For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.
9:1 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
- The man was physically blind (v.1ff). This blindness was not temporary, but congenital.
- The O.T. does say that the sins of the parents can be "visited" on the children (Exodus 20:5), but what about the second possibility, the idea that the man himself may have sinned prenatally?
- Some rabbis discussed the sins of Jacob and Esau while still in the womb.
- Thus the reference is not to a previous life, but to life in utero.
- At no time before had anyone ever healed a man born blind, nor do such miracles occur today (in my experience, although you may wish to consult Craig Keener's magnum opus, Miracles).
- Jesus' disciples were blind (v.2).
- Their question reflects the outlook of the ancient world on sin, and reminds us of the view of Job's three "comforters": sickness and misfortune are caused by sin. (This is a basic tenet of today's "Prosperity Theology.")
- They do not care for him as a person, only for the theological conundrum he presents.
3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4 Wemust work the works of him who sent mewhile it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.
- Jesus offers no explanation as to the cause of the blindness, but sees a divine possibility.
- There is hope in the light of Christ -- the "daylight" by whose light we can work. Jesus reasserts that he is the light of the world. (Several of the "I Am" sayings are repeated -- this one, from 8:12.)
- The man is healed.
- The healing could have been direct and instantaneous, but it includes saliva and dirt and a walk to a pool.
- The man wasn't healed by faith alone; the blessing came only as he went in obedience to Jesus' command. So it is with us.
- Sending him to wash in the Pool of Siloam (v.7) is reminiscent of Elisha sending Naaman to wash in the Jordan (2 Kings 5).
- The miracle shows that Jesus is the promised Messiah. See Isaiah 29:18.
- Siloam (v.7) is laden with linguistic significance.
- Shiloh was the place where God revealed himself before the Temple was built in Jerusalem. Shiloh is mentioned frequently in Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 1 Kings, and Jeremiah.
- There is a Messianic prophecy connected with this in Genesis 49:10.
- And yet Isaiah 8:6 shows the Jews rejecting the waters of Shiloah (Siloam, in Hebrew).
- Interestingly, the Pool of Siloam was only discovered in 2005. See the report at the Bibleplaces website.
8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
- The neighbors notice.
- Here was a man they saw every day -- and yet the implications of admitting the authenticity of the miracles were huge.
- Many of his neighbors and acquaintances were "blind" (v.8ff).
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”
- According to Jewish law (rabbinic tradition, not Torah), Jesus had violated the Sabbath.
- Spittle must not be put into the eyes on the Sabbath (J. 'Abod. Zar. 14d), while another passage refers to differing opinions over whether eyes may be anointed on the Sabbath (B. 'Abod. Zar. 28b).
- Deuteronomy 13:1-5 warned the people of God not to listen to a miracle-worker if he led them away from God's law.
Thus there was some basis for the Jewish leaders' viewpoint vis-à-vis Jesus (though no justification for their stubborn refusal to reconsider their interpretations and believe).
The blind man's statement "He is a prophet" (v.17) is parallel to the Samaritan woman's recognition in 4:19.
18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiahwould be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
- His parents too are blind (vv.18ff).
- "He is of age" (v.23) shows that he was over 13 years old, and thus legally accountable as an adult.
- Verse 22 shows the real reason for their reticence to acknowledge Jesus as the healer.
- This verse would have been especially meaningful at the time of the rupture between church and synagogue, particularly after 70 AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple (assuming John was written in the 90s -- some scholars place it pre-70).
- In the same way, we are called to take our stand with Christ, even if this leads to ostracism.
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
- "Give glory to God" is a solemn oath. See Joshua 7:19, where Joshua interrogates Achan.
- V.25 supplied the inspiration for John Newton's famous hymn, Amazing Grace.
26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.
- The Pharisees were blindest of all (v.13ff, 24ff).
- Up to a point they had been pretending to be impartial, operating under the guise of an open examination (v.24).
- Now their true colors are shown (v.34). Their minds are already made up; no amount of evidence will change them.
- And yet in accusing the man of having been born in sin, the Pharisees are in effect admitting the miracle as legitimate!
- Note: v.31 is sometimes taken as a doctrinal statement, yet this will not do.
- God hears all prayers -- as Solomon requested in his prayer (1 Kings 8:41-43).
- It is the defiant one, the one in deliberate sin, whose prayer will not be accepted (Ps 66:18).
35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”36 He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38 He said, “Lord,I believe.” And he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains."
- Jesus follows up with the man (v.35), just as he did with the invalid he healed in chapter 5.
- "Son of Man" is a Messianic title in the book of Daniel.
- The result is that the man recognizes who Jesus is, falling at his feet in humble gratitude.
- The blind see and the seeing are blind. Refer to 1:3-4 and 3:19-21.
Final thoughts
- In this story, it is only Jesus who truly sees --
- And the blind man, whose perception of Jesus moves from stranger (v.6) to healer (v.7) to prophet (v.17) to Lord (v.38).
- Again, see chapter 4 for a progression in faith and spiritual perception on the part of the Samaritan woman.
- John 9 portrays in living color what happens when Light enters this dark world.
- How we respond to the truth God reveals to us determines our standing with God.
- Two themes are intertwined in chapter 9: revelation and judgment. These themes are present throughout the gospel of John.
- This account is also in many ways a perfect picture of conversion to Christ, which all true believers have experienced.
- Jesus shows us the Father (1:14, 18; 10:30; 14:9).
- In John 9 we understand that God is light -- which is not mere knowledge or intellect, since there is a strong moral component to the light.
- He is the one who opens the eyes of our heart (Eph 1:18).
- We see that God does not favor the powerful or the establishment or the respectable, but those who honor him by embracing the truth.
- We notice that nearly everyone claims to know God, or be in the light, or to be doing the right thing. Yet there is a simplicity in knowing God, exhibited in the life of the blind man and of course also in the behavior of Jesus, that the highborn and the highbrow easily miss.
- God powerfully transforms our lives.
- We can easily make this chapter into a group Bible discussion.
- Are there certain characters in chapter 9 with which you identify? Blind man, disciples, parents, neighbors, Pharisees, Jesus? If so, why? How are your attitudes or experiences similar?
- Is there a definite time in your life when you crossed from over from darkness to light, from blindness to sight? On what date did this take place?
- Are you able to share with others about the change? How do they usually react? Does the prospect of peer pressure, or the fear of family rejection, or the possibility of religious persecution affect how public you are in expressing your faith in Christ?
- See the group studies in Till the Nets are Full(formerly Shining Like Stars).
- John 4 (the Samaritan Woman). [This is study VII.]
- John 5 (The Healing at the Pool). [This is study XIV.]
- John 6+ (The I Am Sayings) [This is study VIII.]
- John 9 (the Blind Man), which is another more or less complete chapter with multiple clearly identifiable characters. [This is study V.]
- And there are many other good group studies from John:
- John 2: Water to Wine and The Clearing of the Temple
- John 3: Nicodemus (chapters 3, 7, 19).
- John 8: The Woman Caught in Adultery
- John 20: "Doubting" Thomas
- And so on....