 Alright we have covered up to verse 30 in John chapter 8. If we can have someone read out for us verses 31 to 36 I think should be enough. Yeah if someone can read out for us John chapter 8 verses 31 to 36 please. John chapter 8 verses 31 to 36 then said Jesus to those Jews wish to live on him. If he continue in my word then I am my disciple indeed and he shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. The answer to him will be Abraham sit and were never in bondage in need through any man. I'll say it now, he shall be made free. He just answered them. Very very I said unto you whoever committed sin is the servant of sin. And the servants abiding not in the house forever but the sons abided forever. Yeah. He shall make you free. He shall be free indeed. Amen. Amen yes. So here we see that Jesus makes a very important statement. He says if you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples. So if you hold to my teaching then you will know the truth. And then the truth will set you free. So there are three steps mentioned here. The first step is where we make a conscious choice and say I will hold to the teaching of the Lord. Even if it involves sacrifice, even if it is going to be difficult, even if it's painful, I will hold to the teaching of the Lord and practice it, obey it, submit to it. That is step one. When you do that, then you will know the truth. And then comes the last step. Once you really start knowing the truth, that truth will set you free. So it's actually a process. It's not talking about some intellectual knowledge. Because the demons know all the teachings of Jesus, right? I mean they know it better than us. In fact, they can quote it to us because they will know it by heart. We do not know that. So even though the demons know all the teaching of Jesus at an intellectual level, it has not set them free. I mean they are still bound not only in their terrible sinfulness. In fact, they are bound for eternity. So even at a physical level, they are bound and they have no future. So the truth, even though they know it so perfectly, it has not done anything for them. And that can happen even to us humans. So it's something that we should be very careful about. Simply knowing about the teachings of Jesus will really not do much. So rather than just knowing the teachings of Jesus, we should be willing to hold on to it in the sense that we choose to submit to it and practice it. Because that is where the sacrifice is involved. Where you not only just intellectually believe in something. You say, I believe in this to the extent where I'm actually willing to act it out. I'm willing to make sacrifices and stand on this truth. So when you start doing that, then you begin to discover the power of this truth. You begin to discover the depth of this truth. You will start realizing things about this truth which you did not know before. Because earlier it was first preached to you from the pulpit. You just kind of understood it at a superficial level. But now that you have actually started practicing that truth in your life, you start discovering a whole bunch of new things about it through your experience. So here it's talking more about experiential knowledge rather than just intellectual knowledge. Romans 12-2 brings out this principle very, very powerfully. It talks about how we should not confirm to the pattern of this world, but we should be transformed by the renewing of the mind. And then it goes on to say that if we are renewing our mind, if we are holding on to the teaching of Jesus and doing what he's telling us to do. So if we are renewing our mind in this manner, it says, then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is. His good, pleasing and perfect will. When we actually start practicing this truth of God and we make sacrifices to sincerely obey it and follow it, in our experience we start discovering my distinct which the Lord has spoken to me is actually good and pleasing. It seemed so unpleasant at first, but now that I have gone through the process, now that I'm actually obeying him and holding on to his teaching, I am now beginning to discover that his will is really genuinely good and pleasing. And moreover, as time goes by, you'll discover that it is perfect as well. Because there are three things mentioned in Romans chapter 12. It says it is good, his will is good, it is pleasing and it is perfect. So as the years go by, you start discovering that his will was in fact perfect. If you had done things your way, maybe your life would have got messed up. But because you chose to take this narrow path of following him, holding on to his teaching, now you're beginning to discover that his will for you was actually perfect. Things have fallen into place in your life, in your ministry, in your family because you chose to take this tough path and hold on to his teaching. So Jesus says, if you hold to my teaching, then you will know the truth. Experientially, you will discover the depth of my truth, what it involves. And as you begin to continue living it out, even as you continue to practice it, the power in that truth will set you free. It will set you free from all the things that are holding you down and not allowing you to accomplish God's purposes for you. All those things will be set free from and you will be able to enjoy the fruit of that truth. So we are set free from the things which are holding us down, which are binding us because we have chosen to start practicing that truth at an experiential level. So Jesus is saying to these people, you who call