John Chapter 9

From The Open Bible Project

9:1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.

• (1) Sin is even the beginning of all bodily diseases, and yet it does not follow that in punishing, even very severely, that God is punishing because of sin.

9:2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

9:3 Jesus answered, "Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed in him.

• (a) Christ reasons here as his disciples thought, who presupposed that no diseases came except for the reason of sins: as a result of this he answers that there was another cause of this man’s blindness, and that was in order that God’s work might be seen.

9:4 I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work.

• (2) The works of Christ are is it were a light, which enlighten the darkness of the world.
• (b) By "day" is meant the light, that is, the enlightening doctrine of the heavenly truth: and by night is meant the darkness which comes by the obscurity of the same doctrine.

9:5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

9:6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man's eyes with the mud,

• (3) Christ healing the man born blind by taking the symbol of clay, and afterward the symbol of the fountain of Siloam (which signifies "sent") shows that as he at the beginning made man, so does he again restore both his body and soul: and yet in such a way that he himself comes first of his own accord to heal us.

9:7 and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means "Sent"). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing.

9:8 The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind before, said, "Isn't this he who sat and begged?"

• (4) A true image of all men, who as they are naturally blind do not themselves receive the light that is offered unto them, nor endure it in another, and yet make a great fuss among themselves.

9:9 Others were saying, "It is he." Still others were saying, "He looks like him." He said, "I am he."

9:10 They therefore were asking him, "How were your eyes opened?"

• (c) This is a Hebrew idiom, for they call a man’s eyes shut when they cannot receive any light: and therefore blind men who are made to see are said to have their eyes opened.

9:11 He answered, "A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash.' So I went away and washed, and I received sight."

9:12 Then they asked him, "Where is he?" He said, "I don't know."

9:13 They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees.

9:14 It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.

9:15 Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see."

9:16 Some therefore of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because he doesn't keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was division among them.

• (5) Religion is assaulted most by the pretence of religion: but the more it is pressed down, the more it rises up.

9:17 Therefore they asked the blind man again, "What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

9:18 The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight,

9:19 and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?"

9:20 His parents answered them, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;

9:21 but how he now sees, we don't know; or who opened his eyes, we don't know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself."

9:22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.

9:23 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age. Ask him."

9:24 So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, "Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner."

• (d) A solemn order, by which men were put under oath in ancient time to acknowledge their fault before God, as if it was said to them, "Consider that you are before God, who knows the entire matter, and therefore be sure that you revere his majesty, and do him this honour and confess the whole matter openly rather than to lie before him"; (Joshua 7:19; 1 Samuel 6:5).
• (e) He is called a sinner in the Hebrew language, who is a wicked man, and someone who makes an art of sinning.

9:25 He therefore answered, "I don't know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see."

9:26 They said to him again, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"

9:27 He answered them, "I told you already, and you didn't listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don't also want to become his disciples, do you?"

9:28 They insulted him and said, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.

• (6) Eventually, proud wickedness must necessarily break forth, which lies vainly hidden under a zeal of godliness.

9:29 We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don't know where he comes from."

9:30 The man answered them, "How amazing! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.

9:31 We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.[28]

9:32 Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind.

9:33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

9:34 They answered him, "You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?" They threw him out.

• (f) You are wicked even from your cradle, and as we used to say, there is nothing in you but sin.

9:35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"

• (7) Most happy is their state who are cast furthest out of the Church of the wicked (who themselves proudly boast to be of the Church) so that Christ may come nearer to them.

9:36 He answered, "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?"

9:37 Jesus said to him, "You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you."

9:38 He said, "Lord, I believe!" and he worshiped him.

9:39 Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, that those who don't see may see; and that those who see may become blind."

• (8) Christ enlightens all those by the preaching of the Gospel who acknowledge their own darkness, but those who seem to themselves to see clearly enough, those he altogether blinds: and these latter ones are often those who have the highest place in the Church.
• (g) With great power and authority, to do what is righteous and just: as if he said, "These men take upon themselves to govern the people of God after their own desire, as though they saw all things, and no one else did: but I will rule much differently than these men do: for those whom they consider as blind men, them will I enlighten, and those who take themselves to be wisest, them will I drown in most abundant darkness of ignorance.
• (h) In these words of seeing and not seeing there is a secret taunting and rebuff to the Pharisees: for they thought all men to be blind but themselves.

9:40 Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, "Are we also blind?"

9:41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.