John Chapter 9

Jesus heals a man born blind

This incident occurred on a Sabbath day as Jesus and His apostles walked in the streets of Jerusalem and passed by a man who was born blind. This Sabbath was also still the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, making it an especially holy or high Sabbath.

See also: Arnold Fruchtenbaum http://www.messianicassociation.org/ezine48-af-three-messianic-miracles.htm

The healing occurred within the context of the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus responded to the kindling of the lampstands by saying: I am the light of the world(John. 9:5). Now He responded to the outpouring of the water, and the Pool of Siloam was the most crowded water source in Jerusalem during this occasion. A special ceremony of drawing water from the pool for a ritual inside the Temple compound was conducted each day during the Feast of Tabernacles, and so word would spread very quickly that another messianic miracle had been performed. (CS)

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

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

In the context of the Mosaic Law, their question was not that strange. The law contains the principle that God visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation (Exodus 34:7).

Conceivably, the parents in this passage had committed a specific sin, and God had visited that sin upon their son, causing him to be born blind. The question is why did the apostles wonder if the man himself had sinned but this would have needed him to sin why in-utero, since Jews did not believe in reincarnation.

The apostles' question reflects the Pharisaic Judaism in which they were raised. According to this doctrine, a birth defect resulted from a specific sin committed either by the parents or by the baby. At the point of conception, the fetus was thought to have two inclinations. In Hebrew, these are called the yetzer hara and the yetzer hatov, "the evil inclination" and "the good inclination."

During the nine-month deveopment period within the mother's womb, a struggle for control between the two inclinations occurs. For most people, the good inclination prevails with a few exceptions. Over the course of the pregnancy, the evil inclination may dominate the fetus, so that in a state of animosity, he kicks his mother in the womb and dishonors her with the result that he is born with a birth defect, like the one in this passage.

3 Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

The Pharisaic doctrine incorporated an important implication for Jesus' person: To heal someone who went blind was not an exclusively messianic miracle, and the Pharisees would have been able to perform it. Jewish writings give examples of this miracle coming to pass.

However, being born blind was considered to be the result of divine judgment. The rabbis believed that no one born with this birth defect would see until the Messiah comes and the blind receive their sight. This seems to be based on Isaiah 35:5. The healing of the infirm is one of the signs of the Messiah, thus explaining why things occurred as they did in the passage. Jesus performed a unique—a messianic—miracle.

4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.

God had arranged for this man to be born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him. The Father could gain the greater glory by accomplishing a great work.

5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud

The miracle happened on a Sabbath day. Pharisaic Judaism forbade healing on a Sabbath unless a life was at stake. Furthermore, the Talmud specifically listed the methods that could not be used in order to heal blindness on a Sabbath day, and it forbade using the very method Jesus had chosen.

By healing the man on a Sabbath day and in a manner that pre­sented a clear provocation to Pharisaic Judaism, Ye­shua once again went out of His way to break Mishnaic Law while faithfully keeping the Law of Moses.

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

This is a play on words. John had stated that the light of the world was sent by God the Father (John 9:4). Here, the light of the world sent the one in darkness to a pool named Sent to heal his darkness.

The Pool of Siloam was not easily accessible from the main part of Jerusalem. The man had to walk down a steep hill to the lowest part of the City of David, a difficult task for those with sight, but even more difficult for those who were blind.

For the blind man to obey Jesus and go to the pool was an act of faith.

8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?"

9 Some said, "It is he." Others said, "No, but he is like him." He kept saying, "I am the man."

Confusion arose because many people recognized him as that same blind beggar; but others had difficulty believing that a man born blind was healed and said, "No, he just looks like him."

10 So they said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened?"

11 He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed and received my sight."

12 They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."

Theologically, the people could not reconcile what had just happened.

Something good, a miracle, which only the Messiah could perform, had occurred. He had healed a man born blind. However, He had healed the man on the Sabbath day in a way that Pharisaic Judaism forbade.

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.

The following verses describe the first interrogation of the man by the Pharisees.

14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.

Since this was a messianic miracle, it required investigation and explanation (John 9:13). Jesus chose to heal the man on a Sabbath, creating a stir among the masses (John 9:14). The Pharisees knew very well that they must act on this issue.

15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, "He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see."

16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them.

