Thursday, January 05, 2012

John 9 18 to 34

18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.
19 And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see?
20 His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
21 But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
22 These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
23 Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.
24 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.
25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
26 Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?
27 He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?
28 Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples.
29 We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.
30 The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.
31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
33 If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

Key Observation:
Those who should have been leaders for accepting the Christ were opposed to Him.

Devotion:
The Jewish leaders acted despicably. They went to the parents with unbelief in their hearts: “whom ye say was born blind”. They tried to trap the parents into saying something actionable, but their wisdom (and perhaps God) kept them from replying. Instead they directed them towards their son.

The blind man, now seeing, is also on the edge of saving belief in the Messiah. At this point he does not yet recognize Jesus as anything except coming from God. His reasoning is that since He worked an impossible miracle, and the man who had been blind was convinced that He must be from God.

The Jewish leaders, blind and in far worse condition than the blind man had ever been, claimed to be followers of Moses. In a way, Jesus had answered this question already, for at the end of chapter eight He claims that Abraham saw his day and rejoiced. Now the Jews are aligning themselves with a patriarch almost as great as Abraham. But what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. It also says “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” It is faith that is the substance by which God justifies us. There is no work which we may do that justifies us in His sight; He does everything, and the only thing He has given to us it to trust Him, to believe Him. Would that the Jewish leaders had reacted with faith; instead they reacted with laws and codes that are dead without Christ to uphold them.

Faith is defined in the Bible thus: (Hebrews 11) “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” It is a simple act, one in which you decide that you will believe God, and it has been used of God to bring His saints to Himself for thousands of years. This new year maybe, just maybe, ought to be marked as one in which you begin trusting and believing God. A good place to find out about the Son of God is the book of John. Why not start today?

Faith Is the Victory

1. Encamped along the hills of light,
Ye Christian soldiers, rise,
And press the battle ere the night
Shall veil the glowing skies.
Against the foe in vales below,
Let all our strength be hurled;
Faith is the victory, we know,
That overcomes the world.

2. His banner over us in love,
Our sword the Word of God;
We tread the road the saints above
With shouts of triumph trod.
By faith they, like whirlwind's breath,
Swept on o'er ev'ry field;
The faith by which they conquered death
Is still our shining shield.

3. To him who overcomes the foe
White raiment shall be giv'n;
Before the angels he shall know
His name confessed in heav'n.
Then onward from the hills of light,
Our hearts with love aflame;
We'll vanquish all the hosts of night,
In Jesus' conq'ring name.

Chorus:
Faith is the victory!
Faith is the victory!
Oh, glorious victory
That overcomes the world.

Lyrics: John Henry Yates
Music: Ira David Sankey

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