God has a master plan for everyone. This is a perfect example of what we should strive for not sinning.

Maranatha!!!!!!!!!!!!

40Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

41Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

i dont know why but i love reading verses like these ones. verse 41 is telling me that if you do not see your own sin you are blind and you ddont wana be blind. verse 39 says that Jesus came down from Heaven to show us the way and make us see the light. Thanks Jesus and Happy Birthday

I really think this is a great mini-example of our lives as Christians. Life will be btter, but not easier. We are/will be outcasts because of our faith. And it’s a decision we have to make for ourselves. HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

One of the most beautiful verses, in my opinion. It really shows the transition from what we used to be, to what we have become in Christ–an amazing act only possible through the redeeming grace which He has provided us.

This verse stuck out to me, because few people have this kind of attitude about Christ. Even if he did come down in the form of man again, I dont think people today would react with this much sincerity. Because of this, we need to make sure we hit home with the gospel through everyone we can. If they dont hear the gospel than they dont have the chance to join us in heaven. Let’s keep up the evangelizing!!!!
____________________________________________________________________
Merry CHRISTmas and MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!

As a Chrisitian I need to try and be more like Christ. Just as He was a light in this world, I also need to be a light in the dark and broken world. I need to bring the hope of Jesus Christ to other people so that they to may repent and become part of the light.

What a great response from the blind man to the Pharisees’ questioning! He boldly proclaims his trust in Jesus who proved he was from the Lord because of his power to heal. I hope in the face of persecution I would have the same courage as the blind man. That I would be able to proclaim the goodness of my Savior.

In saying that God may be displayed through this man’s life is really neat. Because it indeed happened and we can certainly see its truth by the end of the passage. I think of this passage like everyone is born with something special, like maybe they’re great in sports or singing, or maybe they are even blind or deaf, it is how we use these special things that makes a difference. We can use these gifts to glorify God just how the blind was able to share his story with others and was able to display God in his life.

I love this verse. The disciples want to know why the blind man was blind, and why GOD was punishing him. JESUS replies that his ailment was not because of sin, but so that GOD could be glorified. GOD knows what is best for us.

This verse is so cool. Jesus completely and thoroughly explains salvation to the pharisees. It is hard to understand because he uses blind as a symbol of sinful, but broken down it explains salvation. If a person admits they have sin, then they would not be guilty of sin, which means they would go to Heaven. If a person admits they are a sinner, then they are saved. But, if a sinner claims they are innocent, then they are guilty, which results in hell. I wonder why he speaks to the pharisees in confusing ways, like he does in this verse. I still do not understand why he would not just tell them in an easy way for them to understand.

This response is so well known yet so overlooked. The Pharisees are blind to Jeaus’ identity, not to mention his ability. Yet his response to the Pharisees is simple: I don’t know much except that MY LIFE IS DIFFERENT NOW!!! The proof of his identity is right in front of them, & they reject it! May I be reminded of how Christ has changed my life & be able to point to it as proof of a Living God!

very excited to celebrate the AMAZING birth of Jesus Christ! Merry CHRISTmas!! :)

It is so remarkable to me that even though the miracles Jesus was performing were right before the Pharisees eyes, they did not believe or want to believe that Jesus was truly the Son of God. They used any ifs, ands, or buts, they could come up with to deny that Jesus was Lord. But how could they not believe it when Jesus was doing such great things?! Healing the blind, walking on water, and feeding thousands of people on only mere amounts of food are all miracles that are only possible through God. Once again, the deity of Jesus is shown and we have no excuse to deny the fact that Jesus WAS God. The Pharisees hearts were so hardened that they were blinded to the truth and in denial. I am so thankful that Jesus opened my eyes to the truth! Thank you Jesus for humbling yourself to a human to save me! You are Lord and above ALL!

It’s cool how easy it is to be saved. hearing this man change his idea of Jesus Christ from being a prophet to being God is awesome to hear.

This makes me think of how you can either be blind physically or mentally & spiritually because of your sin. Those who are so engrossed in the ways of the world are blind to the truth and light of the world. I need to make sure that even though I am not blind, I should always keep my eyes on Christ and his ways and not let my vision get blurry (or have sin distract me). I know it is really hard to heal people’s blindness of Christ (because some are stubborn) yet prayer is always the key. I will continue to pray that more eyes would be healed and more souls filled with the belief in our Savior, the lord that laid down his life for us.

