I Can Confess

Lesson text: John 9:1-38, Romans 10:9

Memory Verse: Romans 10:9

We have now discussed the importance of hearing what God has to say, believing what He has to say, and repenting of our sins. In this lesson, we will study something that the Bible teaches us to do: confess. To confess is to tell someone something personal about you. It might be something that you‘ve done or something that you believe. For example, people who commit crimes sometimes confess (or tell) that they did it.

One day, Jesus was walking and saw a man who had been blind since birth. His disciples asked Him, “Why is this man blind? Is it because he sinned or because his parents sinned?” During those days, many people thought that if something bad happened to you, it was because you or your parents did something bad. But Jesus explained to them that it was not the man or his parents who had done something bad that he was born blind. But so that God could be glorified (praised). Jesus then spit on the ground, rubbed some clay together, and put it on the man’s eyes. Jesus then told the blind man to wash at the Pool of Siloam. The man did what Jesus told him to do, and he could see for the first time in his life!

People saw him and said, “Aren’t you the beggar who was blind? How can you see now?” The man told them about Jesus and what Jesus had done for him. Word got around to the Pharisees, a group of people who didn’t believe that Jesus was from God, so they questioned the man. But the man continued telling them the same thing Jesus had done for him.

Finally, the Pharisees became irritated at the man and went to talk to his parents. They did not want to get in trouble, so they said, “Yes, he was born blind. He can see now, but we don’t know how his sight was given to him. Go ask him again.”

The Pharisees hated Jesus. They were the major leaders in that country and were very jealous of Jesus and what He could do. They did everything that they possibly could to convince other people to hate Jesus as well. When they called the man back to question him again, they told him that Jesus was not from God. They told him to praise God for his sight but not Jesus. Because, they said, Jesus is a sinner. The man said, “I don’t know if he’s a sinner or not, but I do know that I was blind, and he caused me to see!” The Pharisees said, “We know that God spoke to Moses, but we don’t know where Jesus is from.” The once blind man said, “If he were not from God, he could do nothing.” When the man said that, the Pharisees ordered him to leave.

Jesus found him again and asked him, “Do you believe on the Son of God?” The man said “Who is He, so I can worship Him?” Jesus said “I am He.” So, the once-blind man fell down and worshipped Jesus.

This man was not afraid to confess Jesus, even when people got mad at him for it!

Are you willing to confess Jesus to others?

True or False

________ 1. Jesus healed a deaf man.
________ 2. The disciples thought that he was blind because he or his parents had sinned.
________ 3. Jesus put clay on the man‘s eyes.
________ 4. The once-blind man told people what Jesus had done.
________ 5. The Pharisees believed in Jesus.
________ 6. The man worshipped Jesus.

Fill in the Blanks

1. Jesus saw a man who had been blind from __________.
2. Jesus told him to go wash in the _________ of ___________.
3. The disciples were told that the man was blind so that God could be ____________.
4. The ___________ were a group of religious leaders who hated Jesus.
5. Jesus said He was the ________ of _________.
6. The man‘s _____________ told the Pharisees to go ask the blind man again.

What do the Words Mean?

1. Blind ______________________________________________________

2. Sin ________________________________________________________

3. Disciple ____________________________________________________

Discussion Questions

1. This man was persecuted for telling about Jesus but kept telling everyone what Jesus had done anyway. Why would he confess Jesus if he knew people would be upset with him over it?

2. As we read our Bible, we can see that even the man’s parents were afraid to tell others how he received his eyesight. Should you stand up and tell the truth about Jesus even during difficult times?

Solve the Riddles

1. I was a beggar. Jesus came to me, spit on the ground, stirred it, making clay, then placed the clay on my eyes and told me to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. Who am I? _____________________

2. We followed Jesus. We were with him when he saw the blind man. We thought the man was born blind because either he or his parents had sinned. Who are we? ___________________

3. We hated Jesus! We were jealous of Him and wanted everyone else also to hate him! We ordered a man to leave our presence because he did not agree with us when we said that Jesus was not from God. Who are we? ___________________

4. We were afraid to tell the Pharisees that Jesus had given our son his eyesight. We told them that he was blind from birth and that he could see now but that we didn‘t know how it happened. Who are we? __________________

5. I spit on the ground, made clay, and put it on the blind man‘s eyes. Then I told him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. Later, I found him and told him I was the Son of God. Who am I? _____________________