As they began the interrogation to discover how he received his sight after being born blind (John 9:15), a division developed among them.

Literal Greek – Said of the Pharisees some, not is this from God the man for the Sabbath he does not keep

Remember what Nicodemus said (John 3:2)– "We know that no man can do these miracles (signs) which thou art doing, except God be with him."

17 So they said again to the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

The religious leaders were judging on the basis of one thing: nobody who breaks the Sabbath could possibly be a true prophet of God. Their logic (false):

Major premise. All people who are from God keep the sabbath.
Minor premise. This man (Jesus) does not keep the sabbath.
Conclusion: This man is not from God

Others used the following logic:

Major Premise: Only people who are from God (or: who are not sinners) can open the eyes of those born blind (or: can do "such" signs).
Minor Premise: This man, Jesus, has opened the eyes of one born blind (or: has done "such" a sign).
Conclusion: This man is from God (or: this man is not a sinner).

Note the man as he comes to the true understanding of who Jesus was. He he realises Jesus must be a prophet. In verse 11 it merely was "a man called Jesus'.

18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight

Athough a prophet might be able to perform miracles (as Elijah and Elisha certainly did), to perform a messianic miracle was not the Pharisaic prerogative of a prophet, but rather the prerogative of the Messiah alone.

So, the first interrogation of the man did not lead to any specific conclusions.

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

20 His parents answered, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.

They eliminated any possibility that this man was a fake or that anyone was trying to deceive the Pharisees.

21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself."

22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.)

The parents feared the Jewish leaders - the Pharissees.

The Pharisees had already decreed that anyone who owned Jesus as Messiah would be excommunicated from the syna­gogue.

23 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

A child became an adult at age thirteen and then could be legally interrogated. The leaders' ploy had failed to work. They could not use the parents against the man or Jesus.

24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind 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 do know, that though I was blind, now I see."

The blind man does not debate the character of Jesus, because that was beyond his knowledge and experience. But one thing he did know: now he could see.

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

He was born blind, not merely gone blind later in life. The Pharisees had taught him that only the Messiah could heal someone blind from birth. According to their theology, Jesus should be declared Israel's Messiah.

Instead, they called Him a sinner. So, could they please ex­plain why?

27 He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?"

At this point, the man was no longer being tactful!

28 And they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.

Unable to refute the evidence, the Pharisees vilified the man and accused him of being a disciple of Jesus.

29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from."

The Pharasees realise they had not persuaded him to accept their verdict that Jesus was a sinner, so they gave up on him.

Had the Pharisees really understood Moses, they would have known who Jesus was and what He was doing.

30 The man answered, "Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.

The man proceeds to teach them since they admitted ignorance of Jesus' origin.

The religious leadership of Israel should have been able to explain the special miracle that had occurred. The man reminded them of their own theology:

31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.

32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind.

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

For the first time in human history, this messianic miracle was performed, and the Pharisees had no grounds for rejecting Jesus as the Messiah.

34 They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And they cast him out.

Religious bigots do not want to face either evidence or logic. Their minds are made up. Had the Pharisees honestly considered the facts, they would have seen that Jesus is the Son of God, and they could have trusted Him and been saved.

The need for spiritual healing

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

Until this point in the narrative, the man had never actually seen Jesus, for when he had walked away from Him, he was still physically blind.

36 He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"

37 Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you."

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

39 Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind."

40 Some of the Pharisees near 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 guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains.

Jesus contrasted the man born blind with the Pharisees.

The man went from physical darkness and blindness to physical light and sight. He also passed from spiritual darkness and blindness to spiritual light and sight. The Pharisees, on the other hand, had physical light and sight, but because of their unbelief, they remained in spiritual darkness and blindness.

Had they acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, they would have escaped their spiritual darkness and blindness. If they had accepted Him as the light of the world, Jesus would have forgiven their sins, and they would be sinless. Instead, they claimed to see, but remained in spiritual blindness; therefore, their sin remained.

The Pharisees responded specifically to each of the three messianic miracles. When Jesus healed the Jewish leper, they began an intense investigation of His assertions. When He cast out the dumb demon, they rejected Him on the basis of demon possession. In response to the healing of the man born blind, they rejected His followers: Any Jew who accepted Jesus as Messiah was to be excommunicated from the synagogue, a policy that has been maintained to this day.