1 And as he passed on, he saw a man blind from birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this [man] or his parents, that he should be born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither has this [man] sinned nor his parents, but that the works of God should be manifested in him.
4 I must work the works of him that has sent me while it is day. [The] 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 these things, he spat on the ground and made mud of the spittle, and put the mud, as ointment, on his eyes.
7 And he said to him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, which is interpreted, Sent. He went therefore and washed, and came seeing.
8 The neighbours therefore, and those who used to see him before, that he was a beggar, said, Is not this he that was sitting and begging?
9 Some said, It is he; others said, No, but he is like him: *he* said, It is I.
10 They said therefore to him, How have thine eyes been opened?
11 He answered [and said], A man called Jesus made mud and anointed mine eyes, and said to me, Go to Siloam and wash: and having gone and washed, I saw.
12 They said therefore to him, Where is he? He says, I do not know.
13 They bring him who was before blind to the Pharisees.
14 Now it was sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
15 The Pharisees therefore also again asked him how he received his sight. And he said to them, He put mud upon mine eyes, and I washed, and I see.
16 Some of the Pharisees therefore said, This man is not of God, for he does not keep the sabbath. Others said, How can a sinful man perform such signs? And there was a division among them.
17 They say therefore again to the blind [man], What dost thou say of him, that he has opened thine eyes? And he said, He is a prophet.
18 The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him that he was blind and had received sight, until they had called the parents of him that had received sight.
19 And they asked them saying, This is your son, of whom ye say that he was born blind: how then does he now see?
20 His parents answered [them] 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 has opened his eyes we do not know. *He* is of age: ask *him*; *he* will speak concerning himself.
22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if any one confessed him [to be the] Christ, he should be excommunicated from the synagogue.
23 On this account his parents said, He is of age: ask *him*.
24 They called therefore a second time the man who had been blind, and said to him, Give glory to God: we know that this man is sinful.
25 He answered therefore, If he is sinful I know not. One thing I know, that, being blind [before], now I see.
26 And they said to him again, What did he do to thee? how opened he thine eyes?
27 He answered them, I told you already and ye did not hear: why do ye desire to hear again? do ye also wish to become his disciples?
28 They railed at him, and said, Thou art his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
29 We know that God spoke to Moses; but [as to] this [man], we know not whence he is.
30 The man answered and said to them, Now in this is a wonderful thing, that *ye* do not know whence he is, and he has opened mine eyes.
31 [But] we know that God does not hear sinners; but if any one be God-fearing and do his will, him he hears.
32 Since time was, it has not been heard that any one opened the eyes of one born blind.
33 If this [man] were not of God he would be able to do nothing.
34 They answered and said to him, Thou hast been wholly born in sins, and thou teachest us? And they cast him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him, he said to him, Thou, dost thou believe on the Son of God?
36 He answered and said, And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him?
37 And Jesus said to him, Thou hast both seen him, and he that speaks with thee is he.
38 And he said, I believe, Lord: and he did him homage.
39 And Jesus said, For judgment am I come into this world, that they which see not may see, and they which see may become blind.
40 And [some] of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and they said to him, Are we blind also?
41 Jesus said to them, If ye were blind ye would not have sin; but now ye say, We see, your sin remains.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on John 9
Commentary on John 9 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 9
After Christ's departure out of the temple, in the close of the foregoing chapter, and before this happened which is recorded in this chapter, he had been for some time abroad in the country, it is supposed about two or three months; in which interval of time Dr. Lightfoot and other harmonists place all the passages that occur from Lu. 10:17 to 13:17. What is recorded in ch. 7 and 8 was at the feast of tabernacles, in September; what is recorded in this and the following chapter was at the feast of dedication in December, ch. 10:22. Mr. Clark and others place this immediately after the foregoing chapter. In this chapter we have,
Jhn 9:1-7
We have here sight given to a poor beggar that had been blind from his birth. Observe,
Now,
Jhn 9:8-12
Such a wonderful event as the giving of sight to a man born blind could not but be the talk of the town, and many heeded it no more than they do other town-talk, that is but nine days' wonder; but here we are told what the neighbours said of it, for the confirmation of the matter of fact. That which at first was not believed without scrutiny may afterwards be admitted without scruple. Two things are debated in this conference about it:-
Jhn 9:13-34
One would have expected that such a miracle as Christ wrought upon the blind man would have settled his reputation, and silenced and shamed all opposition, but it had the contrary effect; instead of being embraced as a prophet for it, he is prosecuted as a criminal.
Jhn 9:35-38
In these verses we may observe,
Jhn 9:39-41
Christ, having spoken comfort to the poor man that was persecuted, here speaks conviction to his persecutors, a specimen of the distributions of trouble and rest at the great day, 2 Th. 1:6, 7. Probably this was not immediately after his discourse with the man, but he took the next opportunity that offered itself to address the Pharisees. Here is,