John 9
EverettJohn 9:1-10
The Fifth Miracle: The Testimony of Our Divine Service in Christ – John 9:1-34 gives us the fifth miracle that John records in his Gospel. It is the story of the healing of a blind and his interrogation by the Jewish leaders. This is followed by the testimony of Jesus Christ to the Jews that He is the Good Shepherd whom men should follow (John 9:35 to John 10:21). The emphasis in this passage of Scripture is on Jesus guiding God’s children into divine service, a motif recognized among scholars.[209] [209] In his sermon on John 9:4 entitled “The Gifts to the Flock,” Alexander MacLaren interprets the metaphor of “going in and out” to describe man’s two-fold relationship to God. He says, “The one side is the contemplative life of interior union with God by faith and love; the other, the active life of practical obedience in the field of work which God provides for us.” See Alexander MacLaren, The Gospel According to St. John chapters IX to XIV, in Expositions of Holy Scripture (New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1908), 29.Outline – Here is a proposed outline:
- The Healing of the Blind Man — John 9:1-342. Jesus Testifies of His Deity (The Good Shepherd) — John 9:35 to John 10:21
John 9:35-10
Jesus Testifies of His Deity: The Good Shepherd – John 9:35 to John 10:21 gives us the story of Jesus’ testimony to the Jews of His deity by revealing Himself as the Good Shepherd. This testimony is the result of the events surrounding the controversy over the healing of the man who was born blind (John 9:1-41). For those who accept the doctrine of Jesus Christ (John 7:1-36), and partake of the Living Water, which is the Holy Spirit (John 7:37 to John 8:1), and learn to walk in the light of God’s Word (John 8:2-59), for those Jesus is the Good Shepherd whom He protects and guides along the path of eternal life (John 9:35 to John 10:21). John 9:38 — Comments (1) - The first time the blind man met Jesus, he saw Him as simply a prophet, as the Son of Man in the flesh (John 9:17). On this second encounter, the man saw Jesus Christ with spiritual eyes and recognized Him as the divine Son of God. This is why he worshipped Jesus. In the first encounter, the blind man was not seeking the Lord and this is why he did not recognize him except in the flesh as a prophet, for this is the way many people saw Jesus, as the Son of Man. With the second encounter, the man was seeking to know Him; for he said, “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?” Thus, the Lord was able to reveal Himself to this man. It is this way that God has chosen to reveal Himself to those who will seek Him. Note also that between the first and second encounter, the blind man endured persecution. It is persecution that often drives us to seek the Lord. This is why God does not always deliver us from the persecutions of this life; because He knows the precious outcome of fellowship and intimate with Him that is often produced from persecutions. We draw near to the Father and are able to see Him to a greater degree, as did the blind man. Many people saw Jesus Christ in the flesh during His earthly ministry, but they did not recognize Him as the Son of God. This is because they were seeking earthly benefits rather than seeking to know God. It was to those three disciples who most earnestly sought His presence that Jesus revealed Himself most gloriously on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13). The other apostles who followed Him were also able to see Jesus as the divine Son of God, but not with as much revelation as Peter, James and John saw on the Mount. Remember Moses, who earnestly sought to see God. To him did God reveal His back side (Exodus 33:12 to Exodus 34:8).
The man Elijah sought to Mount Horeb in his flight from Jezebel in order to find God’s presence and strength. To him God manifested Himself in a still small voice. But it is interesting to note that both Moses and Elijah were the first to behold Jesus Christ in all of His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration. John 9:38 — Comments (2) - Within each of the six feast sections is found a miracle that testifies of Jesus’ deity. We find six of these miracles ending with a statement that many believed in Him because of these miracles (John 2:11, John 4:53, John 5:15, John 6:14, John 9:38, John 11:45). The seventh miracle ends with a similar statement (John 20:29). John 9:39 — “And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world” - Scripture Reference - Note: Ezekiel 33:5, “He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.” John 9:39 — “that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind” - Comments – In John 9:39 Jesus contrasts physical blindness with spiritual blindness. The blind man could not only now see physically, but at his confession of faith in Jesus as Christ, he could not see spiritually. In contrast, the Pharisees, who had physical sight, could not see spiritually to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. John 10:3 — “and he calleth his own sheep by name” - Comments - In agricultural societies the relationship between owner and beast goes very deep. It was a custom to give each animal in a herd a name. This was a form of record-keeping in order to remember the history of each animal. Here is an excerpt from Yoweri K. Museveni’s book Sowing the Mustard Seed. In it, we see the close relationship between a modern-day herdsman and his cattle: “Cows were, and still are, central to Banyankore culture. All our cows have names and the names are descriptive, according to the animal’s colour and shape of its horns, but we also name them according to characteristics - some are fast-moving and others are slow-moving. The name not only identifies the cow, but indicates the name of its mother. So we say: ’the brown cow of the mother with the long horns’, as the Arabs say ‘Said bin Said’, Said son of Said. In this way we can keep track of what has happened to such and such a cow - a form of record-keeping in what has traditionally been a non-literate society. “Our cows, with their large long horns, are remarkably gentle and even the bulls are placid. This is because of the way that we treat them. We do not regard them as existing only for commercial gain. They are like members of our families and we treat them very intimately. For instance, we have a brush called enkuyo, which we use to clean and massage the cow, a process we call okuragaza. This is done for most of the milking cows, but also for favourites amongst them.
