This Lesson discussed fewer verses in John’s Gospel that normal. I actually worried that I might deplete my study material before the 30-minute class time had been filled! But not so, and several things fall into the category of … “I forgot to say!”

I did mention that one of my favorite writers call this blind man Jesus healed … “The man who always told the truth.”

Later in the chapter he even is honest, forthright (truthful) at great personal sacrifice! (He gets himself excommunicated from the synagogue because he is so outspoken for Jesus.)

Have you ever noticed that “truth” and Jesus go Hand-in-hand? This Line from John 3:21 will explain what I mean, to some degree anyway … “He that doeth truth cometh to the light.” And do remember that Jesus is “The Light of the world.” (John 8:12)

Revelation chapter 19 says Jesus’ very name is “Faithful and True!” And in John 14:6 Jesus says … “I am the Truth.” (The devil is a liar, we learned back in John 8:44. While Jesus cannot lie, Titus 1:2.)

This blind man (ex-blind man) confessed Jesus to his neighbors, unashamedly so! Verse 11 of our Text … “A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.” He later in the chapter will even more boldly confess Jesus as Lord and Saviour!

His fledgling confession reminds me of others in the Bible, teaching us the Identity of our dear Saviour. Here are three …

Matthew 16:16 … “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

John 20:28 … “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”

Old Testament too … Job 19:25 … “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.”

Wow!

Yes, the man confessed Jesus, best he could …

“Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.” Luke 12:9, words Jesus promised!

The man certainly was “ready” to testify for his Benefactor, his Healer!

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3:15

Hey, watch the whole class now!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Jesus performed more miracles on the blind than any other human malady! More than the deaf or mute or lame or paralyzed!

There’s something in Jesus that loves the Light! In fact, He IS The Light! Jesus said, in John 8:12 … “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

In verse 4 of the Text Jesus mentions the “works of God.” The Bible says much about this grand Subject …

Psalm 104:24 … “O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all.”

Psalm 111:2 … “The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.”

Psalm 143:5 … “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.”

Jesus also talked about His working “while it is day.” After all, night is coming!

Hebrews 4:7, quoting Psalm 95:7 … “To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

2 Corinthians 6:2 … “I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

The noun “eyes” is used 10 times in this chapter, in John 9. I think I wrongly said 9 times in the video lesson. Oops!

A rather neat comparison between this healing of the blind man in John 9 can be made with Jesus healing the impotent (paralyzed) man in John 5.

Both miracles occurred near the Temple!

Both involved water!

Both happened on the Sabbath!

Both miracles started extended arguments!

Both the healed men got involved with Jesus after their healings!

Both miracles pictue salvation!

Wow!

There is an etymological connection between the Pool of SILOAM and the waters of SHILOAH in Isaiah 8:6-7.

“Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son; now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks.”

“Softly,” actually reminds me of Jesus’ Words in Matthew 11:28-30 … “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus has been teaching IN the Temple from John 7:12 through John 8:59. What gracious words flowed from His Mouth!

Jesus used His “spit” in two other miracles of which we are aware … Mark 7:32-25 (a deaf man with a speech impediment) and Mark 8:22-25 (another blind man)!

Stay with us as we continue to study John chapter 9. There’s lots more to come!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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The precise verse I cited in reference to Jesus’ Modesty, His lack of Self-Aggrandizement was Proverbs 27:2. I forgot to include the reference … “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.” And a good parallel verse is 2 Corinthians 10:18 … “For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.”

In verse 50 where Jesus is convinced that the Father “seeketh” the Son’s Glory (rather than Christ seeking His Own Glory) … I failed to include Romans 1:3-4 as a Proof Text. Read it with me: “Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord … declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” God validated, approved, glorified Jesus by raising Him from the dead! The Resurrection is God’s “Report Card” on Jesus’ Death on Calvary! The Father declared (“determined”) His Son, via the Resurrection, to be an “A+” Student! Jesus graduated with honors!

One Bible Professor believes the Gospel of John’s “lowest” and “highest” Points are in this chapter, chapter 8. Let me show you …

Lowest … “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” Jesus speaking to the rebellious, unbelieving Pharisees in verse 44.

