DBG - November 9 - John 8-9

In this chapter Christ engages with the Pharisees after the Feast of Tabernacles.

vs. 1-11 – This takes place immediately after the Feast of Tabernacles in John 7.  His enemies set a trap for Christ as they confront Him publicly in the Temple.  They produce a woman whom they claim was caught in the act of adultery.  According to Deuteronomy 22:22, both the man and woman caught in adultery were to be executed.  There are three outcomes to this trap that they have foreseen.  First, that if Christ condemned the woman to death, He could run afoul of the Roman authorities.  Second, that if He did not condemn the woman, He was disobeying the Mosaic Law.  Third, if He failed to take a stand, He would appear weak and indecisive.  Now, there are several problems with the case they are making.  The most glaring is the absence of the man with whom the woman was committing adultery.  This is not as foolproof as they believe.  Christ responds to them by ignoring them and writing in the sand.  What He wrote is not recorded.  My favorite theory is that it relates to Jeremiah 17:1 and 13, but we cannot be certain.  When He finally speaks, it is to state that the one of them among them who had no sin was to cast the first stone.  One by one the men drop their rocks and walk away, until only Christ and the woman remain among the onlooking crowd.  The fact that they left in order from eldest to youngest is no coincidence, proving supernatural conviction on the men.  No accuser remains, and there cannot be a condemnation without two witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15).  Christ does not condemn the woman, though He knew her guilt through His omniscience.  This story is not a pass for us to sin, but rather to illustrate God’s great forgiveness. 

vs. 12-18 – The interactions between Christ and the Pharisees that being here take the form of ten exchanges.  The first is sparked by Christ’s statement that He was the light of the world.  This may allude to one of the traditions at the Feast of Tabernacles, where two large candelabras were placed in the Temple courtyard.  It also relates prophetically to Isaiah 49:1-6.  The Pharisees say that Christ is testifying of Himself with no corroborating witnesses or evidence.  Christ responds that His witness is the same as the Father’s.

vs. 19-20 – In the second exchange, the Pharisees demand to see the Father.  Christ responds that they would not recognize the Father if they did not recognize Him.

vs. 21-24 – In the third exchange, Christ speaks of His death and resurrection, and of the fate of the Pharisees who refused to believe in Him.  They are confused by His words.  They understand that He speaks of dying but cannot comprehend the rest.  Christ responds that they needed to believe on Him to find salvation.

vs. 25-32 – In the fourth exchange, the Pharisees demand to know exactly Who Christ is.  He responds that He has been very clear for the entirety of His public ministry.  He is the Messiah sent by the Father.  He has come into this world to save sinners.  Many believe on Him, and to these Christ exhorts them to follow Him in the truth.

vs. 33-38 – In the fifth exchange, the Pharisees are puzzled as to why Christ said they need to be free when they are descendants of Abraham.  Christ is speaking not of physical lineage, but of spiritual.  The Pharisees may be related to Abraham by DNA, but they did have his faith in God.  They were servants of sin.  Servants have no rights or stability in their standing.  Christ as the Son had the right to free them from sin and adopt them into the family of God. 

vs. 39-41 – In the sixth exchange, the Pharisee assert their claim of being the true heirs of Abraham.  Consider the Jews’ disdain for the mixed-race Samaritans to understand how why they would react so.  Christ replies that if that were the case they would embrace Him as the Messiah and not plot to kill Him. 

vs. 41-47 – The seventh exchange begins in the middle of verse 41.  The Pharisees heighten their appeal to legitimacy by claiming God as their Father.  Christ responds that if they truly were the children of the Father, then they would love the Son.  Their actions reveal that Satan is truly their father. 

vs. 48-51 – In the eighth exchange, the Pharisees resort to an ad hominem attack by accusing Christ of being evil and a liar.  Christ responds that their attack on Him was an attack on the Father, and that only through Him could they find eternal life.

vs. 52-56 – In the ninth exchange, the Jews confuse physical and spiritual life.  They think Christ is exalting Himself above their forefathers.  Of course, He is above them, but the Pharisees refuse to accept this.  Christ states that their disbelief does not disprove the fact that He knows the Father.  Christ says that Abraham looked forward to Christ’s ministry. 

vs. 57-59 – In the tenth exchange, the Jews marvel how Christ could say that He knew Abraham when almost two millennia separate the two.  Christ response in verse 58 is important.  “Before” implies not only Christ’s eternal nature, but also that He was of greater importance than Abraham.  “I am” echoes the words God spoke to Moses in Exodus 3:14.  The people rightly understand this clear claim to deity but refuse to accept it.  They are ready to stone Him but He departs unscathed. 

In this chapter Christ heals a blind man.

vs. 1-7 – This appears to be a continuation of events from the Feast of Tabernacles in the preceding chapters.  The disciples assume that a man’s blindness is some sort of punishment for his sin or that of his parents.  Christ denies that it is because off evil, but because God’s glory would shine through it.  Christ spits on the ground to make mud and then applies this to the man’s eyes.  I cannot prove it, but I would like to think that He was creating new eyes for the man since man was originally made of the dust of the earth.  He sends the man to wash the mud off in the Pool of Siloam (“sent”).  The man does and his sight is restored.

vs. 8-34 – The newly healed blind man faces persecution.  The excitement over his healing gets the attention of the Pharisees who bring him in for interrogation.  The supposed crime was that the miracle took place on the Sabbath.  They man can only argue that fact that he once was blind but now could see.  His parents are brought in to verify that he had been blind, but they only confirmed that fact without speaking further because they feared repercussions.  They especially were afraid of being excommunicated from the Synagogue, which would make them a social outcast.  The Pharisees only grow more determined to turn this against Christ as every attempt to discredit the miracle fails.  In the end, the healed man can only appeal to the evidence before them: he was blind but now he could see.  How else could this be possible if Christ was not sent from God?  He is thrown out from the court and possibly excommunicated from the Synagogue.

vs. 35-41 – Christ sought out the blind man earlier to heal him, and now He seeks for him to encourage him.  The Pharisees had cast him out, but Christ was ready to take Him in.  When Christ reveals Himself to the man, he responds by confessing his faith in Him.  Christ then comments on the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees.

The Pharisees refused to honor Christ even though it was proven beyond a doubt that He had healed that blind man.  I see it often where very well-meaning people try to witness to nonbelievers by appealing to logic and evidence.  The problem with such an approach is that no matter the argument being made, it is faith that must accept and respond to the Gospel.  It is far more than just convincing someone of the truth.  They must act on it in faith.  Many will believe that Christ lived and even that He rose again, but if there is not faith placed in Him for our salvation then we are still without hope.

“Lord, I Was Blind” by William T. Matson (1868)

Lord, I was blind: I could not see
In Thy marred visage any grace;
But now the beauty of Thy face
In radiant vision dawns on me.

Lord, I was deaf: I could not hear
The thrilling music of Thy voice;
But now I hear Thee and rejoice,
And all Thine uttered words are dear.

Lord, I was dumb: I could not speak
The grace and glory of Thy name;
But now, as touched with living flame,
My lips Thine eager praises wake.

Lord, I was dead: I could not stir
My lifeless soul to come to Thee;
But now, since Thou hast quickened me,
I rise from sin’s dark sepulcher.

Lord, Thou hast made the blind to see,
The deaf to hear, the dumb to speak,
The dead to live; and lo, I break
The chains of my captivity.