Hello, friends, and
welcome to "Books of the Book."
00:00:20.72\00:00:23.11
We're so glad that you can
join us in this Bible study.
00:00:23.14\00:00:26.43
My name is Deyvy Rodriguez
00:00:26.46\00:00:27.89
and we're studying
the Gospel of John.
00:00:27.92\00:00:30.52
And today, we are on chapter 9
00:00:30.55\00:00:33.38
and we're talking
about a blind man.
00:00:33.41\00:00:36.52
And with us is Dr. Jon Paulien.
00:00:36.55\00:00:39.82
He is the dean of Religion
at Loma Linda University
00:00:39.85\00:00:42.80
in Loma Linda, California.
00:00:42.83\00:00:44.38
Dr. Paulien, welcome back again.
00:00:44.41\00:00:46.31
Thank you. It's good to be here.
00:00:46.34\00:00:47.80
All right, we're
going to talk about
00:00:47.83\00:00:50.15
the story of a
blind man in chapter 9.
00:00:50.18\00:00:53.57
And by the way, this story
is all of chapter 9, isn't it?
00:00:53.60\00:00:58.95
The whole chapter
is this one story.
00:00:58.98\00:01:01.04
And it's very interesting
and you're pointing out
00:01:01.07\00:01:04.03
earlier you said this
is quite a funny story.
00:01:04.06\00:01:06.54
It is. It's hilarious.
00:01:06.57\00:01:07.94
Okay, I want to see
00:01:07.97\00:01:09.34
where the hilarious,
funny part about it is.
00:01:09.37\00:01:11.90
But basically the story goes on
00:01:11.93\00:01:14.48
to say that
Jesus was passing by.
00:01:14.51\00:01:16.82
He sees a blind
man and His disciples
00:01:16.85\00:01:19.91
ask Him a few
questions say "Rabbi.
00:01:19.94\00:01:22.13
You know, who sinned is this man
00:01:22.16\00:01:23.87
or his parents
that he was born blind?"
00:01:23.90\00:01:27.86
And so Jesus
take this opportunity
00:01:27.89\00:01:30.36
and He gives a few words
00:01:30.39\00:01:32.18
and then He does
something quite interesting.
00:01:32.21\00:01:35.19
He spits on the ground.
00:01:35.22\00:01:37.37
He makes clay with His saliva
00:01:37.40\00:01:40.03
and then He anoints
the eyes of this blind man.
00:01:40.06\00:01:43.87
And then He gives him a command
to go wash into this one pool.
00:01:43.90\00:01:49.06
And so he does and
he receives his sight.
00:01:49.09\00:01:52.94
And the neighbors
are very confused,
00:01:52.97\00:01:55.92
you know, is this the
man who used to be blind?
00:01:55.95\00:01:58.56
They start asking him questions
00:01:58.59\00:02:00.91
and after that they
send him to the Pharisees
00:02:00.94\00:02:03.17
and the Pharisees--
00:02:03.20\00:02:04.57
I think it's him or no maybe
it only looks like him. Yeah.
00:02:04.60\00:02:07.84
They called the Pharisees
00:02:07.87\00:02:10.23
or the Pharisees called
the parents just to confirm
00:02:10.26\00:02:12.80
because apparently they
don't believe his testimony
00:02:12.83\00:02:15.32
and he keeps repeating himself.
00:02:15.35\00:02:17.06
Yeah. This is what happened.
00:02:17.09\00:02:18.72
And the Pharisees
just don't want to believe
00:02:18.75\00:02:21.63
or at least just want him to
lie whatever the case might be.
00:02:21.66\00:02:25.15
So tell us more about
this story and perhaps,
00:02:25.18\00:02:29.25
what will be eventually
the spiritual outside of this.
00:02:29.28\00:02:33.91
I think its part of the
irony in the Gospel of John.
00:02:33.94\00:02:37.37
One of the key
elements of this book
00:02:37.40\00:02:39.82
is that it shows
those who opposed to Jesus
00:02:39.85\00:02:42.39
as being down right stupid.
