Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:
(John 9:1) And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.
In the last chapter, Jesus had slipped away from the scribes and Pharisees in the temple who were about to stone Him. Sometime after that, as He was walking along, He saw a man who had been blind since his birth.
(2) And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Master, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
The Jews believed that adversities were the effects of sin, which in many cases is true. Jesus's disciples therefore wondered who had sinned to make this person born blind. It didn't seem that he could have sinned, being born that way, so they wondered if his parents had sinned. What they failed to consider was that all men are born into sin since the fall of Adam.
(3) Jesus answered, "Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him."
Jesus answered that neither had sinned. That's not to say that they had never sinned, but there was not a personal sin that had caused the man to be born blind. In this case, he had a purpose in being born blind, to be used by God to show the miracle of God in healing him. I find this to be a direct contradiction to those Word of Faith believers who say they know God's will is that none should be sick. I've heard their prayers demanding healing because they know it's God's will! While God did want us all to be well and whole and living in the Garden of Eden of life, we sinned and fell from grace. Now bad things happen, and God may use those bad things for His purposes, as "we know that all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). And to those who think it must be a cruel God to make a child born blind just so that He may have the glory when that child is grown, that may be his purpose in life! Each of us is born for a purpose. We don't all have to grow up to be pastors or missionaries in a foreign land. God uses some of us just where are. I have known too many people, my husband included, who lived Godly lives in spite of adversities that some would have considered lives not worth living. And I have seen too many people inspired by those people and even coming to salvation in Jesus because they can see the joy in those people even when they live with so much adversity. And if that was their only purpose, and people were saved into eternal life because of it, then it was a grand purpose and their reward will be great in heaven.
As I write this, I can't help but think of the lives that have been destroyed through abortion. Lives aborted because someone thought it was better that they not live, and lives that were not saved because they did not have the chance to witness that aborted life. I am 100% pro-life and believe that even in the case of rape, it was not the child's fault, and that child can be adopted if the mother can't keep the child. But the one case I always had difficulty with was incest, but as I write this, why would it be any different than a child born with any defect or a child born out of rape? Yes, perhaps the child born of incest gets a double dose of both health problems and psychological problems, but can that child not be used by God, as well? And could people possibly come to salvation if they witness a Godly person grow up out of all the hardship? Is their life worth less because of what was done to them? Again God can use something born out of wickedness for His purposes, and to deny that to any person is playing God and immoral. I can see that now. God can use all lives and His will is that all be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).
(4) "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night comes when no man can work."
Jesus said that He must do the works His Father sent Him to do while there was still time. He would only be there a short time, and when His death came, He could do no more work, at least no work in person on earth. That can be said of all of us. We should do good now while we are alive and able, because no man can work after he is dead.
(5) "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
As long as Jesus was in the world, He was the light that would guide men to do God's will. Once that light was extinguished, there would be darkness again unless people learned from His example and from His life and became little lights themselves. For these two reasons, it was important to Him that He work constantly as soon His light would be extinguished, but also that He might teach His disciples to carry on His word.
(6) 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.
Jesus then spat on the ground and made a clay from the spittle and the dust from the ground. He then anointed the blind man's eyes with the clay. Why would Jesus choose to heal this way when He could have just as easily said, "Your eyes now see."? I believe Jesus healed in different ways to show that there was no one magic formula and that He was Lord over all instruments He used. In addition, we will see later in this chapter that Jesus did this on the Sabbath. By actually making an ointment, He would be seen as having worked on the Sabbath, and would use this incident to again demonstrate how the Jews' interpretation of the law of the Sabbath was contrary to the original intent of God.
(7) And said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went his way therefore, and washed and came seeing.
Jesus told the blind man to go wash in the pool of Siloam. John made a parenthetical statement that Siloam meant "Sent." John Wesley, in his Notes on the Bible, said that the fountain of Siloam sat outside the walls of Jerusalem, and from it a little stream flowed into the city and was received into the pool of Siloam near the temple. It was a blessing sent by God sent from the fountain of Siloam, thus its name. Why would Jesus send the man to a specific place to wash? Perhaps there was significance in the name as the One sent by God sent him to that pool. Perhaps it was a test to see how much the man trusted Him to be healed. If he had disobeyed Jesus and washed in the first water he came to, he would not have been healed. Perhaps Jesus wanted the man to go to the pool near the temple that his miracle may be observed in such a public place. The man indeed went as Jesus told him and he came back from the pool seeing.
