Sunday School Lesson
July 5
Lesson 5 (KJV)
Vindicating Wisdom
Devotional Reading: Matthew 10:1–14
Background Scripture: Matthew 11:1–19
Matthew 11:7–19
7. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
8. But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
9. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
11. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
13. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
15. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
16. But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
17. And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
18. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
19. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
Lesson Aims
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. Summarize Jesus’ description of John the Baptist.
2. Explain why the generation that Jesus criticized displayed a lack of wisdom in its evaluation of both Him and John the Baptist.
3. Make a plan for change in the area where he or she most needs to improve in the exercise of godly wisdom.
HOW TO SAY IT
Ahaziah | Ay-huh-zye-uh. |
Herod Antipas | Hair-ud An-tih-pus. |
Messiah | Meh-sigh-uh. |
Malachi | Mal-uh-kye. |
Nazarite | Naz-uh-rite. |
Introduction
A. Love It or Hate It
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder … or the tongue of the taster or ear of the listener. We all make distinctions between what is good and what is bad, and sometimes these opinions are no more than personal taste. In the end, they don’t really matter. How you decorate your home (or choose not to) is a matter of preference, one that can lead to conflict with others in the house who disagree. But there is no real right or wrong.
When preparing dinner, you may not have strong feelings about carrots, but you probably do about brussels sprouts and beets—if you even eat them! Some music blends into the background, while other songs you turn up and sing along to—or maybe turn off to stop the assault on your ears. The same may be true of movies or TV shows: most are average, neither great nor horrible. But others divide us between fans and critics.
Today’s text explores the seemingly vast gulf between John the Baptist and Jesus Christ—and the variety of opinions surrounding them. Many loved them; many hated them. Yet loving or hating these two is very different from loving or hating carpeting or cushions, music or movies. Choosing to hate these two, even in their differences, is choosing to hate God’s wisdom.
B. Lesson Context
The Gospel of Matthew is one of four books in the New Testament that tell the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Through Jesus, God was restoring His rule over His world, setting right what human rebellion had made wrong. Matthew put special focus on the surprising way in which God fulfilled His promises to Israel in Jesus.
For instance, we might expect God’s true king to be warmly received. But in fact, Jesus met with hostility from His infancy (examples: Matthew 2:13; 21:45, 46; 27:20). Jesus warned His followers that they would meet with similar opposition (10:14–25, 34–36).
The same hostility is seen in the arrest and death of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:1–12), which foreshadowed Jesus’ own crucifixion (26:1–5, 14–16; 27:32–44). Yet this very climax of the hostility against God’s wisdom was the means by which God fulfilled His wisdom, for Jesus died not merely as an innocent victim but as the willing and worthy sacrifice for the sins of humanity (20:28; 26:28).
God’s victory came through rejection, death, and resurrection. Nothing could have been more contrary to expectations. In an episode preceding our text, the (to human thinking) upside-down wisdom of God proved confusing even to John the Baptist, the prophet who announced the nearness of God’s reign and the coming of His true king (Matthew 3:1–3, 11, 12).
John had clearly identified Jesus as that promised king and had witnessed God’s affirmation of Jesus as beloved Son (Matthew 3:13–17). John had been imprisoned for his declaration that Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee, was wrong to have taken his brother’s wife as his own (11:2a; 14:3, 4). John became distressed and sent messengers to ask Jesus whether He was indeed the promised king, as John had previously proclaimed (11:2b, 3). John’s question expressed either doubt or impatience as he languished in prison.
Jesus’ response affirmed that He was indeed the promised coming one (Matthew 11:4, 5). But what did that imply about John? Had his impatience or doubt demonstrated him to be a failure as God’s prophet?
I. John the Baptist
(Matthew 11:7–15)
A. A Reed, a Royal (vv. 7, 8)
7. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
The word they refers to John the Baptist’s messengers (see Lesson Context). Concurrent with their departure, Jesus speaks to the multitudes regarding their attitude toward John. This large group likely includes those who already consider themselves students of Jesus, others who are merely curious about His power and teachings, and still others who are skeptical or even hostile.
