Context: Blind man and the Pharisees (John 7:1–5, John 8:57-59, John 9:1)
- Time: Either during or after the feast of booths
- Place: Jesus passed by, going out of the temple?, when Jews were about to stone him
- Context:
- As Jesus was passing by, He saw a blind man
- Disciples asked whose sin caused his blindness, his or his parents
- It was neither but that the works of God may be revealed in him
- Jesus healed the main in an unconventional way on Sabbath day
- Applied mud made with His saliva and
- Is making mud and applying it considered work?
- Asked him to the wash in the pool of Siloam
- Would this mean walking to the pool? How far?
- Applied mud made with His saliva and
- Neighbors and those who knew he was blind before, brought him to Pharisees
- As Jesus was passing by, He saw a blind man
Were the jews speaking the truth or lying? Why? (John 9:24-29)
We know that this man is a sinner (v24) Truth / Lying
- They didn’t respond to Jesus’ question “which of you convicts me of sin”
We are disciples of Moses (v28) Truth / Lying
- Jesus says “If they believed Moses, they would believe Jesus too”
- They call themselves disciples of Moses, but they don’t keep the law
- What law did they keep and felt they were doing well?
- Rules made by man were considered doctrine
- Coming to God with their lips – but heart far from God
- What law did they keep and felt they were doing well?
We don’t know where he comes from (v29) Truth / Lying
- Jesus confirmed that they didn’t know where He came from
Why didn’t the Jews want the blind man teaching them? (9:30-34)
- Jews (and the disciples?) were under the impression that blindness was a result of sin
- Hence, the disciples asked Jesus, whose sin caused it. His or his parents?
- Jews didn’t want to be taught by a someone who, according to them, is a sinner
- Romans 3:23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
- Their confidence that they aren’t sinners, came from rules of men:
- We can see that in the Pharisee’s prayer – where he says he is unlike others:
- extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, tax collectors
- And he fasts twice a week and tithes everything
- extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, tax collectors
What did the Jews do to the blind guy? What did Jesus do? (John 9:34-38)
- Jews threw him out of their fellowship
- Their justification was that the blind guy was born in sin
- Jesus
- Heard that the blind man was thrown out and
- Found him – this is intentional not accidental
- Not suggesting that anything Jesus did was accidental
- Showed Himself as the Son of God
- Blind man: Believed and worshiped Jesus
Conclusion / Application:
- What am I basing my righteousness on? My work/s or Jesus finished work?
- Are we conforming to the world or transforming and testifying that its works are evil?
Main Passage John 9:24-38 – World English Bible (WEB)
24 So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
25 He therefore answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
26 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 didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?”
28 They insulted 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 don’t know where he comes from.”
30 The man answered them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God, and does his will, he listens to him. 32 Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34 They answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” Then they threw him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
36 He answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?”
37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.”
38 He said, “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him.
Notes / Cross References
John 8:57-59 57 The Jews therefore said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old! Have you seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM.”
59 Therefore they took up stones to throw at him, but Jesus was hidden, and went out of the temple, having gone through the middle of them, and so passed by.
John 9:1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
John 9:6-14 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud, 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing. 8 The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind before, said, “Isn’t this he who sat and begged?” 9 Others were saying, “It is he.” Still others were saying, “He looks like him.”
He said, “I am he.”
John 9:13-17 13 They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees. 14 It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see.”
16 Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” So there was division among them. 17 Therefore they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”
John 9:22 22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.
John 8:46 Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
John 8:14 Jesus answered them, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from, and where I am going; but you don’t know where I came from, or where I am going.
John 5:46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me.
John 7:19 Didn’t Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill me?”
Matthew 15:9 And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’”
Luke 18:9-13 9 He also spoke this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others. 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.
