John 9 Analysis

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John 9: John 9 contains a story of yet another healing from the hand of Jesus, in what becomes an incredibly similar story to the healed paralytic from John 5. Both stories share a similar setting, and a similar reaction from the Pharisees. We will see the Pharisees be confronted with Jesus ' authority to heal. This chapter contains a discussion regarding blindness, both in the actual, physical sense, as well as the condition on the part of those who are supposed to be directing society in God’s word. By the end of this chapter, Jesus will both heal a blind man, and label the Pharisees as the ones who are actually blind.
9:1-41
The catalyst for Jesus ' healing, in this case, is as a teaching moment for the disciples. They proffer a …show more content…

While Jesus ' sheep recognize his voice (10:27), this group of Judeans certainly does not. Their decision to stone Jesus, in this case, is murder. It brings back to mind their same desire to stone the woman in John 8, but with the cause being one of a theological disagreement (that Jesus could be one with the Father). Once again, Jesus shows himself to not be afraid of proclaiming his relationship with the Father. Jesus is publically declaring himself to be a shepherd, in the temple of Solomon. He is no longer simply explaining a parable to his disciples, rather he is placing himself on the plane of one of the great leaders in Israel. After their rejection of Jesus, he once again escapes. He chooses to spend time with John the Baptist’s disciples, clearly making himself distinct from anyone who thought he might have been a shepherd like …show more content…

In the Synoptic accounts, Jesus has an inner circle of Peter, James, and John. These three disciples often accompany him during more intimate moments of healing and resurrection, and are often major characters in his lessons to the disciples. John seems to highlight the stories of Philip, Nathanial, and Thomas more so than the other three. That being said, these three siblings from Bethany seem to almost replace Peter, James, and John from the Synoptics. While those other gospel accounts focus on those who walked with Jesus, John places an emphasis on those whom he visits (describing them as his closest friends). This makes sense when we consider that the Johannine community would have been writing this account in AD 90 – they themselves were not able to walk with Jesus. Their decision to remove emphasis on the more popular disciples is intentional; it makes the story more relevant for their own

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