Jesus’ rhetorical questioning expects His audience to scoff at the idea that John has been timid. Certainly he is no easily shaken reed, bowing over in whatever wind came along. John boldly told the prominent and self-satisfied that they have no standing with God unless they repent (Matthew 3:7–10).
8. But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
Being made entirely by hand, clothing, or raiment, in the ancient world was expensive. Ordinary people owned few garments, and those few were made of scratchy, uncomfortable fibers. Softer fabrics were too expensive for any but the wealthiest.
John’s characteristic garb is made of camel’s hair and is bound with a leather belt (Matthew 3:4). This perhaps imitates Elijah, the prophet who boldly confronted Israel’s wicked King Ahab (2 Kings 1:1–8).
John’s clothes are anything but soft! The contrast in clothing with that of people who live in kings’ houses points to a difference in lifestyle. John is a bold spokesman for God. Are people able to look past his attire and see that? Individuals with a worldly agenda may try to get what they want by flattery (example: Acts 12:19b–22), but that won’t work with John the Baptist! His attire suggests that he has nothing and wants nothing of earthly value.
What Do You Think? What distinctive thing could you do this week to demonstrate a faithfulness to God when it would conflict with cultural expectations? Digging Deeper |
Judging Appearances
Have you ever found yourself in front of a fruit stand, searching for the shiniest apple or the largest orange with the brightest color? You finally choose one, the best you can find, only to get home and discover it is no good on the inside. It is either not quite ripe, or it has decayed inside and is no longer fit for consumption. Another, less beautiful fruit might have been the better choice after all.
Jesus asks in Matthew 11:7, 8, “What went ye out … to see?” He tells us that men in soft clothing are to be found in kings’ houses, not in wilderness areas. Only earnest seekers would be able to look past John the Baptist’s rough clothing to the truth he taught. His garments weren’t sewn with gold stitching and his grooming was not up to par, but his message was!
When you hear the gospel preached, what matters more: the outward appearance of the messenger or the quality of the message itself?
—P. M.
B. A Prophet, a Messenger (vv. 9–15)
9a. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet?
Having exposed as absurd the fictitious reasons for seeking out John, Jesus begins to offer the real one. People went to the wilderness to hear John the Baptist because they believed him to be God’s prophet (Matthew 14:5; 21:26; Luke 1:67, 76), someone empowered to speak for God.
Often we associate the work of prophets with predicting the future. Certainly the biblical prophets did speak about the future (example: Isaiah 9:1–7). But their primary work was not prediction but proclamation (example: 1:10–15). The prophets were God’s spokesmen in their own day and time, declaring to their own generations what God was doing or was about to do (example: 2 Kings 19:5–7).
Prophecies of all kinds were concerned with various aspects of God’s promises. Having been taken captive by hostile nations, the Israelites heard the prophets promise that God would free them from captivity and return them to their homeland (examples: Isaiah 44:26; Jeremiah 16:15; Zechariah 10:6). This deliverance was to be so exceptional that it would demonstrate to the nations that Israel’s God was and is the only true God (example: Isaiah 2:1–5).
Because this promised act of God so closely resembled His deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt, the prophets could speak of it in similar terms (example: Isaiah 4:2–6). God had visited His people in their distress in Egypt, defeating the rulers of Egypt and bringing His people into the promised land (Exodus 15; Joshua 1); He would do so again (Deuteronomy 30:1–10).
9b, 10. Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Jesus can affirm that John is more than a prophet because his appearance on the scene fulfills the promise of Malachi 3:1. God himself is the one who sends His messenger ahead of Jesus. Jesus has declared that He is the one about whom John spoke (Matthew 3:11). If John’s role is to prepare the way for the Lord, and if John has indeed prepared the way for Jesus, then logically it follows that Jesus is the Lord, living among His people.
