These small group studies of John contain outlines, cross-references, Bible study discussion questions, and applications. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
John 9 Inductive Bible Study
Outline:
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Jesus heals the man born blind (John 9:1-7)
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The question: what is the cause of his blindness? (1-2)
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The answer: the glory of God (3-5)
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Jesus heals him (6-7)
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The crowd learns that he has been healed (9:8-12)
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They debate if it was really the beggar who had been blind (8-9)
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He talks to them about being healed (10-12)
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The Pharisees meet with the man and his parents (9:13-34)
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The man reports to the Pharisees what happened (13-15)
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The Pharisees are divided on Jesus (16)
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The man claims Jesus is a prophet (17)
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The Jews call in and talk to the man’s parents (18-23)
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The Pharisees claim Jesus is a sinner (24)
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The man sticks to the fact that he was cured of blindness (25)
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The Pharisees revile Jesus and his disciples (26-29)
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The man defends Jesus (30-33)
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The Pharisees excommunicate him (34)
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Jesus talks with the man born blind (9:35-41)
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The man believes in Jesus as Lord (35-38)
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Jesus tells one reason why He came into the world (39)
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The Pharisees believe they are righteous (40)
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Jesus says they are not (41)
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Questions:
What is the ultimate cause of all suffering/disease?
What is the immediate cause of suffering/disease?
Does suffering/disease come because of our sin?
Can you think of anyone in the Bible who suffered a disease because of their sin?
Why was this man born blind? Is this a “fair” reason?
How can this help us to answer questions when people ask “why do bad things happen in the world” or “why do good people suffer”? How would you answer these questions?
What is the “night that is coming” in verse 4?
Since Jesus is not in the world physically any longer does that mean His light is not either?
Why do you think Jesus used the clay and spittle to heal the man instead of simply saying “you are healed”?
What does the crowd’s reactions show about people’s willingness to believe in miracles?
Do you think it is a coincidence that many of Jesus’ recorded miracles occurred on the Sabbath day?
Why were the man’s parents afraid to take a stand?
Are you sometimes afraid to take a stand? Why?
What is ironic about verse 24? What does this reveal about the Pharisees’ hearts?
Talk about the man’s response. Why is this a great response? What can we learn from this about how to debate/respond to unbelievers and critics?
Have any of you doctors ever heard about a person born blind who was healed?
What is the problem with the Pharisees’ attitude that made it impossible for them to learn from others?
What kind of attitude should we have so that we can learn from others?
What does Jesus means in verse 39 that he came into the world for judgment? Didn’t we read earlier that he didn’t come into the world for judgment?
What does Jesus mean in verse 41?
Cross-references
1 Corinthians 11:27-30 (2) – Some are sick and dead because of sin in the area of communion.
Hebrews 12:5-11 (2) – God sometimes disciplines His children
2 Kings 5:25-27 (2)- Gehazi became a leper because of his sin.
2 Chronicles 21:13-15,18-19 (2) – Jehoram suffered a severe disease because of his sin.
John 11:4 (3) – Lazarus’ sickness/death was also for the glory of God.
Galatians 6:9-10 (4) – While we have chance must do good to all people.
John 14:11 (3) – Jesus said to believe in Him because of the works that He was doing.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 (4) – Do everything with all our might because in Sheol there is no knowledge or activity.
Ephesians 5:16 (4) – Making the most of the time because the days are evil.
Colossians 4:4 (4) – Making the most of the opportunity.
2 Kings 5:1-19 (6-7) – Elisha healed Naaman in a similar way.
Mark 7:33-35 (7) – He healed a deaf and mute person by touching his tongue with saliva.
John 3:2 (16) – Nicodemus was one who believed in Jesus because of His signs.
Isaiah 53:1 (18) – People would not believe Jesus’ message.
Revelation 21:8 (22) – The cowardly are listed with murderers and sorcerers as people who will be left out of the kingdom of heaven.
Luke 12:4-9 (22) – Don’t be scared of those who kill the body, but can do nothing to the soul. (There are many references in the New Testament where fear of the Jews kept the disciples or others from doing something they should have done, Peter is one example.)
Romans 1:16 (22) – Paul was not ashamed.
2 Corinthians 3:12 (22) – The boldness we have should encourage us to be bold.
Ephesians 6:19-20 (22) – Paul should speak out boldly and so should we.
Philippians 1:20 (22) – We should desire not to be put to shame in anything, but with all boldness to let Christ be exalted through our body, whether by life or death.
Psalms 66:18-20 (31) – If we have wickedness in our hearts God will not hear us.
1 Peter 5:5 (34) – God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
John 3:17, 5:22-27, 8:15 (39) – Jesus talking about Himself and judgment.