yourselves Abraham's descendants, you are not doing this at an intellectual level. In fact, you may even know entire passages by heart. No, you may really know the law of Moses by heart. But if you're not practicing it, whether you realize it or not, you're actually just a slave. And he goes on to say, a slave does not have a permanent place in the family. So as long as you're here on this earth, you'll go on calling yourself Abraham's descendants. You know, you'll say, oh, we are God's chosen people. You'll be here among God's people for a while. But once the time for death comes, you'll no longer be part of his people. You will be separated from the people of God because you were actually slaves of sin. You never really became children of God because it's the children who will have a permanent position and place with God in his family. The ones who are actually slaves of sin, even though they are under the impression that they are descendants of Abraham and part of Abraham's family, no. When the time is up, they are just mere slaves and they will go away into judgment, into eternal punishment. And so when Jesus says this to them, they are very offended and they say Abraham is our father. Then Jesus says, if really Abraham was your father, you would do the things which Abraham did. When Abraham lived on this earth, he honored God. He lived in a way which pleased God. But what are you doing? You're making plans to kill me. So isn't that proof that you are not following Abraham, but rather you are doing the works of your own father? In verse 41, Jesus says, you are doing the works of your own father, not the works of Abraham. So he's clearly making a distinction between Abraham and their father. So because they said that Abraham is their father, so Jesus is saying, no, Abraham is not your father. Someone else is your father, the one who likes to kill. So indirectly he is saying, you are children of the devil. And so this offends them greatly and they say we are not illegitimate children. The only father we have is God himself is what they say. But then Jesus goes on to say that whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God. So even though you're claiming the heavenly father to be your God, you are not doing what he is saying. And so therefore you do not belong to him. And then we have this other portion of the passage. Maybe we can actually read this verses 56 to 59, the very last portion of John chapter 8. Thank you very much to all those of you who are reading out. I don't really need to ask again and again. You guys are so prompt in just going ahead and reading. Thank you so much. So if we can have someone read out for us verses 56 to 59 please. Verse 56, your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad. Then the Jews said to him, you are not yet 50 years old and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was I am. Then they took up stones to throw at him but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple going through the midst of them and so passed by. So now in this one chapter, this is the third time that Jesus is deliberately calling himself I am. He did that first in 824 when he again repeated it in 828. And now here in 858 he is once again saying, before Abraham was I am. So in all the three times that he said this, they understood what he is indicating. And so now they are very angry and they pick up stones to stone him. So the point that Jesus makes over here, he says, Abraham in fact was glad to know about me. We do not know to what extent Yahweh revealed to him the details of what will happen in the future. But whatever Abraham was told at that time about the coming Messiah, it brought great joy to his heart. He rejoiced in whatever he had, whatever was revealed to him about the Messiah, he rejoiced in those things. So they say, oh, you were there at the time of Abraham, is it? You are not even, because Jesus is still in his 30s. So he says, when you're still in your 30s and you are declaring that you were there and saw Abraham rejoicing. So Jesus for the third time in the same chapter, he says, before Abraham was I am. And so now three times Jesus has said this and they pick up stones to stone him because he's claiming to be divine. And because it is not his time yet to face the crucifixion. It looks like they cannot see him. I mean it says he literally passed from among them. So he literally walks from among them and they're not able to see him and stone him. So it's something miraculous that takes place. So it says he went through them and passed by. So probably they could not see him going by. And so anyway they're unable to kill him. So we'll quickly come into John chapter 9. And the first story that we have over here is of the person who is blind from birth. Now there are some good teachings which come out from this particular passage. If we can have someone read out for us. John chapter 9 verses 1 to 5. Yes, John 9, 1 to 5. Now Jesus passed by a man who was blind from birth. And his disciples ask him saying, Rabbi, who's seen this man or his parents that he was born blind? Jesus answered, neither this man nor his parents seen, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. The night is coming when no one can work. As long as I'm in the role, I am the light of the role. Yes. Oh, yeah, yeah. No, no, we'll look at that later. So here there's a question being asked by the disciples regarding this person who has been blind from birth, which means as a baby, he never had eyesight. Right from the time he was born, he was already blind, has never