John’s announcement of the nearness of God’s kingdom and the coming of God’s true king is the announcement that the Messiah’s reign is about to begin (Matthew 3:1, 2; John 3:27–30). Other prophets had articulated this promise (example: Zechariah 9:9, 10). To John the Baptist has fallen the duty to proclaim that it was about to be fulfilled (Mark 1:2–4).
What Do You Think? What’s the most important thing you can do this week to prepare for the gospel message to be received favorably in your circle of influence? Digging Deeper |
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Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.In using the word verily, Jesus introduces this proclamation with an expression that affirms His trustworthiness (Matthew 5:18; 6:2, 5, 16; 8:10). But the declaration itself is very difficult for His audience to understand because it seems self-contradictory: first, Jesus says that John the Baptist is “more than a prophet” (see 11:9b, above), which places him among the greatest people in history. How then can someone who is least in the kingdom of heaven be greater than he?
Jesus is challenging His audience to rethink their understanding of the kingdom of Heaven (compare Matthew 5:3, 10, 19, 20; etc.). Jesus’ contemporaries believe that the kingdom God will establish is to be a political continuation of David’s throne (example: Acts 1:6). This interpretation means that Judah and Israel are to be restored as a united kingdom in political power, not subject to Rome or anyone else.
But God’s intentions are much broader than that: His kingdom is His promised reign over the world (Philippians 2:10, 11), His restoration of wholeness to the world that currently suffers under the curse and brokenness of sin. It is the full realization of God’s promises to all people.
Jesus spoke of God’s kingdom in terms of three time frames: near, here, and yet to come. Like John the Baptist, Jesus speaks of God’s reign as “nigh at hand” (Luke 21:31). But as Jesus heals and drives out demons, He is more likely to be speaking of God’s kingdom as already present (example: Matthew 12:26–28). And as He speaks of what His followers come to understand as His return, He speaks of the kingdom as a future reality (7:21–23).
From the perspective of the kingdom as either near or future, Jesus can speak of John as less than the least in God’s kingdom. John is the herald of God’s kingdom, first announcing its nearness. But he is not yet a subject of that kingdom in terms of its future reality, for it has not yet arrived in that sense. God has done great things through John, but God will do greater things through and for the subjects of God’s kingdom by way of Jesus’ death and resurrection (John 14:12).12. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Jesus follows one challenging saying with another that is even more challenging. The idea that God’s kingdom can suffer violence seems absurd. How could the rule of the Almighty be challenged by anyone? Jesus seems to refer to the world’s treatment of citizens of God’s kingdom. One example is how Herod Antipas has imprisoned John the Baptist for speaking out against Herod’s sin (Matthew 11:2; 14:3, 4). Herod later will have John killed (14:9, 10). Jesus himself will eventually be arrested and crucified (26:50–56; 27:32–50). Looking further into the future, Jesus has already spoken of the opposition that His followers will face (10:16–31).
God’s kingdom is great, but until it comes in its fullness, God’s people experience great hardships. God’s kingdom enters the world in Jesus, but the fullness of God’s reign, including the complete defeat of evil, awaits Jesus’ return. Until then, Jesus’ followers experience the blessing and power of God’s reign in the midst of a world that opposes them and the king they serve. It is not an “all at once” kingdom. It is an “already but not yet” kingdom.13. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
The prophets and the law is an expression referring to Israel’s Scriptures that Christians call the Old Testament. Jesus says that John’s work was the climax of the message of those books. Jesus speaks of the Old Testament in its entirety—the stories of the patriarchs and the nation of Israel, the laws, the teachings of the prophets—as coming together as a message of promise. They announced this promise until John, who was directed by God to announce the soon-to-be fulfillment of the promise.
14. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
Underlining this point, Jesus identifies John as Elias, known in the Old Testament as Elijah. That prophet had confronted the evil leaders of his day with the reality of God’s powerful authority (example: 1 Kings 18:16–40). Generations later, the prophet Malachi promised that one like Elijah would appear as the forerunner of God’s promised rule (Malachi 4:5, 6). John is this promised prophet like Elijah, the one who announces the fulfillment of God’s long-awaited promises.
15. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Jesus sometimes ends a discourse with this word of warning and encouragement (Matthew 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35). The saying encourages hearers to think carefully about what they have heard and to respond appropriately to the challenge it poses (contrast Mark 4:12).
What Do You Think? What can you do to ensure that you do not become hard of hearing in a spiritual sense? Digging Deeper |
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This Generation
(Matthew 11:16–19)A. Like Children (vv. 16, 17)
16. But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows.
The phrase this generation and expressions like it appear often in Jesus’ teaching. He uses the phrase to focus on those who reject His message despite their having witnessed His mighty acts of power (Matthew 12:39–45; 17:17).
Though Jesus’ contemporaries may not realize it, their refusal to trust God parallels the same attitude of their ancestors during the exodus. That refusal resulted in wandering in the wilderness until the generation died off (Numbers 26:62–65; 32:13).17. And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
Certain children in the marketplace call out to each other to express frustration that the other children will not respond to their playful activities. They have played a dance tune on their flutes, but the other children did not dance. So the children began to wail as at a funeral, but the other children still did not join in. Regardless of the situation, the other children never offer the expected response. The idea seems to be that the generation Jesus is criticizing wants Him to dance to their tune. But that doesn’t happen.
What Do You Think? What will motivate you to conquer stubbornness with trust? Digging Deeper |
Play Ball!
When I was young, summer days were full of outdoor sports. Sometimes we played until the streetlights came on, and then a few minutes more, testing the very limits of our parents’ patience. But sometimes those games ended quickly. A kid on the losing team would yell, “I’ll take my ball and go home!” When the sore loser was the only one with a ball—game over.
I’ve seen that same behavior manifested in adults, including Christians. People fight to have their way, stomping their feet; they storm out whenever the minister doesn’t give them what they want. Instead of acting appropriately, they ignore everything but their own desires.
Children want their way and pout when it doesn’t happen. Adults who act like this do not have ears to hear God. We become as children who can’t see beyond their own wants. As adults, which describes us: those who look to God’s desires or those who expect Him to meet ours?
—P. M.
B. Like Fools (vv. 18, 19)
18. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
The two actions of the children in the marketplace suggest the contrast that Jesus now makes. John the Baptist lived under the vow of the Nazarite, refusing wine (Numbers 6:4; Luke 1:15) and adopting a diet symbolic of a great crisis (Matthew 3:4), refusing ordinary food. Jesus describes those who reject John’s message as justifying their refusal by claiming that his strange actions indicate that he is possessed by a devil. Like the children just noted, John refuses to dance to their tune.
19. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
Jesus, by contrast, is known to attend banquets given by those on the margins of society (example: Matthew 9:9, 10). Publicans collect taxes for Rome and are regarded by fellow Jews as having forfeited their standing in God’s people. Sinners are notorious in their communities for violating God’s law. In contrast to John, Jesus is called gluttonous and a winebibber for His association with such people at meals. Jesus, of course, has an explanation: He has come to save just such people (9:12, 13).
What Do You Think? How can you better equip yourself to refute the error in logic that Jesus is pointing out? Digging Deeper |
For those unwilling to heed God’s wisdom, no messenger is good enough. Note the wrong-headed criticisms: John is too strict with himself and thus has a devil; Jesus is too indulgent. But God is at work in both, bringing His promises to fulfillment. The children of wisdom, those who responded to John and Jesus in faith, will prove the truth of what those two proclaim.
Conclusion
A. Paradox of God’s Kingdom
If we think that the wisdom of God is bound to meet with universal acceptance, the New Testament tells us otherwise. The gospel has always been sharply divisive. Jesus inspired joyous faith from many but received powerful, even violent, opposition from others. God’s wisdom appeals to some people as it addresses their deepest needs. But it repels others as it challenges their self-rule.
