Basic Questions

1. Identify as completely as possible the person in need (e.g., age, ethnic origin, religion, gender, social status).
   Man born blind.

2. What was the immediate, obvious need?
   Man born blind.

3. Who took the initiative in effecting the healing?
   The person in need? Others? Jesus?
   How was it expressed?
   Jesus spit and made mud, then put the mud on the man's eyes. (v6)
   The man went and washed in the Pool of Siloam as instructed by Jesus. (v7)

4. Describe the actions or process leading to the healing; that is, what was said (e.g., questions, requests, commands) and what was done (e.g., approaching, following, touching, publicly/privately), and by whom?
   Jesus came upon a man born blind.
   Disciples ask "Who sinned?", Jesus answers "Neither". (v2-3)
   Jesus spit and made mud, then put the mud on the man's eyes. (v6)
   The man went and washed in the Pool of Siloam as instructed by Jesus. (v7)

5. Did the person in need or someone else verbally express faith? Non-verbally? Describe how and by whom faith was in involved in this healing.
   The man went and washed in the Pool of Siloam as instructed by Jesus.
   It took faith to obey Jesus.

6. What were the evidences that the person was healed?
   After washing in the pool, the man came home seeing. (v7)

7. What were the reactions to the healing?
   The Pharisees chose not to believe. They claimed Jesus was not of God since He healed on the Sabbath. (v16)
   Others wondered how a sinner could heal. (v16)
   Reactions were divided. (v16)
   The healed man wanted to believe. (v36)

8. What in this narrative led Jesus to minister healing to the person in need?
   Compassion and the chance to display the work of God. (v3)

Digging Deeper

1. What is the cause of, or the reason for the man's blindness: as implied in the disciples' question (see also Exodus 20:5; 34:7)?
   Sin (v2). The verses in Exodus show the belief that it could be a sin from a previous generation.

   as expressed by Jesus?
   Jesus makes it clear that sin is not the reason. Jesus simply sees a chance to display the work of God (v3).

   as inferred from the Jews' remarks (v 34)?
   The Jews seem to believe the verses in Exodus.

2. What do you understand to be the relationship between sin and illness (or specifically blindness)?
   Sin is not the reason for illness.

   What did Jesus mean by, "neither this man nor his parents sinned"? Were they in fact sinless? Aren't we all sinners?
   Jesus was setting the belief that sin causes illness straight.
   No one is without sin. ( John 8:1-11 Woman caught in adultery)

   Why do "some of the Pharisees" accuse Jesus of being a sinner? "But others" describe the healing as being what?
   The Pharisees chose not to believe that Jesus was the Messiah - or that He was from God.
   Others were not as sure, how could a sinner heal? (v16)

   In the end, is the verdict unanimous? Does God "not listen" to sinners? If not, where does that put us?
   The Pharisees and others were divided (v16). God does listen to sinners - no one is without sin.

3. Read Light Up Your Life. Jesus twice says, "I am the light of the world". Why intoduce the healing with such a statement? What expressions does John use for the restoration of sight?
   Jesus was the only way that the man born blind could possibly be healed and see.
   Jesus is also the only way we can "see" spiritually.
   Without Jesus or light we would be surrounded by darkness.

   Other expressions for restoration of sight are: "eyes opened" (v10), "received sight" (v15).

4. Is the healing accomplished solely by Jesus? (Note: it was about 1/2 mile from the temple grounds (John 8:59) to the Pool of Siloam (on the southern tip of Jerusalem)- not a simple journey for a blind man with mud on his eyes.) From the blind man's own witness, "now I see" (v 15), who was involved in the healing? Is this always the case?
   The man born blind had a part in his own healing - he obeyed Jesus even though it was not easy.
   We've seen other accounts where the person needing healing didn't need to do anything.

5. Were faith and love demonstrated in the restoration of the man's sight, if so how?
   Faith was demonstrated by the man born blind - he obeyed Jesus and wanted to believe.

6. In comparison with Jesus' first meeting with the blind man which was more or less accidental ("As he went along, he saw ..."), his second encounter was intentional ("... when he found him ..."). Are there any indication(s) as to why Jesus sought out the formerly blind man?
   (v35-38)Jesus sought the man out to make sure he knew who Jesus was. In (v 38) the man says "I believe" - he believed Jesus was the Messiah.
   It's probably no coincidence that the second encounter took place after the man took a stand and was thrown out of the synagogue. (v33-34)

7. Do you see a gradual progression in the man's perception of who Jesus is? What did the man say? What gives you the clue that more than physical healing of blindness is involved in this account?
   After the man was healed he really didn't know who Jesus was, he thought maybe He was a prophet (v17).
   All he knew for sure was that he was blind and now could see (v25).
   After several questionings the man does take a stand saying "If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." (v33)
   After the man's second encounter with Jesus (v35-38) he does seem to know more who Jesus is. (v38) "I believe" shows a spiritual awareness or "healing".

8. What lesson(s) have you learned about healing from this account? Read     I am the Good Shepherd
   Sin is not always the sole reason for illness.

   No one is without sin. ( John 8:1-11 Woman caught in adultery)

   Jesus is also the only way we can "see" spiritually.

   Without Jesus or light we would be surrounded by darkness.