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John
9:1-41
With thanks to page sponsor:
Seeds of Shalom:
Reflections on Theology, Ecology,
and Integrated Health
by Daniel G. Deffenbaugh,
author of Learning the Language of the Fields:
Tilling and Keeping as Christian Vocation
(Cowley, 2006).
(Feb 0809)
 | Reading the Text:
|
| Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
 | The
Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto. |
| Comparative World Scriptures from United
Communities of Spirit:
|
| Comparative texts about Sacred
Days and Seasons (inc Sabbath) from DSS, Mishnah, Babylonian Talmud, etc.
Primary comparative texts of Rabbinic Wisdom (inc Sabbath and
Passover restrictions) from Mahlon H. Smith's Into
His Own: Perspective on the World of Jesus, Rutgers University. |
|
"The World's Light," The Jesus Database, an online annotated inventory of
the traditions concerning the life and teachings of Jesus. Dr. Gregory C.
Jenks, FaithFutures Foundation. |
|
XXXVI.10-47;
XXXVII.1-3;
Tatian's
Diatessaron
(c. 150-160). |
|
II.XVII.9,
V.XIII.1,
V.XV.2, 3, Adversus
Haereses,
Irenaeus of Lyons.
(c. 180) |
|
Chapter
XXII,
Chapter
XXIII, Against Praxeas,
Tertullian
(c. 213) |
|
V.IV, The
Refutation of all Heresies (Philosophumena),
Hippolytus of Rome.
(c. 225) |
|
I.5,
I.24, Commentary
on the Gospel of John,
Origen.
(c.228) |
|
VII.XXXIX, Against
Celsus,
Origen.
(c.246) |
|
Epistle LXIII
--
Cyprian of Carthage (c.
253) |
|
Epistle LXIX
--
Cyprian of Carthage (c.
255) |
|
Epistle LXVII
--
Cyprian of Carthage (c.
257) |
|
Part
38, On the Incarnation of the Word,
Athanasius of Alexandria, c. 318. |
| From Augustine's Tractates on John:
Tractate XLIV
(Chapter 9). |
| From the Geneva Notes.
 | "Religion is assaulted most by the
pretence of religion: but the more it is pressed down, the more it rises
up." |
|
| From
Matthew
Henry's Commentary.
| "This poor man could not see Christ,
but Christ saw him. And if we know or apprehend anything of Christ, it is
because we were first known of him." |
|
| From
Wesley's Notes.
| "So had God opened the eyes of his
understanding, as well as his bodily eyes." |
|
| From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871). |
| From The People's
New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
| "We are not justified in asserting that
the sufferer is a sinner." |
|
|
| Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
|
Commentary,
John 9:1-41, Karoline Lewis, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org,
2008. |
|
"First
Thoughts on Year A Gospel Passages in the Lectionary:
Lent 4,"
William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
| "Obsession with observance is a
characteristic of religion which makes it very dangerous, as many forms of
fundamentalism have shown, not least the recent most violent. Such
rigidity at the expense of people is not, however, limited to certain
widely acknowledged types, but can flourish on both the left wing and the
right, among the biblicists and among those serving other ideologies." |
|
|
Comments
(commentary) and
Clippings
(technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican
Diocese of Montreal. |
|
"Jesus and the Man Born Blind,"
Gospel Analysis, Sermons from
Seattle, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle,
Washington. Detailed background and exegesis.
| "The Pharisees had their blind
spots and we too have personal blind spots." |
|
|
Dylan's Lectionary Blog,
Lent 4. Biblical Scholar
Sarah Dylan Breuer looks at readings for the coming Sunday in the lectionary
of the Episcopal Church, 2005.
|
"We cannot be light to the world until we can see that light in the
eyes of beggars in our town and in our global village, welcoming
that light as Christ's presence among us and receiving each bearer
as a neighbor, a brother or sister with a face and a name." |
|
|
Exegesis, vanThanh Nguyen, Lectionary Homiletics sample.
| "...as disciples of Christ, we
too are called to perform the works of God (v. 4), so that the glory
of God might be revealed in order to help others discover their
spiritual sight." |
|
|
"Things Done in the Dark," Paul Bellan-Boyer, I heard of a city
called Heaven.