ever seen anything with his physical eyes. And that's a rather terrible thing because most people I suppose would go blind due to some accident or due to some illness. But here is a person who never ever saw the light of day. So because it's an extreme case like this, the disciples ask Jesus and they say, why did something so terrible happen to this man? Is it because of some sin which he has committed or is it because of some sin which his parents committed? On the surface, it sounds like a strange question because the man was blind from birth. So what do they mean when they say, is it because of his sin? Are they implying that he sinned in the womb? Obviously not. I mean, no fetus can actually sin because it's not yet developed to an extent where it can make choices. So what they are referring to over here is a kind of belief system that was there, not very, very popular. But there was a kind of belief system among the Jews of that time, that a person who is incredibly sinful and evil, God is aware of the sins which he will be committing in his life and so at the time of his birth itself, God brings punishment upon him in anticipation of things which he will do in the future, sins which he will commit in the future. So they were in fact talking about that. So when they said, is it because of his sins? So they are in fact asking, has this man done something so terrible and God knowing that he will be doing this, he made him blind right from his birth? Is that the case? Or is it because his parents did some terrible sin? So that again is connected with what was taught in Exodus chapter 20 where the Lord says that the children will have to continue bearing the punishment for the sins of their father. So the disciples here are asking, is that the principle which we see being worked out in this man's life? Did the parents do something so terrible that the punishment is continuing even in the blind man's life? So Jesus replies and this is what Jesus says, this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him and this can be a very, very helpful scripture to all of us who go through tough times. In verse 5 Jesus says, while I am in the world, I am the light of the world and now this light of the world literally lives in us. So wherever we go, whatever situations we walk into, however dark it may be, we have the light of the world with us in us and as long as he is with us, whatever we are facing that can become an opportunity for the work of God to be displayed. So we see in fact Paul having the same attitude later on. In 2 Corinthians chapter 12 where he talks about the thorn in his flesh which was troubling him and which the Lord says he will not remove, the Lord says he will not relieve him completely from that. So he says over there in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 if we could have someone read out for us 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 9 and 10, 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 9 and 10 please. And he said to him, and he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake for when I am weak, then I am strong. Paul says over here, I take pleasure in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships. He is not saying that he enjoys these things, I mean persecution is not pleasant, being beaten up is not pleasant. So he is taking pleasure in the fact that when he goes through these things, the power of Christ will rest upon him. It's what it says in verse 9, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me is what he says. So when we go through very difficult and painful trials, we can just simply see it as something that God has permitted in our lives and now we have to endure it and go through it, or we can see it as a doorway, an opportunity to connect with him in a way which we would not have connected with him if life was normal. These are special opportunities, these hardships and insults and persecutions, all these things that we go through. They are unique opportunities to connect with God in a special way where if we place our trust in him, he will do whatever work he wants to do, whatever learning he wanted to bring, or whatever work of transformation he wanted to work in our life, he will do that and he will also display his work, his might, his power in our life. So it is more helpful for us to look at these trials and hardships and difficulties that come into our life as doorways, as opportunities to connect with God in a way which we could not have done when life was normal. These are special opportunities where when we link with him and say, Lord, I'm going to trust you through this, I'm going to obey you sincerely through this, I will hold on to you, I will not grumble the way the Old Testament Israelites used to grumble. I will not have any of those wrong attitudes, but I will hold on to you in faith and trust and continue to rejoice and thank you in even in these circumstances. When you have that attitude and you link with him in that manner, it becomes an opportunity for the power of Christ to dwell in you, to rest upon you. And like it says over here in the John chapter 9 passage, for his work to be displayed, for the works of God to be displayed in us. So this is the correct way probably to look at our trials, the things that we face in life. So coming back to this man and the healing that Jesus is trying to bring to him. If we could have maybe someone read out for us verses 6 and 7, only verses 6 and 7. John chapter 9 verses 6 and 7. When he had said these things, he spat on the throne and met