San Diego First
United Methodist Church’s Daily Devotion for Monday, 24 March 2014 – Sunday, 30
March 2014 - Sermon theme for coming Sunday (Lent) Lift High the Cross -
Salvation/Redemption
Text to read: John
9:1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered,
“Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be
revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day.
The night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the
light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud
with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud, 7 and said to him,
“Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed,
and came back seeing. 8 The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was
blind before, said, “Isn’t this he who sat and begged?” 9 Others were saying,
“It is he.” Still others were saying, “He looks like him.”
He said, “I am he.”
10 They therefore were asking him, “How were your eyes opened?”
11 He answered, “A
man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of
Siloam, and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.”
12 Then they asked
him, “Where is he?”
He said, “I don’t
know.”
13 They brought him
who had been blind to the Pharisees. 14 It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the
mud and opened his eyes. 15 Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he
received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I
see.”
16 Some therefore of
the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the
Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was
division among them. 17 Therefore they asked the blind man again, “What do you
say about him, because he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a
prophet.”
18 The Jews
therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had
received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his
sight, 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How
then does he now see?”
20 His parents
answered them, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21
but how he now sees, we don’t know; or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. He
is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said these
things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if
any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 23
Therefore his parents said, “He is of age. Ask him.”
24 So they called
the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We
know that this man is a sinner.”
25 He therefore
answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I
was blind, now I see.”
26 They said to him
again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27 He answered them,
“I told you already, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again?
You don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?”
28 They insulted him
and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that
God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes
from.”
30 The man answered
them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.
31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of
God, and does his will, he listens to him.[a] 32 Since the world began it has
never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If
this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34 They answered
him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” They threw him
out.
35 Jesus heard that
they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son
of God?”
36 He answered, “Who
is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?”
37 Jesus said to
him, “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.”
38 He said, “Lord, I
believe!” and he worshiped him.
39 Jesus said, “I
came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that
those who see may become blind.”
40 Those of the
Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also
blind?”
41 Jesus said to
them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’
Therefore your sin remains.
Footnotes:
a. John 9:31 Psalm
66:18, Proverbs 15:29; 28:9
Ephesians 5:8 For
you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of
light, 9 for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and
truth, 10 proving what is well pleasing to the Lord. 11 Have no fellowship with
the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them. 12 For the
things which are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of. 13 But
all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything
that reveals is light. 14 Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise
from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
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John Wesley’s
Notes-Commentary for
John 9:1-41
Verse 2. Who sinned,
this man or his parents, that he was born blind? - That is, was it for his own
sins, or the sins of his parents? They suppose (as many of the Jews did, though
without any ground from Scripture) that he might have sinned in a pre-existent
state, before he came into the world.
Verse 3. Jesus
answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents - It was not the manner
of our Lord to answer any questions that were of no use, but to gratify an idle
curiosity. Therefore he determines nothing concerning this. The scope of his
answer is, It was neither for any sins of his own, nor yet of his parents; but
that the power of God might be displayed.
Verse 4. The night
is coming - Christ is the light. When the light is withdrawn night comes, when
no man can work - No man can do any thing toward working out his salvation
after this life is ended. Yet Christ can work always. But he was not to work
upon earth, only during the day, or season which was appointed for him.
Verse 5. I am the
light of the world - I teach men inwardly by my Spirit, and outwardly by my
preaching, what is the will of God; and I show them, by my example, how they
must do it.
Verse 6. He anointed
the eyes of the blind man with the clay - This might almost have blinded a man
that had sight. But what could it do toward curing the blind? It reminds us
that God is no farther from the event, when he works either with, or without
means, and that all the creatures are only that which his almighty operation
makes them.
Verse 7. Go, wash at
the pool of Siloam - Perhaps our Lord intended to make the miracle more taken
notice of. For a crowd of people would naturally gather round him to observe
the event of so strange a prescription, and it is exceeding probable, the guide
who must have led him in traversing a great part of the city, would mention the
errand he was going upon, and so call all those who saw him to a greater
attention. From the fountain of Siloam, which was without the walls of
Jerusalem, a little stream flowed into the city, and was received in a kind of
basin, near the temple, and called the pool of Siloam. Which is, by
interpretation, Sent - And so was a type of the Messiah, who was sent of God.
He went and washed, and came seeing - He believed, and obeyed, and found a
blessing. Had he been wise in his own eyes, and reasoned, like Naaman, on the
impropriety of the means, he had justly been left in darkness. Lord, may our
proud hearts be subdued to the methods of thy recovering grace! May we leave
thee to choose how thou wilt bestow favours, which it is our highest interest
to receive on any terms.