| "Yes, we already know quite
enough about darkness. The problem is when we walk in darkness, when
we’re accustomed to it, we need the light to show us the way out." |
|
|
"Third Sunday in Lent: John 9:1-41,"
New Sight, New Life: Lenten Gospels, Gracia Grindal,
Word & World: Theology for Christian Ministry, Luther
Northwestern Theological School, 1996. |
|
"Discipleship in John: Four Profiles," Mark F. Whitters,
Word & World: Theology for Christian Ministry, Volume XVIII,
Number 4, Luther Northwestern Theological School, 1998.
| "Reviewing
Jesus' encounter with four potential disciples in John's Gospel can help
us understand our own discipleship -- potential and real." |
|
|
"The Gift of True Sight," Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Catholic
Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's Story, Family
Activity, Support Materials.
| "Have you ever played a game with a
blindfold? Or, have you ever been on a trust walk, where you are
blindfolded and led by another person?" |
|
|
"Exegetical Considerations:
Lent 4,"
Richard Carlson, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Using Greek
for Sunday Text Preparations.
| "How did the religious leaders make
themselves blind to divine grace in action by their clinging to their
doctrines?" |
|
|
Exegetical Notes
by Brian Stoffregen at CrossMarks Christian Resources.
| "It has been suggested that the origins
of denominations occurred when the healed blind men met each other." |
|
|
"Acknowledgment,"
Richard Lischer. Commentary from The Christian Century's
"Living by the Word," March, 1999. At Religion Online.
| "He was brimming with joy, but
I was sulking. Why? Because spiritual renewal is wonderful as long
as it occurs within acceptable, usually mainline, channels and does
not threaten my understanding of God." |
|
|
"Coping
in Jesus' Absence," Fred B. Craddock. Commentary from The
Christian Century, March, 1990. At Religion Online.
| "Those who preach faith as the
cessation of pain, suffering, poverty, restless nights and turbulent
days are offering false comfort." |
|
|
"That God
Might Be Glorified," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible
Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed
textual notes. |
|
"The Blind Boy's
Neighbor,"
Sarah M. Foulger,
Stirred by the Light
- Voices of Lent. |
|
"'One
Thing Do Know, That Though I Was Blind, Now I See,"
Jerry Goebel, One
Family Outreach. "Focus on scripture from a justice perspective." Exegesis, study, and teen study
and activities.
| "Two types of healing occurred in
this man’s life at the same time. He was healed of physical
blindness and perceptual blindness. He saw and took heed. Other’s
saw too – but they didn’t “take heed.” They remained blind to the
healing and the healer. " |
|
|
"Light," Frederick J. Streets, The Christian Century, 1993.
| "God's light can be given to us in any
condition that we find ourselves. The invitation in this text is to
recognize God's light in Jesus Christ." |
|
| "The
Light of the World (John 9)," by Robert Deffinbaugh at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
| "Our Lord came not only to deal with
the symptom of suffering, but its root, which is sin." |
|
|
Commentary
by Hall Harris at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
| "The blind man received sight
physically; this led him to see spiritually as well. But the Pharisees,
who claimed to possess spiritual sight, are spiritually blinded." |
|
| Lectionary
Commentary and Preaching Paths (Lent A4), by Jirair Tashjian, at The
Christian Resource Institute.
| "There is no suggestion here that we
believe uncritically anything that comes along. On the other hand,
humility in the presence of God’s mysterious ways is a proper attitude to
have." |
|
| "Behold
My Servant," David L. Roth, in Kerux: The Online Journal of
Biblical Theology (Reformed).
| "John 9, then, is about this light. It
is about Jesus–light sent from the Father. It is about Jesus whose life is
the light of men. And I suppose John 9 is about darkness too. At least in
so far as the failure of the darkness is concerned. The failure of the
darkness to comprehend (or "overpower") the light." |
|
|
| Articles & Background:
|
"Jesus as Healer," John J. Pilch,
(other resources at)
"Health," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian
Ethics at Baylor University, 2007.
| "As a folk healer, Jesus restored meaning to
people’s lives...Are we engaged in
life-giving or death-dealing deeds? Are we restoring meaning to
life, or robbing it of the meaning intended by the Creator?" |
|
|
"Rethinking John's
Social Setting: Hidden Transcript, Anti-language, and the Negotiation of the
Empire," David Reed, Biblical Theology Bulletin, 2006. |
|
"Healing the Blind and the Sighted: Biblical Images Particularly John 9 and
21st Century Implications," Katherine Schneider, PhD, Queen: A
Journal of Rhetoric and Power.