For those expecting a kingdom to come with military and political power, Jesus seemed the opposite of God’s true king. For those who expected God to bring an immediate end to injustice and suffering, Jesus’ idea of God’s kingdom seemed absurd. But for those with ears to hear and eyes to see, Jesus brings the fulfillment of every divine promise and the answer to every human need. That He was rejected comes as no surprise to us, for God’s messengers have always been rejected by many.
How do you deal with the tension of God’s kingdom, which is both “now” and “yet to be”? Circumstances can prove discouraging at times, but trusting that Christ reigns now and will reign fully in the future can provide strength and encouragement to meet even the biggest challenges. Those included even the challenge of Herod’s prison for John and the challenge of the cross for Jesus. In the strength we have in Christ, we witness the vindication of God’s wisdom.
B. Prayer
Father, as we rely on Your power in good times and bad, teach us to trust Your wisdom. May we not be so self-centered that we fail to hear Your wisdom—wisdom that corrects wrong ideas and expectations. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
C. Thought to Remember
What seems like foolishness to humans is sometimes the wisdom of God.[1]
KID’S CORNER
Spiritual Blindness and Glorifying God
Sunday 5, 2020
John 9:24-34
John 9:24-34
(John 9:24) So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.”
The glory of God includes God’s nature and character as revealed to us in creation and supremely in the Bible, as the Bible supremely reveals God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit to us. When God glorifies himself, God reveals His nature and character. In John 2:11, we read that Jesus revealed His glory (the glory of God), His character and nature, when He performed His first sign by changing water into wine in a way that the bridegroom would receive the honor for what Jesus did. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit (our Advocate), glorify themselves when they reveal the truth about themselves and one another in a multitude of ways throughout time and eternity within and beyond our understanding as humans. Throughout the Gospel of John and the New Testament, we see how the Father glorifies Jesus and Jesus glorifies the Father. Glorifying God includes, but is not limited to, telling the truth about God, telling the truth to God, and telling the truth to those who have a right to know and learn the truth as we see Jesus and the disciples demonstrating in the New Testament as they do God’s will.
We glorify God when we worship God and obey God’s commands. To glorify God, we must love God, our neighbor, and love others as Jesus loves us. In John 13:34, Jesus declared, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” The Pharisees and hypocrites we read of in the New Testament thought they glorified God, but they did not love God or their neighbors. We must beware that we do not become like the scribes and Pharisees and think we can glorify God while condemning and refusing to love those with whom we disagree.
When the Pharisees told the man that Jesus healed to give glory to God, they wanted him to tell them the truth. But they wanted him to give glory to God as they understood God instead of giving any glory to Jesus, the Son of God, who healed the man. In Joshua 7:19, we see how Joshua asked Achan, the thief, to tell the truth, “My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and make confession to him. Tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” Joshua had a right to know and learn the truth from him. He used “give glory to God,” as courts sometimes require a witness to swear that they will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
The Pharisees remained spiritually blind, while the formerly blind man could see clearly physically and spiritually. The Pharisees proved they did not know and love God because despite all the evidence before them from reliable witnesses and from the truthful testimony of Jesus about himself, they refused to glorify God. Instead of giving God the glory, the Pharisees said they knew Jesus, the Son of God, was a sinner. They called Jesus a sinner because Jesus obeyed His Father and the Law of God, not the laws and traditions of the Pharisees that made the Law of Love invalid. In their unloving spiritual blindness, they never praised God for the miraculous healing of the man born blind nor did they tell the man they were pleased he had regained his eyesight. They only saw him as a born blind sinner.
(John 9:25) He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
The man Jesus healed insisted on the facts he knew to be true. He did not know of any sins that Jesus had committed, and he refused to accept as the truth what the Pharisees said about Jesus. They pressured him to defame the one who had healed him, but he said he did not know of anything Jesus had ever done wrong. He said what he knew to be true in his own experience as an eyewitness. He knew that he had been born blind. He knew that he could see after Jesus healed him Everyone who knew him knew that though born blind, he could now see. He insisted on the true facts of his own experience and refused to speculate about Jesus.
