Bible Chapter: John 9

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    Jesus showed His divine power to do anything.  Physical bodies are subject to failure.  Here is the story of a man who was blind and then healed by Jesus.  We see the spiritual blindness of the religious leaders who were so stuck in their religious traditions that they couldn’t see or accept the miracle Jesus did.  They grilled the former blind man as to how it happened.  He told them.  They refused to accept his response, for then they would have had to accept Jesus for who He said he was. So, they called in the man’s parents.  They didn’t want to get involved in the fray (for fear of the leaders), so they passed the buck by saying their son was an adult, ask him.
    The response in verse 27 is great.  The healed man said he had told them already what happened and they refused to listen.  If he told them another time would they become Jesus’ disciples?  The only response the religious leaders could come up with was to insult the man.  Then they kicked him out.  When people don’t know what to do, they react this way.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    How do I make decisions in life?  How do I decide on belief?  What is my standard for behavior?  These questions are extremely important in establishing the foundation for my thinking and actions.  What I see in this chapter is a group of people so bent on insisting they are right that they can’t see the divine power of God shown through Jesus.  Religious tradition is fine when kept in proper perspective.  It is dangerous when it controls and prohibits God from moving in the way He wants.  Jesus was revealing His power and Who He was.  The religious leaders refused to consider Him because He didn’t fit into their mold.
    Look to the Bible.  Study it and seek to let its truths saturate my thinking.  Seek to let it impact my thinking and influence my judgements and actions.  Get the proper perspective on religious tradition and Biblical teachings.  Let the traditions help but not interfere with applying God’s truth to daily life.  Be willing to grow spiritually, even when that requires changes.

3.  How can I help someone?
    I need to help people see Jesus.  Some have strongly held religious traditions.  Some reject anything religious.  When people see and get connected with Jesus, He helps them get the proper focus and balance in life.  Jesus changes beliefs when we let Him.