00:02:42.42\00:02:44.76
I mean, they just--
what's obvious to the reader
00:02:44.79\00:02:48.12
they just can't see, you know.
00:02:48.15\00:02:50.16
Well, this must
not be the same guy
00:02:50.19\00:02:51.86
who was begging on the
streets blind, you know.
00:02:51.89\00:02:54.73
Well, if it is the same guy,
00:02:54.76\00:02:57.63
must be the devil
did this or something.
00:02:57.66\00:02:59.72
And then they keep
asking him questions.
00:02:59.75\00:03:01.65
For instance, how
come you keep asking me?
00:03:01.68\00:03:03.15
Do you want to be
His disciples too?
00:03:03.18\00:03:05.03
And so it's
really, it's about as funny
00:03:05.06\00:03:08.08
I think as any story,
you'll find in the whole Bible.
00:03:08.11\00:03:11.68
But what we want to
understand when we start,
00:03:11.71\00:03:14.53
it's not an isolated story.
00:03:14.56\00:03:16.71
It's all part of the
Feast of Tabernacles scene.
00:03:16.74\00:03:20.25
The previous
program chapter 7 and 8,
00:03:20.28\00:03:22.90
Jesus was in the temple
on the Feast of Tabernacles
00:03:22.93\00:03:26.72
and this story is
connected to that.
00:03:26.75\00:03:29.14
Why don't you take a look
00:03:29.17\00:03:30.54
at the last verse
of chapter 8, verse 59.
00:03:30.57\00:03:34.95
"Then they took up
stones to throw at Him
00:03:34.98\00:03:37.63
but Jesus hid Himself
and went out of the temple,
00:03:37.66\00:03:40.97
going through the midst
of them, and so passed by."
00:03:41.00\00:03:44.22
Okay.
00:03:44.25\00:03:45.62
So Jesus is in the temple,
00:03:45.65\00:03:47.54
He's having this
argument with the leaders there
00:03:47.57\00:03:50.84
and when they pick up
stones to throw at Him,
00:03:50.87\00:03:53.14
He just sort of
slips away into the crowd.
00:03:53.17\00:03:55.55
Now notice the first verse.
00:03:55.58\00:03:57.23
"Now as Jesus passed by,
00:03:57.26\00:03:58.84
He saw a man who
was blind from birth."
00:03:58.87\00:04:01.64
You see, this comes
right in on the other scene.
00:04:01.67\00:04:03.96
It's the same day.
It's the same hour.
00:04:03.99\00:04:07.01
As Jesus encounter,
00:04:07.04\00:04:09.28
you know, with the
woman taking in adultery
00:04:09.31\00:04:11.47
with the
engagement with the Pharisees,
00:04:11.50\00:04:14.61
how, you know,
you're son of the devil,
00:04:14.64\00:04:17.81
now I want to make
you free and so forth.
00:04:17.84\00:04:20.57
So He comes
right out of the temple
00:04:20.60\00:04:23.03
and runs into this blind guy.
00:04:23.06\00:04:24.79
So this story connects
immediately upon the previous.
00:04:24.82\00:04:30.38
Now what do you
suspect John is doing here?
00:04:30.41\00:04:34.27
This is John choosing
what he's going to tell.
00:04:34.30\00:04:37.67
Why does the story
come right on here?
00:04:37.70\00:04:40.14
Besides the fact
that it happened that way,
00:04:40.17\00:04:41.83
but why does he use it?
00:04:41.86\00:04:43.64
I don't know.
That's a good question.
00:04:43.67\00:04:45.39
But what does John do?
00:04:45.42\00:04:47.75
The stories in John are what?
00:04:47.78\00:04:50.10
Spiritual. They're spiritual.
00:04:50.13\00:04:51.94
They're like parables.
00:04:51.97\00:04:54.11
They have a deeper meaning.
00:04:54.14\00:04:55.98
Well, what was the central theme
00:04:56.01\00:04:58.44
that Jesus was bringing out
00:04:58.47\00:05:01.01
at the Feast of
Tabernacles in the temple?
