John 8-12
Jesus demonstrates that He is the fullness of the Genesis 1 Light, which is Life, by healing a blind man and raising Lazarus to life (8:12--11:54).
In the next section (8:11—11:54) the author focuses on Jesus as the Light, or the Life from God given to men. Thus the dialogue focuses on Jesus as the Light of the world (8), and then Jesus demonstrates the ability to perceive the Light (life) by healing a blind man. The blind man believes and is thrown out of the temple by those who cannot see (spiritually), yet Jesus, as the Good Shepherd guarantees that he is included in the true fold (even though they had thrown him out of the temple). The climax of this section (and the first part of the book) is the giving of life to Lazarus demonstrating that He is the fullness of the giving of Life.
The background of the book is Isaiah 35:5 and 40-66 (see especially 42:16-19) where the blind is in reference to Israel's ignorance of the light (the revelation of God). Thus, the Messiah's healing of the blind is indicative of Israel's blindness. This is especially apparent in Jesus discussion with the Pharisees at the end of Chapter 10. Jesus is the New Isaiah who calls out to a nation to repent so that they will not go into (continue) their exile. Isaiah had been told in his commissioning of Isaiah 6:10:
"Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Lest they see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed." (Isaiah 6:10)
Using the Genesis 1—3 prophecy, Jesus asserts that He is the Light (Revelation of God), the Son (the Seed of the Woman or the last Adam), while they live in darkness like the Serpent (deny the Word) and attempt to kill the Righteous One like Cain (8:12-53).
Dr. Charles Baylis
Video
Chapter 8
Chapters 9-10
Chapters 11-12:26
Chapter 12:27-50
Commentary
Links & Sources
TeachMeTheBible.com - Dr. David Klingler
The Spring Church Sermons - Prof Caleb Foley
Traceway Church Sermons - Dr. Nathan Tullos
TheBiblicalStory.org - Dr. Charles Baylis
