Ask Mr Bible

Jesus healed a man who had been born blind (John 9:1-7)

SURVEY

Jesus began this miracle by spitting on the ground, making mud with the saliva, putting it on the man’s eyes, and saying: “Go wash in the pool of Siloam.”  The blind man obeyed and was immediately able to see!

SIGNIFICANCE

● This is the only miracle where Jesus commanded the person to be healed to do something.

● This is the final of seven miracles where the parents of the recipient are involved. 

SPIRITUAL TRUTHS

● Notice the insensitivity and callousness shown by the disciples here:

 “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1-2).

 As it can be seen, there was no desire on their part to help this pitiful man.  Rather, his condition served simply as a focal point for an academic, theological discussion!

● At first reading, this seems to be a very silly question, for how could this poor, sightless man be suffering for his sin if he was born blind?  However, some rabbis felt a baby could sin in its mother’s womb, or that its soul might have sinned in a preexistent state.  They also held that terrible punishment from God came upon certain people because of the sin of their parents.

 This grievous error, of course, is totally refuted by both Moses and Ezekiel. 

 “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin” (Deut. 24:16).

 “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezek. 18:20).

● Jesus answered their question as follows:

“Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:3).

Here Jesus corrects that terrible teaching that says that all suffering is a direct result of personal sin.  The disciples at this point had made the same false assumption that Job’s three “friends” had once made (see Job 4:7-8; 8:20; 20:4-5), and that many modern “faith healers” today still make.  However, God Himself had severely rebuked the companions of Job for their wicked judgment:

“And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath” (Job 42:7).

During His earthly ministry Jesus performed some 35 recorded miracles.  At least eight reasons may be given as to why:

A. To fulfill Old Testament prophecy

“When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matt. 8:16-17).

“But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (John 12:37-38).

B. To validate His message

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” (John 3:1-2).

“And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased” (John 6:2).

C. To reveal His glory

“This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana, of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory …” (John 2:11a).

D. To increase the faith of His disciples

 “and his disciples believed on him” (John 2:11b).

“When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do” (John 6:5-6).

E. To declare His Messianic claims

“Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world” (John 6:14).

F. To prove His deity

“And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God” (Matt. 14:32-33).

G. To demonstrate His compassion

1. Upon the hungry multitudes (Matt. 9:36; 14:14; 15:32)
2. Upon the blind (Matt. 20:34)
3. Upon the lepers (Mark 1:40-41)
4. Upon the demon-possessed (Mark 5:18-19)
5. Upon the grief stricken (Luke 7:12-13)

H. To show His authority to forgive sin

“And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house” (Luke 5:20-24).

Two sets of brothers learned this, as recorded in Luke 5:1-11:

Four fishermen (Andrew, Peter, James, and John) had toiled all night without catching one single fish.  However, at Jesus’ command, Peter rowed out into the deep waters of the Galilean Sea and let down his nets.  Immediately they caught so many fish that their nets began to break due to the huge catch, which fish soon filled their boats.

SIGNIFICANCE

● This is the first of 4 miracles done upon the Sea of Galilee. 

●   It is the first of two miracles resulting in a supernatural catch of fish.  Note the contrasts and comparisons however:

1. The comparisons
a. On both occasions they had unsuccessfully fished all night (Luke 5:5; John 21:3).
b. On both occasions they obeyed Jesus’ command and were successful (Luke 5:5, 6; John 21:6).
c. On both occasions Simon Peter was the key figure (Luke 5:3-8; John 21:7-11).
 
2. The contrasts
a. On the first occasion the fishing net broke.  On the second it did not (Luke 5:6; John 21:11).
b. On the first occasion Jesus instructed Peter to “catch fish,” while on the second He would command him to “feed sheep” (Luke 5:10; John 21:15-17).

SPIRITUAL TRUTHS

● Peter would later fulfill Jesus’ two-fold command to catch fish and feed sheep.  Thus:

1. He caught fish!
“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41).

2. He fed sheep!
“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Peter 2:2-3).

“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind” (1 Peter 5:1-2).