00:05:01.04\00:05:03.62
Remember the
Feast of Tabernacles
00:05:03.65\00:05:05.07
is about water and about light.
00:05:05.10\00:05:08.50
So read from verses 1-5
00:05:08.53\00:05:11.15
and we'll see
where he's going with us.
00:05:11.18\00:05:13.45
All right,
picking up in verse 2.
00:05:13.48\00:05:15.30
"And his
disciples asked him, saying,
00:05:15.33\00:05:17.40
'Rabbi, who sinned,
this man or his parents,
00:05:17.43\00:05:20.73
that he was born blind?'
00:05:20.76\00:05:22.35
Jesus answered, neither
this man, nor his parents sinned
00:05:22.38\00:05:26.93
but that the works of God
should be revealed in him.
00:05:26.96\00:05:29.74
I must work the
works of him who sent me,
00:05:29.77\00:05:32.57
while it is day,
the night is coming,
00:05:32.60\00:05:34.97
when no one can work.
00:05:35.00\00:05:36.71
As long as I am in the world,
00:05:36.74\00:05:38.84
I am the light of the world."
00:05:38.87\00:05:41.16
All right.
00:05:41.19\00:05:42.56
This phrase was repeated
00:05:42.59\00:05:44.55
from something
that's said in chapter 8.
00:05:44.58\00:05:47.20
Go to 8:12.
00:05:47.23\00:05:50.52
Okay, it says, "Then Jesus
spoke to them again, saying,
00:05:50.55\00:05:54.26
I am the light of the
world. He who follows me..."
00:05:54.29\00:05:56.53
Okay, that's fine.
00:05:56.56\00:05:58.81
You see, this
story is introduced
00:05:58.84\00:06:01.54
by the light of the world.
00:06:01.57\00:06:03.23
This is going to
be an acted parable
00:06:03.26\00:06:06.00
of Jesus is the
light of the world.
00:06:06.03\00:06:07.90
How was He the light of
the world to this blind man?
00:06:07.93\00:06:12.11
It was kind of like a follow up.
00:06:12.14\00:06:13.88
The blind man received sight.
00:06:13.91\00:06:17.13
So Jesus
physically opens his eyes.
00:06:17.16\00:06:21.19
But in John, it isn't
only about the surface.
00:06:21.22\00:06:25.93
John turns this whole
story into a spiritual parable.
00:06:25.96\00:06:30.27
Some people are blind.
00:06:30.30\00:06:31.70
When Jesus comes along they see.
00:06:31.73\00:06:33.94
Other people are
blind spiritually.
00:06:33.97\00:06:37.12
Now when Jesus comes along
they gain spiritual insight.
00:06:37.15\00:06:40.83
They come to see spiritually.
00:06:40.86\00:06:43.41
So the story of the blind man
00:06:43.44\00:06:46.49
also is the story
of spiritual sight
00:06:46.52\00:06:50.69
that comes to people
who are formally blind.
00:06:50.72\00:06:54.60
Go back to chapter 7:37-39,
00:06:54.63\00:06:59.26
because there's
another major theme
00:06:59.29\00:07:02.50
in the Feast of
Tabernacles story.
00:07:02.53\00:07:05.83
And we are reading verses--
00:07:05.86\00:07:07.36
Verses 37-39, chapter 7.
00:07:07.39\00:07:10.09
"On the last day, that
great day of the feast,
00:07:10.12\00:07:12.72
Jesus stood and
cried out, saying,
00:07:12.75\00:07:14.95
if any man thirsts, let
him come to me, and drink.
00:07:14.98\00:07:18.88
He who believes in me,
as the scripture has said,
00:07:18.91\00:07:21.90
out of his heart will
flow rivers of living water.
00:07:21.93\00:07:24.98
But this He spoke
concerning the Spirit,
00:07:25.01\00:07:27.56
whom those
believing in Him will receive
00:07:27.59\00:07:30.16
for the Holy
Spirit was not yet given
00:07:30.19\00:07:32.59
because Jesus was
not yet glorified."
