John 9 - A man born blind receives sight

v1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 
v2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, 
"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 
v3,4 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him, I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 
v5 As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world." 

v6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 
v7 And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. 

v8 Therefore the neighbours and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?" 
v9 Some said, "This is he." Others said, "He is like him."
He said, "I am he." 
v10 Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" 
v11 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." 
v12 Then they said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know." 

v13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 
v14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 
v15 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." 
v16 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. 

v17 They said to the blind man again,"What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." 
v18 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.  v19 And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" 

v20,21 His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 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." 

v22 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. 

v23 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." 

v24 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." 

v25 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." 

v26 Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" 

v27 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?" 

v28,29 Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from." 

v30-33 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! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." 

v34 They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out. 

v35 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?" 
v36 He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" 
v37 And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you." 
v38 Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshipped Him. 

v39 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." 
v40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?" 
v41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; 
but now you say, "We see.' Therefore your sin remains. 

This was the 6th Sign Jesus did in the Gospel of John. As in John 8, it is soon after Tabernacles AD 32 in Jerusalem. We saw Jesus claim: “I AM the Light of the world, whoever follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.” That is: they will be born again and be lit up by a new-life given to them, so that they themselves will be lights to the world. This was a a claim of Deity because only God can deliver a man from the darkness of sin, satan and death. Jesus claimed to be the true Saviour: “If the Son sets you free you shall be free indeed!” 

Now in John 9, Jesus works a miracle (sign) to prove His claim which He repeats in v5: “I am the Light of the world.” 
This sign also reveals how He brings all men from darkness to light. 

John’s Gospel is centred on certain SIGNS - miracles designed to teach a message, revealing Who Christ is and what He does. “Jesus did many other SIGNS...but these (SIGNS) are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and believing you may have life in His Name” (John 20:30,31).  

John 9 is the story of one of these signs - a man born blind receives sight. Jesus uses this sign to establish His claim: “I AM the Light of the world." In His teaching based on the sign - the physical blindness is a picture of spiritual blindness. The miracle reveals how Jesus, the Light, opens the eyes of men so they might see Jesus and believe and walk in the light (a changed life). Thus this sign gives revelation of the work of Jesus in being the Light and bringing us into the light.

This was no ordinary miracle. Not only was it a congenital illness (from birth) but no one born blind had ever received healing before: “Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind” (v32). In fact before Jesus, there is no record of any blind being healed. Thus, it had special significance as one of the major Messianic Miracles, that by the Jew’s own teaching only the Messiah would be able to do, and hence it would uniquely mark Him out (another is a resurrection after 3 days- see Lazarus, John 12). Such a great miracle was to be a distinctive mark of the Messiah, so that He could be clearly identified. This was reserved for Messiah, because the healing of the blind was symbolic of the greater miracle (which only God can do) of opening our spiritual eyes (we are spiritually blind from birth), for otherwise we could never believe and be saved. The work of God before salvation is vital, for only by God’s grace are we led to a saving faith. Before we can respond to Christ in faith, He has to open our eyes to see Him.

The prophets also predicted that one of the clear signs of Messiah was the opening of blind eyes: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened” (Isaiah 35:5). 
"I, the Lord, will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a Light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house” (Isaiah 42:6,7).     Thus one title for Messiah was THE LIGHT. 

Jesus used this to support His claim to Messiahship (Luke 4:18,19): 
"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me ...to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind (from Isaiah 61;1,2, 35:5). 
“When John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" Jesus answered, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matthew 11:2-5). 

The Occasion: “Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth” (9:1). This man and his condition was well-known (v2). Jesus obviously had stopped and was looking intently at Him, for the disciples started discussing him (v2). The Good Shepherd seeks those who are lost in the darkness. When we were lost, we could not see God, but He saw us. He wants to open our eyes that we would see the Light and believe. He comes to us. The blind man cannot see Jesus yet, but he hears His words. Although in our blindness (unbelief) we could not recognise Him (we do not see who He is), He spoke His word to us and started to open our eyes.  As with this blind man, so for us, the process of coming to faith starts when we hear His words, we hear Him speaking to us by His Spirit, through the Gospel.

“And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, 
this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (v2) 
They saw it as an occasion for a theological question. In Jewish thought all sickness was the result of personal sin (this is sometimes but not always true). But one born sick raises a problem with this. How could a baby sin to cause him to be blind? 

They could only think of two possibilities:
1. He sinned in the womb (or in a past life). 
2. He is eating the fruit of his parents sins. 