Highest … “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” Verse 58, perhaps Jesus’ Greatest “I AM” Statement of all!

Wow!

Jesus is greater than Moses! Jesus is greater than Abraham! Jesus is God the Son! God come in human flesh!

“For had ye believed MOSES, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.” John 5:46, to which add Hebrews 3:3 … “For this man (Jesus) was counted worthy of more glory than Moses.”

“Your father ABRAHAM rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it and was glad.” John 8:56, augmented by John 4:12 where the Samaritan woman asked Jesus: “Art thou greater than our father Jacob.” John 4:12, Jacob the son of Abraham!

The “judgment” (from the Father) Jesus mentioned in verse 50 might have included the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD, not many years after Jesus preached these words!

I heard a Preacher use this Truth yesterday and I just must share it with you Class Members!

At Bethlehem we have Jesus WITH us! (Emmanuel, meaning “God with us!”)

At Calvary we have Jesus FOR us! (Christ died for our sins!)

And at Pentecost we have Jesus, thorough the Holy Spirit, IN us! (We are indwelt by Him, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20!)

WITH, FOR, and IN! Hallelujah!

Now, watch the whole Class. You have a personal invitation to do so …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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One author called John chapters 7 and 8 a record of one “confrontation” after another, Jesus’ enemies attacking Him from many angles! The core of their hatred, however, was directed at our Lord’s claim to Deity! “My Father,” Jesus said of God, in a personal sense!

In verses 38 and 39 Jesus in fact uses the exact expression “My Father,” while the enemies retort with “Abraham is our Father!” (Which was true in a genealogical sense, but only in a biological sense.)

But Matthew 1:1 pronounces Jesus as the true “Son of Abraham” … in an even greater sense! (“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”)

In verse 45 Jesus bluntly says: “I tell you the truth.” But the “Jews” continue in their error, for the most part. This dichotomy reminds me of 1 John 4:6. “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”

The Holy Spirit promotes Truth! (In John 14:17 His Name is even “the Spirit of truth!”)

The devil promotes error, lies! (Verse 44 explicitly says of Satan … “He is a liar, and the father of it.”)

Then in Verse 46 I had (in class) very little time to mention Jesus’ unique challenge to his enemies … “Which of you convinceth Me of sin?”

In other words, tell me something I have done wrong (in God’s Eyes)! Then “prove” it,” the idea behind the verb “convinceth.” Of course, no one responded, because Jesus is sinless!

Let John the Baptist speak to this crown of Pharisaical “big heads” … self-diagnosed “Abraham’s children” …

Matthew 3:7-9 … “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”

Wow!

I love this quote … “The Cross had two beans, one vertical and one horizonal!” My first allegiance …, Heavenward, to the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father! My second, to lost souls (my peers) all around me!

Now, if you will take the time, watch the entire class …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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One verse I forgot to use in the video Lesson was Joshua 1:8. It’s classic, as far as living “in” the Word is concerned! “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” See those two promises?

Two verses I omitted (lack of time) about the Veracity (Truthfulness) of the Bible ,,,

“And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true.” 2 Samuel 7:28, amazinbg!

“Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.” Psalm 119:151, where “commandments” and “words” are identical.

The fact that we are no longer “slaves” (servants) but “sons” of God is well illustrated in the Parable of the Prodigal son. That returning boy, ready to be his father’s “hired servant,” was instead: robed with a garment of honor, had a pair of shoes placed on his feet, a ring placed on his finger and a banquet planned for his pleasure! All of which are prerogatives, privileges of a son, not a slave!

Wow!

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” 1 John 3:1

One Preacher wisely said … “To serve the dear Lord is the apex of true freedom!”

No longer slaves, but sons … we Christians … yet sons who would serve our Lord any minute we should be asked!

In fact, for eternity …

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; AND HIS SERVANTS SHALL SERVE HIM.” Revelation 22:1-3, with honor!

Take 30 minutes now, and watch the whole class …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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