It is a form of communicating with them and they enjoy it very much. A cow will follow you everywhere if you massage it with that brush. I have a great personal feeling for my cows, especially the ones whose ancestors have been in our family for a very long time. They are like cousins and sisters to me. I think if I acquired other cows they would not mean as much to me. I do not have the same feeling for the exotic breeds from Europe, but perhaps over time they will become like adopted children and we shall like them.”[216] [216] Yoweri K. Museveni, Sowing the Mustard Seed (London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 1997), 3-4.John 10:3-4 — Comments – The Abundant Life - As we go about in our daily lives, we have Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit, to lead us into an abundant life. Romans 8:14, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Note these words by Frances J. Roberts: “Turn not into the diverging path, neither fear to follow Me. For as the shepherd when he putteth forth his sheep goes before, so shalt thou know of a surety that I go before thee. And it shall be to thee a place of broad pastures, yea, of enlarged vision; of increased fruitfulness, and unbounded blessings – and nothing shall prevent Me. Look not to thine own thoughts, but walk in the Spirit: so shalt thou accomplish the work which the Spirit desireth to do. Eternity alone shall reveal the fruit of this hidden ministry. For we labor not in the material realm, and we work not with the elements of this world; but our labour is in the realm of the Spirit, and the accomplishments are not judged by the human eye, but shall be revealed in the light of eternity.”[217] [217] Frances J. Roberts, Come Away My Beloved (Ojai, California: King’s Farspan, Inc., 1973), 46.John 10:9 — Comments - Kenneth Copeland interprets John 10:9 to mean that once we trust in Jesus, we will find pasture, or God’s blessings, wherever we go.[218] I understand that going in to be figurative of our times of refreshing from being in His presence so that we can go back into the world with the strength to overcome. [218] Kenneth Copeland, Believer’s Voice of Victory (Kenneth Copeland Ministries, Fort Worth, Texas), on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California), television program.John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10 — “The thief cometh not, but for” – Comments - There is nothing good in the Devil. Everything that he does is focused on destruction. John 10:10 — “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” – Comments - Note the progressive intensity, or the degrees of evil found in these words. A petty thief will steal from someone and spare his life, but a more wicked thug will murder while attempting to steal. This is a greater degree of wickedness. A more wicked human being than this will go so far as to destroy a nation in order to gain and defend his powers to rule over others. John 10:10 — “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” - Comments - Arthur Blessitt once defined “Life” in one word, which was, “Relationships.”[219] That is, life consists of relationships with God and people. Mark Carillo said, “Life is good, and then we get to go to heaven.”[220] [219] Arthur Blessitt, interviewed by Matthew Crouch, Behind the Scenes, on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California, 2008), television program. [220] Mark Carillo, “Sermon” (Calvary Cathedral International, Fort Worth, Texas), 15 July 2007.John 10:10 — Comments – Within the context of the Gospel of John, Jesus has been revealing various aspects of Himself as it relates to His role in bringing God’s children into Heaven. He has offered Himself as the Bread of Life so that we may partake of fellowship with Him and hear His Word in our hearts each day; He has offered us the baptism of the Holy Spirit as the Living Water that refreshes the inner man; He has revealed Himself as the Light of the World so that the Holy Spirit can illuminate our daily path into a life of abundance. He is also our Shepherd who will keep us from evil and harm from the works of Satan if we will learn to walk under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and His Word. Jesus came to give us abundant life; however, we must meet the condition of accepting all of these aspects of Jesus Christ into our hearts and lives. As believers, we can walk carnally and stray from this path of abundance, opening the door for Satan to kill, steal, and destroy our lives. We must hid ourselves in the shelter of His arms in order to have an abundant life. The two contrasts in our lives, as to who is at work, is clear. We can learn from John 10:10 if the devil or Jesus is at work in our lives. For example, the devil has the capability and power to steal, kill and destroy among mankind, having robbed man of his God-given authority in the Garden of Eden. We must be aware of the devil’s potential do destructive work in our lives as we strive to walk in the abundant life that God has made available for believers. This is why the Scriptures tell us to resist the devil and not give him any place in our lives to work his destruction (Ephesians 4:27, James 4:7). Ephesians 4:27, “Neither give place to the devil.” James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” It is important to understand that abundant life does not consist of a man’s material possessions (Luke 12:15), but in his close walk with the Lord. Life consists in having peace, joy, love, etc., and the power to overcome the devil. Luke 12:15, “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. John 10:11 — Comments - Does God care more about the life of a man than a sheep? Jesus is speaking concerning Christ and the Church. Note a similar use of animals used figuratively to represent man: 1 Corinthians 9:9, “For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?” Illustration - David was a good shepherd. 1 Samuel 17:34-35, “And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.” Scripture References - Note other reference verses regarding Christ’s care for the Church: Matthew 20:28, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” John 10:15, “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Galatians 1:4, “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:” Ephesians 5:32, “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” 1 Timothy 2:6, “Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” Titus 2:14, “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Hebrews 5:7-9, “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;” John 10:10-11 — Comments – Abundant Life Verses Destruction - God makes something out of nothing, but Satan makes nothing out of something. God is able to make someone’s life worth something when it was nothing, but Satan is able to take a productive life and turn it into failure. John 10:12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. John 10:12 — Illustration – Having lived as a missionary in Africa for many years, I learned how frightened security guards become when threatened on the job. They often drop their guns and run rather than stand up against the thieves. This flight response is because the culture is fear-based rather than faith based. In other words, people often make decisions based upon fears rather than upon an unswerving faith in God. John 10:18 — “No man taketh it from me” - Comments – Man did not take Jesus’ life from Him. He willing laid it down. This is why the Scriptures say that He gave up the ghost on the Cross (John 19:30). Not man took His life on the Cross. John 19:30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” John 10:19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. John 10:19 — Scripture Reference - Note: Luke 12:51, “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:”