John · chapter 9 of 21
Updated on
John 9 tells how Jesus heals a man born blind, putting mud on his eyes and sending him to wash in the pool of Siloam. The Pharisees interrogate the man and his parents and drive him out of the synagogue. Jesus finds him, the man believes and worships him, and Jesus says that those who claim to see and do not believe remain in their sin.
After declaring himself the light of the world in John 8, Jesus shows it in John 9 by giving sight to a man born blind. The chapter is almost a drama, with interrogations, witnesses and an unexpected ending. It shows how a simple man advances in his understanding of Jesus while the religious leaders, who think they see, close themselves to the truth.
As he passes by, Jesus sees a man blind from birth. The disciples ask who sinned, the man or his parents, that he was born blind. Jesus answers that it was not the sin of either, but so that the works of God might be displayed in him. He says that as long as he is in the world he is the light of the world. He spits on the ground, makes mud, puts it on the blind man's eyes and tells him to wash in the pool of Siloam. The man obeys and returns seeing. His neighbors doubt it is the same man, but he insists and tells what Jesus did.
They bring him to the Pharisees, because it was the Sabbath when Jesus made the mud. The Pharisees are divided: some say Jesus is not from God because he does not keep the Sabbath; others ask how a sinner can do such signs. They ask the man what he thinks of Jesus, and he answers that he is a prophet. The Jews do not believe he was blind and call his parents, who confirm that he is their son and was born blind, but for fear of being put out of the synagogue they refer the matter to him.
They call the man a second time and tell him to give glory to God, since they know Jesus is a sinner. He answers that one thing he knows: he was blind and now he sees. When they press him, he asks them with irony whether they want to become Jesus' disciples, and argues that if this man were not from God he could do nothing. They insult him and drive him out.
Jesus finds him and asks whether he believes in the Son of Man. The man asks who he is, and Jesus tells him that he is looking at him and that it is the one speaking with him. The man says he believes and worships him. Jesus says he came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see and those who see may become blind. Some Pharisees ask whether they are blind too, and Jesus answers that if they were blind they would have no guilt, but because they say they see, their guilt remains.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Jesus rejects the idea that the man's blindness was the result of his own or his parents' sin, and says it is so that God's works might be displayed. He shifts the question from blame to the glory of God.
The man cannot answer everything they ask, but he states what he knows: he was blind and now he sees. It is a model of personal testimony, simple and firm under pressure.
When Jesus reveals himself to him as the Son of Man, the man says he believes and worships him. His journey of faith begins with obedience, passes through recognizing Jesus as a prophet and ends in worship.
Jesus says that those who claim to see keep their guilt, while acknowledged blindness opens the door to forgiveness. The greater danger is spiritual self-sufficiency.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Who sinned, he or his parents, that he was born blind. — John 9:2
Answer: That it was not because of his sin or his parents', but so that the works of God might be displayed in him. — John 9:3
Answer: He made mud with saliva, put it on his eyes and sent him to wash in the pool of Siloam. — John 9:6-7
Answer: They feared the Jews, who had agreed to put out of the synagogue anyone who confessed Jesus as Christ. — John 9:22
Answer: That he did not know whether Jesus was a sinner, but one thing he knew: he was blind and now he saw. — John 9:25
Answer: He said he believed and worshiped him. — John 9:35-38
The blind man teaches us to testify honestly: he did not have complete theological answers, but he knew what Jesus had done for him. In a group you can encourage everyone to tell simply what Jesus changed in their life, without waiting to have every answer.
The chapter also warns against spiritual hardness. The Pharisees saw the healing, but they were more concerned about their rules than about the person. And when the man paid a price for following Jesus, it was Jesus who sought him out and revealed himself to him. If following him brings rejection, we are not alone: he still finds us.
John 9 ends with a man who sees, and with leaders who refuse to see. In John 10, Jesus keeps speaking to the same audience and presents himself as the good shepherd who knows his sheep and lays down his life for them.
According to Jesus, no. In this case he says neither the man nor his parents sinned that he was born blind. He does not deny that sin and suffering are related in a fallen world, but he rejects looking for someone to blame and points to God's purpose in the midst of suffering.
The text does not explain the reason. Some see an allusion to the creation of man from dust, others highlight the blind man's obedience in going to the pool. John notes that Siloam means sent, a name that fits Jesus, whom the Father sent.
The leaders put him out of the synagogue, which in the life of the Jewish community meant losing access to religious and social life. John 9:22 explains that his parents feared exactly that. Following Jesus could be costly.