Leader Bible Study
In the Old Testament, Isaiah prophesied about the coming Messiah. Isaiah 35:5-6 tells about a time when “the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy.” When God the Son came to earth, He came as a Healer—removing skin diseases, raising the dead to life, making the lame walk, and giving sight to the blind.
John 9 gives us a glimpse of the kingdom of God, where creation is redeemed, and opens our eyes to the greater purpose of suffering in our lives. The disciples asked Jesus a question that many still wrestle with today: Why is this person suffering? (In this case, why was this man born blind?) Was it because of sin?
Jesus’ answer gives hope to anyone facing suffering: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned. This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him” (John 9:3). Because Jesus is Lord over everything, all suffering in this life has meaning and purpose.
Miraculously, Jesus gave sight to the man who was blind. The man’s neighbors noticed the change, and he told them what Jesus had done for him. But the reaction of the religious leaders—skepticism and unbelief—reveals a different kind of blindness: spiritual blindness. Sin keeps us from seeing what is true about God. Jesus came as light into a dark world. He helps us see what is true so we can know God.
Those who trust in Jesus are freed from sin and worship Jesus as Lord. We can live fully in the light of Jesus as we seek to make Him known to others so that their eyes might be opened to the truth of the gospel as well.
The BIBLE Story
Jesus Healed a Man Who Was Blind
John 9
Jesus was walking with His disciples when He saw a man who had been born blind. The disciples asked, “Teacher, why was this man born blind? Did this happen because of his sin or his parents’ sin?”
Jesus answered, “Neither his sin nor his parents’ sin caused this. This man was born blind so that people could see God’s power through him.” Jesus would be on earth for a short time so He healed people to show what God is like. Jesus said, “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”
Then Jesus spit on the ground and made mud. He put the mud on the eyes of the man who was blind. “Go and wash in the pool of Siloam,” Jesus instructed. The man went and washed. When he came back, he could see.
The man’s neighbors were amazed. They took the man to the religious leaders, and they asked him how he was healed. “A man put mud on my eyes. I washed, and now I can see,” he said.
The religious leaders were upset because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath again. They did not want to believe that Jesus could give sight to people who were blind. Over and over again, the man who was healed told the religious leaders what happened. The man believed Jesus must have come from God. But the religious leaders threw the man out of the synagogue.
Jesus came to the man again and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
The man answered, “Tell me who He is so I can believe in Him.”
“You have already seen Him,” Jesus replied. “The Son of Man is talking to you now.”
The man said, “I believe, Lord!” and he worshiped Jesus.
Christ Connection: Our sin makes us unable to see the truth about God. Jesus came as a light in a dark world. He came to give us sight—true understanding of God and His kingdom. Those who trust in Jesus see who He is and worship Him.
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