Merry Christmas! (and Happy birthday Jesus! <3)

3″Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

Oh wow how I love this verse! It’s so encouraging and comforting. I used to have this problem of over analyzing things to find out what I did wrong and blaming and punishing myself before I was a Christian. But that’s not true! And I have totally seen God change me from the inside out using everything to bring Him more glory! But I have to remember that when hard times come or when trials hit me God’s work and His glory could be displayed in my life! This is the verse that I really needed to hear at this time. God is always in control and His perfect will and right timing is so different from mine. I have to surrender and trust Him with everything and not on myself. Even when that man was blind and he could have complained and just sat in depression all the time, He was able to not only experience Jesus’ healing power and light but helped in making God’s work known! The first thing He did was to tell other people about it! God is good all the time and all the time God is good! Merry CHRISTmas eve and God bless!!!!

Remember that Jesus is the true reason for this celebration!

***GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST!!!***

This verse reminded me of something very important. Since God doesnt listen to non-christians prayers then we as christians need to always pray that somehow God will open up there hearts and let them learn and hear the great news, because God hears every prayer we pray and we know that with God all things are possible.

4As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

God is awsome! even though it seems that the man was destined to be blind, God made it in his plans so when he met Jesus, he would finally see the light!!!
Even babies have sin when they’re born into this world, but Jesus is the path that shows us the way to heaven. Like what pastor Mike said at the Christmas special, Jesus is the one gift that we have to pass on.

Merry CHIRSTmas Everybody! :D

In verse 25, the man says, “I was blind, now I see.” This is true for me. I was blind in my sins, but Jesus paid it all on the cross and now I see, and have hope.

Thank you God, for that perfect gift of sending your only son to earth. Let’s remember the reason why we are celebrating Christmas tomorrow!!(:

We do not want to be like the Pharisees who hear but do not accept. Once God has opened our eyes me must do as the blind man did and long to seek the Savior Jesus Christ. He is the one and only Savior of the world and He is and always will be God. We must put our faith in Him and only follow His commands.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

25He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

Like Spencer said, this is so similar to Jesus healing our spiritual ‘blindness’. I love how the man seems so stoked that he is healed!! I need to express my excitement of my spiritual healing each day! Now that it is Christmas and ill be surrounded by family (most of whome are not saved)… I am going to use the opportunity to express my love and happiness for God. The love of God is so incredible. Its impossible to explain, but it fills our hearts up. I pray that people will have softened hearts as we proclaim the good news and spread the love of Christ. I find it so cool how Jesus healed this man and the man immediatley stuck up for Jesus! Sometimes when i think about how i stick up for Jesus, i come to realize that i am really in the need to do more of it!!!I pray for more boldness..God is so important, i will not hold back anymore!

Maranatha!

41Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

Hahaha, the Pharisees just got owned!!! They think they have it all figured out and they don’t need Jesus and so they are deaf to His teachings and blind to His signs. They figure that if they “study” the Scriptures and claim to be followers of Moses, they’ll be fine. Yet here comes Jesus proclaiming He’s the Son of God, what they should have listened to if they were Moses’ disciples, and guess what? they don’t….they scorn and scoff and totally disregard Jesus’ truths. So the lesson i took away from this, is not to think I have it all figured out when life’s going good and to always always ALWAYS rely on the Lord for everything!! Because HE’s always there! And rejoice in HIs name this holiday season for He was born!! :D

PRAISE TO THE SAVIOR WHO DOES NOT FORSAKE US!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

It is awesome to see the boldness of this man who used to be blind. He finally gets frustrated with the Pharisees enough to preach to them how Jesus must be from God, for only God could do something as incredible as give him sight. This blind man whose sight was restored to him courageously proclaims truth of the supremacy of God. May we be as bold as this man.

This chapter also reminds me of the line in the hymn Amazing Grace based off of verse 25. “I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see” Praise the Lord!

31We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.

These verses are cool for two reasons: one is because it proves Jesus’ diety and the second is that it lets us know God listens to us. If Jesus were just another crazy person then His miracles would have been an epic fail, and if He was a false teacher who performed miracles then His teachings and actions would have been unbiblical. But because He obeys the will of His Father, God listened to Him and He answered His prayers and gave Him divine power. As a redeemed sinner I can cling to the truth that God will listen to me if I do His will and obey His word. 1 Peter 3:12 afirms this and is another great and reasuring promise from our Lord! JESUS IS GOD!

35Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36″Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
37Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
38Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

This passage just goes to show how people need to be introduced to Jesus. Even this Christmas I am sure that there are many people here in Orange County who do not know who Jesus is. There are probably others, who know about him, he has even done good things in their lives, but they do not believe in him in a saving way. I am praying that in 2010 the Lord will use us to introduce others to Jesus and that some people who go to True North but don’t believe in him, will really worship him for the first time!

This man lived his entire life up to that point not understanding the reason for his blindness. he could only assume that it was the result of his sin or his parents’, as was the custom from the Old Testament. But Christ says instead that the reason he is that way is so the God could be glorified through his healing. With my shoulder injury and previous surgeries, it has been very easy at times to lose heart and become discouraged, since I have no idea of why this has been happening. And I may never know exactly; but this verse is a reminder to me that I need to trust that God is using the situation for His glory and to live to bring Him praise and honor with my life as a result.

