Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm19991110.htm

JOHN: TRIUMPHING IN LIFE'S MOST CRITICAL ISSUE
Part III: Presentation Of The Messenger Of Salvation
C. Christ's Credentials Revealed In Confrontations With Men
11. Christ's Credentials Seen By How The Theologically Ignorant Exposed Inexcusable Unbelief In Jesus
(John 9:1-44)
  1. Introduction
    1. Since Jesus presented Himself as God's Son and Israel as a nation did not believe in Him, a skeptic might suggest those who believed Him were only deceived, and should have sided with the majority of doubters.
    2. In countering this, John records an event in which a theologically ignorant man exposed the unbelief that Jesus' theologically educated opponents expressed toward Him, making the unbelief inexcusable:
  2. Christ's Credentials Seen In How The Theologically Ignorant Exposed Inexcusable Unbelief In Jesus.
    1. Jesus performed the miraculous healing of a blind man who had no possible theological formal training:
      1. When Jesus and His disciples met a man born blind, the disciples asked whether the man or his parents had sinned to have created his blindness from birth, John 9:1-2.
      2. Jesus responded that the man's state came not from any specific sin by a specific party, but for the works of God to be manifest in him, Jn. 9:3. To clarify, Jesus stated He was the Light of the world come to dispell darkness by His works (Jn. 9:4-5), a repetition of His claim in John 8:12.
      3. As Messiah was to reveal Himself by healing the blind man according to Isaiah 35:4-5, Jesus symbolized how His works would expose Himself as the Light of the world by giving this blind man sight, 9:6-7.
      4. Since this man had been born blind, he never had read a scroll and thus was not formally educated, a very important fact to keep in mind in regards to what came to pass right after this miracle!
    2. Next, a series of events occurred in which this healed blind man's faith and reasoning came to expose the willful spiritual blindness and darkness of the educated Pharisees, John 9:8-41:
      1. After this man came to see, the Pharisees wondered how he had been healed, John 9:8-13. They were interested since Jesus had healed this man on the Sabbath against their legalistic t aboos, so they sought to find who had healed the man that they might condemn Him, John 9:14-16a.
      2. In fact, some of the Pharisees doubted that a miracle had even happened, so they interrogated the man's parents to discover if he had been born blind and been healed, John 9:16b-21.
      3. When the Pharisees asked the former blind man again to discredit Jesus for healing him on the Sabbath, the man stated all he knew was that once he had been blind, but now he could see, Jn. 9:22-27.
      4. The Pharisees pressed the healed man to get him to discredit Jesus, but he objected, wondering how one who could do the unprecedented miracle of healing a man born blind could not be from God, 9:28-33.
      5. Offended that this man's logic had showed them up, the Pharisees excommunicated the healed man, 9:34
      6. Jesus then found the formerly blind man, asking him if he believed on the Son of God, John 9:35.
      7. The man realized Jesus had healed him, and was thus from God, and asked Jesus Who this Son of God was so he could believe, Jn. 9:36. When Jesus explained He who was talking with him was the Son of God, the theologically ignorant man immediately believed and worshiped Jesus, Jn. 9:37-38.
      8. Hence, Jesus summarized the event, discussing the contrast between spiritual blindness and sight, 9:39:
        1. He claimed He had come into the world that those who had a claim to insight but who were blind in not accepting Him (the Pharisees) would be judged, and the spiritually blind but open to the truth (this man born blind) could come to faith in Him and gain spiritual insight, John 9:39.
        2. Thus, the theologically ignorant gained insight where the educated remained in their blindness.
      9. When the Pharisees heard this summary and wondered if Jesus said they were spiritually blind, He confirmed their concerns, stating their claim to see while rejecting faith in Him especially in view of the healed blind man's faith made their unbelief in Him inexcusably willful, Ry. St. Bib., KJV ftn. to 9:41.
Lesson: Since a man who was born blind and was thus theologically ignorant showed up the objections to his testimony to Jesus' credibility by the theologically astute Pharisees, and these Pharisees still claimed to have spiritual insight, the Phari sees' unbelief in Jesus was thereupon INEXCUSABLE. This event verifies that Jesus' presentation as Messiah and God was UPRIGHT and thus credible!