In the beginning...
How did the world respond to the true light?
The true light came into the world, but the world did not recognize Him and His own people did not receive Him.
John 1:9-11
“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”
What does Jesus mean by being born of water and the Spirit?
It refers to spiritual cleansing and new birth through the Holy Spirit.
John 3:5
“Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
How many loaves of bread and fish did the boy have?
John 6:9
9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
How does Jesus heal the man?
He makes mud, puts it on his eyes, and tells him to wash.
John 9:6-7
“He anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said… ‘Go, wash…’”
What does it mean that the Word became flesh?
God became human in Jesus and lived among us, revealing His glory full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
What does Jesus say is required to see the kingdom of God?
A person must be born again.
John 3:3
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Tell me about a similar way God has provided for his people in the Old Testament.
God providing manna and quail in the wilderness.
What lesson does Jesus teach about spiritual sight and blindness after this miracle?
Those who acknowledge their spiritual blindness will see, while those who claim to see but are spiritually blind will remain in darkness.
“Jesus said, ‘For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.’” (John 9:39)
Who is John the Baptist and what is his purpose?
John is a man sent by God to testify about the light so that people might believe through him; he is not the light.
John 1:6-8
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.”
Who is Nicodemus and what does he recognize about Jesus?
Nicodemus is a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews who recognizes that Jesus is a teacher from God because of His signs.
John 3:1-2
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus… ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs… unless God is with him.’”
Why were large crowds following Jesus at the beginning of this passage?
They were following Him because they saw the signs He performed on the sick.
“A large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.” (John 6:2)
How does the healed man argue that Jesus must be from God?
He says that only someone sent from God could perform such a miracle.
“Now we know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” (John 9:31–33)
How is “the Word” described in relation to God and creation?
The Word existed in the beginning, was with God, and is God, and all things were made through Him.
John 1:1-3
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
How does Moses lifting the serpent relate to Jesus?
Just as people looked and were healed, people must look to Jesus to receive eternal life.
John 3:14-15
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up…”
What question does Jesus ask Philip, and why does He ask it?
Jesus asks where they could buy bread to feed the crowd, testing Philip’s faith.
“Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.” (John 6:5–6)
What assumption do the disciples make about the cause of the man’s blindness, how does Jesus respond to their assumption, and what does He reveal as the true purpose of the man’s condition?
The disciples assume the man’s blindness was caused by sin—either his own or his parents’. Jesus corrects them by saying it was not due to personal sin, but so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
Verse (John 9:1–3):
“As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’”
What is revealed about seeing God in John 1? What has Jesus done in regards to us seeing?
No one has seen God, but Jesus has made Him known.
John 1:18
“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”
What does John 3:16 say and what does it reveal about God's love and his purpose for sending Jesus into the world.
God loved the world and gave his only son so that whoever believes in him will have eternal life and Jesus was sent not to condemn the world but to save it.
John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
After the feeding of the five thousand, why did the crowd try to make Jesus their king, and what did they miss about His mission?
The crowd wanted to make Jesus their king because they hoped He would free them from Roman rule, saw His power and wanted a political leader, and wanted someone who could provide for them physically. They missed that Jesus came not just to meet physical needs but to save people spiritually.
“When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’ Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” (John 6:14–15)
Why does the healing of the man born blind become controversial with the Pharisees, and how does it connect to Jesus’ teaching about the Sabbath?
The healing is controversial because it was done on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees debated the lawfulness of Jesus’ actions. Jesus demonstrates that the Sabbath is meant for doing good and showing God’s works, not merely for legalistic restrictions. By healing, He shows that He is Lord of the Sabbath, emphasizing its true purpose: to serve people and glorify God.
“Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.” (John 9:14)
“‘The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.’” (Matthew 12:8 / parallels in Mark 2:28, Luke 6:5)