Depiction of Jesus healing a blind man. For Mormon Channel use.
Jesus healed a man who was born blind. The Pharisees questioned this man and cast him out of the synagogue because the man refused to condemn Jesus as a sinner for healing on the Sabbath. The Savior sought out the man, and the man worshipped Jesus as the Son of God. This lesson can help you understand how remaining true to what you know about the Savior, even in adversity, can strengthen your testimony of Him.
Remaining true to Jesus Christ
Imagine you were given a box with a yellow rose in it.
How would you respond if others who could not see the rose in the box told you it was pink?
Sometimes we may come across individuals or ideas that contradict our knowledge and testimonies of Jesus Christ. Even when the Spirit has testified truths about Jesus Christ to us, others may try to refute those truths.
Are you facing any opposition in your efforts to remain true to what you know about Jesus Christ?
If so, what impact is this having on your life?
In John 9 you will learn about a blind man whom the Lord healed. One of the principles we can learn from this man’s example is that as we remain true to what we know about Jesus Christ even when we face opposition, our testimonies of Him will be strengthened. Look for evidence of this principle as you study the account in John 9.
Read John 9:1–12, looking for what the blind man learned about Jesus. You may also want to watch the first portion of thevideo “Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind” from time code 0:00 to 4:01 and follow along in your scriptures. This video is available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
At this point, what does this man know about Jesus?
After the blind man was healed, some people disputed whether he was really the man who had been born blind, while others wondered how he had been healed. He was brought before the Pharisees, who were upset because the miracle was performed on the Sabbath. They began to question the man. The Pharisees also questioned his parents, but his parents refused to answer the Pharisees, because they feared being cast out of the synagogue if they supported Jesus. The Pharisees again questioned the man about his healing. (See John 9:13–34.)
Read verses 11, 17, 25, and 30–33, including the Joseph Smith Translation found in John 9:32, footnote a, taking note of what the man said about Jesus. Or you may want to continue watching the video “Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind” from time code 4:02 to 6:18.
1. Answer two of the following questions in your study journal:
In the story of the blind man, what evidence do you see of the principle that as we remain true to what we know about Jesus Christ even when we face opposition, our testimonies of Him will be strengthened?
In what ways do you think this man gained greater understanding about who Jesus is?
What do this man’s statements teach you about Jesus Christ?
Because the man continued to state that Jesus was of God, the Pharisees cast him out of the synagogue (see John 9:34).
Read John 9:35–38, looking for how the Savior ministered to the man. You may want to finish watching the video “Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind” (time code 6:19 to 7:47).
2. Answer three of the following questions in your study journal:
How was the testimony of the man born blind strengthened as he remained true to what he knew about the Savior?
How can our testimonies of Jesus Christ be strengthened as we withstand opposition or trials of faith?
What do we learn about the attributes of Jesus Christ from His interactions with the man born blind?
How did the Savior help the blind man’s testimony grow? How does He help us strengthen our testimonies?
How can what you learned about the Savior in this account help you in facing opposition now or in the future?
Optional: Want to Learn More?
John 9:1–3. Why did Jesus’s disciples believe that the man’s blindness was a result of sin?
President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
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Final official portrait of Elder Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, 2000. Passed away 3 July 2015.
It is natural for parents with [disabled] children to ask themselves, “What did we do wrong?” The idea that all suffering is somehow the direct result of sin has been taught since ancient times. It is false doctrine. That notion was even accepted by some of the early disciples until the Lord corrected them.
“As Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
“And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
“Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” (John 9:1–3)
There is little room for feelings of guilt in connection with [disabilities]. Some [disabilities] may result from carelessness or abuse, and some through addiction of parents. But most of them do not. Afflictions come to the innocent.
What did the blind man experience after exercising his faith in the Savior?
President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95) taught:
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Howard W. Hunter
Now sight had been given twice—once to remedy a congenital defect and once to behold the King of Kings before He would ascend to His eternal throne. Jesus had quickened both temporal and spiritual vision. He had cast his light into a dark place, and this man, like many others in that day as well as in our own, had accepted the light and had seen.
What does receiving spiritual eyesight look like in our lives?
President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) taught:
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Official portrait of President Thomas S. Monson, 2008.
Those who have felt the touch of the Master’s hand somehow cannot explain the change which comes into their lives. There is a desire to live better, to serve faithfully, to walk humbly, and to be more like the Savior. Having received their spiritual eyesight and glimpsed the promises of eternity, they echo the words of the blind man to whom Jesus restored sight: “One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see” [John 9:25].
(Thomas S. Monson, “Anxiously Engaged,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2004, 58)
John 9:22, 34–35. What was the significance of being cast out of the synagogue?
“Synagogues served as the religious and social center for many Jewish communities. Synagogues offered access to spiritual instruction and worship, as well as educational and social opportunities. Because the synagogue was so integral to Jewish society, to be cast out of the synagogue … meant more than being excommunicated and losing fellowship with the religious community. It meant banishment from cultural and social affairs as well. This threat was apparently severe enough to keep the parents of the man born blind from getting too involved in the investigation of this miracle” (New Testament Student Manual [2014], 230).