GSCC small group material                            Jan 23, 2007

 

John 9:1-7, 28-41

 

1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

 

28Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from." 30The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." 34To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out. 35Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."  37Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."  38Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.  39Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."  40Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?" 41Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

 

  1. Why was the man blind from birth?  (Not he or his parents sinned, not God made him blind to show His mighty power. God overruled the disaster so the man can see the glory of God through Jesus)
  2. Share a difficulty in life, and ask group to pray for God’s glory to be evident in it.
  3. Do you have experience in confessing your faith in Christ in front of people?  Do you find it difficult? Read 1 Peter 3:15.
  4. Give a one-minute testimony about your salvation.
  5. Read verse 38.  The man believed in Christ is God and he worshiped Him. What is the relationship between your faith and your desire to worship Jesus?  Share an experience of a satisfying worship.
  6. Read 39-40, were there two kinds of blindness?   What is the relationship between blindness and sin?