● It should be noted most of Jesus’ apostles were busy at work when He called them, as were the God-called Old Testament men.  Note:

1. Moses and David were tending sheep (Exod. 3:1-2; 1 Sam. 16:11).
2. Gideon was threshing wheat (Judges 6:11-12).
3. Elisha was plowing a field (1 Kings 19:19-21).
4. Amos was herding cattle and picking fruit (Amos 1:1; 7:14-15).
5. Matthew was collecting taxes (Matt. 9:9).
6. Andrew, Peter, James, and John were fishing (Luke 5:1-11).
7. Saul of Tarsus was arresting Christians in his misguided zeal as a Pharisee (Acts 9:1-6).

The intended lesson here seems obvious—God’s call upon a person is rarely (if ever) dependent upon his (or her) brain capacity, brawn, blue blooded history, or banking achievements, but rather just how busy that individual is at the time!

Abraham’s faithful servant had once given an eloquent testimony to this:

“And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren” (Gen. 24:27).

● Finally, it should be noted that these experienced fishermen did exactly what Jesus told them to do, even though it must have seemed unreasonable at the time.  King Solomon once wrote:

 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Prov. 3:5-6).

The only miracle performed by Jesus which was recorded by all four gospel accounts involved the feeding of the 5000, as recorded in Matt. 14:13-21; Luke 9:10-17; Mark 6:33-44; John 6:5-13.

● At least five reasons have been suggested concerning why this miracle was performed.

1. To demonstrate Christ’s compassion upon people—He was concerned not only with their souls, but also with their bodies.

2. To test His disciples—This undoubtedly strengthened their faith.  They would remember it all their lives.

3. To prove His messianic claims—The Jews had a tradition that when the Messiah came, He would feed them with bread as Moses had once done.  Note the following dialogue which took place on the next day between the crowd and Jesus: 

 “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven . . . And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:31-32, 35).

4. To show the value of small things when given over to Christ—Especially is this seen by the giving of the loaves, not only in matters of quantity (five loaves), but also in quality (they were barley loaves).  Wheat loaves were the normal diet back then.  Barley loaves were eaten only by the very poor.

5. To illustrate God’s faithfulness—In fact, this miracle was simply an unforgettable illustration of a profound principle Jesus had previously taught during his Sermon on the Mount. 

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:31-32).

The paralytic healed by Jesus could readily testify to this (see Mark 2:3-12; Luke 5:18-26).

 SURVEY

Four friends of a paralytic, unable to approach Jesus because of a huge crowd, made an opening in the roof and lowered their comp anion at Jesus’ feet.  The Savior immediately both forgave the man of his sins and healed him of his affliction.

SIGNIFICANCE

● This miracle describes the most unique and innovative way of bringing a person to Jesus.

● It is the first miracle where Jesus forgives the sin of the person, thus announcing His deity, for God alone can forgive sin.

SPIRITUAL TRUTHS

● Both Paul and Jude may well have had the four friends of the paralytic when they penned the following words:

“For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:19-22).

“And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 22-23).

● An unknown author has written the following:

They will not seek, they must be sought,
They will not come, they must be brought,
They will not learn, they must be taught.

● J. Vernon McGee writes:

There are many people who are not going to receive the message of salvation unless you lift a corner of their stretcher and carry them to the place where they can hear the word of the Lord.  They are paralyzed—immobilized by sin and by many other things the world holds for them.  Some are paralyzed by prejudice and others by indifference.  They are never going to hear Jesus say to them, ‘Son, thy sins be forgiven thee,’ unless you take the corner of their stretcher and bring them to Him  (Luke, p. 74).

Many felt the tender touch of the Savior’s hands while He trod this earth.  One was a man with dropsy (Luke 14:1-6).

SURVEY

During a Sabbath luncheon in the house of a prominent Pharisee, Jesus encounters a man suffering with dropsy.  Turning to the legalistic Pharisees who were present, He asks:

 “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

Receiving no answer, He touched the man and healed him.