00:07:32.62\00:07:35.19
Okay.
00:07:35.22\00:07:36.59
So you have two themes in
the Feast of Tabernacles story.
00:07:36.62\00:07:40.20
You have the theme of the
water, the pouring of the water,
00:07:40.23\00:07:43.72
and where did
that water come from?
00:07:43.75\00:07:46.21
That water came
from the Pool of Siloam.
00:07:46.24\00:07:49.88
That's the same place
that Jesus sends this man too.
00:07:49.91\00:07:54.43
His whole message was
the Feast of Tabernacles
00:07:54.46\00:07:56.92
has this water here for you.
00:07:56.95\00:07:59.48
But there's a better water,
there's the spiritual water.
00:07:59.51\00:08:03.28
And when Jesus
says, "Anyone comes to me,
00:08:03.31\00:08:06.45
He won't ever
get thirsty again."
00:08:06.48\00:08:08.70
And meaning, spiritually
when you come to Jesus
00:08:08.73\00:08:11.32
you will be filled with
water that will never run dry.
00:08:11.35\00:08:14.15
So you have the water
theme, you have the light theme.
00:08:14.18\00:08:16.96
Jesus is the
water and the light.
00:08:16.99\00:08:19.52
In this story the
two come together.
00:08:19.55\00:08:21.98
The man is
blind, he comes to see.
00:08:22.01\00:08:24.25
How does he see?
00:08:24.28\00:08:25.65
Jesus sent him to the water.
00:08:25.68\00:08:27.38
But the waters of the pool
00:08:27.41\00:08:29.45
from which the Feast
of Tabernacle water came,
00:08:29.48\00:08:33.69
doesn't heal him until
Jesus gives the command.
00:08:33.72\00:08:37.33
So Jesus is the true water giver
00:08:37.36\00:08:40.19
and He is the true light giver.
00:08:40.22\00:08:43.16
So this story just builds on
00:08:43.19\00:08:46.77
the other story
to illustrate it,
00:08:46.80\00:08:48.65
to give a living
representation, a parable.
00:08:48.68\00:08:54.71
Now in the Feast
of Tabernacles story,
00:08:54.74\00:08:57.32
while Jesus is
exhibiting Himself
00:08:57.35\00:08:59.63
as the true light
and as the true water,
00:08:59.66\00:09:03.25
He's resisted
all the way through,
00:09:03.28\00:09:05.55
by the leaders of the
people, by the priests,
00:09:05.58\00:09:09.69
by the Pharisees and so on.
00:09:09.72\00:09:12.22
That opposition continues here,
00:09:12.25\00:09:15.11
but now it's focused not on
Jesus, but on the blind man.
00:09:15.14\00:09:20.37
The one that Jesus heals
now takes the brunt of it.
00:09:20.40\00:09:24.85
So in this story,
00:09:24.88\00:09:26.59
it's the Pharisees
that are leaning in.
00:09:26.62\00:09:31.12
And here's the
amazing thing in the story,
00:09:31.15\00:09:34.24
I wish we had time to
read it through in detail
00:09:34.27\00:09:36.80
but you've already
shared it with us in a nutshell.
00:09:36.83\00:09:40.33
In this story, first of all,
00:09:40.36\00:09:42.82
the man starts out
not knowing anything.
00:09:42.85\00:09:46.78
You know, who opened your eyes?
00:09:46.81\00:09:48.18
Oh, He's the man called Jesus.
00:09:48.21\00:09:50.16
Now who is this man?
00:09:50.19\00:09:51.56
Well, I think He's a prophet.
00:09:51.59\00:09:53.88
Oh, why do you
think He's a prophet?
00:09:53.91\00:09:55.35
You know, I mean, you
know, He's just an ordinary man.
00:09:55.38\00:10:00.48
Well, no, I think
He's from God, you know.
00:10:00.51\00:10:04.13
Nobody's ever opened
eyes like this man has so.
00:10:04.16\00:10:07.27
You can see the man's
faith growing as he talks.
