Anchor My Faith

Another Sabbath Healing

Scripture: John 9:13-17

We ended the previous lesson and section with those questioning the man wanting to know where Jesus was, so they could verify that he did heal this man born blind. The man didn’t know and in the process of questioning him they had determined that the healing took place on a Sabbath day. That knowledge prompted them to take the man to the Pharisees.

They felt the Pharisees should know about this, so ^{Jn 9:13} “They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. ¹⁴ Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. ¹⁵ 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.”

Of these three verses, the point of interest is the phrase “it was a Sabbath day.” The Pharisees don’t care as much about Jesus ability to heal and thus do good for people as they do about the fact that he heals on the Sabbath. In their mind they saw that act of kindness as a transgression of the law. In a previous healing it was also pointed out in John 5:9 that it was done on a Sabbath and that it caused a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees.

The Father may have planned to have Jesus do these healings on the Sabbath to encourage this confrontation for the purpose of pointing out the Pharisee’s improper interruption of the Sabbath law. The intent of the Sabbath law was to bring rest and well-being, but the Pharisees were blind to that intent and added a layer of control by defining what could and could not be done. Because of who Jesus is, he has the authority to interpret the law and as a result, he knows that his healings on the Sabbath are not in violation.

As with the healing recorded in John 5:1 – 15, Jesus was going to be challenged again: ^{Jn 9:16} “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. ¹⁷ So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?”’

As the Pharisees consider this case there resulted in division among them, for some believed he could not be from God, as he says, because in their minds, according to their interpretation of the Sabbath law, he was in violation. On the other hand, some believed that a sinner could not perform such miracles, so he must be who he ways he is.

Notice that there are three groups of people noted in verses 16 – 17; “they” who brought Jesus to the Pharisees, the Pharisees who believed Jesus was not from God, and the Pharisees who believed he could not be a sinner because of the miracles he was performing. Those who brought the man to the Pharisees, ask the man for his opinion about the healing and about Jesus since he was the one who experienced it.

We will cover his response in the next lesson.

Conclusion

It is amazing how sinful men can challenge the goodness of God. Jesus demonstrated his authority and power by creating healthy eyes for a man born blind, and instead of being praised for his accomplishment, he is condemned because he performed the act of kindness on the Sabbath.