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God's Plan, Your Part
Discover God's plan for your life with this daily Bible reading podcast.
Ryan and Jenny Zook lead a valuable daily devotional bible study with historical background, theology, and practical applications. This year we will be covering the whole New Testament, one chapter at a time.
This podcast brings the word of God to life. Whether starting from the first episode or just jumping in, this is an inspiring and enlightening way to deepen your understanding of scripture. We delve into a different passage daily and share how its teachings can impact your daily life. Start listening right now.
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God's Plan, Your Part
John 9-10 | Why Was He Born Blind and Jesus as the Good Shepherd
Welcome listeners! Have you ever wondered about the profound implications of Jesus healing a man born blind on the Sabbath? What about the escalating tension between Jesus and the Pharisees following this miracle? We're unfolding these captivating narratives from John chapters 9 and 10, drawing out valuable lessons and illuminating truths that can enrich our own spiritual journeys.
As we further delve into Jesus' teachings, we dissect his self-proclamation as the good shepherd and his bold assertion of being the only way to the Father. This episode will take you on a journey of discovery, as we examine the reactions to Jesus' miraculous healing, his insightful teachings about shepherding, and decipher why the Pharisees fail to grasp his mission of abundant life. Listen in, as we dissect these monumental chapters and invite you to meditate on their relevance in our lives today.
In John 9, we encounter the story of the healing of a blind man. Jesus and his disciples come across a man who had been blind from birth. Jesus then does something extraordinary; He spits on the ground, makes mud with His saliva, and applies it to the man's eyes, instructing him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. After following these instructions, the blind man's sight is miraculously restored. This event sparks controversy among the Pharisees, who question the legitimacy of the healing and the identity of Jesus. The chapter delves into themes of belief and unbelief, highlighting the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees and the profound insight of the once-blind man, who recognizes Jesus as a prophet. The narrative serves as a powerful illustration of Jesus as the "Light of the World," contrasting spiritual blindness and divine illumination.
Chapter 10 of the Gospel of John continues with the metaphor of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Jesus speaks of Himself as the gate for the sheep, emphasizing that whoever enters through Him will find safety and abundant life. He contrasts the Good Shepherd with thieves and hired hands who don't genuinely care for the sheep. Jesus is the shepherd who knows His sheep by name, and they recognize His voice, underscoring the intimate relationship between Christ and His followers. The chapter also touches on Jesus' divinity as He declares, "I am the Father are one." His words lead to division among the religious leaders, who again question His identity. John 10 conveys the profound concept of Jesus as the Shepherd who not only protects and cares for His flock but also offers eternal life to those who believe and follow His voice.
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-Ryan and Jenny
Hi everyone and welcome to God's Plan, your Part, a podcast where our goal is to read the entire Bible in a year, seeking to understand God's plan of redemption while discovering daily and practically your part in it.
Speaker 2:Why does God let bad things happen to good people? This is probably one of the oldest questions, most popular questions out there in Christian circles and in circles of people who are not Christians, and I think the thing that we're going to read today will bring some clarity to that. It might not answer the question completely, but it is useful in that discussion. Today we're reading John chapter 9 through John chapter 10, verse 21. So we're not covering all of John 10. We'll get around to that later, but in the words of Jenny just a little bit ago, this guy has a lot of airtime.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was just going to say that Usually when we read the Gospels, one chapter is dedicated to like several, like four or five different instances or stories of things that had happened to Jesus and the disciples, and all of chapter 9 is completely dedicated to Jesus healing a man who was born blind. So that caught my attention right away. But again, it's so silly. I've read this so many times before and I think I just again take it for granted. But as we're reading through this, jesus is healing someone on the Sabbath, correct? That's the whole issue, first and foremost.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you'd think he would learn Well.
Speaker 1:I wonder if it's intentional.
Speaker 2:Tell me one time where he healed somebody that wasn't on the Sabbath.
Speaker 1:It's definitely intentional, probably happened a lot and maybe they just are writing about the times that it did, because it made everybody so upset, it makes them so angry. Well, anyway. So he's essentially like I guess that would be like working right, like that's bad. Is that the idea that?
Speaker 2:he's like healing someone.
Speaker 1:That's work. That's not good.