Verse 11. A man
called Jesus - He seems to have been before totally ignorant of him.
Verse 14. Anointing
the eyes - With any kind of medicine on the Sabbath, was particularly forbidden
by the tradition of the elders.
Verse 16. This man
is not of God - Not sent of God. How can a man that is a sinner - That is, one
living in wilful sin, do such miracles?
Verse 17. What
sayest thou of him, for that he hath opened thine eyes? - What inference dost
thou draw herefrom?
Verse 22. He should
be put out of the synagogue - That is be excommunicated.
Verse 27. Are ye
also - As well as I, at length convinced and willing to be his disciples?
Verse 29. We know
not whence he is - By what power and authority he does these things.
Verse 30. The man
answered - Utterly illiterate as he was. And with what strength and clearness
of reason! So had God opened the eyes of his understanding, as well as his
bodily eyes. Why, herein is a marvelous thing, that ye - The teachers and
guides of the people, should not know, that a man who has wrought a miracle,
the like of which was never heard of before, must be from heaven, sent by God.
Verse 31. We - Even
we of the populace, know that God heareth not sinners - Not impenitent sinners,
so as to answer their prayers in this manner. The honest courage of this man in
adhering to the truth, though he knew the consequence, ver. 22, gives him claim
to the title of a confessor.
Verse 33. He could
do nothing - Of this kind; nothing miraculous.
Verse 34. Born in
sin - And therefore, they supposed, born blind. They cast him out - Of the
synagogue; excommunicated him.
Verse 35. Having
found him - For he had sought him.
Verse 36. Who is he,
that I may believe? - This implies some degree of faith already. He was ready
to receive whatever Jesus said.
Verse 37. Lord, I
believe - What an excellent spirit was this man of! Of so deep and strong an
understanding; (as he had just shown to the confusion of the Pharisees,) and
yet of so teachable a temper!
Verse 39. For
judgment am I come into the world - That is, the consequence of my coming will
be, that by the just judgment of God, while the blind in body and soul receive
their sight, they who boast they see, will be given up to still greater
blindness than before.
Verse 41. If ye had
been blind - Invincibly ignorant; if ye had not had so many means of knowing:
ye would have had no sin - Comparatively to what ye have now. But now ye say -
Ye yourselves acknowledge, Ye see, therefore your sin remaineth - Without
excuse, without remedy.
Ephesians 5:8-14
Verse 8. Ye were
once darkness - Total blindness and ignorance. Walk as children of light -
Suitably to your present knowledge.
Verse 9. The fruit
of the light - Opposite to " the unfruitful works of darkness," chap.
iv, 11. Is in - That is, consists in. Goodness and righteousness and truth -
Opposite to the sins spoken of, chap. iv, 25,&c.
Verse 11. Reprove
them - To avoid them is not enough.
Verse 12. In secret
- As flying the light.
Verse 13. But all
things which are reproved, are thereby dragged out into the light, and made
manifest - Shown in their proper colours, by the light. For whatsoever doth
make manifest is light - That is, for nothing but light, yea, light from
heaven, can make anything manifest.
Verse 14. Wherefore
he - God. Saith - In the general tenor of his word, to all who are still in
darkness. Awake thou that steepest - In ignorance of God and thyself; in stupid
insensibility. And arise from the dead - From the death of sin. And Christ
shall give thee light - Knowledge, holiness, happiness.
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Monday – Read the
entire passage from John 9: 1-41.
Why is there such
disbelief?
Tuesday – What kind
of witness is the blind man?
How ironic is this?
Wednesday – What does
the irony between the "blind that see" and "those who see but
are blind" mean?
Thursday – What are
the results of the blind man's witness?
How does that help
us understand success?
Friday - Read the
Ephesians text-- Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but are now light in
the Lord. Walk as children of light, 9 for the fruit of the Spirit is in all
goodness and righteousness and truth, 10 proving what is well pleasing to the
Lord. 11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather
even reprove them. 12 For the things which are done by them in secret, it is a
shame even to speak of. 13 But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed
by the light, for everything that reveals is light. 14 Therefore he says, “Awake,
you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
How do we share the
blind man's experience?
Saturday – What kind
of witness are we to the greatness of God?
Sunday – Pray for
those who fail to see God's miracles all around them.
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First United
Methodist Church
2111 Camino del Rio
South
San Diego, CA 92108
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