(John 9:26) So they said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”
The Pharisees continued to look for reasons to murder Jesus. If they could create a list of ways that Jesus had violated their laws, then they could bring criminal charges against Jesus before the Sanhedrin or Council, put Him on trial for breaking their rules, and sentence Jesus to death. With their two questions, they admitted that Jesus had opened the man’s eyes. Now, it was only a matter of listing the laws Jesus broke when he healed the man. Of course, Jesus did not break any of the laws of Moses. The Pharisees broke the laws of Moses with their rigid and unloving extensions, additions to, and interpretations of God’s law contrary to the Scriptures.
(John 9:27) He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?”
The man Jesus healed had courage, wisdom, and spiritual sight. Even as Jesus told the Pharisees repeatedly when they questioned Jesus that they refused to listen to the truth, so also, they refused to listen to the truth from the man regarding his healing. We do not know all that was going through the man’s mind when he asked them why they wanted him to repeat what he had already told them, but they took his final question as an insult. They had no interest in becoming a disciple of Jesus—they only wanted to find more excuses to condemn Jesus as a sinner and kill Him.
(John 9:28) They reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
In reply, the Pharisees accused the man of being a disciple of Jesus. Perhaps they thought Jesus and the man had colluded to convince people that Jesus had healed him. One thing we see clearly: the man Jesus healed spoke and acted as a disciple, follower, or student of Jesus. He spoke with conviction and power regarding all that Jesus did for him, knowing the sure and certain consequences he risked for speaking the truth—he could be cast out of the synagogue and denied access to God in temple worship.
(John 9:29) “We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.”
The Pharisees claimed to be disciples of Moses, and certainly not of Jesus. They claimed to apply Moses’ laws and teachings as Moses would have wanted them to apply them. From our study of John and the other gospels, we know that God the Father expects the disciples of Jesus to listen to or obey Jesus and not Moses or Elijah as though they were of an equal status with Jesus. In John 1:16-18, we learned, “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.” Nor does God the Father want Jesus’ disciples to blend Jesus’ teachings with the teachings or laws of Moses and the prophets to create a new religion. For examples, when they became Christians, Gentile followers of Jesus Christ were not required to be circumcised. Christians no longer need to follow the food restrictions of the Jews. On the Mount of Transfiguration, when Peter wanted to make tents for people to come and learn from Moses, Elijah, and Jesus, God the Father refused his request and told the disciples in Matthew 17:5, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” (see also Luke 9:35).
(John 9:30) The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes.
With divine light and spiritual insight, the man Jesus healed had better reasoning powers than the Pharisees. Though he most probably had never heard Jesus preach, he spoke words consistent with Jesus’ words in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 7:16-18, Jesus taught: “You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” The Pharisees were like the ravenous wolves Jesus preached about in Matthew 7:15. It seemed obvious to the man Jesus healed that Jesus was a good man who had come from God and he would give the glory to Jesus and to God—though he did not yet know all he would soon learn about Christ Jesus.
(John 9:31) “We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.
The man reasoned that Jesus could not be a sinner because God does not listen to the prayers of sinners; that is, to those living a rebellious life against God. God did listen to Jesus’ prayer when Jesus healed the man; therefore, Jesus could not be a sinner according to the Law of God. According to the Law of Love, Jesus loved the man and Jesus healed the man. Next, the man told the Pharisees the spiritual qualities a person must have for God to answer their prayers. First, he must worship God. The Pharisees would claim that they worshiped God, but to truly worship God a person must worship God in God’s way instead of man’s way, and that involves love of God and neighbor. Second, it seemed obvious to the man Jesus healed that Jesus obeyed the will of God, and that is why God gave Jesus the power to heal him. The Pharisees refused to obey the will of God. They refused to believe or believe in Jesus. They refused to love God even though they claimed to glorify God. They refused to love their neighbor, as we see in the way they treated others unlike themselves, and in the way they treated Jesus and the people Jesus healed.
(John 9:32) “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.
