John 9
When Open Eyes Still Cannot See
Jesus gives sight to a man who was born blind, but the healing brings both joy and conflict. As the man grows in faith, some religious leaders become more determined to reject the One who healed him.
Walking Through John 9
A Person, Not a Problem to Explain (John 9:1-12)
1 Now as Jesus was passing by, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man or his parents?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that the acts of God may be revealed through what happens to him. 4 We must perform the deeds of the one who sent me as long as it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said this, he spat on the ground and made some mud with the saliva. He smeared the mud on the blind man’s eyes 7 and said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated “sent”). So the blind man went away and washed, and came back seeing. 8 Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously as a beggar began saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some people said, “This is the man!” while others said, “No, but he looks like him.” The man himself kept insisting, “I am the one!” 10 So they asked him, “How then were you made to see?” 11 He replied, “The man called Jesus made mud, smeared it on my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and was able to see.” 12 They said to him, “Where is that man?” He replied, “I don’t know.”John 9:1-12 · NET Bible
The disciples see a man born blind and ask whose sin caused his condition. Jesus rejects their two choices. This man's blindness is not proof that he or his parents committed some special sin. Jesus turns their attention from assigning blame to seeing God's work. This does not answer every question about suffering, but it warns us against treating someone's pain as evidence of personal guilt.
Jesus speaks of doing the Father's work while there is time. As the world's light, He brings both physical sight and the truth people need. He puts mud on the man's eyes and sends him to wash in the pool of Siloam, whose name means Sent. The man obeys and returns able to see. Neighbors struggle to believe the change. He plainly tells them what Jesus did, though he does not yet know where Jesus is.
A Healing That Divides the Room (John 9:13-17)
13 They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees. 14 (Now the day on which Jesus made the mud and caused him to see was a Sabbath.) 15 So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight. He replied, “He put mud on my eyes and I washed, and now I am able to see.” 16 Then some of the Pharisees began to say, “This man is not from God because he does not observe the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a division among them. 17 So again they asked the man who used to be blind, “What do you say about him, since he caused you to see?” “He is a prophet,” the man replied.John 9:13-17 · NET Bible
The neighbors bring the healed man to the Pharisees, a Jewish religious group known for careful attention to God's law. The healing happened on the Sabbath, the weekly day of rest. Some Pharisees judge Jesus by their understanding of what work was forbidden that day. Because He made mud and healed, they decide He cannot be from God.
Others notice a serious problem with that judgment: how could someone opposed to God perform such a sign? The group divides. When they ask the healed man what he thinks, he calls Jesus a prophet, someone who speaks for God. His understanding is still growing, but he recognizes God's power at work through Jesus.
I don't want us to miss the contrast. A man with little religious standing is taking the evidence seriously, while some trained leaders are trying to make the evidence fit their settled view.
The Cost of Speaking Plainly (John 9:18-23)
18 Now the Jewish religious leaders refused to believe that he had really been blind and had gained his sight until at last they summoned the parents of the man who had become able to see. 19 They asked the parents, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” 20 So his parents replied, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But we do not know how he is now able to see, nor do we know who caused him to see. Ask him, he is a mature adult. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders. For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. 23 For this reason his parents said, “He is a mature adult, ask him.”)John 9:18-23 · NET Bible
The leaders now question whether the man was ever blind. They call his parents, who confirm two facts: he is their son, and he was born blind. Yet they refuse to explain how he received his sight. They direct the leaders back to their son, who is old enough to answer for himself.
John tells us why they hold back. They fear the leaders, who have agreed to put anyone out of the synagogue who openly accepts Jesus as the Christ, God's promised King. The synagogue was central to Jewish worship and community life. Being excluded carried a real cost.
Here, John's references to the Jews concern the authorities opposing Jesus, not every Jewish person. Jesus, His disciples, and this family were themselves Jewish. The parents' fear shows how pressure from powerful people can make speaking honestly feel dangerous.
What the Healed Man Knows (John 9:24-34)
24 Then they summoned the man who used to be blind a second time and said to him, “Promise before God to tell the truth. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He replied, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing—that although I was blind, now I can see.” 26 Then they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he cause you to see?” 27 He answered, “I told you already and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You people don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?” 28 They heaped insults on him, saying, “You are his disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man comes from!” 30 The man replied, “This is a remarkable thing that you don’t know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see! 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is devout and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never before has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They replied, “You were born completely in sinfulness, and yet you presume to teach us?” So they threw him out.John 9:24-34 · NET Bible
The leaders call the man back and press him to honor God by agreeing with their judgment against Jesus. He does not pretend to know everything. He holds to the fact he cannot deny: he was blind, and now he sees.
When they demand his story again, he challenges their refusal to listen. His bold question about becoming Jesus' disciples draws their anger. They claim loyalty to Moses but reject Jesus because they do not recognize where He comes from.
The man reasons that such a remarkable healing must show God's approval. His statement about God hearing the godly reflects that argument; it is not a complete teaching about every prayer God hears. His point is that Jesus could not do this apart from God. Unable to answer him, the leaders insult him as sinful from birth and drive him out. They return to the very blame Jesus rejected.
Jesus Finds the One They Reject (John 9:35-41)
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, so he found the man and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 The man replied, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus told him, “You have seen him; he is the one speaking with you.” [ 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said,] “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, and the ones who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and asked him, “We are not blind too, are we?” 41 Jesus replied, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains.John 9:35-41 · NET Bible
Jesus hears that the man has been driven out and finds him. I love that detail. The man loses the leaders' welcome, but he is not forgotten by Jesus. Jesus asks whether he believes in the Son of Man, a title He uses for Himself as God's chosen ruler and judge. When Jesus makes His identity known, the man believes and worships Him.
Jesus then explains the deeper meaning of what has happened. His coming brings judgment by exposing people's response to Him. Those who admit their need receive sight, while those who claim to see may reveal their blindness.
Some Pharisees understand that His words challenge them. Jesus says their claim to see leaves their guilt in place. The issue is not physical blindness or an honest lack of knowledge. It is their proud refusal to receive the light standing before them.
- Sight — Seeing with our eyes, and also recognizing the truth about Jesus.
- Belief — Trusting Jesus as He makes Himself known.
Where might protecting your own opinion be keeping you from receiving what Jesus is showing you?
Father, thank You for seeing people whom others overlook or reject. Give us humble hearts that welcome the truth about Jesus. Help us show compassion to those who suffer and trust You when faith carries a cost.