Sunday School Lesson
July 12, 2020
Lesson 6 (KJV)
The Boy Jesus
Devotional Reading: Leviticus 12:1–8; Numbers 3:11–13
Background Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1–15; Luke 2:39–52
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7b
1. To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
7b. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.
Luke 2:39–52
39. And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
40. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
41. Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
42. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
43. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?
50. And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
51. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Key Verse
The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.—Luke 2:40
Lesson Aims
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. Recall key elements of the story of the boy Jesus in the temple.
2. Explain how Jesus’ defying of expectations was grounded in His unique nature and calling.
3. Write a prayer of commitment to choose godly wisdom over secular wisdom at all times.
HOW TO SAY IT
| bar mitzvah (Hebrew) | bahr mihtz-vaw. |
| Ecclesiastes | Ik-leez-ee-as-teez. |
| Galilee | Gal-uh-lee. |
| Mishna (Hebrew) | Mihsh-naw. |
| Nazareth | Naz-uh-reth. |
| Simeon | Sim-ee-un. |
Introduction
A. Raising a Child Star
Ever since Shirley Temple (1928–2014) appeared in movies as a child, preteen actors have been a feature of popular entertainment. Children with exceptional talent consistently attract large audiences eager to be amazed at youngsters who can outperform adults.
Imagine being the adult who nurtures and guards such a child. It might seem that all the usual principles of parenting have to be ignored so that the child’s full potential can be realized. Friends? School? Play? Discipline? There is no time for such matters when practice and performances beckon. How can caring parents ensure that the child’s life is as “normal” as possible in the pressures of the limelight? The sad stories of many child stars suggest that their path to adulthood is not easy. Today’s text narrates a never-to-be-repeated first-century version of this dilemma.
B. Lesson Context: Ecclesiastes
As one of the Old Testament books known as wisdom literature, Ecclesiastes explores the accumulated wisdom of its time and place. In so doing, it asks whether life has meaning. Its writer, “the Preacher” (Ecclesiastes 1:1), has long been identified as King Solomon. He alternates between principles of wise living and his own discouraged impression that “all is vanity” (2:17). But in the end he concludes that the purpose of human life is to remember the Creator before our lives slip away from us (12:1). Therefore one must read the entirety of the book to glean the ultimate truth of it.
C. Lesson Context: Luke
Of the four Gospels, only Matthew and Luke give stories of Jesus’ birth, and only Luke includes a story from Jesus’ childhood. It comes just after the accounts of the announcement and birth of both John the Baptist and Jesus.
Luke portrays both births as vital parts of God’s plan, closely linked to one another as the two men’s ministries later would be linked. Even so, Jesus’ uniqueness is evident from the begining (Luke 1:32, 35; 2:11). As His story unfolds, we see that Jesus is greater than all others because He has the nature and authority of God himself (Matthew 28:18; Philippians 2:6). In Jesus, God entered the world to rescue His people (John 1:1, 9–14).
How we understand something so unusual, something that is fundamentally different from every other thing, is answered by today’s text.
I. Wisdom in Seasons
(Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7b)
A. In All Things (v. 1)
1. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
This verse introduces a meditation on the regularity of life (see all of Ecclesiastes 3:1–8). This introduction takes a form characteristic of Hebrew poetry: parallelism (see lesson 2). Every thing and every purpose are parallel, as are season and time. The writer considers how life begins, develops, and ends in largely consistent cycles. The wise person will understand those cycles and live in harmony with them. Since God created the emotions that attend these rhythms of life, those emotions should not be suppressed. Wise people accept even the burdensome or painful realities that we cannot change.
There’s a Reason
My husband and I were excited to have a second child. The time seemed right in every way. I was confident when I took a pregnancy test, already feeling a change in my body. Positive! I quickly called my husband. We soon told everybody in our family and at work.
I was pregnant for two months before having emergency surgery. Suddenly I had to explain to my 3-year-old daughter that her little brother or sister was not going to be with us. I had to tell my family and coworkers.