| "The images of the blind in the New Testament have
stigmatized and made ill the very people that the stories discussed
curing. This paper considers, from a blind woman psychologist's
perspective, ways to revision these images to heal both the blind
individual and the faith community." |
|
|
"The Eighth Day," David
B. Capes, (other resources at)
"Sabbath," Christian Reflection, 2006.
| "When they celebrated Sunday
as 'the eighth day,' early Christian signaled that God's new
creation had begun in the resurrection of Jesus Christ." |
|
| "Miracles,
In Other Words: Social Science Perspectives on Healings," Jerome H. Neyrey,
University of Notre Dame, 1995.
| "...we should attend to the
institution in which the healing takes place, either kinship or politics. What roles does
the family have in an illness? How are they socially and economically affected? What role
do they play in the seeking of a cure? What costs do they pay or debts to they incur? What
if the healing occurs in the political realm, even if this is a healing shrine such as the
temple of Asclepius at Epidaurus? Healings, moreover, might have important political
implications, for "prophets" arose, echoing themes of liberation and freedom.
The political significance of the account of the healing by the Jewish Eleazar before the
emperor Vespasian and his retinue should not be discounted (Josephus. Ant.
8.45-48)." |
|
|
"Magic, Miracles, and The Gospel," L. Michael White. PBS From
Jesus to Christ.
| "Probably in some ways, and more than any other
issue within the development of early Christianity and the gospels
tradition, miracles present one of the problematic areas." |
|
|
"The True Meaning of
John 9:3-4," J. Duncan Derret,
Filologia Neotestamentaria,
2003.
| "In
Jn 9:5 the relative negative coupled with an ellipsis before
i3na reveal that Jesus did not deny
hereditary sin or reincarnation in a specific 'test
case'." |
|
| "John
9: Historical Intertexture," from "Examples of Socio-Rhetorical
Interpretation in John," at Dr. Vernon K. Robbins' Encyclopedia of
Socio-Rhetorical Interpretation.
| "Beginning with careful analysis
of the drama that unfolds in seven scenes in John 9, Martyn gathered information in
support of the view that the three statements about exclusion from the synagogue in John
9.22; 12.42; and 16.2a exhibit a historical event of recent occurrence in early
Christianity." |
|
|
"The
Disabled God," Burton Cooper, Louisville Presbyterian
Theological Seminary. Theology Today 1992.
| "I have learned some things
from listening to Christians with disabilities, and I am persuaded
that by thinking of God as disabled-metaphorically, of course-we can
deepen our understanding of the nature of God's creative and
redemptive love." |
|
|
| Articles in
ATLAS Journals. (Direct link when you are
subscribed and logged in to
ATLASerials online collection of Religion and Theology Journals.):
| Cooper, Burton,
"The Disabled God," Theology Today, 1992.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Craddock, Fred B.,
"Coping in Jesus' Absence," The Christian Century, 1990.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Farmer, David
Albert, "John 9," Interpretation, 1996.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Grigsby, Bruce,
"Washing in the Pool of Siloam -- A Thematic Anticipation of the
Johannine Cross," Novum Testamentum, 1985.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Grindal, Gracia, "New Sight, New
Life: Lenten Gospels," Word & World, 1996.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Howard, James M.,
"The Significance of Minor Characters in the Gospel of John,"
Bibliotheca Sacra, 2006. (see section beginning on page 73)
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Lischer, Richard,
"Acknowledgment," The Christian Century, 1999.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Painter, John,
"John 9 and the Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel," Journal for the
Study of the New Testament, 1986.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Ringe, Sharon H., "'Holy, as the Lord Your God Commanded You," Sabbath in the New
Testament," Interpretation, 2005. (See also
entire issue of
Interpretation devoted to Sabbath, 2005.)
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Ross-Gotta,
Loretta F., "The Man Born Blind," Theology Today, 1982. (Poetry)
Image Browse-
PDF |
| Staley, Jeffrey L.,
"Stumbling in the Dark, Reaching for the Light: Reading Character in John 5
and 9," Semeia, 1991.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Streets, Frederick
J., "Light," The Christian Century, 1993.