The man accentuated the goodness and power of Jesus by saying no one had ever heard of anyone opening the eyes of a man born blind. Unlike the Pharisees, who insisted on remaining spiritually blind, the man showed by his testimony and courage that he had received far more than physical eyesight from Jesus. Jesus also gave him spiritual insight and increased his knowledge of God.
(John 9:33) “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
The man continued to declare that if Jesus were not from God, then Jesus could do nothing good. Jesus did not seek a reward or anything selfish from the man He healed. Jesus only sought to do people good. Some might do amazing things, like Simon the magician, but not for totally unselfish reasons to benefit others as Jesus did (see Acts 8:9-25). In the New Testament, we see Jesus and the disciples of Jesus healing people and preaching the good news of Jesus from totally unselfish motives instead of personal gain. They showed their faith and the obvious presence of Jesus in their lives and work as they helped others.
(John 9:34) They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So they put him out.
In response to the testimony of the man Jesus healed, the Pharisees showed themselves for the evil people they were. Jesus healed a man to glorify God, to truly help a man born blind, to teach His disciples, and to teach all who would learn about how and why He healed a man born blind. After they learned that Jesus had healed a man born blind, the Pharisees refused to glorify, thank, or praise God. Instead, they attacked the man personally and said he was born in sin. They blamed the man’s blindness on his sins or the sins of his parents. Because he was a “sinner,” they decided the man was not worth listening to when he taught them truths that they should have known from the Scriptures but chose to disregard. Since they could not refute the truths the man taught them, they condemned him. Judging him a sinner, they would not let him teach them or others; just as they accused Jesus of being a sinner and would not let Jesus teach them. Furthermore, they did not want him (or Jesus) to teach others about Jesus and Jesus’ loving, powerful good works. So, as punishment and to make him an example, they cast him out of the synagogue so no one would be tempted to listen to him for fear they too might be cast out of the synagogue.
Spiritual Blindness and Glorifying God
Sunday 5, 2020
John 9:24-34
They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out (John 9:34—KJV). They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So they put him out (John 9:34—NASB). The Pharisees answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us” And they drove him out (John 9:34—NRSV).
When the Pharisees told the man that Jesus healed to give glory to God, they wanted him to tell them the truth. But they wanted him to give glory to God as they understood God instead of giving any glory to Jesus, the Son of God, who healed the man. In Joshua 7:19, we see how Joshua asked Achan, the thief, to tell the truth, “My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and make confession to him. Tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” Joshua had a right to know and learn the truth from Achan. Joshua used “give glory to God,” as courts sometimes require a witness to swear that they will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The Pharisees remained spiritually blind, while the formerly blind man could see clearly physically and spiritually. The Pharisees proved they did not know and love God because despite all the evidence before them from reliable witnesses and from the truthful testimony of Jesus, they refused to glorify God. Instead of giving God the glory, the Pharisees said they knew Jesus, the Son of God, was a sinner. They called Jesus a sinner because Jesus obeyed His Father and the Law of God, not the laws and traditions of the Pharisees that invalidated the Law of Love. In their unloving spiritual blindness, they never praised God for the miraculous healing of the man born blind nor did they tell the man they were pleased he had regained his eyesight. They only saw him as a sinner.
Thinking Further
Spiritual Blindness and Glorifying God
Sunday 5, 2020
John 9:24-34
Name ______________________________
- How did the Pharisees expect this man to give glory to God? Did he? How do we give glory to God?
- How did the Pharisees know Jesus was a sinner?
- How did the man challenge the Pharisees when they kept asking his questions? What does his answer tell you about the man?
- What did the Pharisees accuse the man of being? What did they say they were?
- Who did the man say God listens to? How did the Pharisees answer him?
Discussion and Thinking Further
- How did the Pharisees expect this man to give glory to God? Did he? How do we give glory to God? Hopefully, they expected him to tell them the truth about Jesus. Probably, they wanted him to tell them what they wanted to hear and tell lies about Jesus. He did glorify God by telling the Pharisees the truth about Jesus up to the level of his understanding, for his faith in Jesus was a growing faith and he would soon learn more about Jesus. We glorify God when we tell the truth about Jesus (the Son of God), the truth about our Heavenly Father, and the truth about the Holy Spirit as they have revealed themselves in the Bible. As disciples of Jesus, we also tell others how God has worked in our lives. We give glory to God when we worship God and obey God’s will.