It’s been 19 years since we lost our little one, and in that time my husband and I gained two beautiful children. But we still don’t know why God allowed us such sorrow. Maybe it’s not the season to know. Maybe we’ll never know. Regardless, we can rest peacefully in the knowledge that the Lord, the only one who needs to know, knows.
—P. M.
B. In Speech (v. 7b)
7b. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.
The human capacity for communication is one of many things subject to regular patterns. We have many occasions to speak to one another, but no less important are occasions when speech is unnecessary, unwanted, or even harmful. In sickness or sadness, silence may be more meaningful than words. In loving companionship, time spent in silence can be reassuring (compare Job 2:13; 13:5; 16:2, 3; etc.). And when standing before those who are older and wiser, we do well to listen silently.
| What Do You Think? Which problem do you most need to work on: recognizing when to keep silent or recognizing when to speak up? Digging Deeper |
Wisdom in Exceptions
(Luke 2:39–52)A. Ordinary Holiday (vv. 39–42)
39. And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
This verse picks up just after the small family’s journey to Jerusalem to dedicate Jesus to the Lord (Luke 2:22–24). Jesus’ parents have been careful to observe all that the law requires for a firstborn child (example: 2:21). In the 12 years since Jesus’ birth (2:42, below), Mary and Joseph undoubtedly continued the ordinary rhythms of life. These include raising their firstborn and their other children in Nazareth (Matthew 2:23; 13:55, 56; see lesson 7).
40. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
We might compare and contrast Luke’s depiction of Jesus’ physical and spiritual growth with those of Samuel and John the Baptist. Both of the latter seem to have developed in ways out of the ordinary (1 Samuel 2:26; Luke 1:80). But their growth in wisdom is not highlighted as it is with Jesus (also Luke 2:52, below). Jesus’ experience of God’s grace may compare with Samuel’s “favour … with the Lord” (again, 1 Samuel 2:26).
| What Do You Think? What would you say is a minimum amount of time that parents should set aside weekly to devote to their child’s growth in godly wisdom? Digging Deeper |
Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
As they had faithfully observed the laws regarding Jesus’ dedication, Jesus’ parents do so throughout His life by traveling every year from their home to Jerusalem for Passover. That is the annual feast given to Israel by God to celebrate Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian slavery (Exodus 12:1–28). This observance is part of the family’s annual experience, along with thousands of other pilgrims. Because the temple was established in Jerusalem, the customary practice is for all faithful Israelites who can do so to go to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover (Deuteronomy 16:1–8; 2 Chronicles 6:4–6; Luke 22:8).42. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
At the age of twelve, Jesus is not yet part of the adult world. But He is old enough no longer to be considered just a child. The Jewish custom of the bar mitzvah (meaning “one who is responsible for performing the commandments”) to mark the passage to adulthood was not yet developed in Jesus’ time. But records from the second century AD, such as the Mishnah, suggest that 13 was generally considered the age when a boy became a man.
B. Disrupted Travel (vv. 43–48)
43. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.The Passover consists of an evening feast—the Passover proper—followed by seven days of additional celebration—the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:5, 6). Mary and Joseph, doubtless with thousands of other travelers, begin their journey home the next day. But in an extraordinary act for a 12-year-old, Jesus stays behind in Jerusalem, the center of Israel’s devotion to God. Why He has done so is not immediately known (see Luke 2:46, below).
44. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
The road north from Jerusalem, crowded with pilgrims going home to Galilee, is likely a chaotic, confusing place. Entire communities travel together, alleviating parents of specific responsibilities for older children because of the safety of their caravan. Mary and Joseph may be traveling with their respective friends, not as a couple or family, thus leaving each to assume that Jesus is with the other.
Only at the end of the day, when they make camp for the night, do the parents discover that their eldest son is not with either of them! Their first thought is that He is with other kinsfolk and acquaintance. We can imagine the fear and confusion the parents experience as they ask everyone about Jesus and receive no answers regarding His whereabouts.45. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
The parents have no choice but to return to Jerusalem. Though they surely hurry, the day-long journey back leaves no time before dark to look for the missing boy.
46. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
The phrase and it came to pass signals that a new or important part of a story has come. We cannot tell whether the three days include the first day of journeying away from Jerusalem. But this time frame does suggest at least two very difficult nights while Joseph and Mary do not know where their son Jesus is. These three days also foreshadow the three days between Jesus’ death and resurrection (Luke 24:7).
When they find Jesus, He is in the temple where Simeon and Anna had identified Him 12 years before as God’s promised king (Luke 2:25–38). The temple is a magnificent structure, with a huge outer court surrounded by shaded porticoes. There people can meet for teaching and discussion of God’s sacred law.
One group this particular day includes Jesus, who interacts with important doctors of the Scriptures; the same word is translated “teachers” in Hebrews 5:12. The reader readily assumes that Jesus is not asking childish questions, which can be answered by expert teachers quickly, not requiring lengthy conversation.
| What Do You Think? Under what circumstances, if any, should you let someone wrestle with an issue for a few days rather than providing immediate relief or help? Why? Digging Deeper |
And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.The picture is clearly that of Jesus talking deeply with experts in Israel’s Scriptures. A boy of 12 doing such a thing reveals an impressive interest in God’s Word. Adult experts engaging the questions from a boy over several days signals the youngster’s extraordinary insight.
Many Jewish boys Jesus’ age are in the process of learning the text of the law by heart. Consideration of the meaning of the law often comes after this exercise. As a resident of an insignificant town in Galilee and a member of a relatively poor family, Jesus likely doesn’t have many resources for His own education. Yet Jesus already has an exceptional understanding of the law, as evidenced by His thoughtful, informed answers. His grasp of God’s Word apparently surpasses greatly His youthfulness. His answers will astound others even more so during His adulthood (see Matthew 7:28).Book Smart
I learned to read at a young age. I remember riding the train at age 7 with my mother as I read an Agatha Christie mystery. A stranger asked my mother if I was actually reading the book, and I heard my mother tell her yes. The stranger pressed, “Does she understand it though?” My mother shrugged and shook her head no. At the time I was offended—of course I understood it!
Looking back, there was much about that novel and others that I didn’t understand. The books contained words that I could pronounce but not define. These concealed adult themes I was too young to catch. I just filled in the blanks.
Jesus demonstrated great insight when He was just 12 years old. Though other boys were committing incomprehensible words to memory, Jesus already understood the law and could discuss it intelligently. He didn’t have to fill in any blanks. At what stage are you in your Bible study? Do you understand what you’re reading, or are you still just filling in blanks?
—P. M.
48. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.The parents’ amazement at first is not that Jesus is able to talk on an expert level with teachers of the law. Rather, it is that Jesus behaves in such an unconventional way, leaving them in great fear. They have been without their son for three days, not knowing whether they would see Him alive again. Jesus’ mother can imagine no possible justification for her son’s having acted as He has done in causing them the pain they have experienced.
C. Precocious Saying (vv. 49, 50)
49. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?
Jesus’ response implies that His parents should have known exactly where He was when He was not with them: He was engaged with the things of God. The expression translated must in this verse is one that Luke often uses to indicate things that occur because of the fulfilling of God’s purpose (examples: Luke 4:43; 9:22; 13:33). As “a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of … Israel” (2:32), Jesus engages the greatest of His contemporaries to consider the true implications of God’s Word. These conversations are a preview of His later disputes with the religious leaders and His final conflict with the temple authorities (22:52–23:25).
| What Do You Think? How does Luke 2:49 speak to the priorities you need to adopt or adjust? Digging Deeper |
Notably, Jesus refers to God as His Father in response to the implications from His mother’s use of the word “father.” Though it was not common for Jews in those days to call God “Father,” the concept that God is the Father of Israel is important in the Scriptures (example: Deuteronomy 32:6).
