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January 193Z
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W e know that God doesn’t listen to sin ners ; therefore this man must be o f God.” The blind man was different from some o f those people to whom Jesus had fed the loaves and the fishes. You remember they were glad to be fed, but that didn’t make them know that it was the Son o f God who had fed them. The blind man was happy to be able to see, but He was happier to know that it was the Son of God who had given him his sight.
When the Pharisees heard the story, they were angry and said, “Don’t thank this Man for curing you. W e know that he is a sinner. Give God the praise.” But the man knew that it was not a sinner who had cured him, but the Son of God. So he was not afraid o f the Pharisees, and he said to them, “ It’s very strange that you shouldn’t know where this Man comes from. Never before has it happened that a man who was born blind has been cured.
man who was born blind, bow at the feet o f the Lord Jesus Christ and acknowledge from the heart that He is very God of very God, and worship Him. Lesson Questions Vs. 1-5. To what did the disciples think the blind man’s condition was chargeable? How did the Lord Jesus correct them? Can you site other instances where affliction was allowed in order that “ the works of God should be made manifest” (cf. Job 2 : 1-6; John 11: 4)? Vs. 6-11. Is the Lord confined to any one method of healing (cf. Matt. 8 and 9) ? In this case, did the simplicity of the method illustrate the ease with which a blind sinner may receive spiritual sight? What part has the Word o f the Lord and the obedience o f the sufferer in the healing of both sickness and sin? Vs. 30-33. What simple, logical answer did the restored man give to the unbeliev ing Pharisees? Do his words indicate that he had at this time recognized Jesus as the Son of God? Vs. 34-38. What persecution resulted from his testimony? what special atten tion and revelation from the Lord Him self? What teaching is there in this nar rative regarding the deity of Jesus Christ ? Golden Text Illustration A poor Mohammedan was brought to a mission hospital very ill. She had heard about the magic lantern pictures o f the life of our Lord and expressed a wish to see them. She had her wish gratified when the pictures were shown in the ward where she lay. When the climax was reached, with the picture of the crucifixion, she ex claimed, “ See, all is dark, the whole world is in darkness, and all the light is coming from Jesus—He is the Light of the world.” Her own face shone with delight until it seemed transfigured with the light in her soul. “Death is no longer dark to me,” she said, and soon she passed away .—Church Monthly. Jesus Makes a Blind Man See J ohn 9:1-3, 6-9 Memory Verse: “Jehovah openeth the eyes o f the blind” (Psa. 146:8). Approach: Jesus had made a great many friends among the people, but He had some enemies, too. The Jews who were in power in the church didn’t want the people to be
FEBRUARY 21, 1932 JESUS THE G OO D SHEPHERD J ohn 10 :l-42
what the prophets had declared them to be — false shepherds and blind leaders of the blind. When Jesus touched on this sub ject, the Pharisees scornfully asked, “Are we blind also?” This called forth the re ply o f Jesus in which He declared Himself the true Shepherd of the sheep. 1 I . si T he P arable (1-6). These verses contain an allegory or a picture which our Lord draws to make the truth plain to His hearers. He shows that there is only one way for a real shepherd to come to the sheep; that is, through the. proper door. Through this door, however, the false shepherds had never entered. The true shepherd is recognized by the porter and is admitted to the fold, He calls his own sheep by name, and they hear his voice. He leads them out to pasture, and they follow him, but they will flee from the stranger. This is the substance o f the sim ple parable that Jesus spoke; but, as always, the people did not Understand. n . T he A nnouncement of the T rue S hepherd (7-10). The Lord Jesus declares that He is the true Shepherd and the Door through which the sheep go in and out and find pasture. He says that all who went before Him were but thieves and robbers. In this statement, He certainly does not refer to such leaders as Moses, David, and Joshua. But He refers to these who stood before Him, who usurped the position o f the true Shepherd, and who attempted to use the sheep for their own .profit. In verse 9, the Lord reiterates what He has just said about Himself as the Door. This is one of the great verses o f this great chapter, and it offers opportunity for the teacher to bring the gospel home to the class in as especially forceful man ner. It places the Lord Jesus between the whole human race and eternal blessedness. He is the Door, and there is only one. All who enter, therefore, must enter by Him. In John 14:6, He says: “ I am the way . . . no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” The way is exceedingly sim ple-sim ple to understand, so that a child may enter; simple to use, so that a fool need not err therein. The verse contains a wide promise; it is to any man. Certain promises are given to certain classes—the thirsty, the hungry, the tired—but this is as wide as the human race, “ any man.” But while it is so wide, it is also extremely narrow ; one must enter for oneself, and no one can enter for another. Again, this way is a sure w ay; all who enter “shall be saved.” The teacher should impress upon
Lesson Text: John 10:1-16. Golden Text: “The Lord is my shep herd; I shall not want” (Psa. 23:1). The Good Shepherd T h e s h e e p follow him for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow . . . . for they know not the voice o f strangers.” A strik ing illustration of these words o f Jesus was afforded us as we rested beside the overflowing well by the hill o f Adullam. While we were sitting beside' the well
reading our B i b l e s and picturing in our minds the adventures o f David when he hid in a cave in this hill, three shepherds came up to the well to wa ter their flocks. Some of the sheep drank from the quiet stream which w a s flowing
softly from the up-springing well. For others, the shepherds carried water in their goatskin buckets,1with which they filled basins in many flat stones which were lying about the well. As the sheep came up to drink, they mingled freely with one another. They all looked alike to us, and we wondered how each shepherd was go ing to recognize his own sheep, so that he could separate them from the others when they had finished drinking. A fter the shepherds had drawn enough water for the sheep, they sat down upon the edge o f the well to talk for a while. The sheep formed themselves into one large flock and began grazing on the hill side. In about half an hour, the shepherds finished their conversation, and arose. Each walked away in a different direction. When they had traveled about fifty yards, they each gave a peculiar call—half cry, half whistle. Immediately the sheep separ ated themselves from one another, formed into three groups, and each group followed a separate shepherd. Thus, without any trouble, excitement, or hurry, the shep herds had collected their own sheep, and were ready to go on their way. Outline and Exposition The whole tenth chapter of John, con taining the discourse on the good Shep herd, should be carefully read before the portion assigned for special study is taken up. The occasion for the discourse is stated in John 9 :39-41. There we learn the results growing put of the healing of the man born blind, to which the Phari sees had taken exception. The Pharisees presumed that they were the true shep herds o f the sheep, when they were merely
lieve in Jesus. They' d i d n ’ t themselves want to believe that Jesus was the prom ised Son o f God, and so they were His e n e m i e s , looking e v e r y w h e r e for things which would keep thé p e o p l e from believing in Him. L e s s o n Story:
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Jesus always felt sorry for the poor and the sick and the sinful. In the story which- we have today, Jesus saw a blind man. He healed this man’s eyes, so that he could see. Immediately all the blind man’ s friends and neighbors gathered around and said, “Is this really the blind man who sat all his life and begged?” And the man said, “I am he.” And he told how Jesus had cured him.
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