The Man Born Blind

By Mary Vee
John 9 

Peter

Photo by Mary Vee. View from the Mount of Olives facing
the Temple area

My name is Peter, I am a disciple of Jesus. 

Jesus walked in the courts of the temple and saw a man who had been blind since birth. I asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents. One of them had to be responsible for his being born blind?"

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus. "This happened so others could see the work of God displayed in his life. We must do the work of my Father as long as we have days on earth. The night is coming, though, when no one can work. While I am here in this world, I am the light of the world."

Jesus turned back to the blind man and spat on the ground, made some mud from it, and put it on the man's eyes. "Go wash in the Pool of Siloam." 

Photo by Mary Vee.
The pool where people came to be healed.
Jerusalem

The man's friends helped him find the way to the pool. He knelt down to the water and washed his eyes. He blinked water from his eyes and shouted, "I can see!! I can see!!"

His neighbors and friends who had seen him begging asked, 'Isn't this the blind man? The one who sat and begged all these years?" 

"Yes, that's him."

Others said, "No. That man can see. He only looks like the one we know."

The once blind man said, "Believe me. I am the one you want. I once was blind and now I see."

Photo by Mary Vee
The blind man wasn't the only person
Jesus healed. This sign is near the pool
shown above. Jerusalem

The neighbors said, "How is it that you can see?" They scoffed at him. Clearly, they didn't believe him.

The once blind man said, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to the Pool of Siloam and wash. I did what he said and washed. Now I can see."

The people looked beyond the crowd, "Where is this man?"

The blind man looked into the crowd and said, "I don't see him. I don't know where he went."



What happened next? Next week I will tell you more. 

 Come back to read the next story.

*Author of blog's note: If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. I will see them and will answer as best I can or direct you to a source.


*********************************************************************************************

sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.
*Photos from my trip to Israel.

He Is Greater Than Our Father Abraham

By Mary Vee
John 8 

Peter

Photo by Mary Vee. View from the Mount of Olives facing
the Temple area

My name is Peter, I am a disciple of Jesus. 

The Feast of the Tabernacle is coming to a close. The other disciples and I are standing in the temple courts again today, listening to Jesus teach. 

Photo by Mary Vee, The top of
the Mount of Olives today.

Anytime crowds gather near Jesus, the Pharisees quickly find there way near the front. Then, as Jesus speaks, they whisper among themselves before asking questions. Even I could see the purpose of their questions was to trap Jesus. Today, they have been especially cruel with their words. For example, a few minutes ago one said, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?"

See?

Jesus said, "I am not possed by a demon, but I honor my Father. You dishonor me. I'm not looking for any glory, but there is one who seeks it. And he is the judge.  I speak the truth. If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."

The Pharisee leaders squinted in anger. Some raised their fist. "This is our proof," they said to the crowd then turned to Jesus. "Now we know you are demon possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never see death. Do you think you are greater than our father Abraham? He died. So did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"

I would have liked to answer their question, but I wouldn't have done it as well as Jesus. So, I waited.

Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, it will mean nothing. My Father, the one you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If this wasn't true, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day. He saw it and was glad."

Photo by Mary Vee
On top of the Mount of Olives,
the Disciples Prayer is
posted in many languages.

Well, this certainly made the Pharisees angrier. They raised their voices. One burst out, "You are not fifty years old and you claim to have seen Abraham!"

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am."

That was when the Pharisees became violent. They picked up stones and brought their arms back to throw them at him, but Jesus hid himself. He slipped away from the temple grounds where they couldn't see him.

Jesus wasn't afraid. He once told the other disciples and me he did His Father's work every day. This was not his time. 

I didn't understand what He meant at this time. But later, I did. 

What happened next? Next week I will tell you more. 

 Come back to read the next story.

*Author of blog's note: If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. I will see them and will answer as best I can or direct you to a source.


*********************************************************************************************

sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.
*Photos from my trip to Israel.

