Question two The Religious Question

Place - Open Word Fellowship (Community Church of Myrtle Point)

Time - Sunday Morning

Date September 15, 2018

Scripture -

Text - (NIV84) He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

Topic - Question Two, “The Religious Question”

25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

Theme- For the Christian there is always a religious side to life. The Jewish leaders saw the question from an oral tradition standpoint. The healed man saw it from an experiential standpoint.

Possible Titles

The Religious Question

Now the man can see and his neighbors think it would be a good thing to take him to the Leaders and have them examine him. They are more than willing to do so but they start not from the healing but from the day and time on which the healing occured.

Investigating the Healing

According to them the Healer, Jesus, had to be a sinner because He healed on the Sabbath Day. This was not written in the Law of Moses but was part of their oral traditions. To them they must first settle, “Who gave this man the authority to do such a thing on the Sabbath.

Observations

Last week the question was about sin and suffering. Jesus settled that question by saying that sin was not the issue but rather to bring glory to God in this man’s life. This week people seek not the advice of God but of those they think are godly. In the end the Pharisees ruled in favor of their own authority rather than seeing what a great miracle was done in their town.

2. There is also the question of keeping the Sabbath Law

3. Making the mud was considered work and also the healing

4. Division among the council and the man and the council. Some - this man is not of God, - How can a man that is a sinner do such signs? Blind man - He is a prophet

5. The word "know" is used 11 times from verse 12 through verse 31.

I. V. 13-17 The Healed Man Questioned

9:13 Act - They brought

Specific - to the Pharisees

Person - the man

who had been blind

Brought to court to the teachers that know everything. These neighbors brought this odd happening to the people who should know. It that day and in some places today the trained teacher/preacher was the person who was educated, informed and knowledgeable about questions they might have. So this is a natural first step in solving the problem of who is this man, how did he get his sight and who is the man that performed the miracles

:14 Time - Now the day

Specific - on which

Person - Jesus

had made the mud

AND

opened the man's eyes

was the Sabbath

The problem here is once again the Law verses traditions made up based on interpretations of the Law. The Law had prohibited work and then the teachers of the Law set out to specifically define what was work and what was not. In this case with healing, making mud and sending the man to wash Jesus had broken at least 4 or 5 of these interpretations.

:15 Conclusion - Therefore

Question - The Pharisees also asked him how he had

received his sight .

Act - "He put mud on my eyes,"

Specific - the man replied

Results - "AND

I washed

AND

now I see."

Still the questioner are much more interested in the how than the who. What does this man know 1. Who touched him. 2. What steps He had taken. 3. His own obedience and 4. Now he could see.

:16 Response - Some of the Pharisees said,

Quote - "This man is not from God,

Reason - for He does not keep the Sabbath>"

Contrast - BUT

others asked,

Quote - " How can a sinner do such miraculous sign?"

Fact - So they were divided.

The Pharisees were divided simply because some would rather be wrong than change their thinking about when and how God works. That is why while traditions are important they must not cloud our judgment about people. Prayer, wisdom and rightly dividing the scriptures will save us from harsh and unjust judgments.

:17 Conclusion - Finally

Person - they turned again to the blind man,

Question - "What have you to say about Him?

Specific - It was your eyes He opened."

Response - The man replied,

Belief - "He is a prophet."

The simple judgment of the blind man was He is a prophet. The Jews had asked for signs in . Now they have a sign and they seek to disbelieve what is before them. This man does not say He is the Prophet as they did in but at least knew this man was not an ordinary man.

:18 Conclusion - The Jews still did not believe that

Specific - he had been blind

AND

had received his sight

Time - until they sent for the man's parents.

On one hand it may seem that the religious leaders were being through in their investigation. On the other it appears that at least some of them were so determined to hold to this Sabbath rule they were wiling to try anything to find proof for their view. Most religious fights are not about real problems they are about one set of authority against another. reason it thrown out the window and we dig in to protect our point of view,

:19 Question - "Is this your son?"

Specific - they asked.

"Is this the one you say was born blind?

How is it that now he can see?"

Actually this is three specific question. First has to do with his identity and is legitimate to establish his story.

The second is almost an accusation to distort the facts of the healing. The third is nonsense. How could these parents know the answer as to how he can now see unless they were there and we have no indication they were. He was begging, Jesus found him and healed him then he went home.

:20 Affirmation - "We know he is our son,"

Response - the parents answered,

"AND

we know he was born blind.

There is a reluctance here on the parents part to become part of the problem or the solution. However, they have established that the man was indeed born blind.

:21 Contrast - BUT

how he can see now,

OR

who opened his eyes

Denial - we don't know.

Request - Ask him.