(8) The neighbors therefore and they who had before seen him that he was blind, said, "Is this not he who sat and begged?"
The man's neighbors and those who had seen him before and knew that he was blind asked if it could be the same person they knew used to sit and beg. The man was obviously well known in the city, and that may be the reason Jesus sent him there to attract attention and make there be no doubt that he had been healed, and this for Jesus's purpose and for the glory of God (verse 3).
(9) Some said, "This is he," others, "He is like him." He said, "I am he!"
The miracle certainly caused a commotion among the people. Some said it was definitely the same man, while others said it just looked like him. The man himself spoke up and said he was indeed the same man who used to be blind and sat and begged.
(10) Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" (11) He answered and said, "A man who is called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash,' and I went and washed and I received sight."
When he admitted he was the same formerly blind man, the people asked how his eyes came to be opened. He told them about Jesus making the clay ointment, putting it on his eyes, and telling him to go to the pool of Siloam to wash. He told them he did just as Jesus said and he received his sight.
(12) Then they said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I don't know."
The people then asked the man where this Jesus was. He said he didn't know. The man would have known where he had been sitting when Jesus put the ointment on his eyes. When he came back from the pool, he must have returned to the area to find that Jesus was no longer there.
(13) They brought to the Pharisees him who was formerly blind.
The people brought the man to the Pharisees. Whether they had evil intentions against Jesus or perhaps just wanted the disagreement settled among them that this formerly blind man was truly healed, we aren't told. But we know what the intentions of the Pharisees were.
(14) And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
Here is where we learn that Jesus had performed this miracle on the Sabbath.
(15) Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes and I washed and I see."
Then the Pharisees also asked the man how he had received his sight, and he told them what Jesus had done and after he washed, he was able to see.
(16) Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not of God because He doesn't keep the Sabbath day." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such miracles?" And there was a division among them.
Some of the Pharisees proclaimed that Jesus could not be from God because He had broken the law of the Sabbath, but others rationalized that a sinner could not do such miracles, so there was much disagreement among them.
(17) They said to the blind man again, "What do you say of Him who has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."
So the Pharisees spoke to the formerly blind man again and asked him who he thought Jesus was. He answered that he thought He was a prophet.
(18) But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight until they called his parents. (19) And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?"
The Jews, or primarily these Pharisees to whom the people had brought the man, did not believe that the man could have actually been born blind and could now see, so they called the man's parents and asked them if the man was really their son, if he had truly been born blind, and if so, how was it that he could now see?
(20) His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind, (21) But by what means he now sees we don't know. He is of age, ask him; he shall speak for himself."
The man's parents confirmed that the man was their son and that he had been born blind, but they did not know how he came to see. They said that their son was of age, so they should just ask him as he could speak for himself. But of course, they already had and they weren't satisfied with his answer.
(22) This spoke his parents because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if any man confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. (23) Therefore his parents said, "He is of age, ask him."
The man's parents answered that way because they were afraid of the Jews who had already agreed that if anyone believed that Jesus was Christ, they would be cast out, excommunicated, from the synagogue. That is why they said their son was of age, to ask him. It seems they feared for themselves more than they cared about their son as they would have him be the one who was excommunicated or worse. But I suppose they really didn't know anything but what their son would have told them.
(24) Then again they called the man who was blind and said to him, "Give God the praise. We know this Man is a sinner."
The Pharisees called the formerly blind man back to them and just told him to give God the praise for his healing. They insinuated the healing could not have been from Jesus because they knew him to be a sinner.
(25) He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner, I don't know. One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see."
The man told them that whether or not Jesus was a sinner, he didn't know, and it seems he thought little of their trivial objection to Him. What he did know was that he had been blind and now he could see, and that he certainly attributed to Jesus.
(26) Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?"
So the Pharisees asked the man again what exactly Jesus did to him, and how Jesus opened his eyes.
(27) He answered them, "I have told you already and you did not hear. Why would you hear it again? Will you also be His disciples?"
The man shows courage here. Unlike his parents who were happy to push the responsibility back to him, he answered the Pharisees boldly that he had already told them and they did not want to listen and believe what he said. Why would they want to hear the same thing again; would they believe him this time? Would they suddenly want to become Jesus's disciples if they heard him tell them a second time what He had done?
(28) Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses's disciples. (29) We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we don't know where he is from."