Jesus shot down both of these options in v3: 
“Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned.” 
He does not give the cause of the sickness because He is more concerned to get the man healed, but Romans 5 makes the answer clear. Death (sickness) does not necessarily come from personal sin, but ultimately it does all come from sin - from Adam’s original sin. Likewise we were all born spiritually blind because of Adam’s sin. The blind beggar is a picture of everyone who comes to faith in Christ, and the sign reveals how Christ opens the eyes of our heart so that we can believe (see Jesus as He truly is) 

There is an apparent problem with many translations of v3,4: 
“Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, 
but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” 
This sounds like God made the man blind in order to show off His healing power in him. I have a problem with that. God is not the author of sickness! 

However if we re-punctuate it reads like this: “Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned.” (FULL-STOP) “But that the works of God (healing) should be revealed in him, I must work the works of Him who sent Me” (v4) The work of God is healing not sickness.   This healing is therefore a demonstration of what God wants to do for every man, opening his eyes of faith.    Jesus is saying:  ‘I am not here to get into a discussion now. God has sent me to show in this man the true work of God. I am here to demonstrate God’s works in him.’   

In many manuscripts, v4 reads: “WE must work the works of Him who sent US, while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” 
Here He is including His disciples in His ministry. This plural form associates us in this ministry of opening blind eyes. Like Jesus, we only have a limited time for our mission as lights (witnesses) in the world. He is telling us not waste the time and opportunities He gives us. 

“As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world" (v5). 
In other words: “My work is to bring people from darkness to light. After I am gone from the world, you will be the lights of the world.”By the New-Birth become lights ourselves and continue His ministry as lights of the world. This agrees with John 8:12: "I am the LIGHT of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but p111 have the light of life." As God’s Spirit worked through Jesus to bring people to God-awareness and salvation, so He works through us today as we PRAY and WITNESS. Thus this sign also reveals how God wants to work through us to open the eyes of the spiritually blind. 

Jesus said: “YOU are the light of the world. A city (a church with many lights in one place, shining in unity), set on a hill (putting the light of her witness on display to the world) cannot be hid (they will have an impact). Neither does one light a lamp (our reborn spirit), and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shines unto all who are in the house. (As it is natural for a lamp to shine, so it is natural for our spirit to radiate a witness to Jesus, by speaking words of life. So don’t hide your witness but let it shine). Even so let your light(witness) shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven (because you have been talking of Him)” (Matthew 5:14-16). If they only see your good works, they will just glorify you, but if you also witness you open their heart to God.

God has to first open our eyes before we can believe and be saved: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, should not dawn upon them” (2Cor 4:4). 

“Because you say, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' - and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your 
nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve (of the Holy-Spirit), that you may see ...Behold, I stand at the doorand knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev 3:17-20).

After Paul’s eyes were opened to see the light of Jesus, he received this commission for ministry, which applies to us also: “I now send you, to open their eyes (of faith) in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18). God wants to work through us to open blind eyes so that they can see Jesus (believe) and be saved. 

We are lights by the new-birth, but we shine the light of Jesus by our witness (backed up by good-works): “Become children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as 
lights in the world, holding forth the word of life” (Philippians 2:14-15). 

So, by sharing the Gospel of Christ, we continue the ministry of Jesus of opening blind eyes. We do our part, but it is really the work of God as we shall see: 

The Miracle (v6,7): “When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.   It was as if He filled the empty eye-sockets with the clay. The work of the Spirit is now required, which is represented by the waters of Siloam.
And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, ‘Sent’ - for the Holy-Spirit has now been sent to us). 
So he went and washed, and came back seeing.” 
Then when the man received the washing of the waters of Siloam, when the waters touched them, the Spirit of God transformed the clay into eyes.

Why did Jesus use such an unusual method to open the blind eyes? It was a sign. He was acting out a picture of His work in every believer, how He opens our spiritual eyes to see Him and believe, for we were all ‘blind from birth’.   It reminds us of His original creation of Adam:“The Lord God (Jesus) formed man of the dust of the ground (clay), and breathed into his nostrils the breath (spirit) of life; and man became a living being (soul)” (Gen 2:7).   Jesus formed Adam’s body from clay and then breathed his Spirit of life into him. Likewise the two elements in this miracle are the clay and the waters of Siloam. Jesus created Adam’s (man’s) eyes, but sin had made him spiritually blind. So, now Jesus makes clay again and fills our empty eye-sockets with it, to recreate our eyes and restore our sight. So by this action, Jesus was showing He was willing and able to make us new EYES, so that we could see again. 