Who Is This Man Called Jesus?

By Mary Vee
John 8 

Peter

Photo by Mary Vee. View from the Mount of Olives facing
the Temple area

My name is Peter, I am a disciple of Jesus. We are in the temple courts standing near the place where the offerings are placed.

Photo by Mary Vee, The top of
the Mount of Olives today.

The Pharisees have questioned Jesus relentlessly before the crowds who came to hear him speak. They seem to want to catch him in a mistake. But, no matter what they ask, Jesus always has a strong answer.

Jesus faced the Pharisees and said, "I am going away. You will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come."



The Jews asked each other, "Will he kill himself. Is that why he said we could not go to the same place?"

Jesus said, "You are from below. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins. If you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.

The Pharisees spoke among themselves for a moment before one said, "Who are you?"

Jesus said, "I am what I have been claiming all along. I have so much to say that concerns you. Judgments that affect you, but if you choose not to accept the truth from the One who has sent me to teach then none of it matters."

Photo by Mary Vee
On top of the Mount of Olives,
the Disciples Prayer is
posted in many languages.

They turned to each other again. "Who is this One that he speaks of?" They shrugged.

Jesus said, "When you raise up the Son of Man, you will know who I am. You will know that I have spoken the truth as my Father instructed. The One who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone for I will always do what pleases him."

It was those last words that helped many to believe Jesus is the Christ. The Son of God.

"To those of you who believed," Jesus said, "If you hold to my teachings, living them every day, you are really my disciples and will know the truth. The truth will set you free. 

One Pharisee said, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"

Jesus said, "This is the truth, everyone who chooses the life of sin is a slave to it. A slave cannot come and go as he wants. The Son, though, has an established position. He has permission to go where he wants. I know you are trying to kill me because you have no room for this message in your heads. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence. You, on the other hand, simply do what you have heard from your fathers.  


What happened next? Next week I will tell you more. 

 Come back to read the next story.

*Author of blog's note: If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. I will see them and will answer as best I can or direct you to a source.


*********************************************************************************************

sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.
*Photos from my trip to Israel.

They Failed to Seize Jesus

By Mary Vee
John 8 

Peter

Photo by Mary Vee. View from the Mount of Olives facing
the Temple area

My name is Peter, I am a disciple of Jesus. We are in the temple courts standing near the place where the offerings are placed.

Photo by Mary Vee, The top of
the Mount of Olives today.

The other disciples and I stood nearby when Jesus when a crowd gathered. They waited for him to speak.

Jesus turned to them and said, "I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

The Pharisees moved among the crowd. These were the same men who tried to test Jesus by bringing the adulterous woman for him to judge. They ended up walking away without throwing a stone at her.

They probably saw he crowd and rushed over to prevent them from listening to Jesus' teachings. They seemed ready to question Jesus again as they pushed toward the front of the crowd. One Pharisee said, "Here you are. You are acting as your own witness and that makes the testimony you share among these witnesses not valid."

Jesus said, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid. I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I was or where I will go. You judge me by your human standards. I pass judgment on no one. 

"But if I do choose to judge, my decisions are right. I am not alone. I stand with the Father who sent me. In your own Law, it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. I am one who testifies for myself. My other witness is the Father who sent me."

A Pharisee said, "All right. So, where is your father?" He looked around the temple. "Is he here?"

Photo by Mary Vee
On top of the Mount of Olives,
the Disciples Prayer is
posted in many languages.

Jesus said, "You do not know me or my Father. If you knew me you would know my Father."

As expected the Pharisees were not happy with Jesus. They tried to seize him but failed. Later I learned that this was not yet the appointed time. Jesus had more work to do.

What happened next? Next week I will tell you more. 

 Come back to read the next story.

*Author of blog's note: If you have questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. I will see them and will answer as best I can or direct you to a source.


*********************************************************************************************

sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.
*Photos from my trip to Israel.