SIGNIFICANCE

● This is the only recorded miracle done during a meal in the home of a Pharisee.

SPIRITUAL TRUTHS

● Thus supper was probably a set-up arranged by the Pharisees to trap Jesus, hoping He would do something unlawful.

1. It was on the Sabbath.
2. A very sick man was there who suffered from dropsy.  Dropsy was an abnormal accumulation of watery fluid in the body, which caused hideous swelling in the abdomen, legs, and feet.  It was symptomatic of cardiac disease.  In light of this, it is highly unlikely that this poor, suffering creature would be invited to the home of a Pharisee, especially on the Sabbath.  To the contrary, he would have been utterly refused entrance.

● According to the sacred account Jesus touched this man.  This was in stark contrast to the legalistic Pharisees who not only would have refused to touch the leper, the blind, the deaf, the maimed, etc., but would actually hurry home in horror to take a ceremonial bath if their shadow should come into contact with the shadow of those unclean outcasts!

 But not the Savior!  He was a “Hands on Healer,” as demonstrated by those He personally touched.

1. A leper (Matt. 8:3)
2. Peter’s mother-in-law (Matt. 8:15)
3. A deaf mute (Mark 7:33)
4. Two blind men (Matt. 20:34)
5. A man born blind (John 9:6)
6. Malchus’ ear (Luke 22:51)
7. Little children (Mark 10:13)
8. His frightened disciples (Matt. 17:7)

Jesus’ final miracle is recorded in John 21, the supernatural catch of fish.  Our Lord then cooked breakfast for His disciples on the banks of the Sea of Galilee.

●        Following both the miracle and the meal, Jesus asks Peter a question:

 “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs” (John 21:15).

Jesus’ question, “Lovest thou me more than these?” may have referred to at least one of three things.  He could have meant:

1.       “Do you love me more than you love these men?”

2.       “Do you love me more than fishing?”

3.       “Do you love me more than these men love me?”  It would seem that Jesus had the third meaning in mind, based on Matt. 26:33. ”Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee,yet will I never be offended” (Matt. 26:33).

●        Three times he is asked if he really loves the Savior.  Three times he answers in the affirmative.  Peter had once denied Christ three times in the presence of the Savior’s enemies.  Jesus was now giving him the opportunity to affirm his love three times.  God is the God of the second chance.

1.            As seen in the life of Jonah—“And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee” (Jonah 3:1-2).

2.            As seen in the life of John Mark—This young man had once failed God by abandoning Paul and Barnabas during their first missionary journey (see Acts 13:13; 15:36-39).  But Mark, like Jonah and Peter, served the God of the second chance.  Years later, just prior to his martyrdom in Rome, the Apostle Paul testified of this: “Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11). 

SURVEY

En route to Jerusalem, Jesus encounters ten lepers who call out to Him for mercy and healing.  Instantly all ten were cleansed and leave to show themselves to the temple priests as instructed by the Levitical law for ceremonial cleansing.  Soon however, one of the ten, a Samaritan returned, fell at the feet of the Savior and began worshipping and thanking Him.

● Jesus, regarding the thankless nine: “Were not all ten cleansed?  Where are the other nine?”

● Jesus, regarding the thankful one: “Rise and go; your faith has made you whole.”

SIGNIFICANCE

● This miracle regards the greatest number of specific (ten) healings than any other as performed by Jesus.

● It is the only miracle involving a Samaritan.

SPIRITUAL TRUTHS

● This is the second of three miracles demonstrating the tragic fact that the one (or ones) experiencing physical salvation did not apparently experience spiritual salvation.  These three cases are:

1. The cripple by the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-16)—“Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath … Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:8-9, 14).

2. The nine lepers here in Luke 17.

3. The servant of the high priest whose name was Malchus (John 18:10)—There is no evidence that he accepted Christ after having his severed ear restored.