Proverbs 26:6-12 (40-41) – There is more hope for a fool than for one wise in his own eyes.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1-7 Jesus heals the man born blind
During that time the cause of suffering was often considered to be sin. If somebody had a sickness or a disease many assumed it was a direct result of their sin. This problem became troublesome though when a person was born with a handicap. It couldn’t very well be a result of their own sin and it wouldn’t be that fair if they had the handicap because of their parent’s sin. So some of Jesus’ disciples asked Jesus to help them solve this difficult dilemma.
First Jesus shows that their assumption is wrong. Neither this man nor his parents had done any specific sin leading to his handicap. It doesn’t mean they had never sinned, but that the handicap wasn’t a direct result of any specific sin. Wrong assumptions will lead to wrong conclusions so be careful about making assumptions. The Saduccees made a wrong assumption that in heaven their would still be marriage so their conclusion was if a person had married several people on earth it would e a mess in heaven. Make sure your assumptions have a Scriptural base.
Second, Jesus told them the specific reason for this particular disease. It wasn’t the direct consequence of somebody’s sin, but rather an opportunity for God to be glorified and His works to be shown. The man was born blind to give Jesus a chance to heal Him publicly for everyone to see and give us a lasting witness of His healing power. This should motivate more people to believe in Jesus, just as the man himself did later on in this chapter.
Now let’s talk more about the cause of suffering in the world. It is a question that I often get. People ask me “why do bad things happen in the world” or “why do good people suffer”. Do people ever ask you this kind of question? How do you answer them?
What is the ultimate cause of all suffering/disease?
What is the immediate cause of suffering/disease?
Does suffering/disease come because of our sin?
Can you think of anyone in the Bible who suffered a disease because of their sin?
Why was this man born blind? Is this a “fair” reason?
1 Corinthians 11:27-30 (2) – Some are sick and dead because of sin in the area of communion.
Hebrews 12:5-11 (2) – God sometimes disciplines His children
2 Kings 5:25-27 (2)- Gehazi became a leper because of his sin.
2 Chronicles 21:13-15,18-19 (2) – Jehoram suffered a severe disease because of his sin
Sometimes we know the immediate reason for someone’s disease or suffering. If somebody has AIDS it is almost surely because they sinned. If somebody is thrown into prison it is probably for stealing or murder, etc. If a child disobeys his parents and runs into the road he may be hit by a car. But more often, we don’t know why certain people have cancer, why they are handicapped or crippled. We don’t know why they lose their job or have their house burned down, etc. Jesus is Almighty and knew, but we don’t. So unless it is clear we shouldn’t try to tell people the reason they are suffering. We can provide some possibilities, such as to learn to have faith or patience, etc, but shouldn’t state absolutely what it is because our assumptions could be wrong just as the disciple’s were.
The ultimate cause of all suffering is sin, but this doesn’t mean that the direct cause of our suffering is our own sin. It might be as in the above four verses, but it might not be. If we are suffering we should consider if we are being disciplined and repent if some of our sin is the cause.
So having discussed this how would you answer the question “why do bad things happen”, “why does suffering exist”, “why do bad things happen to good people” or “why would a loving God allow me to get cancer”? Keep in mind the answer may be different for a believer and an unbeliever.
Ultimate cause – sin
Immediate cause – disciple for sin (believer), trial for character refinement (believer), glory for God, punishment for sin (unbeliever), etc.
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What is the “night that is coming” in verse 4?
Since Jesus is not in the world physically any longer does that mean His light is not either?
Why do you think Jesus used the clay and spittle to heal the man instead of simply saying “you are healed”?
Galatians 6:9-10 (4) – While we have chance must do good to all people.
John 14:11 (3) – Jesus said to believe in Him because of the works that He was doing.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 (4) – Do everything with all our might because in Sheol there is no knowledge or activity.
Ephesians 5:16 (4) – Making the most of the time because the days are evil.
Colossians 4:4 (4) – Making the most of the opportunity.
The night probably represents death or loss of opportunity. Obviously when Jesus died the disciples could still keep working. But for Jesus His death/ascension brought about the end of His physical work here on earth. In other words each of us have a limited amount of time in our lives to serve Christ. There will come a point in time where we can do nothing else for Him in this world. Because we only have a limited amount of time and the things we do matter for eternity it is all the more important to use our time wisely and not waste any opportunity. Read and discuss the above verses.
I really encourage all of you to evaluate the way you use your time. Are you doing the works of God? Is what you are doing really going to make a difference for God? When you are dead I can guarantee you won’t wish you did less work for God. It is almost sure you will wish y