Goodmorning . . .

I read . . . (feels so good to get back into His word)

John 9 . . .

“41. Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

This verse reminded me of the several verses that say, “if your right eye causes you to sin, goudge it out and cast it away from you.” “… that way only your eye will burn in the fire and not your whole entire body.” (same with our arms or legs)

I know their not speaking literally, but I do know that those verses are saying if it causes your to sin, cast it out of your life. Whether it be a friend, parents, thing (idol) or something else. For some, this may be hard, but it’s what God commands and it’s worth it in the end.

I love how powerful this entire chapter is of the story. There was a blind man, God saw Him and healed Him. But not just healed Him magically, He healed him by spitting into dirt and making it mud. He then rubbed it onto the blind mans eyes and told him to wash it in the “sent” pool and then he’ll see. Sure enough, God’s will was fulfilled and the man could see. But everybody else around the old begger thought it was a new man and that it wasn’t possible it could see. Little did they know they were talking to the Healer themselves.

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~FATHER COME NOW!~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

Under His mercy,

Ariana Mishreki =)

This is so cool, how he healed the blind man, just as he has healed us. Its so cool because he came down to die for us that we may have a new life and a chance with Him in heaven.

It is amazing how God can use what seem like bad things to us to be amazing! Though this man was blind for part of his life, he was not only healed, but Jesus’ healing of this man caused him to be saved, and probably many of people who saw it as well! This makes me realize that even if something seems bad and against my plan for my life, I just need to trust God that he’s got things under control and will use it in an amazing way!

Can’t wait to celebrate the birth of Jesus tomorrow!!! Such an awesome day!

PRAISE THE LORD!!
MARANATHA!!!

Sometimes bad things do happen to us, and it isn’t our fault. God uses things like this to show His power and His work through things like that. Just like in trials, we need to rejoice and have joy in the fact that God works through us in difficult times and situations.

Its Christmas tommorrow, it’s the celebration of Christ birth as we all should know. The reason Jesus says he came into the world was for judgement. God doesn’t want to see go to hell. He wants all to be saved, he came to save us.

c u all later

What do you need to know to evangelize? One thing. This formerly blind man did not know much, but knowing that he was blind and now he could see made him fearless and joyful in sharing the good news!

Reading this chapter made me thankful for how God has opened my eyes, and I pray that God opens many eyes at True North in 2010!

Jesus heals the blind! I think it’s sort of ironic how Jesus heals the physically blind man as a picture of the power of Jesus that he can heal the spiritually blind man.

As many have said above…we were all once blind (couldn’t see). We were Blind to our spiritual depravity before God. Before I became a Christian I didn’t understand the consequences of my sin, or much less that I was a sinner. I was blind. Yet later through the revealing of the Holy Spirit (through the Word) I was given sight, an understanding of my fatal condition before God. Then I understood that I was destined for hell. That was sight.

Sight is awesome, I know the truth…yet it is so humbling! I am but a sinner before God, the bridge between us is unattainable, and without a substitute I will have to pay for my sins.

Because of this how great is the Christmas message?! For unto us a child is born…a SAVIOR, Christ the Lord! This is such good news: Jesus came to die as a substitution for my place so that I might be saved. Praise the Lord!!

“One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!” God is Good—all the time!

I like this verse a lot because it shows how sovereign God is. Just because something appears to be bad, doesnt mean it is. God is able to use even the most terrible things to bring Him glory. He is in complete control and I need to trust himin everything.

I like verse 3 “”Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

I like this verse because it talks about JESUS planning everything. GOD didn’t make the man blind because he or his parents sinned HE made him blind so HE could heal him so that him and many others would believe in JESUS. GOD always has a plan and even though it may not seem like the most convenient one it is still the best because GOD planned it.

CYA

I agree with Adam! Christ healed the blind so they could see! Similar to salvation and when people become saved, they are a new creation. Jesus works so wonderfully in people’s lives, as he did in mine as well! He is the judge, and the creator! Our God is so big that I cannot even comprehend just how awesome and huge the Lord is! He is just so perfect in every way! Just as he heals the blind, he can also blind the ones who see. In the end, repentance and faith is the big deal as it always is! I want to share the gospel with those who do not know the Lord and pray that I will be bold and fearless while talking to others!

