9:35-41 Spiritual Blindness and Sin – Jesus elicits a confession of faith in His encounter with the blind man. Jesus is the one sent by the Father because He performed the work of the Father.
9:1-7 The miracle and its background – There are few connections with the last chapters, suggesting this story is an interlude after the long and involved dialogues that preceded it. It is a concrete example of the refusal of the Jewish leaders to acknowledge Jesus for who He was, despite the clear witness of His miracles.
8:48-50 “Before Abraham was, I AM” – This section continues the previous, however with a different viewpoint of Abraham. The Jews cut off any meaningful conversation with their question, “You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Not only do they assert that Jesus is presenting a false religion like that of Mount Gerazim but that He is under the captivity of the devil.
8:30-31 The Seed of Abraham and the Identity of the Father – Some have argued that those Jews that believed v.13-29 are less hostile than those of v.31-59. More likely is that this repetition indicates a passage of time.
Introduction: As we discussed on the last handout, the actions of v. 12 and following are the continuation of ch.
Introduction: For the next section, Jesus does not speak again until 8:7. 7:40-52 describes the confusion and conflict between the crowd, the Pharisees, and the Sanhedrin.
Introduction: Jesus among the pilgrims – Jesus remains at the Feast of Tabernacles, with responses from various groups about the pronouncements He made concerning himself and the growing hostility (v.28ff, v.27ff). This is not a discussion, it is Jesus asserting Himself as the one sent by the Father, a warning to repent, and as the one who fulfills the Feast of Tabernacles.
v.14 Jesus teaches in the Temple – Jesus does not appear at the feast until it is halfway over, that is, the fourth day. Yet, He comes to the temple not to manifest His power/glory but rather “to teach.” This is significant, as “teaching” is used sparingly in John (6:59; 8:20).
Chapter 7-10 – Who is Jesus? – The transition is from Jesus’ activity in Galilee to His activity in Judea, which will end with His death and resurrection.
6:59-62 “This teaching is offensive” – The note about the synagogue reminds us that Jesus is explaining the Torah. This discourse is a sermon expounding the OT texts.
