October 24 - Sight for the Blind, Safety in the Shepherd
SCRIPTURE READING:
John 9-10
SCRIPTURE:
John 9
¹ And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
² And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
³ Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
⁴ I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
⁶ When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
⁷ And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
⁸ The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
⁹ Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.
¹⁰ Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
¹¹ He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.
¹² Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
¹³ They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.
¹⁴ And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
¹⁵ Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.
¹⁶ Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
¹⁷ They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.
¹⁸ But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.
¹⁹ And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see?
²⁰ His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
²¹ But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
²² These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
²³ Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.
²⁴ Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.
²⁵ He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
²⁶ Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?
²⁷ He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?
²⁸ Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples.
²⁹ We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.
³⁰ The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.
³¹ Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
³² Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
³³ If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
³⁴ They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
³⁵ Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
³⁶ He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
³⁷ And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
³⁸ And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
³⁹ And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
⁴⁰ And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
⁴¹ Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
John 10
¹ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
² But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
³ To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
⁴ And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
⁵ And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
⁶ This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
⁷ Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
⁸ All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
⁹ I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
¹⁰ The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
¹¹ I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
¹² But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
¹³ The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
¹⁴ I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
¹⁵ As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
¹⁶ And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
¹⁷ Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
¹⁸ No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
¹⁹ There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.
²⁰ And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
²¹ Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
²² And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
²³ And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.
²⁴ Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
²⁵ Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
²⁶ But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
²⁸ And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
²⁹ My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
³⁰ I and my Father are one.
³¹ Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
³² Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
³³ The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
³⁴ Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
³⁵ If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
³⁶ Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
³⁷ If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
³⁸ But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
³⁹ Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,
⁴⁰ And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.
⁴¹ And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.
⁴² And many believed on him there.
DEVOTIONAL:
John 9 opens with a question that exposes a common but dangerous instinct: who sinned so that this man was born blind? Jesus rejects the simplistic equation. Neither the man's sin nor his parents' sin explains his congenital blindness in the way the disciples assume. Scripture recognizes that suffering exists in a fallen world without allowing us to assign specific guilt whenever someone suffers. Jesus redirects attention from speculative blame toward the works of God. The chapter then becomes an enacted contrast between a man receiving sight and religious leaders becoming more determined not to see.
The healed man's understanding of Jesus grows through interrogation. At first he speaks of 'a man that is called Jesus.' Later he calls Him a prophet, defends the undeniable work God has done, and finally confesses faith in the Son of God and worships Him. Opposition does not erase his testimony; it clarifies it. 'One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.' His witness is modest but firm. He does not pretend to answer everything, yet he refuses to surrender what he truly knows.
The chapter's conflict flows directly into Jesus' shepherd discourse. Religious authorities have cast the healed man out, but Jesus finds him. Then Jesus speaks of the true shepherd whose sheep know His voice, the door through which salvation and pasture are found, and the hireling who abandons the flock when danger appears. The contrast is pastoral and theological. Jesus does not exploit sheep to protect Himself. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. Leadership under Christ must therefore be measured by sacrificial care, not merely position or institutional authority.
Jesus also speaks of other sheep who are not of this fold and of one flock under one shepherd. Within John's Gospel and the wider New Testament, this points toward the gathering of people beyond the immediate Jewish fold through the Messiah. The image should not be used to erase Israel; Jesus Himself is Israel's Messiah, and the mission to the nations fulfills the widening promise of God. The unity of the flock depends on hearing the Shepherd's voice, not on ethnic contempt or human uniformity.
The setting later shifts to the Feast of Dedication, known as Hanukkah, in Jerusalem. There Jesus declares that His sheep hear His voice, receive eternal life, and cannot be snatched from His hand. He then says, 'I and my Father are one.' The security of the sheep rests on the unity and power of Father and Son. Christian assurance is therefore not confidence in our grip on Christ but confidence in His faithful grasp of His people. The Shepherd who lays down His life also takes it again; His sheep are safe because salvation rests in Him.
In daily life, In daily life, stop using suffering as permission to speculate about hidden guilt. When someone is hurting, compassion and presence are usually more faithful than confident explanations God has not given. If your testimony feels unimpressive, learn from the healed man: state clearly what Christ has done and do not pretend to know what you do not know. In church, evaluate leadership by whether shepherds know, feed, protect, and sacrifice for people rather than treating them as resources. In family life, teach children to recognize Jesus' voice through Scripture so they are less vulnerable to persuasive strangers. When assurance weakens, look away from the strength of your grip and toward the Shepherd's promise.
In U.S. civic life, In U.S. civic life, the virtue arising from John 9-10 is protective leadership that refuses blame-shifting. Pray for leaders of schools, churches, businesses, agencies, and families to care for people rather than use them and to resist scapegoating the vulnerable when systems fail. Christians should show up in public life defending people from exploitation and speaking truth with the measured confidence of witnesses rather than the arrogance of people who claim to know every hidden cause.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What mistake about suffering do the disciples make in John 9, and how does Jesus redirect the question?
How does the healed man's understanding of Jesus develop as he is questioned and opposed?
What qualities distinguish the Good Shepherd from the hireling, and how should those qualities shape Christian leadership?
How does Jesus ground the security of His sheep in the relationship between Himself and the Father?
PRAYER:
ADORATION:
Good Shepherd, we praise You as the Light of the world, the One who finds the rejected, opens blind eyes, lays down His life, and keeps His sheep in perfect fellowship with the Father.
CONFESSION:
Forgive our quick blame, spiritual arrogance, and tendency to use people rather than shepherd them. Forgive us for doubting Your grip because we are conscious of our own weakness.
THANKSGIVING:
Thank You for finding those others cast out, for giving sight, for calling Your sheep by name, and for eternal life that rests in the hands of the Father and the Son.
SUPPLICATION – GENERAL:
Make us compassionate in suffering, honest in testimony, discerning about voices, and sacrificial in leadership. Strengthen believers who feel rejected or insecure with the Shepherd's promise.
SUPPLICATION – U.S. / CIVIC:
Give our institutions leaders who protect rather than exploit and who accept responsibility rather than scapegoat the weak. Help Christians defend human dignity and speak with humility about causes they cannot truly know.
SCRIPTURE:
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. — John 10:27