Speaker 2:You're free to heal people on any other day.
Speaker 1:This can't be Sabbath, but anyway. So Jesus does this and what is crazy to me is like stepping outside of all things. It's like, oh my gosh, this guy couldn't see his entire life and Jesus just walks up and gives him the ability to be able to see and all the Pharisees can wrap their head around. Is like this guy broke the law, Like he broke the Sabbath law. Okay, like that is like the thing that they're like pointing out the most. I think there's obviously a lot of like, like stuff underneath the surface that's really making them angry.
Speaker 2:I think when you teach these stories one at a time, like a standalone lessons, it's like why were they so mad that he was healing on the Sabbath?
Speaker 1:But when you call him, calling himself God yeah, that's not, they're not happy about that.
Speaker 2:When you stack them, though, chronologically, it's like okay, we get it, like they're just out to get him and this is like a great way to do it. You'll remember, yesterday we ended by him saying just plainly like before Abraham was, I am, and they picked up stones to try to murder him on the spot.
Speaker 1:But here's the thing too, like if you think about any any conflict story ever, like if there's a conflict between two people and there's like one issue, right, it's like yeah, that person's really annoying. Like I think it can start out really base level like that oh yeah, that guy's super annoying. But the thing about Jesus is that he doesn't just stop he doesn't go away just keeps going and going.
Speaker 1:So like their irritation is just like fueled and kindled with every single thing that he does. Because it's not just like these little things off to the side either. Like is happening everywhere and people are talking about it. So it's not just like this little thing. But what really got my attention I think more so than ever before is that, as this story is progressing, they are just like the Pharisees are just like out for blood. They're like who did this to you? You need to tell us, because I think they have an idea that it was Jesus, because they want to have like grounds for it. It's like all the evidence they're trying to put together. The parents are like they're kind of, they're afraid. So like, well, just ask our son. Like he would know who did it.
Speaker 1:I guess maybe a little surprised to like oh my gosh, like aren't you excited that our son can see, but at the same time, I guess, just go ask him, because we don't want you to come there's a standing rule of excommunication here.
Speaker 2:Like, anybody that recognizes Jesus at this point is kicked out of the synagogue, and that is a much bigger deal than just oh, they can't go to church on Sunday, like. That is like you are excommunicated from your community. You are cut off that's like crazy.
Speaker 1:So again, like this story that seems so exciting and so awesome, like this man can finally see, like you can see he's never been able to his whole life and the parents are greeted with that, they're ex communicated, they're like completely taken out. And then they finally do find the man and start questioning him too, and I'm assuming that same like confrontation is in his mind, like wait what?
Speaker 2:well, I can see he doesn't get it because he's like oh, do you want to follow him too?
Speaker 1:yes, to the point of like, wow, they're asking me so much of who is this guy, who was the person to be like, oh wait, do you want to be one of Jesus followers? And they're just like so disgusted, like what? We don't follow this guy, we follow Moses. So it is just like I don't think I have ever realized how much, like you said earlier, I don't I didn't realize how much airtime was given to this story, but again, sort of like we were talking yesterday, the tension is just rising and rising and rising.
Speaker 2:They are out to get him, no matter the cost so this is a complicated story, because when the disciples and Jesus come upon this man, their first question is okay, who sinned? Which is, which is interesting? So, like the, the Pharisees, all they want to do is kill Jesus. The disciples, all they want to do is have a theological discussion. Jesus wants to heal the man like interesting too.
Speaker 1:The same question remains for both of those people this the disciples want to know who sinned that made the man not be able to see, yeah, and the Pharisees want to know who sinned that made him be able to see and so what makes Jesus stand out? I mean, he doesn't care.
Speaker 2:Jesus is.
Speaker 2:He just wants to heal yeah, but this is a complicated story because their question is who sinned? Was it his parents or was it him and Jesus answer was this happened to this man. I should actually read it exactly it was. This is verse 2. It was not this man who sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. It's kind of it's kind of a gross answer actually, because it implies that this suffering, this blindness, was put in place so that Jesus would be glorified through this healing. So it sort of causes, I think, both camps, the one camp being, like Jesus, wants to heal always, and then the other camp, like Jesus, is done healing. He doesn't exist just to heal people. It kind of puts you both on your toes, because the problem here is not that this man should be restored physically at all. The problem here is that Jesus' glory should be shown and God should be glorified because of the works that happen in the man. Does that make sense?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think that is probably a hard pill to swallow, especially in our day today because there's a lot of people who are like you know and I've heard it before too.
