{"id":1470,"date":"2015-05-21T21:59:55","date_gmt":"2015-05-21T21:59:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/?p=1470"},"modified":"2015-05-21T21:59:55","modified_gmt":"2015-05-21T21:59:55","slug":"discipleship-in-john-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/2015\/05\/21\/discipleship-in-john-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Discipleship in John 9"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"john<\/a><\/p>\n

Today we continue with our look at the theme of discipleship<\/a> in the Gospel of John. Here we come to the anonymous character of the man born blind in John 9. The chapter begins with a question. Jesus\u2019 disciples see a man who has been blind from birth (John 9:1). This leads them to wonder why this man is in this condition. Did he or his parents\u2019 sin (9:2)? This is a pretty silly question when you come to think of it. Obviously, this man\u2019s blindness couldn\u2019t have been the result of personal sin. He was born this way, after all. But were his parents somehow at fault? David\u2019s child that was the result of his affair with Bathsheba dies because of his sin. So is something similar happening here in John 9?<\/p>\n

Jesus says, no. \u201cNeither this man nor his parents sinned \u2026 but this happened so that<\/em> the work of God might be displayed in him\u201d (9:3, emphasis added). This truth may be hard to swallow, but Jesus clearly says this man was born blind \u201cso that\u201d God might be seen through his life. The phrase \u201cso that\u201d is the translation of a short Greek word hina<\/em>. In this case, hina<\/em> signifies purpose. There was a purpose behind this man\u2019s difficult life. There was a purpose behind his reliance on others for his mere, everyday existence\u2013\u2013and it was so that<\/em> God would be magnified through his life. All of this man\u2019s struggles in life were for the singular purpose of God\u2019s own glory being put on display.<\/p>\n

Jesus eventually heals the man and he is able to see (9:6-7). Jesus\u2019 healing of the man leads to several responses. Some are astonished at the sign he has performed (9:8). Others are not sure if this is the same person who previously was blind (9:9). Still others want to know more from the man about what happened and who healed him (9:10). The man provides the basics of the story to his questioners (9:11-12).<\/p>\n

But his neighbors are not the only one\u2019s curious about how he came to be healed. The Pharisees interrogate the man not once (9:13-17), but twice (9:24-34). They even question his parents to get to the bottom of things (9:18-23). In the end, the Pharisees resort to threats (9:22), insults (9:28) and name calling (9:34), before they excommunicate the man from the synagogue, which carried with it expulsion from the life of one\u2019s community (9:34-35).<\/p>\n

Jesus, hearing the Pharisees had expelled the man from the synagogue, went and found him and asked him, \u201cDo you believe in the Son of Man?\u201d (9:35) The man expresses that he does and after realizing that Jesus is the Son of Man falls at his feet in worship (9:36-38).<\/p>\n

When we look at the man born blind, what might he teach us about discipleship? Does he affirm any of the conclusions drawn from previous narratives? First, it is interesting to see that even before expressing faith in Christ, the Pharisees identify the man as one of Jesus\u2019 disciples (9:28). What is it that the man is doing that convinces them that he must be one of Jesus\u2019 followers? The only thing that makes sense is that the man was bearing witness to Jesus<\/em>. He was telling everyone who wanted to know that it was Jesus who had healed him and that this Jesus was \u201ca prophet\u201d (9:17) and man \u201cfrom God\u201d (9:33). Second, the man clearly placed faith in Jesus<\/em>, not only for his physical healing, but also for his salvation from sin. The man acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of Man and worships him (9:38). Finally, we see something of the consequences for following Christ<\/em>. This is something that has not been unfolded in previous narratives we\u2019ve reviewed. We read in verse 22 that those who confess Jesus as the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. It may be that this man was prepared to accept expulsion from the synagogue and as a result, separation from his community. The man who had been on the fringes of society his entire life was now able to reintegrate as a full member, but he traded this privilege away, so that he might follow Jesus. Jesus had become, or was becoming, his all-surpassing treasure (cf. Matt. 13:44\u201346). Jesus was of more worth to him than being accepted into the life of his community. Not only this, but the man was insulted and called names for his defense of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

Which of these might you find yourself struggling with? The time is coming and has arrived for some in the west to endure hardships for their faithfulness in following after Jesus. Are you willing to follow Jesus even if it means people will think less of you and maybe even persecute you? Could you, like the apostles, rejoice because you have been counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus (Acts 5:41)?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Keith<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Keith Marriner joined LifeSprings in 2009 and serves as executive editor of all IPHC Sunday school curriculum. Prior to that he served at Emmanuel College in a variety of roles, and continues to serve as an adjunct professor in the School of Christian Ministries. He received a B.A. in Christian ministries from Emmanuel College and an M.Div., a Th.M., and an Ed.D. in Christian Education from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Keith resides in Franklin Springs, GA with his wife Jennifer and their two daughters, Cora and Eleanor.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","slim_seo":{"title":"Discipleship in John 9 - IPHC Discipleship Ministries","description":"Today we continue with our look at the theme of discipleship in the Gospel of John. Here we come to the anonymous character of the man born blind in John 9. 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Last time we discussed John 3 and what Jesus\u2019 interaction with Nicodemus contributes to our understanding of discipleship. Now I want us to focus on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Discipleship Ministries"","block_context":{"text":"Discipleship Ministries","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/category\/discipleship-ministries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"discipleship in john 4 copy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2014\/11\/discipleship-in-john-4-copy-727x380.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2014\/11\/discipleship-in-john-4-copy-727x380.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2014\/11\/discipleship-in-john-4-copy-727x380.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2014\/11\/discipleship-in-john-4-copy-727x380.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1110,"url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/2015\/01\/22\/confession-a-devotional-from-youth-pastor-woody-burpo\/","url_meta":{"origin":1470,"position":3},"title":"Confession- a devotional from Youth Pastor Woody Burpo","author":"Kaleigh","date":"January 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Confession is an interesting topic. Everyone is okay with 1 John 1:9 that says, \"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.\" We have become masters of sinning and confessing to God and asking Him to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Discipleship Ministries"","block_context":{"text":"Discipleship Ministries","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/category\/discipleship-ministries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/confession.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/confession.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/confession.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/confession.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1097,"url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/2015\/01\/20\/reworking-the-paradigm-of-discipleship-a-series-by-keith-marriner\/","url_meta":{"origin":1470,"position":4},"title":"Reworking the Paradigm of Discipleship- A series by Keith Marriner","author":"Kaleigh","date":"January 20, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Today I want to take a step back from our study of discipleship in John\u2019s Gospel to reassess the \u201cparadigm of discipleship\u201d that was developed from John 1:35-51. Are there any additional features that should be added to the \u201cparadigm of discipleship\u201d in light of what we find in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Discipleship Ministries"","block_context":{"text":"Discipleship Ministries","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/category\/discipleship-ministries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/paradigm-copy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/paradigm-copy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/paradigm-copy.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/01\/paradigm-copy.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":398,"url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/2014\/08\/26\/what-does-a-disciple-look-like-small-group-discussions-on-what-discipleship-truly-means\/","url_meta":{"origin":1470,"position":5},"title":"What Does a Disciple Look Like- small group discussions on what discipleship truly means","author":"Kaleigh","date":"August 26, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This post is part two of a series discussing discipleship. 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