him with the saliva. And he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And he said to him, go wash in the pool of Siloam, which is translated scent. So he went and washed and came back seeing. Yeah, there's a question here. What does Jesus plan to convey through this verse? Okay, the question here is referring to verse 4 of John chapter 9 where it says, As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work. While I'm in the world, I am the light of the world. Now, at a superficial level, we can just say this is referring to the time that Jesus was physically here on the earth. And then he would leave the earth once the work of crucifixion and resurrection is done and then he would have sent back. But then at a deeper level, Jesus is talking about how now today is the day of salvation. So this entire era, which started off from the time of Jesus coming to the earth as a baby being born over here. From that time until the time of judgment comes, this entire period that we are going through is actually the time of day, day light. When Christ is available to us. Anyone who cries out to him for spiritual things, for material things, anyone who cries out to him, he is willing to respond to them. So at a very surface level, we can say that verses 4 and 5 are only referring to the time of Jesus, time on this earth when he was physically present over here. But when we take this two verses in the light of what the rest of the epistels say, then we understand that it's not just referring to the time that Jesus was physically on this earth. It's referring to the entire time era from the time of Jesus coming to the earth up to the time when judgment will finally come. So this entire time period is like an open grace period when if we go to him with our trials, it will become an opportunity, a doorway for him to do his work in our lives. It can be a work of sanctification, it can be a work of transformation, it can be a work of releasing a miracle for us. It could be anything, but he will display his work in our lives. So Jesus is saying, a time will come when he says the work that he wishes to do will no longer be possible. So if we take it at the surface level and we talk about only Jesus' ministry on the earth, then yes, a time would be coming when he is taken away from the world and then he would no longer physically be there. But he would continue to function through his followers because the Holy Spirit gives them the same anointing that Jesus had and they would continue the works of the Father. So scholars prefer to take this verses 4 and 5 more in the sense of the entire time era from the time of Jesus' birth all the way up to the time of judgment when of course it will be too late. So once the night comes, once the time of judgment comes, then it's too late. Nobody can repent at that time and say, now I want to follow this light of the world. Now is the opportunity while he is still stretching out his hands and saying, anyone who comes to me, they will receive help from me, they will receive salvation from me. He is open to work in their lives. And so this man who has very limited knowledge over here, this blind man who knows, maybe he has heard, he has heard about Jesus, he has heard stories about him, doesn't know much about him. But whatever little bit he has heard, he has placed his trust in Jesus to an extent where even though Jesus is asking him to do strange things, he is willing to do. So he is taking benefit of this daylight which is still there when Jesus is still at work. On the other hand, if he had said, no, what Jesus is asking of me is very strange and I will not do this, then he would have lost the opportunity. So while it is day, while Jesus is still doing the works of the Father and works of deliverance and work of salvation, now is the opportunity for us, like this blind man, to submit to the Lord and do whatever he tells us to do. The man could have said, why are you putting mud on my eyes? Because even though he cannot physically see, he would have felt God putting something on his eyes. He does not protest. And when Jesus says, go and wash yourself in the pool of Siloam, he does not say, I am a blind man. It will be difficult for me to go over there. I will have to take the help of someone to go over there. There is no protest. The man to the level that he understands and knows about Jesus is willing to place his faith in him. And so we see that he takes advantage of the light which has been made available and he is able to benefit from the work of God which God is doing while it is still day. But once the night comes, once the time of judgment comes, then how much ever people may cry out to the Lord for help, it will be too late. So that actually is the overall context of verses 4 and 5. You have at one level it talking about just Jesus' ministry on the earth, but at a deeper level it talks about the entire era of daylight which is prevailing right now. When anyone can go to him in whatever crisis they are facing and it is a chance for us to connect with him in the middle of our crisis. It is a chance for us to see him display great works in our lives in our time of crisis. So here Jesus does something strange and it says 2-3 times that Jesus made some mud with saliva and put it on his eyes. The man when he is explaining it, he again repeats the same thing. He says Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He says in verse 11 and then it gets repeated yet again in verse 15. He says he put mud on my eyes. So there is a lot of repetition of this because that is