Speaker 1:I mean, I've also experienced pretty crazy stuff in my own life, like health issues. When I was really young, I was in the hospital for two weeks. I definitely wasn't supposed to even live. It was like a really bad reaction to like an experimental drug and it was really terrible. But then I remember there were a lot of people like praying that I would come out of this sickness and like, glory to God, I did, but that doesn't always have, like that doesn't always happen and that's not always the case, and I think that's like I was just saying, like that's a hard pill to swallow sometimes, because the expectation is that like, yes, we want God to heal, but sometimes he doesn't always, and sometimes that is to the glory of God, whether you're healed or not, because the life that you choose to live, whether you're healed or if you're not healed, is should also be a reflection of like I'm going to choose God no matter what, and if you are like, again, glory to God that he has like healed you from said thing.
Speaker 2:So is it possible from this story that difficult things don't necessarily like the fact that something difficult has happened to you. Perhaps it doesn't matter as much as we like to think, and perhaps what's most important is that God is glorified and his kingdom is built. So there are people who saw this blind man, who received his sight, and they came to know Jesus and follow Jesus, and Jesus would imply here that that is the whole reason for all of this, and it does mean that this man had to endure some amount of suffering so that God's glory would be drawn out.
Speaker 1:Well, it is like again, a really hard one to swallow, but I think, coming from the words of Jesus, like himself when you were reading that earlier, like it wasn't this man who sinned, it wasn't his parents, but it's so that God's works might be displayed in him, and I think that is something to to remember. Like God is powerful whether you are healed or not.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I think so.
Speaker 2:And what? What is important to God is God that he is doing what he has planned to do. This man's blindness was obviously part of that plan. What's interesting is he does not keep this man in his blindness, he heals him wholly and completely, and the man is super thankful for that.
Speaker 2:I told you guys, I've been chasing this thread of how Jesus heals people and why Jesus heals people. It is obvious here that this man has become a follower of Jesus because his response to the Pharisees is oh, do you want to follow him as well? Yeah, yeah. And so this is another instance where faith is professed, like faith in Jesus, not faith in healing, and healing occurs Now. Is that true all the time? I don't know, but that is something I'm paying attention personally as we read over these stories. And so this is this is a unique story.
Speaker 2:I think it's probably an answer that leaves us a little bit uncomfortable. Maybe you feel a little bit odd about it. I certainly do, but it is what the text teaches, and when I think back over my life, just like you shared, jenny, I can think of very difficult things that have happened in my life and at the time, if somebody would have come to me and said this is so that Jesus will be glorified, I would shut up and get out of here. But many years removed, I can actually see like, wow, people came to know Jesus through that, and what happened was not good.
Speaker 2:What happened was a symptom of living in a sinful world, but those people knew Jesus, and now these people know Jesus and what's important is that God's kingdom is being built. So we live in a sinful world. Bad things do indeed happen to good people, bad things happen to bad people, and what God exists for seems to be God's glory, and so he's in charge, he is sovereign, he gets to do what he wants to do, and we serve him. Unfortunately, we did not get. We don't have a lot of it, though. We've talked about this guy, the blind guy, a lot.
Speaker 1:Oh he took up a whole chapter.
Speaker 2:There is also in chapter 10, Jesus referring to the fact that he is the good shepherd, he is the only way to the Father, he is the door to the sheep pen. Basically and this is another very pointed I am statement in John. John likes tracking those I am statements.
Speaker 1:Creates a lot of division.
Speaker 2:But this is picking up an Old Testament theme, a prophet theme. Many, many times we pointed out as we read through the prophets that God was calling out by the prophets. These like evil shepherds, people who did not care for the flock. And now Jesus is coming on the scene while evil shepherds are still in place. They're still being cared for by people who do not care for them. And Jesus is saying I am the good shepherd, I lay down my life for the sheep and I have the authority to pick my life back up.
