SPIT AND MUD FAITH
John 9:1-6 Key Verse: 9: 6, 7
- Read verses 6-7. What did Jesus do to heal the man?
Jesus used the tools he had at hand to heal the blind man. He used man made tools of spit and mud. In Jesus’ day he did not have any medicine or Walmarts to go to.
Why do you think he did it this way?
Here Jesus was training his disciples to use what they had available. Jesus taught them to reveal the glory of God no matter the situation. This was challenge to the disciples to drive out the elements of fatalism and plant faith by healing the man in this way.
In what way wasthis a test of the man’s faith?
This method of spit and mud required the blind man to believe in Jesus. It required him to get up and go- it required him to overcome the strange situation and have faith in Jesus. Here it shows that faith and obedience are related. Through trials like this we gain faith and then those who obey can overcome fatalism.
What did he tell the man to do?
Jesus told the man to go – to take action, to act on his faith. We need to act on our faith otherwise we will never overcome our fatalism.
- Read verses 6-7 again. What did the man do?
Most importantly Jesus told the man to go, so he went. Those who do not obey Jesus remain fatalistic, but when we have faith we grow.
How did he reveal his trust and confidence in Jesus’ love?
The man did not complain – he did not doubt Jesus’ healing. He trusted.
What was the result?
The result was when he obeyed Jesus’ command he came home seeing. It is significant to notice that he came home. It implies that his life had a semblance of order once again. That he had a second change to start over and life a new life, that he could see and not be a burden to others. When we obey Jesus he frees us from being a burden to others.
- Read verses 8-12. When the man came back seeing, what did the neighbors think about him?
The neighbors should have been happy, but instead they were critical because they didn’t have room in their hearts for the work of God. They were not used to miracles or even knew how God could work. People even planted doubt saying it was the wrong guy. It shows us that when we are changed by the power of Jesus’ command, other non-believers will not accept it and criticize us for this new change.
What did the man say about himself?
The man could have kept quiet under pressure, but instead he boldly proclaimed that, “I am the man.” He clearly testified who he was and what Jesus had done, but the people instead of giving thanks to God, instead doubted him.
What did he not know?
The man testified that Jesus had healed him, but now when asked, he did not know where Jesus was. His testimony was uncomplicated, he simply told them that Jesus had healed him.
- What can we learn about practical faith from the blind man?
We learn that he had no complaining spirit, he was obedient, clearly testified about who Jesus was. These are the marks of a disciple of Jesus Christ. We need to match these characteristics in our life.
Why is it important to take hold of opportunities as they come?
It is important to take hold of God’s opportunities, because God does not owe us His grace. It comes when it comes and we must take it. When we do we can meet God personally when we take the opportunity to experience his grace.
How does Jesus demonstrate that he is the light of the world?
Jesus demonstrates that he is the light of the world because his teaching and life actions always match. Jesus gave the man his sight and in doing so revealed that he is the light of the world. Jesus changes men’s hearts, heals them and makes them real people. Jesus shows through all this that he is the one and only Messiah.
- What can we learn from Jesus about how to overcome fatalism?
The best way to overcome fatalism is to simply obey Jesus’ command. There is not darkness for those who believe, because if we believe we see the glory of God revealed. Then we can have Jesus’“spit and mud,” faith and always find something we can do.
About how to handle tragedy and/or difficult human circumstances?
We can learn not to be fatalistic and trust Jesus to overcome tragedy. This happened so that the work of God could be displayed.
*What are ‘your spit and mud’?
My voice and my youth. I can always talk to someone and give them an encouraging word or preach the gospel to them.