Bible

We’re back here in the Bible room again today, continuing our reading in the Gospel of John with Session 4, the summaries of chapters 8 and 9.

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John

Session 4

Chapter 8. Free

After a night at the Mt. of Olives, Jesus goes back into the temple:

• Early in the morning, the crowd gathers again to listen;
• The scribes and Pharisees bring a woman to Him;
• She has been directly caught in the act of adultery;
• They tell Jesus that Moses had said she should be stoned;
• So, they want to hear what Jesus has to say about that;
• They are looking for any violation with which to accuse Him;
• Without speaking, He writes in the sand with His finger;
• But they press Him with further questions;
• Then, He says: He who is sinless throw the first stone at her;
• Again, He writes something further on the ground;
• Then, one by one, they all leave Him and the woman alone;
• Standing, Jesus asks the woman: Where are your accusers?
• They all have left; Jesus says neither will He condemn her;
• He tells her to leave, and sin no more;
• Later, Jesus says He is the light of the world;
• Everyone who follows Him will have the light of life;
• The Pharisees say He cannot be a witness for Himself;
• Jesus says He can because He, and His Father are witnesses;
• But, He says, they do not know Him nor His Father;
• Jesus says He is leaving soon, but they cannot follow Him;
• They will stay where they are, but they must believe in Him;
• For if they do not believe in Him, they will die in their sin;
• Jesus says He is speaking only what He hears from His Father;
• Many Jews hear Jesus and believe in Him to become disciples;
• Jesus says they will know the truth, and it will make them free;
• They say as children of Abraham they are already free;
• Jesus says everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin;
• He says if the Son makes you free you shall be free indeed;
• Jesus tells them He knows they are descended from Abraham;
• But if they were children of Abraham, they would act like it;
• Jesus has told them the truth, but they intend to kill Him;
• This is not what Abraham would do;
• They say they have one father – God;
• Jesus says if God was their father, they would love Jesus;
• For He has come from God and He has been sent by God;
• But they are of their father, the devil, a murderer;
• He cannot speak truth as there is no truth in him;
• He is a liar, and he is the father of lies;
• Jesus says they cannot hear Him because He says the truth;
• He says they cannot hear the truth as they are not of God;
• The Jews ask Jesus if they are right to say He has a demon;
• And that He also is a Samaritan;
• He answers: He does not have a demon; He honors His father;
• Anyone who keeps His word will never see death;
• Then they say: “Now we know He has a demon”;
• Abraham and the prophets are all dead,
• But He is promising they will never die;
• Is He claiming to be greater than Abraham?
• Who is He making Himself out to be?
• Jesus says it is His Father who is honoring Him;
• The One they lie about calling Him their God;
• Jesus says Abraham saw the day when Jesus would come;
• And he rejoiced and was glad when he saw that vision;
• They say Jesus is not yet fifty years old, but He saw Abraham?
• Even before Abraham, Jesus says “I AM;”
• At this, they pick up stones to throw at Him,
• But He manages to escape, mingling with the crowd outside.

Chapter 9. Blind

Jesus walks past a man who has been blind from birth:

• The disciples ask Jesus if he is blind because of sin;
• And was it he who sinned, or did his parents sin?
• Jesus says neither; He is blind to reveal the works of God;
• Jesus makes some mud with spit, puts it on the man’s eyes;
• Then tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam;
• The man does that, and comes back seeing;
• Some neighbors ask him how he gained his sight;
• He tells them a man named Jesus put some mud on his eyes;
• Told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam;
• And when he did, he received his sight;
• They ask him where this man Jesus has gone;
• He says he does not know;
• This is the Sabbath, and they take the man to the Pharisees;
• The Pharisees say the man called Jesus is not from God;
• Because He does not keep the Sabbath;
• Some say if He is a sinner, He could not do such signs;
• There is a dispute among the people about Jesus;
• So, they ask the blind man what he thinks about Jesus;
• He says he thinks Jesus is a prophet;
• But the Jews still don’t believe the blind man’s story;
• They find his parents and ask them if he was born blind;
• They confirm that this is their son who was born blind;
• But they claim to not know how he gained his sight;
• They fear the Jews because of possible reprisals;
• Anyone who knows Jesus will be barred from synagogue;
• The Jews ask the formerly blind man if Jesus is a sinner;
• The man says he does not know whether Jesus is a sinner;
• But one thing he does know: He was blind, now he can see;
• They ask the man to tell them again what Jesus did to his eyes;
• He says he has already told them what Jesus has done for him;
• Then he asks the Jews why they want to hear the story again;
• Did they also want to become His disciples;
• Angry, they respond that they are disciples of Moses;
• They do not know this Jesus, or where He is from;
• The man says it’s a marvelous thing about this Man;
• They don’t know of Him but He can restore a man’s sight;
• But we know that a worshipper of God can hear from God;
• And never in the world have blind eyes been made to see;
• He says if Jesus was not from God, He could do nothing;
• Angry, the Jews then excommunicate the man as a sinner;
• Jesus hears about what the Jews have done to the man;
• So, He goes to find him and to ask him a question:
• He asks him if he believes in the Son of God;
• The man says he would if Jesus will tell him who it is;
• Jesus then identifies Himself, the One to whom he is talking;
• The man says: Lord, I believe; Then he worships Jesus;
• Jesus says He has come into the world to make the blind see;
• And, He has come to make blind those who can see;
• Hearing this, the Pharisees ask Jesus if they are also blind;
• Jesus says if they were blind, they would have no sin;
• But, since they say they can see, their sin is exposed.

End of Session 4 of the book of John.