Speaker 1:Well, something interesting because I was wondering how this all ties in. At the very end of this little part of him talking about being that good shepherd it does say. People are really confused about who this is. Some people are again calling him insane, that he has a demon, and then there are others who say these can't be the words of a demon, because a demon can't open the eyes of a blind man. So it all kind of like ties into that last final little verse. Like Jesus is who he says he is, so much so that like he's the only person that can just come around here and just start healing people who are blinds crazy.
Speaker 2:So a good part for today. Always read it for yourself. I'm I told you like I'm wrestling through these, my own kind of stuff. I'm trying to chase this idea of healing and miracles and what happens? This is, I think I think this one could be a tough one to wrestle with. Personally, like if, especially if you're somebody that's going through difficult things, or especially if you feel like God hasn't come through the way that you would like him to come through, I encourage you actually, for your part, sit down with John 9, and figure out what you can figure out from John 9. Ask the Lord to reveal to you what Jesus is teaching here and how that affects your situation, and actually, like, take some time to press into that and hear from God in that. So my, your part is not as pointed as some are maybe I don't know but just take some time to sit in this John 9 and see what the Lord has for you, because I think that God will speak to you through it and I think that it is. It is a good thing to wrestle with, because I certainly I don't feel super comfortable with it. Like, yeah, bad things happen. So what God gets glory, that seems weird. So, yeah, that's, that's the part for today. We'll be back again tomorrow. We'll be in Luke 10 and 11. So we'll see you then. Thanks so much for listening to our take today. Before we get into the reading, if we could just ask you one thing if you've been enjoying the podcast, if you could subscribe to us and then leave a rating and review, we'd love to hear from you, and every rating we get helps us reach more people. Ultimately, we're just trying to reach people with the truth of God's Word, and your review will help us do that. So thanks so much for being invested in the podcast.
Speaker 2:Here's the reading for today John, chapter nine. Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with mud and said to him go wash in the pool of Siloam, which means scent. So he went and washed and came back seeing the neighbors, and those who had seen before as a beggar were saying is not this the man who used to sit and beg? Some said it is he, others said no, but he is like him. He kept saying I am the man. So they said to him then how will your eyes opened? He answered the man called Jesus came and made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me Go to Solomon wash. So I went and washed and received my sight. They said to him when is he? He said I do not know. They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them he put mud on my eyes and I washed and I see. Some of the Pharisees said this man is not from God for he does not keep the Sabbath. But others said how can a man who is a sinner do such signs? And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man what do you say about him since he opened your eyes? He said he is a prophet.
Speaker 2:The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them Is this your son who you say was born blind? How does then he now see? His parents answered we know that this is our son and he was born blind, but how he now sees. We do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age, he will speak for himself. His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said he is of age, ask him.
Speaker 2:So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner. He answered Whether he is a sinner, I do not know One thing. I do know that, though I was blind, now I see. They said to him what did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? He answered them I have told you already and you would not listen. Why do you not hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?
Speaker 2:And they reviled him because he was saying you are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from. The man answered why? This is an amazing thing. You do not know where he comes from and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, god listens to him.
Speaker 2:Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. They answered him you were born in utter sin and you would teach us. And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out and, having found him, he said Do you believe in the Son of man? He answered and who is he, sir? That I may believe in him? Jesus said to him you have seen him and it is he who is speaking to you. He said Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him. Jesus said For judgment I came into this world that those who do not see may see and those who see may become blind. Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things and said to him Are we also blind? And Jesus said to them If you were blind, you would have no guilt, but now that you say we see, your guilt remains.
Speaker 1:John, chapter 10, verses 1 through 21. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he is brought out, all of his own, he goes before them and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them Truly, truly, I say to you I am the door of the sheep.
Speaker 1:All who come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep do not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own his sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
Speaker 1:I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the father knows me, and I know the father and I lay down my life for the sheep and I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my father. There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said he has a demon and is insane. Why listen to Him? Others said these are not the words of one who was oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?
Speaker 2:Thanks so much for listening to God's plan your part. If anything stuck out to you, if you have any questions or if you'd like to receive a Bible, you can email us at godsplanyourpart at gmailcom. Also, if you're enjoying the podcast, please consider supporting us through the link in our description. We love that you're on this journey with us. We hope you have a great day. See you tomorrow, God bless. God bless.