generally not how Jesus does his miracles. It is usually with a spoken word or it could be with a touch. But here you see him making something out of mud. He uses his saliva to make mud out of the sand which he has picked up and that he applies on the man's eyes. So some scholars say, oh this looks and sounds like the Genesis account where Jesus made clay and out of that clay he created a human. So the suggestion is, is God doing a work of creation over here where using his own saliva, he has taken the ordinary sand which is there on the ground and using his saliva he has made mud out of it. Is it because he is creating something? So one suggestion is that maybe when this child was born, he didn't even have all the components which make up the human eye. Maybe there were certain things inside the eye which were missing because of which the child could never see. He was literally blind from birth. So now in an act of creation, they say maybe when God applied that mud on the eyes of that man, those things which were still not created inside his eye, they all came into place. They got formed and then the man was able to see. So that's just one theory that is put forward. So they say that the mud created in Genesis and the mud created over here are both kind of acts of creation is what they say. So Jesus does this for the man and it leads to a lot of debate. Now I'm sure this is something which happened with every miracle that Jesus did. The neighbors would start asking questions. They would say how did you get well? What happened? What did Jesus do? What did he say? And then they would go to the religious leaders in their town and they would ask them see this is what happened to so and so. So what do you think? You think Jesus is the Messiah? You see the one that was promised? So I'm sure this kind of conversation and debate took place for almost every miracle that Jesus did. But over here we are given details about this particular man's case because John the writer wishes to bring out a certain point through all of this. So verse 8 onwards we see the different responses of the people. So first you have the neighbors. So some of them in that neighborhood who have seen him begging, they say, this is the blind beggar. And then others say, no, no, no, he's not the blind beggar. How can a man blind from birth start seeing? No, no, it's just someone who looks like him. It must be someone else. And so the man starts saying, no, I am the person. In fact, no, coincidentally, if you see in the, in your Greek Bible, you will see that he also uses the term EIMI. I am is what he says. I mean, in English, you know, they've said they've written I am the man. But then if you look in the original Greek, he also says I am, but he's only saying it in the human sense. So EIMI was not some kind of special divine word term. But whenever Jesus used it, the way he used it in the context that he used it, the people clearly understood that he's referring to himself as the divine I am. Here when this blind man is talking about himself, he's just saying I am the blind beggar who was present. That's just a side note. So he says, yes, Jesus actually healed me. And so the response of the neighbors is in verse 12, they say, where is this man? They asked him and he doesn't know. He does not know where Jesus has gone. So he says, I don't know. So the neighbors are in fact eager, excited about this amazing miracle which has happened. A person who could never see even from birth is now seeing clearly and walking around. And so they are excited and they ask, where is this man? They want to go and see Jesus. They want to talk to him. And so with that same excitement, they take this man to the Pharisees. They assume that the Pharisees also are going to be very, very excited about it. But we see the Pharisees responding in a very negative manner. They say, oh my, he made mud on the Sabbath day. Oh, that is work. So if he's breaking the Sabbath, then obviously he's not from God. But this man, he insists and says, no, no, this must be a prophet because how can an ordinary person do a miracle like this? It says in verse 18, they still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. They are just not willing to accept that Jesus has done this miracle. And so they call the parents and they say, really from birth was he blind? And then the parents obviously have to confirm and say, yes, he was born blind. But they don't want to get themselves into trouble, which is what is mentioned in verse 182. Because if they say that, yes, you know, this is the Messiah and that's the reason why he was able to heal our son. Then they would be excommunicated. So to avoid that, they say, yes, he was born blind. But as for how he got healed and all of that, you please talk to him. You know, don't ask us for the details. So we see that a lot of discussion goes on as a result of this particular miracle. And so in verse 24, it says they call him back a second time. And they say, give glory to God by telling the truth. You know, tell us that this man, you know, you're going around and saying is a prophet is not really a prophet. He is a man who broke the Sabbath laws by making mud. So he is a sinner. So you glorify God by going around and telling people that he is a sinner. Don't go around and telling them that he is a prophet. Then the blind man just uses a simple logic and he says, you know, I was blind, but now I'm able to see. So why would I not say that he is a prophet? And so when they continue to press him, when they keep asking the same questions again and