I am the...? And you?

Last week's study ended with Jesus hurrying out of the Temple are as the people tried to stone him. Another of those heretical "I am"s had provoked the crowd. But now a quieter "I am the..." is about to be repeated. So we're starting this week's study with coffee (for coffee break) and a quick look at the seven "I am the..."s. I wonder what we'd come up with if someone asked us to describe ourselves with seven "I am the..." or maybe "I am a..." statements?

(59) Light of the World, revisited

So… who is Jesus? They’ve just chased Jesus out of the Temple for saying “I am,” and now he’s about to repeat one of the great “I am the…” statements. Did you notice last week that John lists 7 signs. He also lists 7 “I am the…”s:

1.       The Bread of Life John 6:25

2.       The Light of the world John 8:12

3.       The door John 10:9

4.       The Good shepherd John 10:11

5.       The Resurrection and the Life John 11:25-26

6.       The Way, the Truth and the Life John 14:6 and

7.       The Vine John 15:5

How meaningful have you found the separate statements? Which one has felt the most powerful to you? And how might you describe yourself?

As Jesus escapes from the Temple, where the authorities are about to stone him (John 8:59), he meets up with his disciples (still here for the end of the festival) and they see a blind man—not surprising near the Temple as beggars would gather there.

1.       Read John 9:1-2 Do we ever ask “whose sin caused this tragedy?” Do we ever hear people try to answer it? Who do they usually blame?

2.       Read John 9:3 Is Jesus really saying the man was blinded just so God could make a point? What do you think he is saying?

3.       Read John 9:4-5 Day and night, light and dark, are particularly poignant with reference to a blind man. How poignant are they with reference to the people Jesus has just spoken with? With reference to our world?

4.       If no one can work in the night, and if Jesus’ death will be the night, how did miracles continue? (Some argue that they only continued briefly for a particular purpose then stopped. What do you think?)

5.       Why might Jesus repeat his “light of the world” statement here? What does “light of the world” mean to you?

6.       Read John 9:6-7 What steps does the blind man have to take? What steps do we have to take as believers?

This story doesn’t stop at healing. The blind man received physical sight, but also increasing spiritual sight. Meanwhile Jesus’ detractors dig deeper holes for themselves.

1.       Read John 9:8-12 John tells us there were lots of witnesses to this healing. What do friends and neighbors want to know? What do our friends and neighbors want to know?

2.       Read John 9:13-17 What seems to be most important to the Pharisees? How easily do we pick on the wrong things to worry about?

3.       How has the once-blind man’s answer changed? Why? When or how have you seen your spiritual sight increase?

4.       Read John 9:18-23 Jesus has just said, in the Temple, that his father witnesses to him. Now they call the blind man’s parents to witness, but they’re afraid to contradict anything the Pharisees say, since the Pharisees control the synagogue. Are there occasions when we’re afraid to speak, or people we’re afraid to contradict?

5.       Read John 9:24-34  What details make this sound like an eye-witness account?

6.       Are we supposed to ask if anyone might have healed blindness before, or to rejoice with the news of healing?

7.       Read John 9:35-38 What has happened to the man’s spiritual sight?

8.       Read John 9:39-41 Can you paraphrase what Jesus says?

9.       How tempting is it to think we know and see more than we really do?