Consequently, God can be called “our Father,” though generally such an address is considered to be too familiar. Even so, Jesus says my Father’s business (compare John 2:16). This expresses Jesus’ awareness of His (Jesus’) unique, divine identity even at this young age. He undoubtedly knows the Old Testament Scriptures in which God refers to His promised king as His “son” (2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chronicles 17:13; compare Psalm 2:7). He surely is also aware that the angel Gabriel had told Mary that Jesus would be God’s Son (Luke 1:32, 35).
Further, Jesus expresses no surprise that His role in God’s plan will cause distress to those who love Him. Simeon had warned Jesus’ mother that “a sword shall pierce through thy own soul” (Luke 2:35). Jesus’ three day absence from His parents ends in a joyous but perplexing reunion.
This is only the first time that Jesus’ vocation will cause His mother grief. Her grief will be all the greater when Jesus surrenders to death (John 19:25). In the wisdom of God, the solution to human brokenness is for the divine Son of God to take the punishment for humanity on himself.
The word business translates a phrase that is very broad in the original language. In context, it can refer to anything associated with God. Whatever Jesus does, He does as the work of God (John 5:19). This contradicts the notion that Joseph is the father with whom He should most identify (Luke 3:23; 4:22). Although Jesus is adopted by Joseph and brought up in his house (Matthew 1:25), Jesus’ work of His Father does not refer to carpentry (13:55); it refers to salvation.
50. And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
Mary and Joseph know well the angelic and prophetic words spoken to describe their uniquely born Son (example: Matthew 1:18–23). Yet the fulfillment of those prophecies must wait, as ordinary life demands attention. To outward appearances, Jesus is a child like any other. We safely assume that His family life mirrors that of most others in first-century Israel. That Jesus should do something so unconventional makes no sense at the time. Thus Jesus’ parents cannot understand the significance of what He declares.
This is the first of many occasions when Jesus challenges His listeners with sayings they don’t immediately comprehend (examples: Mark 4:1–20; 9:32). In Jesus, God is doing a work unlike anything that people expect (compare Matthew 16:15–23). God’s wisdom demands that human values be turned upside down (Matthew 16:24–27; 1 Corinthians 1:18–29). His wisdom requires the almighty Son of God to take on human flesh and suffer a tortuous death to reconcile God with unworthy people (Isaiah 53; Philippians 2:6–11; 1 Peter 2:21–25). Jesus’ wisdom and knowledge of God’s plans challenge everything that people believe. Every difficult word that Jesus speaks provokes the listener to ponder in order to understand.
| What Do You Think? What steps can we take to better recognize when a misunderstanding that blocks communication is taking place? Digging Deeper |
Return to Ordinary (vv. 51, 52)51a. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them.
The whole family now returns to their home in Nazareth. The expression went down is used because Jerusalem is at the summit of the Judean highlands; all roads leading away from it go down in elevation. Until His ministry begins at “about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23), Jesus apparently remains subject to His parents in some sense. This implies not acting in unexpected ways as He has on this occasion.
51b. But his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
Even though Mary does not immediately understand the implications of what has just happened, she remembers this event and ponders its meaning. She reacted the same way regarding the events of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:19). These unexpected, unique episodes can be understood only on the other side of Jesus’ death and resurrection, when the wisdom of God revealed in Jesus comes to its unexpected, victorious climax (24:1–7, 25–35, 44–49; etc.). We can imagine that Mary tells these stories over and over to fellow believers in the early years of the church.
52. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Jesus’ growth in wisdom is again noted (compare Luke 2:40, above). Human approval is fickle; approval by God endures (3:22; etc.). God’s wisdom, on display in the boy Jesus, will have the final word.
Conclusion
A. Defying Expectations
How do we comprehend something that is fundamentally different from every other thing with which we have experience? Ecclesiastes speaks of the regularity of life’s cycles, showing the wisdom of understanding circumstances. Luke shows Jesus’ uniqueness in how Jesus defied the conventional wisdom of those cycles as He spoke in the temple at age 12. But Jesus’ words come to us as the first divine revelation from His lips at the time the uniqueness of His identity began to build.