again, he very innocently says in verse 26, do you want to become his disciples too? Is that why again and again you're calling me back and asking me again and again? They actually are calling him because they want to criticize Jesus and create a trap for Jesus. He on the other hand is assuming that maybe they want to become his followers the same way that he has become a follower because he says, do you want to become his disciples too? Which means he has now chosen to become a disciple of this prophet. He still does not know him as Messiah, but he now thinks of him as prophet. And in fact in verse 30 he says, in spite of all that I have told you, you're still not believing that, you know, he is from God and he says in verse 30. Now that is remarkable. You don't know where he comes from yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. So he says it's plain simple logic. Why are you resisting the plain facts? That if someone was sinful, it would have been impossible for him to do something like this. So the very fact that he was able to do something like this proves that he is from God. Why are you finding that so difficult to understand? And his simple logic is so plain. You know that they are offended and they try to divert the blame on to him and they say, oh, you were born steeped in sin and that's the reason that you were born blind. How dare you lecture us. But what did Jesus say about him? He was not steeped in sin. It was not any sin that he committed due to which the blindness had come upon him. So the accusation that they are making, the false accusation that they are making against him, it is being clearly made to cover up their reluctance to accept the truth. A man who was completely blind is now able to see and accept the truth. But they who always had eyes are not willing to accept this truth. And in fact, Jesus touches upon this spiritual blindness later on in this passage. We will get to that. But first, let's look at verses 35 to 38. So if we can have someone read out for us verses 35 to 38, please. Verse 35, Jesus heard that they had cast him out and when he had found him, he said to him, do you believe in the Son of God? He answered and said, who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him? And Jesus said to him, you have both seen him and it is he who is talking to you. Then he said, Lord, I believe and he worshipped him. Now some versions will have Son of Man and then there are some versions which say Son of God. That's just based on the manuscript from which they would have done the English translation. So some manuscripts have this wording, Son of Man and some other ancient manuscripts have the wording, Son of God. So depending on that particular Bible version, which manuscript they used for their translation into English, it will be based on that. So anyway, the point is that Jesus now chooses to explain to him fully who he is because this man has undergone persecution for the sake of Jesus, even though he still does not have all the facts. He's thinking of Jesus as a godly prophet who is from God and he's willing to undergo persecution for Jesus because he's now been thrown out of the synagogue. He's been excommunicated because it says in verse 35, Jesus heard that they had thrown him out. Jesus heard that he had been excommunicated. So when Jesus saw his faith level, he comes searching for him. It says when he found him, which means Jesus went around the place looking for him so that he can now reveal to him the entire truth. So when someone acts in real faith to the extent that they are willing to even be persecuted for the Lord, the Lord searches them out. He has greater things in store for them because that is the level of their faith. So Jesus personally comes to this person, looks for him, finds him and tells him, this is who I really am. And once the man receives this complete knowledge of who Jesus is, it says in verse 38, he worships him. He must have just got down on his knees and worshiped him as God, not just as a prophet but as God. And so a man who was completely blind from birth, gets back his physical eyesight, starts seeing spiritual realities and reaches a point where now he is able to even see spiritually clearly in every way. On the other hand, these Pharisees who are not willing to accept the truth, what does Jesus say about them? If we can read out verses 39 to 41, rather significant verses, verses 39 to 41 if someone can read out. Verse 39, And Jesus said, for judgment I have come into this world that those who do not see may see and that those who see may be made blind. Then some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these words and said to him, are we blind also? Jesus said to them, if you were blind you would have no sin but now you say we see therefore your sin remains. Jesus says, this is the reason why I have come into the world. For judgment I have come into this world so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind. So he has come into this world to reveal who he is. And so when he starts revealing who he is, little by little people start learning the truth. It is the same with the disciples. Right in the beginning they did not have all the facts. As they began to spend time with Jesus they began to learn more and more. They began to see more and more. More and more of their spiritual blindness began being removed. Their eyes began to be opened and enlightened to a greater and greater extent. So that's basically how our relationship with Jesus is formed. In the beginning we may not know much but we place our