Episode John 9 and 10 | Week 1
There are so many stories we read in the Gospels where we wish we had more details. Jesus tells parables that we wish had more of an explanation. Jesus often uses complicated metaphors that we wish came with more questions and answers. Basically, we often wish we had more context to understand what Jesus is driving at. Well for the next two weeks, we are going to focus on one of the stories in the Gospels that comes with soooooo many details, context, questions, responses, parables, and metaphors. It’s a fascinating story, and it’s one that I think sets us up to think differently about our lives as we think about what it means to follow Jesus today. Let’s go on a journey together to unpack this multi-scene story in John 9 and 10, and see how this might influence our understanding of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
Chapter 1
I’m sure we all have our favorite Bible stories we know and love. But, there are some passages where it seems like it only gets more confusing the farther we go down the page. Well, context may just be the key to understanding it all. While looking at a familiar story in John 9, a blind man healed by Jesus, we’ll quickly see that there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than we realize.
Chapter 2
After living all of his life without sight, a blind man is miraculously healed by Jesus. Understandably, his neighbors didn’t know quite how to react. As we continue reading through John 9, all the smaller details of the story start to point to something much bigger. And, you might just be surprised to see the important role mud and spit play in the story.
Chapter 3
The Pharisees usually get a bad rap for their response to Jesus’s miracles and teachings. Yet, their actions in John 9 may not be as shocking as they seem. In today’s conversation, we pause our story to give some context and insight into the Pharisees’ response to a blind man being healed. We may just see a little bit of ourselves in their questioning, too.
Chapter 4
When the blind man’s parents heard their son’s sight was restored, there was some excitement, but also a lot of fear, too. Some of those who witnessed this miracle became more and more skeptical. Strangely enough, both sides are trying to “give glory to God”, but we’ll see that only one response is truly doing so.
Chapter 5
Have you ever been accused of lying, even when you were telling the truth? It happened to the blind man Jesus healed, and it sadly resulted in him being thrown out of the only community he ever knew. Yet, the story doesn’t end there. As John 9 comes to a close, we end the story on a very hopeful note, not just for the blind man, but for all of us. And, this story was only the beginning of Jesus showing people exactly what He came to do.