As people called into fellowship with Jesus, Christians are to follow God’s purpose in mundane, daily ways—ways that can give way suddenly to our saying and doing the unexpected. For us to expect to do only and always the unusual is not God’s way. Even so, God’s will can run counter to conventional expectations on many occasions. Expect the world to scold us for defying its expectations as we continue to follow in the surprising direction of Jesus’ footsteps.B. Prayer
Father, challenge us to grow in Your wisdom as Jesus grew. In His name we pray. Amen.
C. Thought to Remember
Being about our heavenly Father’s business is our task—no matter what.
KID’S CORNER
Jesus Will Not Abandon Believers
Sunday July 12, 2020
John 9:35-41
John 9:35-41
(John 9:35) Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
The parents of the man Jesus healed were afraid they might be driven out of the synagogue if they said too much in his behalf; so, they left their son to stand alone before the Pharisees and give his testimony. Perhaps the man knew and trusted in Psalm 27:10, which reads, “If my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me up.” Indeed, as his parents feared, the Pharisees drove the man Jesus healed out of the synagogue and forbade him from worshiping in the temple. But the LORD “took him up.” When Jesus heard he had been driven out, He sought out and found the man. Upon finding him, Jesus asked a question that He expected to hear a positive answer to from the man when He asked him. In Jesus’ question, the KJV uses “Son of God” and the NASB, NIV, and NRSV use “Son of Man.” The earliest Greek manuscripts use “Son of Man.” The title “Son of Man” meant “Messiah.” Jesus’ question meant, “Do you believe in the Messiah?” The man Jesus healed would have known what Jesus meant when asked if he believed in the Messiah or “Son of Man.” Through His ministry, Jesus taught that He, the Messiah, was/is the “Son of God.”
(John 9:36) He answered, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”
The man knew that Jesus was talking about the Messiah, and the man replied that if he knew who the Messiah was, he would certainly believe in him. The man demonstrated what Jesus said in John 3:21, “Those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” In speaking to the Pharisees, the man did what was true and spoke what was true. Perhaps the man knew Psalm 27:1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?,” for the LORD had healed his eyes so he could see the light, and the man was not afraid to tell the Pharisees, who wanted to kill Jesus, that he believed in Jesus. The man had told the Pharisees the truth about Jesus, as much as he knew about Jesus at the time—that He was a Prophet and was from God—and he told the Pharisees that he had obeyed Jesus on the Sabbath when Jesus put mud on his eyes to heal him. He was a man of truth and thus prepared to receive Jesus as the Messiah. The title “Sir” is used here as an address of respect.
(John 9:37) Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.”
Because Jesus had healed the man’s blindness, the man could see Jesus as they were talking. The man knew, perhaps by recognizing Jesus’ voice, that Jesus had healed him. Then, Jesus revealed to the man who He is, He is the Messiah that the Jews expected. In Luke 11:34, Jesus spoke symbolically and said, “Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness.” Jesus had made the man’s physical eyes healthy and the man was truthful. Seeing physically and spiritually, his whole self was now full of divine light. He was ready to believe in Jesus.
(John 9:38) And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him.
Immediately in response to Jesus’ question he called Jesus his “Lord,” now in the highest sense of that title as King of the universe, as God (not as “sir”). He proved that Jesus was now his Lord and his God when he worshiped Jesus. As the Son of God and the Son of Man, Jesus accepted his worship. Whereas, in the Bible angels sent from God always refuse to let anyone worship them, Jesus accepted his worship. In word and deed, Jesus testified that He and the Father were one and He was worthy to be worshiped as Lord and Savior. In John 5:22-23, Jesus spoke of His authority: “The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” In John 9:39, Jesus said again that He came into this world for judgment.
(John 9:39) And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.”