● The great sin of the nine lepers was that of thanklessness.  In some ways this is the ultimate sin, and goes along with pride and self-will, the root of all other sins.  Paul says that this transgression in the ancient world caused all mankind to turn from God.
 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things” (Rom. 1:21-23).

● In essence, the cure for and solution to pride does not involve pious attempts to practice humility, but rather simply to be thankful.  A thankful person is, by definition, a humble person!  As someone has observed:

Be careful for nothing,
Be prayerful in everything,
Be thankful for anything!

For the answers, see Luke 18:35-43.

Two blind beggars, one named Bartimaeus, sitting outside of Jericho learn that Jesus was approaching.  Both immediately cry out for mercy.

The Savior: “What do you want me to do for you?”

The sightless: “We want to see.”
Filled with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, causing them to instantly reclaim their sight.

SIGNIFICANCE

● Of the sixteen healing events, involving some 26 people, only one is named, Bartimaeus.

● This is also the only New Testament miracle associated with the city of Jericho.

1. The most famous Old Testament miracle concerning Jericho occurred in Josh. 6:20 (the shouting down of Jericho’s walls).

2. The final Old Testament miracle concerning Jericho is recorded in 2 Kings 2:18-22 (the purifying of some poisoned water).

SPIRITUAL TRUTHS

● This marks Jesus’ final visit to Jericho.  He will now leave for Jerusalem.  (See Matt. 20:29.)  Before this, he had told the story of a man who left Jerusalem for Jericho (the parable of the Good Samaritan—Luke 10:25-37).  But now the original Good Samaritan would reverse the trip, leaving Jericho for Jerusalem, where he would soon “fall among thieves.”

● Note the spiritual insight of the blind beggar:

1. He asked the right person—“Jesus, thou Son of David.”
2. He asked in the right way—“Have mercy on me.” 

It has been said that God will hush every harp in heaven to hear this kind of prayer!

3. He asked at the right time—“And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.  And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by” (Luke 18:36-37).
4. He asked for the right thing—“that I might regain my sight.”

● One of the most famous New Testament miracles also had to do with a sleeping Hebrew prophet in a boat during a storm.  The Old Testament prophet was Jonah.  The New Testament prophet was Jesus.  The second would later use the experience of the first as a sign to an unbelieving generation:  “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:40).

● The Greek word here refers to a violent storm, a furious squall of hurricane proportion.  The Sea of Galilee, situated in a basin surrounded by mountains, is particularly susceptible to sudden, violent storms.  Cool air from the Mediterranean is drawn down through the narrow mountain passes connecting the two bodies of water, and clashes with the hot, humid air lying over the lake.  Thus, in a matter of seconds, the quiet Galilean waters can be turned into a howling, life-threatening watery nightmare for all those sailing upon it.

● Note the words as recorded by Mark’s account:

 “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39).

The language of this verse strongly suggests that the vicious storm may have been caused by satanic activity, perhaps in an attempt to drown Jesus.

1. The Greek word for rebuke is epitimao, a word Jesus used in denouncing both Satan and his demons.
a. The rebuking of demons (Luke 9:42; Matt. 17:18)
b. The rebuking of Satan (Mark 8:33; Jude 9)

2. The Greek word for peace, phimoo, used only here and in Mark 1:25 (where Jesus denounced a demon), means literally, “be muzzled, be gagged.”  This action often referred to the muzzling of a wild dog.

● There are many lessons to be learned today from this miracle.  Three questions should be asked when the storms of life beset the Christian.

1. Is this storm one of punishment or purification?  That is, am I being chastened for my sin (as was true in the case of Jonah), or is this simply a trial allowed by God to purify me (as was true here with the disciples)?

2. Have I made room for him on board?  Am I aware of his presence?

3. What does He want me to do in the time of the storm?  In a nutshell, three things:

a. He wants me to thank Him for the storm.  “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:18).

 b. He wants me to fellowship with Him in the storm.  “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).

c. He wants me to trust Him through the storm.  “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”  (Prov. 3:5-6).