3″Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

Many people think that bad things happen to them because they have done something wrong. Many non-Christians will question God, for they feel they are going through undeserved pain. Sometimes they’ll sarcastically ask what they have done wrong to deserve what they are going through. But here we find Jesus denying this as truth. Jesus and His disciples come by a man who was born blind. The disciples ask whether it was the man or his parents who had sinned so that the blindness was brought as a punishment. Jesus refutes this belief and says that the man being born blind was not a result of the man’s sin or the sin of his parents. He says that this was so so that the work of God could be shown through His life. The purpose of him being blind was not of punishment for sin, but it was a way by which God would be glorified. When I feel like I am going through pain and hard times, I need to not question God. I need to not get angry and build myself up mentally thinking I have done nothing wrong to deserve pain. First of all, I am a sinner, completely imperfect and deserving of eternal damnation in hell for all of eternity. There is nothing good that I actually deserve, for everything good comes from God as a gift of grace. Instead of becoming angry, when tougher times hit my life, I need to act in a way that will glorify God. I need to always seek His name to be lifted up in all that I do!

I really like this verse. It provides a great example for us as Christians. This verse demonstrates the kind of seeking heart that I need to keep. I should not only be trusting and believeing in him, but also seeking him through his Word and prayer, and seeking to obey his commands. One thing people say is that we cannot see JEsus, so how could we believe? But this man believed but did not see, and he still seeked him. It is myy goal to emulate such an attitude in my evedryday life

whenever something bad happens to me, i need to have this attitude. despite the bad things that happen in my life, i still know that God is in control and whatever happens to me is in His sovereign plan. this man was blind so that Jesus could come and heal him. in fact, this man became a Christian! if we get a chance to ask him in heaven, im sure he will say that it was worth being blind, because eventually he got healed by Jesus and was saved! i know that God uses things in my life for His glory, and as a Christian, that should be my sole purpose in life! i need to face the hard things in my life with joy, and recognize that they happen for God’s glory. even if the things seem bad at first, i still have a relationship with God and i am still going to heaven by His grace!

As a Christian I am supposed to let my light shine for Christ. I only have this life (however long that is) to live for God. I pray that I will take advantage of every opportunity to be a bold witness in both actions and deeds as I go about my daily tasks. Today I am thanking God for Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life. Remember there is no way to the Father except through Jesus Christ. So take advantage of the Holiday season and share the good news with your friends and family!!!

This verse has ministered to me greatly in the past six years of my life. During that time I have endured a hardship that I have prayed time and again for God to take away. But year after year this difficult trial remains in my life. Verse 3 has taught me that I must look beyond myself in difficult circumstances and realize that sometimes trials come to display God’s might and power and they are not all about me. If I have prayed, searched my heart for sin and asked the Spirit to reveal any wickedness in me that might be bringing on this trial and if I have a clear conscience that it is not brought about by my own sin, I can find hope in the fact that my suffering is not random. The phrase “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” shows that God, in His infinitely wise and high ways, sometimes allows me to go through difficult circumstances and suffering so that His power and might will be displayed in my life. While I still ask God to remove my painful trial I know that my suffering is not in vain and it has drawn me closer to God, allowed me to share with others how true God’s mercy and sustaining power is, and has allowed me to put Him first in my life. As a Christian I have learned to put God’s glory and agenda before my own, and to embrace the trials in my life because they ultimately conform me more to the character of Christ and bring glory to God when I endure hardship in a godly manner.

While his parents were afraid to admit that this miracle came from the Christ because of the Jewish leaders, this guy boldly does. What an example of real faith in action. He doesn’t care about the ridicule or any retaliation but seeks to give credit where credit is due. This reminds me that when God does awesome things in my life I should always give him the credit he deserves without reservation of how others might take it or be offended.

This is an encouraging verse because it shows how go is always completely in control. He has a plan for everything, even if we do not understand it. Let’s trust in him all the time, and not be worried, but instead pray to him continually.

Jesus shows us why, in God’s mighty and perfect plan, things happen to us. Sometimes they happen to us for God’s purpose and we are only peripherally a part of it (Job and the blind man in John 9). Sometimes it’s for discipline, to train us for His work (Joseph, David & Zerubbabel) and other times as natural consequences of our sin. But in every case we are to seek Him first, seek what He wants us to learn from our circumstances and joyfully do what He says for His glory alone! (1 Thes 5:16-22). Doesn’t mean it will be fun or what we would choose but when we focus on what God wants us to learn and do we can rest in His peace in every situation (Phil 4:6-13)!

I appreciate this verse so much. It shows us what a seeking heart the man had, to know Jesus, and to better know God. Yet he didn’t just blindly say YES. We are shown by God through this story how this man counted the cost by seeking the Savior and pursuing Him, His will, and His story. He wasn’t just hopping on some band wagon.

This chapter helps bring me to a place of reflection, where I consider the love Jesus has for His children. This morning I celebrate the love He has penetrated my heart with, that compels me to have and extend such love to others, so that they, too, might believe in Him.

The healing of the blind man is very much like salvation. Just as Christ healed the blind man’s sight, He called every Christian out of their blind sin and made them see. He opened my eyes, and did a wonderful work in my life. Through my salvation, God is glorified. Amen!