced that anyone saying J esus was the Messiah would be expelled from the
synagogue. 23That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
24So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God
should get the glory for this,* because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”
25“I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind,
and now I can see!”
26“But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”
27“Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to
hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
28Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of M
oses!
29We know God spoke to M
oses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”
30“Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t
know where he comes from? 31We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is
ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32Ever since the world began, no
one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33If this man were not from
God, he couldn’t have done it.”
34“You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And
they threw him out of the synagogue.
Jesus Teaches about Spiritual Blindness (150)
35When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe
in the Son of Man?*”
36The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”
37“You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
38“Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.
9:14
Luke 13:14
John 5:9
9:16
John 3:2; 7:43
9:17
Matt 21:11
9:22
Luke 6:22
John 7:13; 12:42;
16:2; 19:38
Acts 5:13
9:24
Josh 7:19
9:28
John 5:45
9:29
John 8:14
9:31
Job 27:8-9
Pss 34:15; 66:18;
145:19
Prov 15:29
Isa 1:15
Jer 11:11; 14:12
Mic 3:4
Zech 7:13
9:33
John 3:2
9:34
John 9:2
9:37
John 4:26
9:24 Or Give glory to God, not to Jesus; Greek reads Give glory to God.
9:35 Some manuscripts read the Son
of God? “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
9:13-17 While the Pharisees conducted investigations and debated
about Jesus, people were being healed and lives were being changed.
The Pharisees’ skepticism was based not on insufficient evidence but on
jealous hatred of Jesus’ popularity and influence on the people.
9:14-16 The Jewish Sabbath, Saturday, was the weekly holy day of rest.
The Pharisees had made a long list of specific dos and don’ts regarding
the Sabbath. Kneading the mud and healing the man were considered
work and therefore were forbidden. Jesus could have merely spoken and
brought healing as he had at other times, but he may have purposely made
the clay in order to emphasize his teaching about the S abbath—that caring
for others’ needs is always right, even if it involves working on a day of rest.
9:25 By now the man who had been blind had heard the same questions
over and over. He did not know how or why he had been healed, but
he knew that his life had been miraculously changed, and he was not
afraid to tell the truth. You don’t need to know all the answers in order
to share Jesus with others. Just tell them how he has changed your life.
Then trust that God will use your words to help others believe in him too.
9:28, 34 The man’s new faith was severely tested by some of the authorities. He was cursed and evicted from the synagogue. Persecution
may come when you follow Jesus. You may lose friends; you may even
lose your life. But no one can ever take away the eternal life that Jesus
gives you. Always count on the fact that God hears those who worship
him (9:31).
9:38 This man gained not only physical sight but also spiritual sight