Jesus came to save the lost and not condemn, but in John 3:18-19, we read, “Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” Jesus is the Light of the world, but most of the Pharisees and others loved darkness because their deeds were evil. When Jesus came and shined into the world as the Light, He revealed the dark hearts of those who did not truly love the LORD but preferred to continue doing evil. Jesus said to some of the religious leaders in Luke 11:39, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.” Jesus did not come to condemn but to save; yet, Jesus knew that by teaching the truth He would bring division and those who would not believe were already condemned. He did not need to condemn them; they condemned themselves. Their wickedness condemned them. He knew He would bring division when He warned those who practiced evil to repent and turn to Him for the forgiveness of their sins. Division would come between those who accepted Him as the Messiah and Son of God and those who rejected Him and sought to kill Him. In Luke 12:51-53, Jesus said, “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” We know from experience that in some families not everyone believes in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and some lose friendships after they turn to Jesus and Jesus saves them from continuing to do evil deeds. The man born blind knew that he did not see physically, and He knew what it was to live in physical darkness in the world. Then, Jesus enabled to him to see. The man was a man of truth who knew some things about Jesus after Jesus healed him; then, he saw Jesus and spoke to Jesus and believed in Jesus—he could also see spiritually. After professing that he believed in Jesus the Messiah, he could walk in both physical and spiritual light and follow Jesus. When the Pharisees rejected his testimony about Jesus and rejected Jesus, they remained spiritually blind.
(John 9:40) Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?”
Some of the Pharisees claimed to be able to see spiritually because they obeyed and insisted others obey their laws and traditions, but throughout the Gospel of John and the other gospels we learn that some of the Pharisees were spiritually blind—they loved wickedness and their deeds were evil no matter what they professed with their mouths. Notice: Jesus said “some of the Pharisees,” for not all were evil; for example, Nicodemus told Jesus, in John 3:2, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who is come from God.” He and others came to believe in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God, as their Savior and Lord. In John 12:42, we read, “Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.” Jesus’ teachings did bring division among the Pharisees and other religious authorities, and His teaching also brought division among the people.
(John 9:41) Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”
Some of the Pharisees were so spiritually blind they probably expected Jesus to placate them and say, “No. You are not blind.” When they asked, “Surely we are not blind?” they claimed to be able to see spiritually, but as we have seen they were spiritually blind; otherwise, they would have recognized that Jesus had been sent from God. Not all Pharisees were hypocrites, as we have seen. Notice the principle that Jesus used: evil Pharisees said they saw spiritually and knew the Scriptures, but their knowledge did not lead them to believe in and obey the Scriptures. Their laws and traditions often set aside the truths the Scriptures taught so they could selfishly take advantage of others contrary to God’s Law of Love. Because they would not believe in the Scriptures that pointed to God as the Father and to Jesus as His Son, and preferred to walk in spiritual darkness, their sin remained. They would not come to Jesus and receive Him as the Savior of the world. In John 3:1-21, the Pharisees who knew they were spiritually blind; such as Nicodemus, who asked Jesus about how to be born again, eventually came to Jesus and Jesus forgave them and cleansed them from their sins.
Jesus Will Not Abandon Believers
Sunday July 12, 2020
John 9:35-41
Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? (John 9:35—KJV). Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” (John 9:35—NASB). Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” (John 9:35—NRSV). No matter what happens to His followers, Jesus will never abandon them. Because they feared being cast out of the synagogue, the man born blind that Jesus healed was left by his parents to face the Pharisees alone. Because of his testimony on behalf of Jesus, the Pharisees then cast him out of the synagogue. Learning of his persecution for telling the truth, Jesus sought the man to complete his spiritual enlightenment and grant him eternal life. To the Pharisees, the man had testified that Jesus was a good man and a prophet of God, but Jesus wanted the man to know Him fully and come to trust in Him and His heavenly Father too. So, when Jesus found the man, He asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” After Jesus told him that He was the Son of Man (the Messiah that Daniel had prophesied), he responded, “‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshiped him” (John 9:38). As the Son of God and the Son of Man, Jesus accepted his worship. He became a true disciple of Jesus, and Jesus immediately fulfilled the promise He has made to all who will follow Him, “I will not leave you orphaned” (John 14:18). Through faith in Jesus, God adopted him as his child (Ephesians 1:5). Then, because the man knew Jesus and the Father, he no longer needed the temple or the synagogue to be with God. In the name of Jesus, he could now worship God His Father wherever he went, and on the Day of Pentecost Jesus filled him with the promised Holy Spirit.
