THE BOOK OF JOHN, Chapter 9, Healing the Man Born Blind, Controversy, Jesus Affirms His Deity

 

THE BOOK OF JOHN, Chapter 9

Healing the Man Born Blind, Controversy Over The Man, Jesus Affirms His Deity

If you did not know better, you might suppose this chapter was a playscript written ahead of time. It plays out so perfectly, that the events which unfold in this chapter lead to one predetermined conclusion: Jesus is the Son of God, The Living Word, God in the flesh who dwelt among us. This is a truth the religious were either incapable of seeing or unwilling to see, and for that Jesus declares them as being blind to the truth, blind toward God, and that they remain blinded by their self-righteousness.

This is both a narrative of Jesus mission as the Christ, and a warning to us in this day and time., that we do not follow the failures of the  Pharisees’ persistent unbelief and rejection of Jesus’ message because of our self-righteousness, leaving us in a state of condemnation.

As you read this chapter, please recognize the irony and keep in mind that The Eternal and Almighty God is standing before His creation, explaining to them that He has come to redeem them from their sins and from destruction and they reject Him, and argue with Him, saying they know more than Him, calling Him sinful.

Healing the Man Born Blind

John 9:1, As Jesus passed by, He saw a man who had been blind from birth. Verse 2. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Verse 3. Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

(Commentary Break): The stage is set. This man had been blind from birth in preparation for this moment – so that the works of God might be displayed in him. I can hear the objections now. ‘Could God be that cruel for His own purposes?’ If you or someone you know or have heard about, has suffered or is suffering a malady, ask yourself “is it an unfortunate happenstance, a sad coincidence, or could it be so the works of God might be displayed?” This is a question only you can ask of yourself, because only you can answer such a question for yourself. But if you truly believe that God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, you must believe these two things: (1) Nothing happens by accident. Like it or not, everything has a purpose. (2). God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are of those who are called according to His purpose! This is a profound truth for those who can see. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 4. We must carry out the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. Verse 5. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”

(Commentary Break): Once again, the mysterion of the Word of God. This is an example of Jesus speaking in terms and language of the Kingdom of God which is being manifest in the natural realm of His creation.  Jesus is revealing that He is indeed on mission from His Father and that the time allotted for His works is limited. He has clearly included you, His followers, in these Works. (We must carry out the works of Him who sent Me). He is saying that a time is coming when His Work is finished and there will be no help for those who have failed to respond to Him. He emphasizes this saying “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world”, because there is a moral, spiritual and physical darkness coming, a time of judgement, that no one can escape. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 6. When He had said this, He spit on the ground, and made mud from the saliva, and applied the mud to his eyes, verse 7, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he left and washed, and came back seeing. Verse 8. So the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is this not the one who used to sit and beg?” Verse 9. Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” The man himself kept saying, “I am the one.” Verse 10. So they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” Verse 11. He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made mud, and spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.” Verse 12. And they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.”

Controversy over the Man

Verse 13. They brought the man who was previously blind to the Pharisees. Verse 14. Now it was a Sabbath on the day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Verse 15. Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied mud to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Verse 16. Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was dissension among them. Verse 17. So they said again to the man who was blind, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”

Verse 18. The Jews then did not believe it about him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, verse 19, and they questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” Verse 20. His parents then answered and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; verse 21, but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” Verse 22. His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders; for the Jews had already reached the decision that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be excommunicated from the synagogue. Verse 23. It was for this reason that his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

(Commentary Break): “The Jews had already reached the decision that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be excommunicated from the synagogue.” Their minds were made up ahead of time. This is the condition of many in our day and time and their fate will be the same as the Jews. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 24. So for a second time they summoned the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.” Verse 25. He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” Verse 26. So they said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” Verse 27. He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?” Verse 28. They spoke abusively to him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. Verse 29. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.”

(Commentary Break): Jesus heals the man blind from his birth and there were witnesses. The Jews interrogated the man and his parents. The Jewish leader interrogate the man a second time. The evidence is gathered, but “The Jews had already reached their decision.” (End Commentary Break).

Verse 30. The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is the amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes! Verse 31. We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if someone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him. Verse 32. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. Verse 33. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” Verse 34. They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and yet you are teaching us?” So they put him out.

(Commentary Break): Here is the simple but sound logic of the man

(1). “Well, here is the amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet,

(2). He opened my eyes! The man is saying that where Jesus is from is irrelevant to him!

(3). We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if someone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him.

(4). Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.

(5). If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

(6). The Jews answered him saying, “You were born entirely in sins, and yet you are teaching us?”

(7). So the Jewish leaders put the man who had been blind out of their presence. (End Commentary Break).

Jesus Affirms His Deity

Verse 35. Jesus heard that they had put him out, and upon finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” Verse 36. He answered by saying, “And who is He, Sir, that I may believe in Him?” Verse 37. Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” Verse 38. And he said, “I believe, Lord.” And he worshiped Him. Verse 39. And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”

(Commentary Break): The man who had been blind from birth has received both his natural and his spiritual sight – and now he is being saved! (End Commentary Break).

Verse 40. Those who were with Him from the Pharisees heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” Verse 41. Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you maintain, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

(Commentary Break): In this context, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees, who were religious leaders in Israel. The term “blind” here is metaphorical, referring to spiritual blindness or ignorance. In biblical times, blindness was often seen as a physical ailment that rendered a person helpless, symbolizing a lack of understanding or insight. Jesus uses this metaphor to address the Pharisees’ inability to recognize Him as the Messiah. This echoes Isaiah 42:7, where the Messiah is prophesied to open the eyes of the blind, both physically and spiritually.

Here, Jesus suggests that if the Pharisees were truly ignorant of their spiritual state, they would not be held accountable for their sin. This reflects a biblical principle found in Leviticus 5:17, where unintentional sin is treated differently from willful disobedience. The concept of accountability is central in Scripture, as seen in James 4:17, which states that knowing the right thing to do and failing to do it is sin.

The Pharisees prided themselves on their knowledge of the Law and their spiritual insight. Their claim to “see” indicates their self-righteousness and confidence in their own understanding. This is reminiscent of Proverbs 26:12, which warns about the danger of being wise in one’s own eyes. The Pharisees’ claim contrasts with the humility required to truly understand spiritual truths, as seen in Matthew 5:3, where Jesus blesses the poor in spirit.

Jesus concludes by stating that their guilt remains because they refuse to acknowledge their spiritual blindness. This is a direct indictment of their hypocrisy and rejection of Jesus as the Light of the World (John 8:12). The concept of remaining in guilt is tied to the idea of unrepentance and hardness of heart, as seen in Hebrews 3:12-13. The Pharisees’ persistent unbelief and rejection of Jesus’ message leave them in a state of condemnation, as highlighted in John 3:19-20, where people love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. (Note: the foregoing four paragraphs are taken from BibleHub.com Study Bible).  (End Commentary Break).

It is glaringly obvious that we, the postmodern Church, are increasingly behaving like the Jewish religious leaders as cited in this chapter. We say we believe, but our beliefs are based on our church forerunner’s ideas, traditions, and upon our experiences. We do not follow Jesus, thinking as He thinks, acting as He acts and doing as He does. We have modified and even perverted His Word to satiate our own wants, thoughts, ideas, desires and demands. We have strayed far from what The Living Word says, demonstrated to us and warned that if we depart from His Ways we will perish. It is the one who “endures to the end, who will be saved”. We should repent quickly, for the Kingdom of Heaven is now at hand!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT: THE BOOK OF JOHN, Chapter 10, The Parable of The Good Shepherd, Jesus Asserts His Deity.

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