The Pharisees then berated him and accused him of being a disciple of Jesus because he defended Him, which they considered an insult. They said they were Moses's disciples, following the law of Moses which they said Jesus had broken that day. They knew God had spoken to Moses, but they did not know where Jesus came from.
(30) The man answered and said to them, "Why, here is a marvelous thing, that you don't know where he is from and yet He has opened my eyes. (31) Now we know that God doesn't hear sinners, but if any man is a worshiper of God, and does His will, He hears him."
The man boldly said to them that that was an astonishing thing that they didn't know where Jesus came from, and yet He had opened his eyes. He couldn't be a sinner because God wouldn't listen to sinners. That's not to say that God would not hear our prayers when we call out and confess to Him that we need Him, but He would not allow a sinful man to call on Him and perform miracles for someone who was ungodly. However, if a man worshiped God and did God's will, God would hear his prayers. So what did that say about the Man who healed him?
(32) "Since the world began it was not heard that any man opened the eyes of one who was born blind. (33) If this man were not of God, He could do nothing."
The man showed much more wisdom than the Pharisees. Had they ever known a mere man to open the eyes of a man born blind in all of history? It is true that there is no record of Moses or the prophets ever giving sight to a man who was born blind. Therefore the man reasoned correctly that if Jesus was not of God, he would not have been able to do anything. It was such simple reasoning and yet the Pharisees could not or would not see this.
(34) They answered and said to him, "You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?" And they cast him out.
Contemptuously the Pharisees told the man he had been completely born in sin, as if they hadn't been, and he dared to teach them, learned, wise, and holy, as they claimed to be? They cast him out of the synagogue, I am sure excommunicating him.
(35) Jesus heard that they had cast him out and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"
When Jesus heard that the Jews had cast the formerly blind man out of the synagogue, he looked for him. When He found him, He asked if he believed in the Son of God.
(36) He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I might believe in Him?"
The man who had defended Jesus against the Pharisees did not know that Jesus spoke about Himself. He had defended Him because he knew He had to be from God and assumed He was a prophet. He asked Jesus who that Son of God was so that he might come to believe in Him. He seemed very receptive to believing in Him but didn't realize it was Jesus Himself.
(37) And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who talks to you."
Jesus answered that the man had already seen the Son of man, and in fact, he was talking to Him at that moment.
(38) And he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him.
The man immediately told Jesus He believed in Him to be the Son of God and he worshiped Him.
(39) And Jesus said, "For judgment I am come into this world that they who do not see might see and that they who see might be made blind."
Jesus had previously said that He did not come to judge the world, but to save it (John 12:47). Therefore, He is not saying here that He came to judge the world. The world had already been judged according to the law of God and all in it stood condemned. It is because of this judgment that Jesus came into the world to provide a way that all could be saved. He would give sight to the blind, and not just physically, but He would give their souls light and understanding so that they might believe in Him and be saved. His coming would also blind those who thought that they already saw and understood and boasted they knew God and His law, as their stubbornness and pride would not let them see the truth about Jesus.
(40) And some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"
Some Pharisees who had been within hearing of Jesus when he spoke to the blind man He had healed, heard His words and must have perceived He may have been talking about them, and asked Him if they were blind, too.
(41) Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you should have no sin, but now you say, 'We see,' therefore your sin remains."
Jesus's point in His answer was that if they had known themselves to be spiritually blind and truly desired light and knowledge, then they wouldn't have the sin that blinded them now. Their sins could have been forgiven had they listened to and believed in Jesus. However, since their stubborn hard hearts thought they could see already, they would not even try to see the truth in Jesus. Therefore they were still in their sin.
The man who had been born blind, although not named, holds a very prominent place in the Bible. This entire chapter was devoted to him, and we can learn a lot from his example. His simple belief led to his being cured, and his gratitude and steadfastness led to his eternal life in heaven. How simple it is to just believe in Christ! And when we know Him and know what He has done for us in saving us from eternal damnation, it's easy to stand for truth. That man stood up in the face of what could have been of even more severe consequence than he received, but he was so sure and secure in the truth of the Man who cured him, He just simply did what was right. And at that point, he didn't even know that Jesus was the Son of God, but he knew He was of God, and he stood up for that. God saved him from death by the hands of those evil men and Jesus came to him to save his soul. And even if men came to kill him at a later point, they would never be able to kill his eternal soul. That will surely be in heaven with Jesus!
"For whoever will save his life shall lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" - Matthew 16:25-26
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