John 9
CHAPTER 9
Jesus cures a blind man
And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him: Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? 3 Jesus answered: Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day. The night comes, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle, and anointed his eyes with the clay, 7 and said to him: Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which means Sent). He went away therefore and washed, and went home seeing.
8 His neighbours and those that had seen him previously, as a beggar, said: Is this not he that sat and begged? 9 Others said: It is he. Others said: No, but he is like him. He said: I am he. 10 They replied to him: How then were your eyes opened? 11 He answered: The man that is called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes, and said to me: Go to Siloam and wash. So I went away and washed, and I received sight. 12 And they said to him: Where is he? He said: I do not know.
13 They took him that was previously blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was the Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees asked him how he received his sight. And he said to them: He put clay upon my eyes, and I washed and I could see. 16 Therefore, some of the Pharisees said: This man is not from God, because he keeps not the Sabbath. But others said: How can a man that is a sinner do such signs? And there was division among them. 17 Therefore they said to the man born blind: What do you say concerning him, in that he opened your eyes? And he said: He is a prophet!
18 The Jews did not believe him, that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called his parents, 19 and asked them: Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see? 20 His parents answered and said: We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 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 shall speak for himself. 22 These things said his parents, because they feared the Jews. For the Jews had agreed already, that if anyone should confess him to be Christ, he should be thrown out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents replied: He is of age, ask him!
24 So they questioned the man that was born blind a second time, and said to him: Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner. 25 He answered: Whether he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I know, whereas I was blind, now I see. 26 They replied to him: What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? 27 He answered them: I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Would you also become his disciples? 28 And they reviled him and said: 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 from where he came.
30 The man answered and said to them: This is the marvel! You do not know from where he came, even though he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone be a worshiper of God and does His will, him He hears! 32 Since the world began it has never been heard of a man born blind having his eyes opened. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. 34 They answered and said to him: You were altogether born in sins, and you teach us! And they excommunicated him.
35 Jesus heard that they had excommunicated him; and on finding him, he said: Do you believe on the Son of God? 36 He answered and said: Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him? 37 Jesus said to him: You have both seen him, and he it is that speaks with you. 38 And he said: Lord, I believe. And he worshiped him.
39 And Jesus said: For judgment I came into this world, that they that cannot see may see, and that they that see may become blind. 40 Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him: Are we also blind? 41 Jesus said to them: If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say: We see, therefore your sin remains.
Commentary
9:3 Disease and suffering don’t come necessarily as a punishment for sin. In our case, they come so that God’s purpose may be manifested through them.’
9:6 The word of Christ [His spittle] mixed with clay [human flesh] brings sight.
9:7 This may have looked forward to baptism, the washing we must do once we ‘see’.
9:11 The man- There was nothing in Jesus to give anyone the idea that He was God. This is a perversion of later human theology rather than the testimony of the Gospel records.
9:16 This man is not from God, because he keeps not the Sabbath- Sabbath keepers say the same today; but Jesus’ answer remains the same for them too.
9:21 Their fear of religious disfellowship is contrasted with the fearless attitude of their son. Excommunication is a practice much abused by many religious groups.
9:31 The man reasoned that Jesus must have prayed to God in order for God to do this miracle; and been pleasing to God, for God heard Him to an amazing extent. He came to a very accurate understanding of the nature of Jesus and His relationship with His Father.
9:34 They threw Him out of the synagogue for believing in Jesus and for having been cured by Him. Typical religious abuse.
9:38 The man believed after His healing; the real possession of the Holy Spirit gifts enabled miracles to be done upon unbelievers and people like this man who were ignorant of Jesus (v. 25).
9:41 Knowledge / ‘seeing’ brings responsibility to Divine judgment.