00:10:07.30\00:10:12.19
The more they
ask him about Jesus,
00:10:12.22\00:10:14.10
the more that he believes.
00:10:14.13\00:10:16.67
In contrast, the
Pharisees grow in opposition.
00:10:16.70\00:10:21.69
They started out
saying, okay, you know.
00:10:21.72\00:10:23.57
He was blind, now he
sees, it must have happened,
00:10:23.60\00:10:25.92
how do we explain this?
00:10:25.95\00:10:27.85
And then they're uncertain.
00:10:27.88\00:10:29.83
Well, you know,
could He really be?
00:10:29.86\00:10:31.70
Let's call the parents.
00:10:31.73\00:10:33.10
Let's find out if
it's really the same guy.
00:10:33.13\00:10:35.20
And then they try to trap him,
00:10:35.23\00:10:38.07
to say, what
they want him to say.
00:10:38.10\00:10:40.65
And then they
start to reject him.
00:10:40.68\00:10:43.54
Oh, you know, you're not--
00:10:43.57\00:10:46.12
you're from the devil and so on.
00:10:46.15\00:10:47.67
And in the end, they vilify Him
00:10:47.70\00:10:49.73
and throw Him
out of the synagogue.
00:10:49.76\00:10:51.85
So the man's faith grows
00:10:51.88\00:10:55.26
and as it grows the
opposition grows to meet it.
00:10:55.29\00:10:59.05
So as He receives more light,
they receive more darkness.
00:10:59.08\00:11:02.85
Exactly, you see
and that goes to show
00:11:02.88\00:11:06.21
that if a person makes
00:11:06.24\00:11:08.88
an executive
decision to reject the light,
00:11:08.91\00:11:12.30
God will give them
plenty of evidence.
00:11:12.33\00:11:15.30
You see, they in a sense chose,
00:11:15.33\00:11:17.94
they did not want Jesus
to be glorified by this.
00:11:17.97\00:11:21.14
So they chose to twist the facts
and change the whole thing.
00:11:21.17\00:11:26.03
You know, why do people reject?
00:11:26.06\00:11:28.57
And it reminds us
back in Chapter 3 of John.
00:11:28.60\00:11:32.03
It says, "They reject the light
because their deeds are evil."
00:11:32.06\00:11:36.94
And they don't want
their deeds to be exposed.
00:11:36.97\00:11:39.88
We're very, very
protective of our reputations.
00:11:39.91\00:11:43.92
We're very protective
of what people think of us.
00:11:43.95\00:11:47.32
And when that's under
threat, people will lie,
00:11:47.35\00:11:50.42
will cheat, will steal,
will do almost any thing
00:11:50.45\00:11:53.52
to protect what they
think belongs to them.
00:11:53.55\00:11:56.87
Now we see this story playing
out here with this blind man.
00:11:56.90\00:12:02.84
So the Pharisees had a
problem going into the story.
00:12:02.87\00:12:08.81
The healings suggest
that Jesus is from God.
00:12:08.84\00:12:13.31
But the fact that He
healed on the Sabbath
00:12:13.34\00:12:17.96
suggested them
that He's not from God.
00:12:17.99\00:12:21.53
So they didn't know
what to do with this.
00:12:21.56\00:12:23.64
You know, nobody
could heal a man like this
00:12:23.67\00:12:27.21
unless God was with him.
00:12:27.24\00:12:28.61
But, yeah, it's on the Sabbath,
so God must not be with Him.
00:12:28.64\00:12:31.60
So they used the circumstances
to twist themselves in a knot
00:12:31.63\00:12:35.84
and avoid the
truth of the situation.
00:12:35.87\00:12:39.84
So I think this
story illustrates to us
00:12:39.87\00:12:43.38
that spiritual
blindness is often chosen.
00:12:43.41\00:12:46.80
I remember once, I
had a friend that says
00:12:46.83\00:12:49.16
I want you to come
visit a friend of mine,
00:12:49.19\00:12:51.98
he's an atheist.
