Bonus Lesson 14

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Understanding the Bible

John 9:1–41 records an episode that is rich with spiritual benefit. When the disciples looked at the man born blind, they asked Jesus “Who sinned?” The disciples’ question reflects the teaching of the rabbis, who said that such misfortune happened as a result of God’s punishment on man’s sin. In this passage (and in others, such as Luke 13:1–9), Jesus refuted that doctrine.

When Jesus applied the mud to the man’s eyes, He instructed him to go to the Pool of Siloam and wash. This pool lay at the southern (and lowest) tip of the walled city of Jerusalem. It was where Hezekiah’s tunnel, which brought clean water from the Gihon Spring into the city in case of siege, emptied and pooled. It played a key role in the Festival of Tabernacles (also called Feast of Tabernacles) every year.

The word siloam is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew word shalah, which means “to send.” It’s the same word used in the Old Testament when God sent an angelic messenger ahead of someone (Genesis 24:7).

The walk from the temple to the Pool of Siloam would’ve been downhill all the way, through a crowded part of the city, along about half a mile of intentionally nonuniform steps and a narrow road. Was Jesus deliberately giving orders that required considerable effort—perhaps to see how much the man would trust and obey?

Jesus healed the man on a Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest. The religious leaders of the day were so keen to maintain the sanctity of the Sabbath that they had outlined 39 categories of activity that were prohibited on that day.

One category is called “kneading” when translated to English. It refers to the making of paste or dough on the Sabbath. Jesus combined His spit with dirt and made a mud paste, which He put on the man’s eyes. Then He “sent” him from the temple to the Pool of Siloam, a journey that took him past many priests and Pharisees. Jesus’ concern was for the man, not for the various rules the religious leaders had added to God’s law.

The Pharisees heard of the man’s healing and they launched an investigation. (Apparently, they considered it permissible to do work on the Sabbath if the work was to determine how Sabbath rules may have been broken.) Their agitation reveals that they considered their restrictions to be more significant than the fact that they were witness to a major miracle of healing. They couldn’t “see” God’s hand right in front of them, because they were so blinded by their legalism.

The religious leaders had prohibited anyone from saying that Jesus, who had healed the man’s blindness, could be the Messiah (see v. 22). That’s why the now-healed man’s parents, excited as they must have been over their son’s newfound vision, refused to give the Pharisees the most obvious answer (vv. 20–23).

Note the progression of the formerly man’s faith. He goes from understanding that Jesus is a healer (v. 11), to proclaiming Him a prophet (v. 17), to calling Him a mighty man sent from God (v. 33), and finally to worshiping Him as Messiah (v. 38).

Jesus finds the man after he has been evicted from the synagogue by the Pharisees, perhaps to confirm to the man that Jesus really is the one worthy of his worship. The man believes Jesus and worships Him (v. 38), possibly with a “shout for joy to the Lord” and maybe even a joyful song or two (Psalm 100:1–2).

TEACHER DEVOTIONAL

Read Psalm 100.

God is worthy of our worship, but sometimes we lose sight of that. When our hearts break or our dreams are frustrated or trouble comes, we don’t always feel like shouting to God with joy and gladness. And yet this is what Psalm 100:1–2 urges us to do.

When we proclaim something verbally, it often helps us understand it at a deeper level. Literally counting our blessings can change our attitude. It can shift our mental and emotional posture away from what we don’t have toward what we’re grateful that we do have.

As you prepare to teach this lesson, consider these questions:

• What are three things you’re thankful for right now? Thank God for them today.
• What’s a joyful song you can sing to the Lord? Listen to that song and sing along a verse or two to Him.

Take a few minutes away from distractions and worship the Lord with gladness for all He is and does.