Status - He is of age;

Act - he will speak for himself."

Now they withdraw themselves from the matter by asserting that he is of age and will speak for himself. There is a great deal of hedging and backing off on the part of the parents. The next verse tells us why they are afraid. He is of the age of maturity which for them was about 30 years old. Therefore they could relinquish to him to answer and his answer would be valid.

:22 Reason - His parents said this because they were

afraid of the Jews,

for already the Jews had decided that

Specific - anyone who

acknowledged Jesus was the

Christ would be put out of the synagogue.

In that time more than now a person very livelihood was put at risk if they were put out of the synagogue. Today it may be more losing a job, being branded as a hostile person or just continually subjected to gossip the end result is the same to marginalize anyone that is different or does something out of the norm. We have seen this fear before in

:23 Reason - That was way his parents said "He is of age

ask Him."

:24 Number - A second time they summoned the man

Specific - who had been blind.

Command - "Give glory to God"

they said

Quote - "We know this man is a sinner."

Strange how we can judge what people are by how well they agree with us. What they are implying is that they are right and he is wrong and he should own up to his guilt. They have judged Jesus a sinner because He healed on the Sabbath day. This was not the written Law but an oral law.

:25 Response - He replied

Quote - " Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know

Contrast - One thing I do know.

Fact - I was blind but now I see"

The former blind man could not and would not speculate about the spiritual condition of the man that healed him. He dis however have one fact very clear in his mind I was-blind, now- I see. His answer came from his own experience. This then becomes the pattern for a true witness.

:26 Response - Then they asked him,

Question - "What did He do to you?

How did He open your eyes?"

Again they ask multiple questions rather than one at a time. They seem to be accepting that Jesus opened the man's eyes but how.

:27 Response - He answered

Quote - "I have told you already

AND

you did not listen.

Question - Why do you want to hear it again?

Do you want to become His disciples, too?"

They have asked the same question repeatedly and now the healed man speaks back rather mockingly. Do you want to become His disciples , also meaning as well as others as well as myself. This was not their idea, He had proven to be as crafty in this setting as they were.

: 28 Action - They hurled insults at him

AND

said

Quote - "You are this fellow's disciples!

We are disciples of Moses!

Lets get this straight we have nothing to do with this man we follow Moses

:29 Experience - We know

Specific - that God spoke to Moses

Contrast - BUT

as for this fellow we don't even

know where He comes from."

It is ironic that they claim to know so much and have judged Jesus so harshly and yet they do not know the simplest thing about Him where he was born. Also they love Moses but fail to understand that Moses spoke about Jesus throughout the books of the Law. See

:30 Response - The man answered,

Quote - "Now that is remarkable!

You don't know where he comes from,

AND

yet He opened my eyes.

It is amazing how simple some things really are. They are willing to condemn but not look for facts and truth. The Greek construction make the man to be saying "This is an amazing thing- You don't know where He is from AND Yet He opened my eyes. The man is amazed not by his belief but by their unbelief.

:31 Affirm - We know that God does not listen to sinners.

He listens to the godly man who does His

will.

This is like the statement they had used V. 16 It is wonderful what you can see when your eyes are open. The healing of the man born blind was certainly a sign of the power of Jesus over sickness and that God was pleased with Him. However while signs can be the bases for belief and while they are fully adequate they do not always result in faith.

:32 Persons - Nobody

Time - ever

Act - Heard

Specific - of opening the eyes of

a man born blind.

The healed man sites history as a source of recognizing that this has never happened before. That a blind man was healed and given his sight is certainly a miracle and points to Jesus as perhaps a prophet which id what the healed man answered when asked his opinion. On the other hand for a man that was born blind to be given sight points in the direction of Jesus being the Christ.

:33 Condition - If

Specific - this man were not from God,

He could do nothing"

Blindness from closed hearts. For the moment the healed man has won the debate. The condition is set what will be the response?

:34 Pronouncement - "You were steeped in sin at birth;

Outrage - how dare you lecture us!"

Act - And they three him out.

When you cannot win the debate you discredit the speaker. The could not deny his logic so they denied his presence. By their speech and actions they show how little they know God as they treat the man as a sinner without hope or mercy.

The story starts with a teaching moment about sin and sickness but it ends in judgmental spite and anger. When we are so bound by our own way of think to the exclusion to all other thoughts we are headed for being judgmental and cutting others off rather than winning them with love and acceptance praying always for change for ourselves and others.

Question two The Religious Question

Setting

INTRODUCTION

The Second Question John 9:13-34

I. V. 13-17 The Healed Man Questioned

II. V. 18-23 The Parents Questioned

III. V. 24-34 Further Questioning by the Pharisees