Introduction: Jesus has traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Booths, which was one of the three festivals when faithful Jews would travel to Jerusalem. The other two are Passover and Shavuot (Pentecost). During the Feast of Booths which is seven days between late October and late November, Jews are instructed to build a temporary structure in which to eat their meals, entertain guests, relax, and even sleep. The sukkah is reminiscent of the type of huts in which the ancient Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, and is intended to reflect God’s benevolence in providing for all the Jews’ needs in the desert.
In the story there are four sections. Verses 1-5 are the setting. Verses 6-7 tell of the miraculous healing, which is quite a short section. The blind man and his parents are interrogated in verses 8-34. In verses 35-38, Jesus leads the blind man to spiritual sight and faith.
I want you to notice three important lessons as we go through the story. First, notice that faith grows progressively—it’s seldom an instant thing. Second, Jesus sees us as we could be, not just as we are. Third, we understand and grow in faith when we remember and repeat the stories about when Jesus healed us. If by chance you don’t remember any of those times, pray and think about it today and through the upcoming week. I believe you will remember a time or two when you have felt God’s presence in a crisis or a joyful moment.
Prayer: Open my eyes that I might see glimpses of truth thou hast for me; place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free. Silently now I wait for thee, ready, my God, thy will to see. Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!
John 9:1-41
1-2 Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?"
Notice just how quickly, the topic goes from the needs of the blind man to judgment of his situation—from the practical to the theoretic. That’s one of the ways we distance ourselves from the problems of others. The idea that sin causes suffering was prevalent in Jesus’ time. To place the correct blame, there was even the idea that a person born blind had sinned in the womb! Although we are much more sophisticated, we still fall into the habit of looking for a reason to explain suffering. I know I’ve asked, “What have I done to deserve this?”
Blindness from birth is John’s theological commentary on the state of humanity.
3 Jesus said, "You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. 4 We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines…
Jesus immediately explains to the disciples that afflictions and suffering are opportunities for displaying God’s grace.
Another thing to note is the phrase “the One who sent me.” John uses this phrase to define and explain Jesus 51 times in his gospel. God is the One who sent Jesus.
One more note: Jesus doesn’t see the blind man as a beggar, he sees him as a child of God who deserves God’s healing touch. When we are in trouble, God sees us not as bad or sinful. God sees us beloved.
When night falls, the workday is over. 5 For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world’s Light."
Fred Craddock has a good observation: When you turn on the light, shadows are created. In the dark, we are all equally blind. [Fred Craddock and M. Eugene Boring, The People’s New Testament Commentary, (Louisville, KT: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 318]
When Jesus talks about the day and the night, He is talking about his earthly life, which will end. The end is coming. There is an urgency to complete His work. [Ibid.]
6-7 He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man’s eyes, and said, "Go, wash at the Pool of Siloam" (Siloam means "Sent"). The man went and washed—and saw.
As Barclay explains, Jesus uses the methods and customs of his time. [William Barclay, The Gospel of John, Volume 2, (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975), 42]
In The Social-Science Commentary on the Gospel of John, Malina and Rohrbaugh explain, “[Jesus’] use of saliva reflects the widespread belief that saliva afforded protection, especially from the evil eye (which many would have assumed the blind man possessed. Even today in Mediterranean societies saliva is often used to protect children from the evil eye.
“Many in antiquity believed that sharing saliva was a form of ‘blood covenant that could be protective.’” [Bruce J. Malina and Richard L Rohrbaugh, The Social-Science Commentary on the Gospel of John, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998), 170]
8 Soon the town was buzzing. His relatives and those who year after year had seen him as a blind man begging were saying, "Why, isn’t this the man we knew, who sat here and begged?"
9 Others said, "It’s him all right!"
But others objected, "It’s not the same man at all. It just looks like him."
He said, "It’s me, the very one."
It may seem strange that the people of the town aren’t sure that this is the man who was blind. That is because beggars were “expendable” and usually were forced to live outside the city. They were allowed into the city during the day to beg. [Ibid., 171]
10 They said, "How did your eyes get opened?"
11 "A man named Jesus made a paste and rubbed it on my eyes and told me, ’Go to Siloam and wash.’ I did what he said. When I washed, I saw."
12 "So where is he?"
"I don’t know."
The man tells the story as simply as it happened. Notice that he speaks of Jesus as just a man. He must have heard others call Jesus by name. After sending the blind man to the Siloam pond, Jesus leaves. He isn’t waiting for the man to return to thank Him. Whenever we do anything good, don’t we always want to be thanked? At least, I know I do, but Jesus doesn’t depend on us for a thank you.
