Gospel of John - Lesson 8

Lesson 8

... but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:31

Lesson 8, John 9 & 10
"I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD"

A Man Called Jesus (John 9:1-12)

After leaving the discussion in the temple, Jesus and His disciples encountered a man blind from birth. The disciples saw the man's blindness as an opportunity for a theological discussion. Why did the disciples assume that sin was the cause of the man's blindness?
In the book of John, Jesus's miracles a) met human needs, b) often served as an opportunity to teach a spiritual lesson and c) were his "credentials" to prove that He was the Messiah sent from God. How does the healing of the blind man accomplish all three?

Master over
Misfortune
From your life, what difficulty has become an opportunity for God to demonstrate His work?
What were the neighbors' responses to the healing of the blind man?

A Prophet (John 9:13-23)

The acquaintances of the formerly blind man brought him to the Pharisees. What was their reaction to Jesus' latest miracle?

"What is Work?" The Law of Moses forbade the Jews from working on the Sabbath day (Exodus 20:8-11). Breaking the Sabbath was punishable by death. In their earnestness to keep the Sabbath, the religious leaders had developed specific definitions of work that could not be done, such as:

A man could not fill a dish with oil and put it beside a lamp and put the end of the wick in it.

A man could not extinguish a lamp on the Sabbath to spare the lamp, oil, or wick.

A man could not go out on the Sabbath with sandals shod with nails since the weight of the nails would constitute a burden. To carry a burden was to break the Sabbath.

A man could not cut his fingernails or pull out a hair of his head or his beard.

A man could not walk more than the equivalent of a quarter of a mile.

Medical attention could be given to keep one from getting worse only if a life was in danger.

It was forbidden to set a broken limb.
Jesus made clay, applied the clay, and healed the blind man on the Sabbath, thus performing three "illegal works" in one act of compassion and mercy. He brought light to those who would extinguish it. He would willingly bear the burdens of the world.

The man's parents must have been excited that their son was no longer blind. Why would they answer the Pharisees so evasively?

What did being cast out of the synagogue involve?

A Man From God (John 9:24-34)
As the Pharisees continued their derision of the man, they compared themselves as followers of Moses (to whom the Lord has spoken) with followers of Jesus, whose credentials were unknown (according to them). Summarize the man's logical response from vv. 30-33.
The man's answers to the Pharisees angered them to the point that they did what?
Satan does not like to lose his followers and, as in this event, will fight back vigorously to keep us from following Jesus. Share how you experienced Satan's attacks after your conversion. How can we prepare new converts for Satan's attacks?

The Son of Man (John 9:35-41)
Jesus said that He "came into the world that those who see may be made blind." What was it that caused the Pharisees to reject Jesus and His miracles (see Matthew 13:13-15)?

What are things that cause us to reject Jesus?
The healing of the blind man's vision was instantaneous upon his obedience to Jesus' instructions. Show the progression of faith in the way the man viewed Jesus.
9:11 ___________________________ 9:35 ___________________________
9:17 ___________________________ 9:38 ___________________________
9:33 ___________________________
What lesson(s) can be gleaned about our attitudes in bringing others closer to recognizing Jesus as Lord and Savior?

I Am the Door of the Sheep (John 10:1-10)
What is the significance of Jesus being the "Door of the Sheep"? See John 14:6; Ephesians 2:18, and 3:12.

I Am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-21)

The life of a Palestinian shepherd was hard. Describe how Jesus is the Good Shepherd using the following job description of a shepherd:

The Good Shepherd	Jesus
Alert & Vigilant - watch for food, shelter, predators, wandering sheep
Know the territory - recognize dangerous pitfalls, slippery slopes, etc.
Self-sacrificing - give up life of own, family time, risk injury & death
Fearless courage - fight off predators, thieves, even at expense of own life
Full time. No shifts, time sharing, or vacation time - sheep will only respond to shepherd's voice
Patient love - personally know the stupid animals who are totally dependent on shepherd, often go astray, and smell bad

If this job description had appeared in the local want ads, would you have answered it? How does it make you love your Savior more to know He volunteered for this job and that He knew He would be laying down His life for His sheep?

Read together Psalm 23:
To what other sheep did Jesus refer?

How many folds and how many shepherds did Jesus promise?

What claim was Jesus making when He said that He had power to lay down His life and take it up again?

After this discourse, there remained a sharp division between those who chose to deny Jesus' claims and those who were convinced because of the evidence of the miracles they had seen.

Feast of the Dedication In 164 BC the Syrians controlled Jerusalem. They killed many of the Jews and sold thousands into slavery. The Jews fought to recover their conquered city and its hallowed temple. The temple had to be purified. It took eight days and became a patriotic period of remembrance. It is still celebrated and is known by the Hebrew name Hanukkah.

I Am the Son of God (John 10:22-42)

What question is asked of Jesus at the feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem?
What promise does Jesus give His sheep?
How did Jesus' works bear witness to His identity? See Isaiah 35:5, 6.
When Jesus said, "I and My Father are one" the Jews took up stones to stone Him. Why did that anger them?
Their own law had used "gods" to refer to judges and magistrates (Psalm 82:6). What two reasons did Jesus give for believing Him?
When Jesus left Jerusalem, where did He go?

What was the response of the people in that area?
What will you do with Jesus?

Lesson Nine

table of contents

9:11 ___________________________	9:35 ___________________________
9:17 ___________________________	9:38 ___________________________
9:33 ___________________________