trust and belief in the little bit which we know and then God reveals some more of himself to us and we grow some more in his knowledge. In that way our blindness gets removed more and more. So these are people who are receptive. They are open to what Jesus is teaching, what Jesus is saying. But then there is another category of people who see the truth in what he is saying but they harden their hearts and they do not want to receive it. They start coming up with all kinds of arguments to try and somehow negate what God is revealing. So rather than grasping this little bit of truth which they are seeing and accepting it, they fight it. So even though they can see what is being said, they don't want to see it. And for such people Jesus says, I will make them blind. If they want to harden themselves, fine. I will help them in hardening themselves where even though the truth is right in front of their eyes they will not be able to perceive it. So which is what is happening right now to these Pharisees? So Jesus is speaking this to them as a kind of warning and so the Pharisees catch the warning which he is giving and he says, oh what, you are saying that we are getting blind is it? And so then Jesus says, you know, if you were blind you would not be guilty. If you know if you really had no iota of what I am trying to say then yes, I would be patient with you. I would talk to you and reveal things to you about who I am and then you would be able to see. But the truth is that you people actually saw what I was saying. You caught the things that I was presenting before you. What I said about you not being descendants of Abraham but really actually doing the works of somebody else, your true father, the devil, all these things which I have been saying to you you have caught these truths. You have caught these facts and yet you are choosing to ignore them. So because you actually saw these things but still chose not to believe in them you are guilty of sin. And so you have people who are genuinely blind but once God starts revealing the truth to them they are willing to come out of their blindness and learn from him. And so for such people there is no judgment. On the other hand there are those who do catch what is being told but they choose to ignore it. For such people they are guilty of their sin and they will be judgment. That's basically what Jesus is trying to say over here. And then you see actually this is very connected to your next chapter in John chapter 10 verse 1. This is what Jesus says. Very truly I tell you Pharisees anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in by some other way is a thief and a robber. You people are really desperate to get into the kingdom of God. You know you go on saying that your descendants of Abraham that you belong to his family but you are not willing to accept me because it is only through me that you can enter into the kingdom. But you are deliberately even though I am placing this truth before you and you are actually able to see what I am saying again and again you are choosing to blind yourself to the truth and so you are in great danger. The only way you're going to enter into the kingdom of God for which you know you're so eager it's only going to happen through me. So you have to enter through me. I am the gate into the sheep pen. So if you want to get inside the sheep pen I am the gate through which you have to enter. But you people are trying to climb in through other ways you know by giving your tithes by doing or by fulfilling all your you know all those parisacal ceremonies and rituals which you have introduced by fulfilling those you want to get in. You are trying out other methods of getting in but that's not going to work. You will have to accept me as the son of God and enter through me and that's the only way that so there's a very direct connection between what is said in chapter 9 and then from there it flows into chapter 10. So chapter 10 of course you know we will be looking at it in greater detail in the next class. So yeah except for Jeffina's doubt there were no other doubts posted you know in future if anyone has any questions please post your questions in the chat or you can just you know raise your hand and then we can yeah we can address your questions. So let's close with a word of prayer then. Yeah Lord we just thank you so much for all the truths that we could learn through chapters 8 and 9. We thank you O Lord that you are the light of the world and because you are the light of the world whatever crisis we may be facing whatever situation we may be in if we connect with you if we choose to place our faith in you we will see your light and your life being released into our situations. We thank you O Lord that we have this privilege in you and Lord we pray that like the blind man who chose to get back his physical eyesight and also his spiritual eyesight we too will be people who will choose to receive the truth that you are telling us and allow the blindness to be removed stage by stage help us a lot to have that kind of a receptive attitude of learning where we are willing to learn from you. We pray O Lord that we will not be stubborn or hard hearted like the Pharisees who even though they could see the truths being presented they chose to blind themselves to it. We pray O Lord that you would help us to receive your truth because once we start knowing this truth then Lord the truth will indeed set us free help us O Lord in all of these things. Thank you Lord in Jesus name amen. Thanks. Thank you Pastor. Thank you. Thank you Ma.