We saw in John 7:37-39 and the related Water Ceremony that Jesus used the bubbling, flowing waters of Siloam (poured out under the altar at Tabernacles) to represent the Holy-Spirit ‘sent’ to us through Jesus after His death, to open our spiritual eyes to see the truth of Jesus  -to see Him and His New Covenant blessings (John 16:7-11). When the beggar responded to His Word and received the washing (work) of the Spirit he received his sight. When the waters touched him, 
the Spirit of God transformed the clay into seeing eyes. Thus the miracle of faith (spiritual sight) happens when we allow the Spirit to touch and recreate our eyes, washing away our unbelief, so that we can see things as they really are. 
Only God can do this, but it happens as we respond to His Word (as the beggar obeyed). He also said these same waters would flow through us to others (to open their blind eyes) as they flowed through Jesus to us. 

Siloam was a pool created when Hezekiah’s Tunnel was made to bring the fresh water of the Gihon Spring to the people of Zion, so that the people could drink even in the presence of their enemies (Neh3:15, 2Kings 20:20). As the waters were continually SENT through the Tunnel, so the Spirit is sent through Jesus to us, for us to drink freely. 

Isaiah 8:5,6 confirms the symbolism: “The LORD spoke: 
because these people refused the waters of Siloam that flow gently
...(therefore) I will send a FLOOD OF JUDGEMENT (Assyria).” 
Thus the waters of SILOAM represent the life-giving Spirit of grace.

The Beggar’s Testimony (see how his faith grows, for as his eyes have been opened to see more and more, so also his spiritual eyes of faith gradually come to comprehend more and more of Jesus):

1. To his Neighbours (v8-12): “Therefore the neighbours and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged (he is no longer begging, his life has been changed)?" 

Some said, "This is he." 

Others said, "He is like him (it can’t be him!)" 

He said, "I am he" (note the excitement in his voice). 

“Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" 

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." 

Then they said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know." 
His revelation of Jesus at this point is very limited. He had not seen Him. He just knew Him as a man. He did not know who He is or where He lived or where to find Him. He is like those who have heard and felt the impact of the words of Jesus and want to know more.

2. To the Pharisees (v13-17). “They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes (he had broken the sabbath twice in their eyes: (1) He made clay and (2) He had healed (you could only prevent somebody getting worse or help if it was a life-threatening case. So for example you could not even set a leg!).

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." 

Therefore some of the Pharisees said: (blinded by tradition and untouched by the wonderful miracle): "This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." 

Others (of the Pharisees who could not deny the clear Messianic Miracle) said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them.” This great sign should have caused them to humbly reassess their assumptions, and check with the Word, whether He had really broken the Sabbath. 

They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?" 

He said, "He is a prophet." Here we see his growing revelation of Jesus as God’s messenger (for each time they press him, he is forced to think deeper).  

3. The Parents verify the healing (v18-23): 
“But the Jews (another group) did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight (they tried to deny the healing because it proved Jesus to be Messiah), until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. 

And they asked them, saying, 
"(1) Is this your son?, 
(2) who you say was born blind? 
(3) How then does he now see?" 

His parents answered them and said,
"We know (1) that this is our son, 
and that (2) he was born blind; 
(3) 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."

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 (excommunication). Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." 

4. The Jews re-examine him to try and get him to change his testimony, but he gives it again even stronger. 

“So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, 
"Give God the glory! (‘tell the truth now, God did it, not Jesus’). 
We know that this man is a sinner (He broke their sabbath rules)" (v24). 
“He said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. 
One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see" (v25). 

This is basic true testimony we can all give: “One thing I know: 
that though I was lost, now I am found” (purpose and destiny). 
“Though I was (sick, depressed, condemned) now I am healed (saved).”

“Then they said to him again (to find something against Jesus): 
"What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" 
He said, "I told you already, and you did not listen. 
Why do you want to hear it again? 
Do you also (as well as me) want to become His disciples?" (v26,27). 

He is losing patience with them, for their minds were closed and had decided against Jesus. Rather than accepting the healing, they just wanted to find a reason to reject Jesus and the sign. Theirs was not the unbelief of ignorance but wilful rejection of the Light. Notice his faith is growing. He declares his desire to follow and learn more about Jesus. 

“Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow(disrespect, they avoid using His name!), we do not know where He is from (a lie - they would have checked the records and seen He was born in Bethlehem)” (v28,29).  

He is not intimidated but teaches them using their own logic: “The man answered them, "Why, this is a marvellous thing, that you do not know where He is from (sarcasm); yet He has opened my eyes! (‘let us argue from the facts, shall we’) Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind (it was a clear Messianic Miracle, not just something psychosomatic or a trick). 
If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing" (v30-33). 
This was unanswerable especially for Pharisees. 

