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John 9

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The Healing of a Man Born Blind 1–7

1
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
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And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? ​
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Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. ​
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I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. ​
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As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. ​
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When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, ​
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And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. ​

Neighbors and the Identity of the Healed Man 8–12

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The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
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Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.
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Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
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He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.
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Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.

The Pharisees Investigate the Sabbath Miracle 13–17

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They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.
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And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. ​
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Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.
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Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. ​
17
They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet. ​

Interrogation of the Parents 18–23

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But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.
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And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see?
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His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
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But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
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These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. ​
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Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.

The Man Defends Jesus and Is Cast Out 24–34

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Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. ​
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He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. ​
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Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?
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He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?
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Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples.
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We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.
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The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.
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Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. ​
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Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
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If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
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They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. ​

Jesus Reveals Himself to the Healed Man 35–38

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Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? ​
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He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
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And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
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And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. ​

Jesus Pronounces Judgment on Blindness 39–41

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And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. ​
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And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
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Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for John 9

Verse 2

who did sin, this man, or his parents — The disciples address him as rhabbi, 'my master' (Matt 23:7). Their question assumes that a particular affliction answers to a particular sin; Jesus answers the same assumption about the Galilaeans: 'Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?' (Luke 13:2).

Verse 3

the works of God should be made manifest — Jesus gives neither the man nor his parents as the cause, but the purpose: phaneroo, to make visible. The same reasoning opens the raising of Lazarus: 'This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God' (John 11:4). The healing is one of the 'works' he is sent to do (v.4).

Verse 4

I must work the works of him that sent me — Dei, it is necessary: his work is laid on him by the one who sent him, as in 'My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work' (John 4:34). 'Day' and 'night' mark the time allowed for it; compare 'Are there not twelve hours in the day?' (John 11:9).

Verse 5

the light of the world — Phos, light. Jesus repeats the claim made in the temple, 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness' (John 8:12), and at once gives sight to a man who never had it. 'As long as I am in the world' limits the time, as 'day' did in v.4.

Verse 6

made clay of the spittle — Pelos, clay, occurs here, in vv.11, 14, 15, and in Rom 9:21 of the potter's clay. The man's eyes are made with earth, as the first man was: 'the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground' (Gen 2:7). Elsewhere Jesus also used spittle in healing the blind (Mark 8:23).

Verse 7

the pool of Siloam — John interprets the name, 'Sent' (apostello, to send out; compare 'him that sent me' in v.4). Isaiah speaks of 'the waters of Shiloah that go softly' (Isa 8:6). The man is told to go, and he 'came seeing'; the promise 'Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened' (Isa 35:5) is met.

Verse 14

it was the sabbath day — John notes the day only here, after the miracle is told, and names two acts: Jesus 'made the clay' and 'opened his eyes'. He had earlier healed on a sabbath and was sought for it: 'did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day' (John 5:16).

Verse 16

a division among them — Schisma, a split; John uses it of the crowd in 7:43 and again in 10:19. One side reasons from the sabbath that he is 'not of God'; the other from the sign (semeion) that a sinner could not do it. Nicodemus had argued the same way: 'no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him' (John 3:2).

Verse 17

He is a prophet — The man's second answer, after 'A man that is called Jesus' (v.11). The same inference was drawn by the Samaritan woman, 'I perceive that thou art a prophet' (John 4:19), and by the crowd after the loaves (John 6:14). The question put to him invites him to side with one half of the divided Pharisees (v.16).

Verse 22

put out of the synagogue — Aposynagogos, one word, found only here, in John 12:42 and in John 16:2, where Jesus foretells 'They shall put you out of the synagogues'. The rulers' agreement already stood against anyone who would 'confess that he was Christ'; the parents answer within its limits (vv.20–21).

Verse 24

Give God the praise — The Greek word is doxa, glory, the charge Joshua laid on Achan: 'give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him' (Josh 7:19). Here it is turned against the healed man: he is to confess that Jesus 'is a sinner', though the glory belongs to God for the very work he saw.

Verse 25

one thing I know — The man refuses to rule on whether Jesus is 'a sinner', and states what he has experienced: 'whereas I was blind, now I see'. The contrast of 'was blind' and 'now' (arti) is the whole of his evidence, and the Pharisees' repeated questions (vv.15, 26) cannot alter it.

Verse 31

God heareth not sinners — The man appeals to what is already known: 'The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous' (Prov 15:29; cf. Isa 1:15). 'Worshipper of God' is theosebes, found only here in the New Testament; the man concludes that a prayer answered so openly shows the one who prayed is such a man.

Verse 34

they cast him out — Ekballo, to drive out; the penalty of v.22 is carried out. 'Altogether born in sins' returns the disciples' assumption of v.2 against him. Isaiah had foretold it: 'Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified' (Isa 66:5).

Verse 35

when he had found him — Jesus hears of the expulsion and seeks the man out; 'found' is heurisko. His question, 'Dost thou believe on the Son of God?', is the faith John says his Gospel is written to call forth: 'that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God' (John 20:31).

Verse 38

Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him — Proskuneo, to bow in homage. Jesus accepts it without correction, as he does from those in the boat who said 'Of a truth thou art the Son of God' (Matt 14:33). The man's titles for Jesus have risen from 'a man that is called Jesus' (v.11) and 'a prophet' (v.17) to 'Lord'.

Verse 39

For judgment I am come — Krima, a decision or sentence. Elsewhere John gives the same outcome: 'light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light' (John 3:19). The sign becomes a figure: those who 'see not' and own it receive sight, and those who 'see' and claim it are 'made blind'.

Verse 41

your sin remaineth — Menei, abides. Blindness acknowledged leaves no guilt for refusing what was not seen; but 'We see' (v.40) claims the light and refuses it. Jesus says the same of those who have heard and seen his works: 'If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin' (John 15:22).