The text for this lesson is John 9
Key Point
- When Jesus healed the man who had been born blind, He showed why He came into this world—to forgive us and grant us faith, spiritual sight.
- Law: Sin has blinded my eyes so that I cannot see or believe in Jesus.
- Gospel: In His Word and Sacraments, Jesus gives me eyes of faith so that I can believe in Him as my Savior and trust His love for me.
Discussion Points
- When you were a child, did you ever close your eyes, or cover them with a blindfold, and pretend that you were blind for a time? Think of the immense loss that you would experience if you were unable to see. How does this describe our spiritual condition before God?
- Read John 9:1–7. What do the disciples ask Jesus in John 9:2? What assumption do they make? Is this assumption correct? How does Jesus answer their question in John 9:3–5? What is He saying about the blind man? What is He saying about Himself?
- In John 9:6–7, Jesus makes mud, applies it to the blind man’s eyes, and then tells him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. What is the significance of this method of healing this man? See Genesis 2:7; Titus 3:4–7; 1 Peter 3:21; and Matthew 26:26–28.
- Read John 9:8–34. The healing of the blind man does not meet with universal rejoicing! How do the man’s neighbors and others around him respond to the healing? How do the Pharisees respond? How does the formerly blind man continue to confess Jesus as the Christ?
- Read John 9:35–41. As Jesus seeks out and finds this formerly blind man, we come to the focal point (the “punch line”) of the whole story. What does Jesus ask the man, and how does the man respond? What “sight” that goes beyond physical sight does Jesus give this man? How does this “sight” explain what Jesus says in John 9:39?
- When we suffer from some physical illness, injury, handicap, or deformity, we may wonder, “God, what did I do to deserve this? What sin did I commit that I should be punished like this?” How can Jesus’ words in John 9:3 give you comfort and patience as you endure whatever physical “cross” you happen to bear?