Image Browse-
PDF |
| Taylor, Barbara
Brown, "Willing to Believe," The Christian Century, 1996.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Thatcher, Tom,
"The Sabbath Trick: Unstable Irony in the Fourth Gospel," Journal for
the Study of the New Testament, 1999.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Whitters, Mark F.,
"Discipleship in John: Four Profiles," Word & World, 1998.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Wynn, Kerry H., "Johannine
Healings and the Otherness of Disability," Perspectives in Religious
Studies, 2007.
Image Browse -
PDF |
|
| Reviews: |
| Sermons:
|
"In the Presence of the Master,"
Mental Health & Disabilities Program, Mennonite
Central Committee, Canada. |
|
"There
Was a Man Born Blind," the Very Rev. Samuel G. Candler, Day 1,
2008. |
|
"Opening eyes to the Possibilities," Jan Trammell-Savin,
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, 2005. |
|
"Compassionate Perception," Rev. Sarah Buteux, Cambridge Swedenborg
Chapel, Cambridge, MA. |
|
"Poirot or
Corot: On Asking the Right Questions," J. Barrie Shepherd, 2003.
Covenant Network of Presbyterians. |
|
"Seeing Is
Believing," the Rev. J. Barrie Shepherd, 2004.
Covenant Network of
Presbyterians. |
|
"Blindness," Pastor Edward F.
Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle,
Washington - Sermons from Seattle. |
|
"What the
Christian Community Can Offer a Polarized Society," The Very Reverend
Nathan D. Baxter, Dean of Washington National Cathedral, 1995.
30 Good
Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club. |
|
"A Blind Man,"
John Jewell,
1999. |
|
"Seeing Again for
the Very First Time," John
Jewell, 2002. |
|
"The Work We Are
Sent To Do," the Rev. Dr. James Forbes, Jr., Riverside Church, New York
City, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 1999. |
|
"Seeing
and Hearing," (John 9:39-41), Paul Tillich. From The New Being (1955),
at Religion OnLine. |
| Father Andrew M. Greeley, "Priest, Author, Sociologist":
|
|
| With Children:
|
"Jesus Heals
the Sick," Illustrating the Story (lessons, children's sermons),
coloring pages, activity sheets, crafts, children's songs. MSSS Crafts. |
|
"To God Be the Glory,"
Charles Kirkpatrick, Sermons4kids.com. |
|
"Jesus Heals a
Blind Man on the Sabbath," Sunday School
Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc. |
|
"Jesus Heals the
Blind Man,"
children's study, puzzles, coloring sheet, etc. Higher Praise Christian
Center. |
|
"Needing Light," Lois Parker Edstrom, Lectionary.org. |
|
Crossword on John 9
& 10, Don Crownover's Bible Puzzles. |
|
Gospel Puzzles,
John 9:1-41, Mark Ryman, edoxy.com. |
|
Jesus
Heals a Blind Man Wordsearch,
Jesus
Performs a Miracle word jumble, sermons4kids.com. |
|
John 9:25,
memory verse activity, MSSS Crafts and Resources for Bible
Stories. |
|
| Drama:
|
| Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
|
Clip Art,
John 9:7, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators. |
|
John
9:1-41, Lectionary Clipart, Hermanoleon
Clipart. |
| Clip Art Images:
John 9:1-41,
Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú. |
|
John 9:1-41, at
Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration.
Liberation emphasis. |
|
John 9:1-41, Liturgical Drawing,
Maria d.c. Zamora,
Claretian Resources, Philippines. ("Download and use
these for free.") |
|
| Hymns and Music:
|
Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate,
David MacGregor. |
|
Hymns with Scripture
Allusions: John 9:4, 25, 31. The Cyber Hymnal. |
|
"Do Good Works,"
TEXT: Mark Ryman (2005) based on John 9:1-41. TUNE: "Dix." New Hymns for the Lectionary. |
| The
Billabong, by Rev Jeff Shrowder, Uniting Church in
Australia: scroll down for hymn suggestions. |
| Hymn selections, (United Methodist)
and more from Hymnsite.com. |
| At Digital Hymnal (midi files, guitar chords, karaoke
files, projection text):
|
|
| Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's
Art Index:
|
| Movies scenes with the following themes,
listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
|
| Study Links and Resources for the
Book of John |
|