- How did the Pharisees know Jesus was a sinner? Jesus was not a sinner. Jesus always said and did what was pleasing to His Father. They slandered Jesus by calling Jesus a sinner, because Jesus would not obey them and their manmade additions to the Law of God that prevented people from loving God and others as God intends.
- How did the man challenge the Pharisees when they kept asking his questions? What does his answer tell you about the man? He told them straightforwardly that they would not listen to the truths he told them. So, why did they want to hear him speak again? He challenged them with the question, “Do you also want to become His disciples?” He was a man of courage and integrity to keep telling them the truth knowing they would punish him for being honest.
- What did the Pharisees accuse the man of being? What did they say they were? They accused the man of being a disciple of Jesus. They said they were disciples of Moses.
- Who did the man say God listens to? How did the Pharisees answer him? God listens to the person who worships God and obeys God’s will. He said Jesus was from God because Jesus healed him. They drove him out of the synagogue as punishment for telling them the truth about Jesus; just as they would eventually kill Jesus for telling them the truth about His Father and himself. The Pharisees continued to demonstrate that Jesus was right to tell them that their father was the devil, for they refused to turn from following the devil to follow God and do God’s will. If they had listened to the man and to Jesus, they would have repented and turned back to God by becoming a disciple of Jesus.
Word Search
Spiritual Blindness and Glorifying God
Sunday 5, 2020
John 9:24-34
Name __________________________________
B K Z A R T B Z W H J S I C O
I G V D S G L M C U E K V A Q
M W I A U H O A H L N P G S Z
F K Q V S S E S P O T L R T K
Y E W L E T U I W E O A V O D
X M J S J D C N V R E D U N H
L E P N E S M N Y L K S M I W
D G O L I V D E Q H E I Y S Y
X N V D J Y T R V X S F Z H D
M S I C N P H B S N E T S I L
T W J L J C I O G Q Y J V N R
Q S R T B T L A D L R O W G B
V G O B E Y S U O T D N I K Z
S P I H S R O W G F H K S X S
N Q T Q K N U P I J M V A N D
Give
God
Glory
Know
Sinner
Blind
See
Disciples
Moses
Astonishing
Listens
Worships
Obeys
Teach
World
True or False Test
Spiritual Blindness and Glorifying God
Sunday 5, 2020
John 9:24-34
Name _________________________________
Circle the True or False answers. Correct the False statements by restating them.
- After the Pharisees talked to the man Jesus healed, he agreed that Jesus must have been a sinner to cure his blindness on the Sabbath. True or False
- The Pharisees talked with Jesus because they wanted Jesus to glorify God according to the Scriptures so they would not need to kill him. True or False
- The blind man that Jesus healed glorified God when he told the Pharisees the truth about Jesus. True or False
- The Pharisees wanted to know how Jesus healed the man born blind so they could heal all the blind people who came to the temple. True or False
- The formerly blind man asked the Pharisees if they wanted to become disciples of Jesus. True or False
- The Pharisees wanted to remain disciples of Moses and that is why they only did what Moses commanded in the Book of Exodus. True or False
- The man Jesus healed was astonished to learn that Nicodemus sometimes healed people who had been born blind. True or False
- The man Jesus healed was astonished that the Pharisees did not know where Jesus came from, for he knew God listened to Jesus. True or False
- God listens to those who worship Him and obey all the laws and traditions of the Pharisees. True or False
- The Pharisees refused to learn from people they considered sinners. True or False
True and False Test Answers
- False
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- False
- True
- False
- True
Prayer
Father, as we rely on Your power in good times and bad, teach us to trust Your wisdom. May we not be so self-centered that we fail to hear Your wisdom—wisdom that corrects wrong ideas and expectations. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.