JULY 27, 2026 FACILITATOR

John 9:1-7 (PDF)

CONNECT WITH YOUR STORY

Discover more about your heart, life, family, and/or community.

  1. Were you able to attend the Weekly Gathering of a Church this past weekend?

    If so, consider (and thank God for) all the different ways in which God blessed you through songs, friends, Scripture passages, etcetera.

  2. List instructions of Jesus that are hard for you to trust…where it’s hard for you to believe that the best possible life will flow from obeying that instruction?

(Potential answers include: “It is better to give than receive.” “Those who humble themselves will be exalted.” “Honor your parents that it may go well for you.” “Love your enemy.” “Sexual activity is designed for marriage.” One emphasis of our Passage for Meditation and this Facilitator is the trustworthiness of Jesus and his commands, even when those commands do not make sense to us and seem contradictory to what we understand to be common sense.)

SURRENDER TO THE LIVING AND ACTIVE WORD

Pray for the gift of understanding and believing God’s Word.

LISTEN TO THE SCRIPTURES

Read the passage out loud several times.

[John 9:1] As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
[2] And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
[3] Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
[4] We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.
[5] As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
[6] Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva.
Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud [7] and said to him,
“Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

MEDITATE ON THE PASSAGE

Learn about the Passage. Reflect on the Questions. Consider the Examples.

  • While this passage must be included in our Theology on Suffering, it would be a mistake to create our entire Theology on Suffering from this one passage. In this instance, Jesus makes it clear that it was not the sin of this man, or his parents, that brought about his blindness and that this reality was orchestrated/allowed by God so that God would be glorified as his works were displayed in him. (Clearly the disciples’ Theology on Suffering only included two options for this man…the sin of this man or his parents.)

  • Jesus was very conscious of his need to work the works of him who sent him while it was day (while he was alive on earth). Jesus told his disciples that they must work because a time was coming when it would be night (a reference to his death and burial) when no one could work. While alive, Jesus was the light of the world who was in the world bringing the possibility of light, life, and healing to everyone he encountered. Jesus had to do the works God sent him to do to fulfill all righteousness and be able to give his life as a substitutionary sacrifice for those who would trust his Gospel.

  • We frequently point out that John’s favorite word for Jesus’ miracles was “signs.”  And we regularly point out that this primarily means that Jesus’ miracles pointed to (advertised) what life will be like in his consummated kingdom. But some of his miracles were also “signs” wherein physical realities pointed to spiritual realities. This is the case in our Passage for Meditation. Often times, believers are confused by what Jesus allows into their lives (blindness), what he does in their lives (mud), and what he commands them to do (go wash off what he just put on). But in time, Jesus’ purposes, grace, and blessings are made known as his people trust him, his purposes, and his instructions. (While the word “works”, in John’s Gospel, can be a used to reference a miracle…especially miracles on the Sabbath…the word is used more broadly to speak of the good and evil deeds of humans.)

What does this passage teach us about God?

  • God is sovereign over everything. Some instances of suffering are willed or allowed by God so that he can be glorified when he does the work of removing the suffering.

  • God is all-powerful. His works include the healing of those suffering from physical ailments.

  • God is Triune. One God, Three Persons. Father, Son, Spirit.

  • God’s commands bring life and blessing to those who follow them.

  • When Jesus was in the world, he was the Light of the World. The darkness could not overcome him. Wherever he went, he brought with him truth, healing, forgiveness, blessing, etcetera.

What can we learn from this passage about a godly life and a sinful life?

  • The godly know that not all suffering is a direct result of personal sin. Some suffering is a consequence of the fall and an opportunity for God to do an amazing work, in his timing and way.

  • The godly trust Jesus’ wisdom and love and trust that his instructions (even if they are confused by them) will bring blessing.

  • The ungodly believe that Jesus’ commands are capricious, restricting, and burdensome.

  • The ungodly are not merciful and compassionate and presume that others deserve suffering. (This allows them to keep their distance and comfort.)

  • The godly desire to be used by Jesus to bring healing, hope, and celebration into the world. Said differently, the godly want to be there when Jesus brings healing, hope, and celebration into the world.

How does this text display (and/or create a need for) Jesus’ saving work in our lives?

  • Jesus, in his timing, saves believers from the presence and consequences of sin. While he gives glimpses of this throughout their lives, Jesus will remove all darkness, suffering, pain, and shame from the lives of his disciples (and from the world) when he returns in glory.

  • Jesus always obeyed every instruction from the Father. And Jesus did every work the Father sent him to do. Therefore, he deserved God’s commendation, humanity’s praise, and a life filled with pleasure. Instead, he went to the cross and was cursed in the place of believers so they could receive abundant and eternal life by grace through faith.

  • Jesus gives believers a new heart and his Spirit to enable them to increasingly understand the despicable nature of sin, to increasingly value and obey his commands, and to increasingly experience the blessings that come from humbly rejecting sin and obeying him.

PRAY THE GOSPEL

Massage these prayers into and through your heart as they are read aloud.

ADORATION – Father, we praise you for overcoming darkness, disease, and death with and through Jesus.

CONFESSION – Lord, forgive us when we presume that your commands are capricious and burdensome and for when we think that your instructions are keeping us from the best life (when in fact they lead us to the best life).

THANKSGIVING – Thank you Jesus for loving us enough to give us instruction in the most blessed life, for dying for our rebellion, and for enabling us to receive the blessings that flow from obeying your laws.

SUPPLICATION – Holy Spirit, give us grace to follow Jesus’ commands more and more that we might experience more life, light, and healing.

CLOSE IN PRAYER

Thank God for this time and the Gospel.