“Amazing Grace: How Sweet The Sight!” | John 9:13-41 Bible Study

First streamed on 1.11.23. First posted on 1.14.23. 

This study is largely based on a previous sermon on John 9:13-41.

• Introduction
• Context
• Bible Study Audio
• Bible Study Video
• Live Stream Recording
• Bible Study Slideshow
• Conclusion
• Bibliography

Introduction

Are you glad about God’s amazing grace? Are you grateful to our amazing, gracious God?

Amazing Grace – how sweet the sound – That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost but now I’m found, Was blind but now I see.

You know, “Amazing Grace” is likely the most famous hymn in history.¹ But what does it mean? What does it mean to sing “was blind but now I see”?

Well, as we’ll see, that’s what the once blind man said after he comes into contact with Christ (Jn 9:25). And Jesus helps him gain not only physical eyesight, but spiritual insight.

And, you know, a lot of people have eyesight but need insight. We often focus more on the physical; we need more time spent on the spiritual.

For the physical is fading, but the spiritual is forever.

But people love to live in the moment because we’re spiritually near-sighted.

Anybody out there physically near-sighted? I know I am. I’m blind as a bat.

Anyone out there wear contacts? How about glasses? Likely most of us, right?

I wear glasses after I take my contacts out before bed (that is, if I don’t fall asleep in them).

But can anyone else relate to the morning struggle that is trying to find your glasses when you’re blind?

Maybe they fell off the nightstand and you have to feel around for them. Maybe they fell between the headboard and the mattress. Maybe they’re underneath the bed.

But I be looking for the things that help me see better, but I need to be able to see better to look for those things. It’s a Catch-22 since I can’t see 20/20! I see like 20/120.

That said, many people are in this same predicament spiritually. Many are seeking something that will help them see better, but they need to see better to seek. It’s hard to find when you’re blind.

Like nearsighted people with no glasses, we’ll fumble around this dark world looking for direction. But Jesus is the light of the world (Jn 8:12).

Earlier in John 8:12, it says:

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (Jn 8:12, NIV)²

Jesus can give us spiritual illumination so we can navigate the roads of life – until we go up that heavenly highway.

Now how many of y’all would feel comfortable driving without your glasses or contacts? I know I wouldn’t. That’s an accident waiting to happen.

Well, driving on the roads of life without Jesus is an accident waiting to happen.

And once we’ve had contact with Christ, we ought to look at life through Christian contacts.

Context

Now at the beginning of chapter 9, Jesus sees a man who was blind from birth (Jn 9:1). Then, he spits in the dirt, makes some mud with the spit, and puts the dirty spit on the guy’s eyes (Jn 9:6).

Now, last time, in our study of Mark 7:31-37, we saw how it seems like Jesus heals a deaf and mute man by putting spit on the man’s tongue and in the man’s ears.

We know that Christ can work wonders – even with a wet willy!

As we’ve said, when it comes to healing, we never have to wonder, “can He”? The question is, “will-He” (willy)? And we pray that the Lord’s will will be done.

In any case, as we’ve said, Jesus is not merely concerned with physical health, but spiritual health. Physical healing is temporary; spiritual healing is eternal.

And, the healing of the deaf and dumb man points to how Jesus can heal those who are spiritually dumb and deaf.

You see, we need to allow Christ to help us to hear better, so we can speak better. As we’ve said, we need to make a New Ears Resolution.

Now after putting the dirty spit on the blind man’s face, Jesus tells him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. And when he comes back from the pool, he can see.

Jesus has given the man physical eyesight. But by the end of this episode, Jesus will give him something better – spiritual insight.

Now, as you can imagine, when the man’s homies see that he can see, they go to him to see just what had happened. The man has gained one of his senses, and his friends just have to see the sensation.

And at first, they don’t even believe it was him. They’re like: Nah this can’t be the same man who was born blind – just someone who looks like him. (Jn 9:8-9).

Is there anybody out there whom Jesus has changed so much… that your old friends wouldn’t be able to tell it was you? Does anyone look different – since Jesus came into your heart?

You see, when you turn to the cross and the crown, you can be lost and then found. Pick you up turn you around, place your feet on solid ground.

You know, my Aunt Sandy sings that song, “I moved from my old house, and I moved from my old friends, and I moved from my old way of strife[1]… Thank God I moved out… to a brand new life”.[2]

“Oh, oh, oh, can’t you see?! Can’t you see I’m a new man?” The song says, can’t you see I’m a new man? There’s been a visible change.

But how can we say, “Jesus changed my life”, if we still live exactly the same? Still talk that same talk? Still walk that same walk? Still lookin’ the same? Still lookin at life the same?

But, you see, Jesus will make you see things differently. You’ll start to look at life through the lens of the Lord. You’ll start to watch this world through the window of His word.

And when you respect it, you get a new perspective.

And when you recognize Christ is Lord, your friends might not recognize you.

