WHO IS BLIND?
John chapter 9 verses 8 to 39
The blind man's neighbours (not necessarily those who lived next door, as in our days, but those of the same land, or place) and those who used to observe him, a familiar figure who had his regular place for sitting and begging, could hardly believe his cure, and wondered whether he was the same person. Some acknowledged he was, but others would only admit that it was someone very like him. He heard them so he protested that he was, indeed, the same person.
If that was so, they demanded, in what manner was he cured? A natural and logical question, and he replied with the facts. At this point he knew the name of the person who cured him - Jesus - but did not yet know Him to be the Messiah the Son of God (also verse 36). They wanted to know where He was but the man didn't know - he had heard Him, but had never actually seen Him.
So his neighbours brought him to the Pharisees, the accepted professional teachers who posed as knowing everything. They must have sensed that this miracle had great religious significance - and they no doubt had heard already of this notorious Man, Jesus.
The Sabbath was the weekly holy day of rest. The Pharisees had made a long list of specific do's and don'ts regarding the Sabbath. Kneading the clay and healing the man were considered work and therefore were forbidden: to the Pharisees this was a far more important matter than the supernatural power by which the healing could only have been done. Yet the Lord may have purposely made the clay in order to emphasise his teaching about the Sabbath: that it is right to care for others' needs even if it involves working on a day of rest.
Since the man had been brought to the Pharisees, they must make a show of wisdom, and so they began also to question him. There was no investigation as yet as to whether, in fact, he had received his sight, only interest in what "work" had been done on that holy day. The man's explanation confirmed to the Pharisees the overwhelming fact that the Lord had violated their rules about the Sabbath, and therefore He was a Sabbath-breaker (as charged when here before - chapter 5:10, 16, 18).
But their opinion was divided: to some this proved that He was not from God; but others, said "How can a man that is a sinner do such signs?" like Nicodemus (John 3:2), they believed they could not be done unless God was with Him, and they were puzzled. As the "doctors" disagreed in their "diagnosis", they asked their "patient" to describe what his own opinion was. But he had no doubt in his own mind: the person who cured him was a prophet.
This did not satisfy the first group because the facts told by the man, that he had been blind and had received his sight, conflicted with their theological views of God and the Sabbath. Of course, if they could prove that the man had not really been cured at all by Jesus, the objections of the second group would be overcome.
So, in spite of what the man and his neighbours said, to cover up their own stupidity they called his parents in to throw light on this grave problem, and asked them to confirm that this was their son who they said had been born blind and, if so, how was it that he could now see? His parents simply confirmed that this was their son who was born blind, thereby cutting the ground from under the disbelief of these Pharisees as to the fact of the cure (verse 18). They were not witnesses of the cure, but their son was old enough to testify himself.
The Lord Jesus had made confession of himself before men the test of discipleship and denial the disproof (Matthew 10:32; Luke 12:8). We know that many of the rulers secretly believed on Him (chapter 12:42) and yet "did not confess him because of the Pharisees", for the same reason given here, "that they might not be put out of the synagogue" (there were three kinds of excommunication: for thirty days, for sixty or indefinitely). No wonder the parents cowered a bit.
So they interrogated the man again: they wanted to find some weakness in the man's story which they could exploit.
The phrase "give glory to God" does not mean gratitude to God (as in Luke 17:18) but it is rather an adjuration to speak the truth (Joshua 7:19; 1 Samuel 6:5) as if he had not done it before. They could no longer deny the fact of the cure after the testimony of the parents (John 9:19) and now tried to get the man to deny that it was Jesus who healed him. He must accept their ecclesiastical authority when they proclaimed that Jesus was a sinner so He couldn't have cured him. They acted like all persecutors of true believers through the ages.
By now the man who had been blind had heard the same questions over and over, and refused to fall into the trap. He passed by their quibbling about Jesus being a sinner and clung to the fact he had experienced, that being blind, he now saw, he didn't know how or why.
Pathetically, the Pharisees started another cross-examination, finally admitting that Jesus opened his eyes and wishing again to know "how." The man's patience was clearly coming to an end, and he asked: "Would you also become his disciples?" A negative answer was expected, but the irony cut to the bone. Clearly he knew that Jesus had some "disciples" and that the Pharisees knew it too.
The Pharisees reviled him by calling him a disciple of Jesus (he had called Him a prophet in front of them, and later worshipped Him when He revealed Himself as the Son of God - so they were right, unknowingly) and proudly declaring they were disciples of Moses, and scornfully saying they did not know where this fellow had come from (nor did they care!).
The man became angry and quick in his insight and reply: "Amazing! You (who think you know everything) say you don't know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes!" That stubborn fact stood.
He gives the religious teachers a lesson: God does not hear sinners (Job 27:9; Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 1:15; 59:2, etc.) but a worshipper of God who does His will. The healing of congenital blindness, unique in history, was the main point and must not be overlooked. If this man were not from God he could do nothing. Excellent use of Scripture and logic!
He had not only taught the rabbis, but had utterly routed them in argument. Humiliated, they resorted to insulting him saying he had been completely born in sins (see verse 2) and driving him from their presence for daring to teach them (it was probably not yet a formal expulsion from the synagogue, which required a formal meeting of the Sanhedrin).
The Lord Jesus heard what had happened, sought the man out, and revealed Himself to him as the Son of God (the Messiah). The man immediately believed, and worshipped Him.
The word judgement here is used in the sense of sifting. Through this miracle, the Lord was enabling the spiritually blind (as well as physically blind) to see. This man now saw physically and spiritually.
The Pharisees had physical eyes and physical sight, and thought they had spiritual sight, but were really blind guides (Mat 23:13-36) complacent with their darkness: "the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians. 2:14).
But whoever admits his own spiritual blindness and humbly comes to the Lord for sight, will receive it.
R David Jones
8 Therefore the neighbours and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?"
9 Some said, "This is he." Others said, "He is like him." He said, "I am he."
10 Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?"
11 He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight."
12 Then they said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know."
13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees.
14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see."
16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them.
17 They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."
18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.
19 And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he 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 do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself."
22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.
23 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."
24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner."
25 He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."
26 Then they said to him again, "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? Do you also want to become His disciples?"
28 Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.
29 "We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from."
30 The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvellous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!
31 "Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.
32 "Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.
33 "If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."
34 They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out.
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?"
36 He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"
37 And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."
38 Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him.
39 And Jesus said, "For judgement I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."