Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind 

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 To view the Leader Guide, click here.

To view a .docx version of this guide, click here.

Introduction 

Last week, we discussed Jesus walking on the water to meet his disciples when they were trapped in a storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee. During this time, we talked about how we can have greater faith in Jesus when we keep our attention on him.

During the “Apply” section last week, everyone was encouraged to write down specific action steps they would work on throughout the week. Take some time to discuss how that went with the group. 

This week, we will be discussing the story of Jesus healing a man born blind and the reaction of the surrounding people and Pharisees to this miracle.

First, begin your meeting in prayer for God’s blessing over this time with your group. 

Connect  

• What is more important: a willingness to learn or applying what you know? 
• Would you rather discover something new in the world, or realize you were wrong about something you thought you knew 
  • Why would you rather do this? What’s the difference between the two? 

Opening Thought 

We all have times when we feel sure about what we know, but sometimes the truth is bigger than what we can see right away. Our understanding can feel limited, like we’re only seeing part of the picture. God offers us a new way of seeing—one that goes beyond what we can understand on our own. When we trust in His wisdom, our perspective grows, and we can move from what we think we know to the way that Jesus is calling us to live.  

This leads us to our main idea for this week:  

Main Idea for the Week

We can see clearly when we trust in Jesus more than our own understanding. 

Here’s where we are this week 

Jesus is in the middle of his ministry and has been performing miracles consistently wherever he goes. As a result, his reputation with the Jewish people is growing, as well as friction with the Jewish religious leaders (the Pharisees and Sadducees specifically). The religious leaders are upset with Jesus because his teachings, in their perspective, seem to be going against what they believe is the true way to follow God, specifically  Jesus’ willingness to heal people on the Sabbath–the Jewish people’s day of rest from any activity that could be seen as “work” to focus on God. Jesus, meanwhile, is trying to usher people to know him, follow his teachings, and to live how he lives so they can understand what it means to live a life of true worship to God.  

Unpack 

There are longer sections of verses to read than normal this week to cover the entire story we are discussing.  

Read each set of verses out loud as a group, making observations as you go. Afterward discuss each of the connected questions before moving to the next set of verses: 

Read  

John 9:1-14 

Unpack 

• Why do you think the people’s immediate response to this miracle was disbelief? 
  • How would you react if you witnessed the events of this story as a bystander?  
    • Why do you think people feel they need to physically experience or see God’s changes to the world to have faith in him? 

Read  

John 9:15-34 

Unpack 

• Why do you think the Pharisees respond to Jesus healing the blind man in the way they do? Why would they not share in his excitement? 
  • Why do you think the Pharisees were so stuck in their beliefs about the Sabbath when something miraculous was happening right in front of them? 
  • When have you been more interested in principles or what’s “right” than sharing in a person’s joy? 
• What can we learn from the parents’ interaction with the pharisees? 
• What do you think this interaction between the blind man and the Pharisees teaches about being open to God working in ways we might not understand?  
  • How do you try to live a life of openness in the way you follow Jesus? 
    • How do you determine what the voice of God is saying vs. what our world and society is trying to tell us?  
    • How do you think we should respond to people who demand we believe in ways that go against the teachings of Jesus? 
• How does the blind man getting thrown out of the synagogue reflect the cost of following Jesus? 

Read  

John 9:35-41 

Unpack 

• What does Jesus’ statement that he came to “show those that think they can see that they are blind” explain about the Pharisees?  
  • Why were they spiritually blind? 
  • What are the ways in which you find yourself most often being spiritually blind in your life? 
• What is the significance of the man not caring about Jesus’ background when the pharisees only cared about it?  
  • Why do you think the pharisees viewed who was sinful and who was not by their status or education? 
    • How do people judge other based on their status or place in life? Why do you think we do this? 

In John 9:41, Jesus tells the Pharisees that being blind isn’t their problem–being blind and saying they are not is their problem.  

• Why is denying there is a problem worse than knowing there is a problem?  
  • When have you fallen into the trap of believing you don’t have a problem? How do we stay away from this pitfall? 

Apply 

Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group to decide what your personal action steps for the week can be: 

• What will you do to keep yourself from spiritual blindness from now on?  
  • How will you change your view on those you normally (intentionally or unintentionally) judge? How will you match your interactions with these people to your beliefs? 
• What is one practical step you will take this week to act on what you believe and not just know what you believe? 
• How can we as a group be an encouragement to each other to stay away from spiritual blindness? How will we keep each other accountable to not become an obstacle?  

Closing 

Read the first section to your group, then read the verse out loud to the group, and finally, move to the Prayer and Verses section: 

God invites us to see beyond the things we think we know and trust in His wisdom. When we allow ourselves to be open to his guidance, our perspective shifts, and we begin to align more with the life Jesus calls us to live. It’s not always an easy journey, but each step of trust brings us closer to a fuller, more purposeful life. Let’s carry that truth with us, having confidence that God’s vision for us will lead us to live in a way that great reflects Jesus.  

Prayer and Verses 

Ask for prayer requests and conclude your time with prayer then share the Key Verse for the Week and Daily Devotional Verses with the group. 

Thematic Reflection Verse for the Week  

*Read this verse, then encourage the practice of memorization through the week. 

Psalm 119:18 

“Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.” 

**When practiced consistently, memorizing Bible verses can be an important spiritual practice that centers your mind around the truth that God has given us. 

Daily Devotional Verses  

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Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. 

Scripture: Read the verses several times. Reading out loud can be helpful as well. 
Observation: What can you see about the scripture you read? 
Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do, or feel, based on what you have read? 
Prayer: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. 

Day 1: 1 John 5:20 

Day 2: Romans 10:13 

Day 3: Colossians 3:2 

Day 4: John 20:29 

Day 5: Psalm 119:2 

Day 6: James 1:5