13-15 They marched the man to the Pharisees. This day when Jesus made the paste and healed his blindness was the Sabbath. The Pharisees grilled him again on how he had come to see. He said, "He put a clay paste on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see."
The people quickly realize that something important has happened here. They go right to the authorities.
Incidentally, this is the first time that we are told that it is the Sabbath.
Another very interesting thing here is that the Pharisees ask a question of the blind man. They are recognizing him as a witness in court, but in that culture, asking and then responding to information given by a beggar was extraordinary. [Ibid., 172]
16 Some of the Pharisees said, "Obviously, this man can’t be from God. He doesn’t keep the Sabbath."
Others countered, "How can a bad man do miraculous, God-revealing things like this?" There was a split in their ranks.
The Pharisees can’t accept that a man who sins in their eyes can be a man of God.
17They came back at the blind man, "You’re the expert. He opened your eyes. What do you say about him?"
He said, "He is a prophet."
The progression of faith begins here for the healed man. Earlier he said Jesus was a man. Now he says Jesus is a prophet.
18-19 The Jews didn’t believe it, didn’t believe the man was blind to begin with. So they called the parents of the man now bright-eyed with sight. They asked them, "Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? So how is it that he now sees?"
I see myself in the Pharisees. When I am convinced of something, I will go to great lengths to prove my belief is correct.
The Pharisees are hoping the parents will provide another explanation than the healing touch of Jesus.
20-23 His parents said, "We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind. But we don’t know how he came to see—haven’t a clue about who opened his eyes. Why don’t you ask him? He’s a grown man and can speak for himself." (His parents were talking like this because they were intimidated by the Jewish leaders, who had already decided that anyone who took a stand that this was the Messiah would be kicked out of the meeting place. That’s why his parents said, "Ask him. He’s a grown man.")
When I was in business school, I had a very wise and at the same time a very unsettling professor. One day he said, “You will hear the truth you are willing to hear.” What he meant was that as a manager, if you intimidated the people working with and for you, they would avoid telling you what you didn’t want to hear. The result could be disastrous. The Pharisees have put themselves in a position to hear only certain information.
For me there is also a little disappointment that the parents are pushing everything onto their son. They don’t support him. This is probably because he was a burden to them always. He also would have been seen as living proof that they or he were sinners.
24 They called the man back a second time—the man who had been blind— and told him, "Give credit to God. We know this man is an impostor."
“In asking the healed man to honor God, and then adding that Jesus is an imposter, a ‘sinner,’ the [Pharisees] are asking him to recognize God as his patron but to reject Jesus as [the mediator].” [Ibid.]
25 He replied, "I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see."
Remember how I mentioned at the beginning that by repeating our stories of faith, we grow stronger and we understand our faith better. The blind man has reduced his healing to 6 powerful words:
“I was blind; now I see.”
26 They said, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"
27 "I’ve told you over and over and you haven’t listened. Why do you want to hear it again? Are you so eager to become his disciples?"
From the Greek, it is clear that the healed man doesn’t really think they want to become followers, but it must have given the healed man a delicious moment of superiority. He has disarmed them. [Ibid., 173]
28-29 With that they jumped all over him. "You might be a disciple of that man, but we’re disciples of Moses. We know for sure that God spoke to Moses, but we have no idea where this man even comes from."
30-33 The man replied, "This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is, he opened my eyes! It’s well known that God isn’t at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will. That someone opened the eyes of a man born blind has never been heard of—ever. If this man didn’t come from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything."
34 They said, "You’re nothing but dirt! How dare you take that tone with us!" Then they threw him out in the street.
The Pharisees give up and resort to violence. They have been made to look foolish by a healed beggar and a Sabbath-breaking sinner.
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and went and found him. He asked him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
36 The man said, "Point him out to me, sir, so that I can believe in him."
37 Jesus said, "You’re looking right at him. Don’t you recognize my voice?"
38 "Master, I believe," the man said, and worshiped him.
Now the healed man knows who Jesus is: He is the Messiah. His faith has grown as the story progressed. Notice how often the healed man told his story. With each retelling, he understands better what God in Christ has done for him.
Jesus sees that we are often blind to His healing truth, but He also sees us as God’s perfect children. Today and throughout this week, think about the moments when Christ has been with you and then tell those stories to your friends and loved ones. You will gain renewed appreciation for Christ in your life. I promise. Amen.
[The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2002.
NavPress Publishing Group.]