Now his faith has grown to see that Jesus was sent of God. He was very close now, for if He was a prophet sent of God, who pleased God, then His message must be of God (true). All He needed to discover now is what Jesus says about Himself. 

“They answered,"You were completely born in sins (they believed he was born blind because of his sins, see v2!) and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out” (v34). Unable to answer him, they insult and excommunicate him, afraid of his strong testimony influencing others.
 
The Good-Shepherd finds him again: “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 ?” (v35).  (or,‘the son of man’ = the Messiah, both versions are equally valid). 

He answered,"Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" 

And Jesus said to him, "You have both SEEN Him and it is He who is talking with you." Now he has not just heard the words of Jesus but SEES Him. His eyes of faith had been opening and now Jesus reveals Himself clearly. His spiritual eyes are opened to see Jesus - who He really is: the Christ, the Son of God. 

“Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshipped Him” (v35-38). His faith has now grown to the next stage, and has become saving faith. He realises and confesses Jesus as Lord (God). His faith issues in worship, he surrenders his life in faith to Jesus as his Lord. Notice that Jesus received his worship. This is the picture of SAVING FAITH. 

Summary: This sign is a picture of the greater miracle of our salvation through faith. It reveals the work of Jesus in being the Light and bringing us into the light (faith), by opening our eyes to see Him. Faith is our 6th sense (to know and see) the truth of the Word. The Messiah is the only One who can truly open blind eyes, so that we can be saved, hence it was a Messianic miracle. 

It shows the stages of coming to faith until he finally sees clearly. 

1. The Problem: The blind beggar represents all men, spiritually blind from birth, poor and lost in the darkness, from Adam’s original sin, without hope. Only Jesus can open our eyes (Eph 2:1,2; 2Cor 4:4; Rev 3:17-20). We can’t even believe (respond) without His grace. God has to first open our eyes, before we can believe and be saved. 

2. The Process: Jesus came to the beggar in grace, rather than the other way round. He came to seek and save the blind and the lost. He finds us before we find Him. He comes to us, because in our blindness we are unable to come to Him. He came to the beggar to give him sight. Likewise He first comes to us to give us spiritual sight (by recreating our eyes). The beggar just heard the words of Jesus, and as he responded and obeyed the light given, his unbelief was washed away and he received sight by the work of the Spirit. Likewise when Jesus finds us us and speaks to us we have to respond (Rev3:20) for we can refuse His help and stay sitting in the darkness on our own. 

With his eyes opened, he began to see more and more (his natural and spiritual revelation grew in parallel) until finally he SAW Jesus Himself as Lord (God) and gave his life to Him (saving faith). His faith grew, even under pressure. Likewise, by progressive revelation our eyes are opened to see Jesus as a great man, then a prophet, then as one sent of God to save us, and finally as Who He claimed to be: the Christ, the Son of God. We come to a saving faith in Him. This is the work of God’s Spirit working through the light(s) of the world (witnesses).

Jesus’ teaching from this sign about His ministry applies to us because as He said before, we continue his ministry (revealed in this sign) of being lights (witnesses) to the world. This sign shows how God brings people to the light, through us.    “Jesus said, "For judgement I have come into this world” (v39).  We are to bring people to a crisis, to make a decision of either accepting or rejecting the Light (Christ). 

Shining the strong light has 2 results: "For judgement I have come into this world” (to bring men to decision) (1) that those (like the beggar) who do not see (these are ignorant, but want to see) may see (by responding to the light given), 
and (2) that those who see (having religious knowledge like the Jews) may be made blind” (v39).  

By continually closing their eyes to the Light (in bed early morning!), preferring the darkness, they develop calluses of unbelief, until God gives them over to blindness (judged for rejecting the Light). The Jews had clear light (of the Messiah) but rejected it (closed their eyes), and so their sight got dimmer and they became blind. They continued to look for Messiah but were doomed to stumble around and never find Him. 

If you respond to the small light you have, it will grow brighter, but if you reject it, spiritual realities will get dimmer. Opening your eyes to the light (and walking in it) is a process. Don’t expect to see great visions, if you are not doing what has been already revealed. If you close your eyes to the light given to you, how can you see to do greater things ahead? 

If you are not seeing anything more (‘I don’t know what God has for me’) but do what He told you that you ignored as insignificant. Open your eyes and respond to that light then you will see (to do) more and move forward in your Divine destiny. It is one step at time: go with the light you have. 

“Some Pharisees who were with Him heard these words and said to Him,  "Are we blind also?" 

Jesus said to them,"If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say," We see.' Therefore your sin (of rejecting Christ) remains”(v40,41). 

Theirs was a sinful (wilful) rejection of the Light, not from ignorance.