2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES
Wednesday in the Word
Second Baptist Church
September 17, 2025
John 8:51-59 through Chapter 9:1-41
We return to the dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisees regarding his identity. Jesus boldly declared in the previous verses that he was the Light of the World. The Pharisees challenged Jesus by saying he could not be a witness for himself. Jesus responded that he could and he also had another that witnesses for him, the Father. The Pharisees questioned him about his father implying that he was illegitimate. Jesus responds back by saying that they are illegitimate children because they have a different daddy, the devil. The Pharisees claim to be children of Abraham, but Jesus tells them that “true sons of Abraham” would not be seeking to kill the Son of God. Jesus tells the Pharisees that they are not able to understand his message because he speaks the language of the Father, and they speak the native tongue of Satan. When the Jews hear this, they point the finger back at Jesus and tell him that he is demon-possessed not them.
Verses 49-51. Jesus responds to the accusation of being demon possessed and he gives the Pharisees something else to think about. Jesus tells the Pharisees that demon possessed people don’t glorify God like he does. He doesn’t seek earthly glory but the glory of the father. Jesus basically tells them that they cannot point to an incident where he promoted himself; if Jesus wanted to promote himself he would act like the Pharisees and lord his authority over people. Jesus always acted humbly and gentle unlike the Pharisees. Jesus also tells the Pharisees that they prove to be the ones who are demon possessed because they dishonor the one who honors the Father. To dishonor Jesus when he honors the father is to dishonor the Father. Jesus moves from responding to the accusation to highlighting his divinity. He tells the crowd that if they believe his words they will never die.
Verses 52-56. When the Jews heard this they grew angrier. They responded by saying that now they knew Jesus was demon possessed. How could his word give someone eternal life? If his words could do that, that would mean he was greater than their forefathers and the prophets of the past. The Pharisees could not believe it. They wanted to know who Jesus thought he was. He was claiming things only God could do. He wasn’t claming to be one with God was he? He wasn’t claiming to be the Anointed One was he? Jesus answered the question of his identity by stating that he didn’t need to toot his own horn, the Father would do that for him. He didn’t have to say a word; he could let the Father answer that question. Jesus continues by letting the Pharisees know that their forefather (Abraham), who they kept mentioning, rejoiced in his day at the thought of the day the Messiah would arrive.
Verses 57-59. The Pharisees heard Jesus and said Jesus could not have known Abraham because Abraham lived hundreds of years before. Jesus responded by saying that before Abraham was, He was. Jesus actually used the same words for God. Yahweh or Jehovah which means I AM. Jesus used the term that was forbidden to use in that culture. The Jews picked up stones to kill him at that very moment, but it was not his time.
Chapter 9. In this chapter Jesus will explain why the Pharisees cannot understand who he is. They are spiritually blind, but they actually think they are able to see. Jesus will use a man who had been born blind to show the Jews that they were actually born spiritually blind and in need of Jesus to give them sight. The Pharisees believes that because they were born descendants of Abraham that they were born right with God. Jesus has to remind them that Salvation is about belief not biology. To the ones suffering in the darkness Jesus is the light, but to the ones who think that they are in the light, Jesus is a light that blinds.
Verses 1-11. Jesus approaches a man who was born blind with the intent on giving him sight. The disciples wonder if the man’s condition is because of his sin or his parent’s sin. The belief was that one would only be in such a condition because of some sin. Jesus lets his disciples know that they are wrong with their assumptions about this man’s condition. He is blind for a very special purpose. His condition is so that he might become a teaching tool for Jesus. This man had been living with the condition for no other reason but to bring glory to God one day. Jesus heals the man in a most unusual way. Jesus spits in the ground makes some mud pies and places the mud on the man’s eyes. He then instructs the man to go wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam which was in the vicinity of the religious leaders. Jesus knew the man would have to pass the Pharisees and this would cause them to question the man about his actions and his new ability to see.
Verses 12-17. The man who was born blind garnered much attention once people recognized him as the man who was born blind. The people brought the man to the Pharisees who questioned him about this healing. The Pharisees were more concerned about the Sabbath rules than the man’s healing. The Pharisees knew it was Jesus who healed the man. They knew it was Jesus, but they did not want to believe anything good about Jesus because their unwillingness to believe in him had caused them to be blinded by their unbelief. Some of the people began to “see” and declared that no sinner could do such things as Jesus. They saw the miracles and could not dismiss Jesus as some demon possessed man. Others were not so convinced because they were blind to who he was.
Verses 18-23. The Pharisees were not willing to concede that this man was actually born blind so they called for his parents and asked them how he was healed and if he were truly born blind. When the parents arrived they were fearful because they did not want to be associated with Jesus because word on the street was if you were with Jesus you were not welcomed in the synagogue. When confronted, the parents only agreed to the fact that the man was their son and he was born blind. How he received his sight and who did it, they deferred that answer to their son. They told the crowd he is grown and able to speak for himself.
Verses 24-34. The Pharisees called for the man born blind to return and answer their questions. The man tells them again that it was Jesus. The Pharisees tell the man that Jesus is a sinner. The man replies by telling them that he doesn’t know if he is a sinner or not but what he does know is that he can see, and since God doesn’t listen to sinners it is safe to say that he is not a sinner because he can see. The man born blind proved to be smarter than the teachers of the law with regards to deduction. The man continues to say that since no one has ever seen a man give sight to the blind, it is safe to say that he is from God. Only a person from God could do something like that. The Pharisees rebuked the man and put him out.
Verses 35-41. Jesus catches up with the man born blind outside the synagogue and tells the man that he is the Son of God. The man immediately begins to worship Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus tells the man that he came so that the blind would see and those who could “see: would be blind.” The Pharisees overheard Jesus saying this and wonder if he is saying that they are blind. Jesus responds by letting them know that if they were blind they would be able to receive sight, but since they think they can see they will never be able to receive their sight. The idea is that those who understand they need forgiveness request it and it is granted. Those who think they are innocent don’t feel a need to request forgiveness and thus it is never granted and they remain guilty and not forgiven.
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