John 9.1-41

John 9:1-41 recounts the healing of a man born blind and the subsequent controversy it ignites. The chapter opens with the disciples questioning Jesus about the man's blindness, prompting Jesus to declare that neither the man nor his parents were responsible for his condition but that God's works might be displayed in him (v. 1-3). Jesus then heals the man, applying mud and telling him to wash in the Siloam pool. The formerly blind man's newfound sight causes a sensation; the Pharisees initially dismiss his testimony, questioning his identity and accusing him of deception (v. 13-17, 22-25). Further questioning leads to escalating conflict; the Pharisees reject the man's testimony and eventually excommunicate him for defying their authority (v. 28-34). Jesus then encounters the healed man, who openly proclaims his faith in Jesus as the Son of God (v. 35-38). The chapter concludes with Jesus' teaching of man's blindness as a metaphor for spiritual blindness, highlighting the importance of seeing and believing (v. 39-41).
Central to this passage are several key Greek words enriching its meaning. The word "works" (ἔργα, erga) highlights God's active involvement in the world, His capacity for miraculous intervention, and the tangible manifestation of His power. This resonates deeply with the broader theme in this Gospel of Jesus's actions revealing His identity as the Son of God. The concept of "seeing" (βλέπω, blepō) transcends physical sight, representing spiritual perception, understanding, and belief. Jesus uses this to emphasize the limitations of those who, despite their physical sight, remain spiritually blind to His true nature and mission. The Pharisees’ inability to "see" underscores their lack of faith and unwillingness to accept Jesus's claims. Conversely, the healed man's newfound sight symbolizes the spiritual insight he gains through faith in Jesus, thus directly linking to the concept of "abiding" found in John 15:7. His ability to "see" Jesus as the Son of God and proclaim this publicly, despite the consequences, is a demonstration of his unwavering faith and a direct application of "abiding" in Christ’s words. The Pharisees' refusal to believe, their spiritual "blindness," directly contrasts with the man’s unwavering faith, illustrating the different outcomes of accepting or rejecting Jesus’s words and thereby hindering or enabling the capacity to receive from God. The emphasis on "belief" (πιστεύω, pisteuō) underscores the necessity of faith as the pathway to spiritual sight, illustrating the importance of wholeheartedly embracing Jesus's identity and teachings.

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1 As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.
2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this was so that the works of God might be manifested in him.
4 “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.
5 “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 When He had said this, He spat on the ground, made clay of the saliva, and rubbed the clay on his eyes,
7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing.
8 Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?”
9 Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the one.”
10 So they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?”
11 He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay, and rubbed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so when I went away and washed, I received sight.”
12 And they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.”
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who was formerly blind.
14 Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
15 So the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
16 So then some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them.
17 Therefore, they said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”
18 Then, the Jews did not believe it of him that he was blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight,
19 and questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?”
20 So 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 will speak for himself.”
22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.
23 For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 Therefore, a 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 then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
26 So they said 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 listen again? Do you want to become His disciples too?”
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 where He is from.”
30 The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from, and He opened my eyes.
31 “We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him.
32 “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.
33 “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
34 They answered and said to him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So they put him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had put him out, and after finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
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 is the one who is talking with you.”
38 And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him.
39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.”
40 Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “Are we blind too?”
41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.