00:12:52.01\00:12:53.50
He used to work with me
and he used to believe in God,
00:12:53.53\00:12:56.99
he was a good elder in the
church, now he's an atheist.
00:12:57.02\00:13:00.87
I thought wow, okay,
well, let's go visit him.
00:13:00.90\00:13:03.99
We went and visited the guy.
00:13:04.02\00:13:07.03
And I did something
I wouldn't normally do.
00:13:07.06\00:13:10.12
You know, in the first visit,
00:13:10.15\00:13:11.52
but I only was
going to see the guy once.
00:13:11.55\00:13:12.92
So I just said to him, you know,
00:13:12.95\00:13:14.88
he kept asking me
question after question.
00:13:14.91\00:13:17.84
And I'd answer
questions and he'd asked more
00:13:17.87\00:13:20.16
and I'd answer them
and he'd asked more.
00:13:20.19\00:13:22.51
And I could just see
there was no end to this.
00:13:22.54\00:13:24.98
If he answered a 100 questions,
00:13:25.01\00:13:26.49
came back he'd have
100 more the next day
00:13:26.52\00:13:28.31
because the questions
were keeping a distance.
00:13:28.34\00:13:32.07
And I said, you
know, in my experience
00:13:32.10\00:13:34.80
when people asks a
million questions like this
00:13:34.83\00:13:37.74
it usually means at
some point in their life,
00:13:37.77\00:13:41.03
they have transgressed
their own moral code
00:13:41.06\00:13:43.70
and have never made it right.
00:13:43.73\00:13:47.06
And while I'm
saying this to him,
00:13:47.09\00:13:48.46
his wife is sitting behind him
00:13:48.49\00:13:50.02
and she's going
like this, you know.
00:13:50.05\00:13:54.01
And he said, wow, and he says,
00:13:54.04\00:13:57.82
"I really have to
think about that."
00:13:57.85\00:14:00.41
You see, somewhere
in his life he had,
00:14:00.44\00:14:03.27
had a moral fall of some kind.
00:14:03.30\00:14:04.98
He hadn't made it
right. He hadn't confessed it.
00:14:05.01\00:14:07.54
He kept it secret.
00:14:07.57\00:14:09.00
And it was driving
him to deny any evidence
00:14:09.03\00:14:13.51
that would bring
that sin backup into play.
00:14:13.54\00:14:17.29
Now this blind man
who received the light
00:14:17.32\00:14:19.82
did not keep
that light to himself,
00:14:19.85\00:14:21.84
meaning that he expressed it,
00:14:21.87\00:14:25.50
he could not hold on to it
00:14:25.53\00:14:29.93
because, you know,
they bring even his parents
00:14:29.96\00:14:32.50
and they forced
him almost to lie
00:14:32.53\00:14:34.09
but he says, you
know, I've told you already
00:14:34.12\00:14:36.84
it was this man named Jesus,
00:14:36.87\00:14:39.80
this is what He did and
now I can see, it is me.
00:14:39.83\00:14:41.67
And so although they are
00:14:41.70\00:14:45.23
those as you said
those who reject the light
00:14:45.26\00:14:50.10
and then they
are those who will--
00:14:50.13\00:14:53.68
shed that light to others
that you can't just hold it on.
00:14:53.71\00:14:57.58
So this story is an
acted parable in two ways.
00:14:57.61\00:15:00.84
First of all,
it's an acted parable
00:15:00.87\00:15:02.55
of how Jesus is
the light of the world.
00:15:02.58\00:15:04.82
But second of all,
it's an acted parable
00:15:04.85\00:15:07.25
how everyone who follows
Jesus will face opposition.
00:15:07.28\00:15:10.61
And this man becomes a
representative character
00:15:10.64\00:15:14.11
for the true second
generation believers.
00:15:14.14\00:15:16.55
All right.
00:15:16.58\00:15:17.95
And we're going to
continue on this gospel
00:15:17.98\00:15:20.45
on the blind man in
chapter 9 of the Gospel of John.
00:15:20.48\00:15:24.76
So stay with us
after this break.
00:15:24.79\00:15:26.78