Thinking Further
Jesus Will Not Abandon Believers
Sunday July 12, 2020
John 9:35-41
Name ________________________________
- What does it mean when Jesus calls himself the Son of God?
- What does it mean when Jesus calls himself the Son of Man?
- What did you learn about Jesus when you read that He went to find the man after He learned that he had been driven out of the synagogue?
- Do you think the man responded rightly to Jesus when Jesus told him who He is? Give a reason for your answer.
- Why did Jesus say the sins of the Pharisees remained?
Discussion and Thinking Further
- What does it mean when Jesus calls himself the Son of God? He came from God the Father. He is the Word of God made flesh. He is the only begotten Son of God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He reveals God the Father perfectly. He always pleases God. He always and only does the will of God the Father. He is to be worshiped and believed in. He glorifies the Father and the Father glorifies Him. He gives eternal life to those who receive Him (and many other truths).
- What does it mean when Jesus calls himself the Son of Man? He means He is the long-awaited Messiah as promised in the Old Testament. He is a human being, born of the Virgin Mary and conceived by the Holy Spirit.
- What did you learn about Jesus when you read that He went to find the man after He learned that he had been driven out of the synagogue? Jesus will not forsake us. He will not leave us as orphans. He will teach us more about himself as we seek to honor Him as Lord and worship Him.
- Do you think the man responded rightly to Jesus when Jesus told him who He is? Give a reason for your answer. Yes. Jesus is the truth for people to believe and believe in. Jesus is the Son of God and not an angel or simply a man, so He should be worshiped.
- Why did Jesus say the sins of the Pharisees remained? They rejected Him as the Savior of the world despite all the evidence they had from Jesus himself and from the man born blind that Jesus healed, and they said they could see spiritually when they were actually blind; therefore, their sin remained. They would need to recognize their sins, turn from their sins (repent) and believe in and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior for Jesus to forgive them and take away their sins (cleanse them from sin).
Word Search
Jesus Will Not Abandon Believers
Sunday July 12, 2020
John 9:35-41
Name ________________________________
T P M C N A M N H M L R M B
B N H D B Q D K W P G N I C H
E E J C F H V N T Z I F S K A
L M X W J Q G C U S P V Z J T
I G E F P C N O S O T I B D O
E D Q T R H D X F N F G E I J
V U W G D U A G B U D P S X K
E J O V X V N R S Z I M U G D
S D M D N I L B I H X Y S Y R
B R L N A J T X S S P G E W O
Y Z V M E P N R F U E R J S L
T S H R G V O L G R K E E M A
C M I W O W I T U B V E S R O
T F U X B X M R O Q N H X U F
G P H A J D U E D H V U T J G
Driven
Out
Found
Believes
Son
Man
God
Sir
Lord
Seen
Worshiped
Judgment
Blind
Pharisees
Sin
True and False Test
Jesus Will Not Abandon Believers
Sunday July 12, 2020
John 9:35-41
Name ________________________________
Circle the True or False answers. Correct the False statements by restating them.
- Some of the Pharisees welcomed the man Jesus healed so he could teach people in the synagogues how to heal themselves. True or False
- When Jesus found the man He had healed, He asked him, “Do you
believe in God?” True or False
- The man asked Jesus who he was to believe in. True or False
- Jesus told the man that he had seen the one he was to believe in.
True or False
- The man called Jesus “Lord” and believed in Jesus. True or False
- The man knew not to worship angels, so he did not worship Jesus and Jesus commended him for his steadfast faith in angels. True or False
- When Jesus came, He united everyone into one big happy family where everyone believed the same things and just got along. True or False
- Jesus came so those who do not see may see. True or False
- Some of the Pharisees did not think they were blind. True or False
- Jesus told the Pharisees, “If you were blind, you would not have sin.” True or False
True and False Test Answers
- False
- False
- True
- True
- True
- False
- False
- True
- True
- True
Prayer
Father, challenge us to grow in Your wisdom as Jesus grew. In His name we pray. Amen.