But at this point, the once blind man has really never seen Jesus. His homies ask him how it happened and he explains as best he can.

In John 9:11, it says:

He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” (Jn 9:11, NIV)

And after that, they’re like: Well where is this Jesus? Where is this man?

And he’s like: I don’t know [Jn 9:12] I was blind yesterday!

[1] https://www.lyreka.com/song/olivia-branch-walker-new-life-lyrics

[2] http://www.allgospellyrics.com/?sec=listing&lyricid=2121

Bible Study Audio

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Bible Study Video

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Live Stream Recording

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Bible Study Slideshow

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1-11-23 BIble Study Slides John 9_13-41

Conclusion

In conclusion, the healing of the blind man in John 9 inspired the famous words from what is likely the most famous hymn in history.³ And as we know, for the majority of Black History, black people have been in slavery.

Well the author of the hymn “Amazing Grace” is none other than a brother named John Newton.⁴ And I call him a “brother” not because he was black, but because he was a blood-brother through the blood of Jesus Christ. Not all kinfolk is skinfolk.

John Newton was a White, 18^th Christian preacher, teacher, and songwriter.⁵ But before that, he was the captain of many slave ships.⁶ Yes, John Newton was a slave trader.⁷

And as we’ve discussed in Bible Study, in the Old Testament, breaking the Eighth Commandment by stealing people and selling them into slavery was a capital crime (Ex 21:16, ESV; Dt 24:7).

And even in the New Testament, we read in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin of death – but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus – our Savior.

Justice demanded that we should die. But Jesus paid all the cost when He was slayed on the cross.

And after John Newton truly gave His life to the Savior, his occupation made him sick. He never could forget the horrors he took part in.⁸ No wonder, in his hymn, he calls himself a “wretch”.

But, you see, Jesus will make you see things differently. You’ll start to look at life through the lens of the Lord. You’ll start to watch this world through the window of His word.

And when you respect it you get a new perspective. We can’t continue to walk in darkness once we’ve seen the light.

As we’ve seen, Christ can give physical eyesight and spiritual insight. And once we’ve had contact with Christ, we ought to look at life through Christian contacts.

You know, amazing grace turned that slave trader into an abolitionist.⁹ Amazing grace turned Paul the persecutor (Ac 9:1f.; Php 3:6) into a prolific preacher (Ac 9:20f.).

Amazing grace turned fishermen into fishers of men (Mk 1:16-20). And Amazing grace can still turn sinners into a saints.

Amazing grace — how sweet the sight – That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now I’m found, Was blind but now I see.

May the LORD bless you and keep you.

Bibliography

• Abbott, Edwin A. Johannine Vocabulary: A Comparison of the Words of the Fourth Gospel with Those of the Three. London: Adam and Charles Black, 1905.
• Abbott, Edwin A. Johannine Grammar. London: Adam and Charles Black, 1906.
• Arndt, William, Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, and F. Wilbur Gingrich. In A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. [BDAG]
• Balz, Horst Robert, and Gerhard Schneider. In Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1990–. [EDNT]
• Black, David Alan. It’s Still Greek to Me: An Easy-to-Understand Guide to Intermediate Greek. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998.
• Burton, Ernest De Witt. Syntax of the Moods and Tenses in New Testament Greek. 3rd ed. Edinburg: T&T Clark, 1898.

• Cross, F. L., and Elizabeth A. Livingstone, eds. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford;  New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. [ODCC]

• Galli, Mark, and Ted Olsen. In 131 Christians Everyone Should Know. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000.

• Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Second Edition. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2014.[IVP]
• Kruse, Colin G. John: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 4. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003.
• Long, Fredrick J. Kairos: A Beginning Greek Grammar. Mishawaka, IN: Fredrick J. Long, 2005.
• Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. In Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996. [LN]
• Newman, Barclay Moon, and Eugene Albert Nida. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies, 1993. [UBS]
• Mounce, Robert H. “John.” In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition), edited by Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland, Vol. 10. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007.
• Porter, Stanley E. Idioms of the Greek New Testament. Sheffield: JSOT, 1999.
• Robertson, A. T. A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research. Logos Bible Software, 2006.
• Robertson, A. T. A Short Grammar of the Greek New Testament, for Students Familiar with the Elements of Greek. New York: Hodder & Stoughton, 1908.
• Silva, MoisÈs, ed. In New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Vol. 1–5. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014. [NIDNTTE]
• Wallace, Daniel B. Greek Grammar beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996.
• Waltke, Bruce K. The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 15–31. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2005.
• Turner, David. “Dr. David Turner, Gospel of John, Session 11 — John 9:1-41”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzGk_9DfYLM
• Zerwick, Max. Biblical Greek Illustrated by Examples. English ed., adapted from the fourth Latin ed. Vol. 114. Scripta Pontificii Instituti Biblici. Rome: Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 1963.