John 9--Jesus Heals the Blind Man

Miracle of Sight Restored a Commentary on Spiritual Blindness

Jul 14, 2009 Jim Whitton

John's account of Jesus healing the blind man offers a closer look at several cases of spiritual blindness, cautioning readers not to miss the chance to help others.

John chapter 9 begins with Jesus passing by the blind man. "As Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.'” (John 9:1-4)

Instead of focusing on what they might do to help the man in his need, the disciples wasted time trying to assign blame. They spoke as though they were above the situation, not face-to-face with it.

Jesus Heals the Blind Man

"When He (Jesus) 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. And He said to him, 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam'...so he went and washed, and came back seeing." (vs. 6-8)

The man's part in all this had simply been following Jesus' instructions to get the dirt out of his eyes, and he was healed. Who among the disciples could have foreseen this, or even recognized an opportunity for healing existed? This is one example of why their focus on placing blame for the blindness is problematic.

The Man's Neighbors Gossip

When he came back, his neighbors said, “'Is not this he who sat and begged?' Some said, 'This is he.' Others said, 'He is like him.'" (vs. 8-9) They didn’t ask the man himself, instead talking amongst themselves as if this once blind man was deaf as well.

This, incidentally, did not stop him from answering their question. He said, “I am he.” They asked, “'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.'” (vs. 9-11)

Pharisees Accuse Jesus of Breaking the Sabbath

They decided to bring him to the Pharisees. "Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay...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.'" (vs. 14-15)

Some of the Pharisees huddled to try to find a way to discredit Jesus. They said, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” (v. 16) They chose not to acknowledge the miracle at all, making pointless observations about the calendar instead.

To their credit, others among the Pharisees did ask, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” (v. 16) How could different groups of people all look at the same situation in so many different ways?

Jews Accuse Jesus of Being a Sinner

Much like the man’s neighbors, the Jews didn’t ask the man how the healing had occurred until directed to do so (v. 23). When they put their questions to the man’s parents, they too showed a complete lack of conviction, only deferring the question back to their son. Their response to the Jews arose out of their fear, designed to deflect the heat away from them. Interestingly enough, they didn’t hesitate to deflect that heat back to their own son.

The Jews then called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.” (v. 24) He answered and said, “Whether he is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: though I was blind, now I see.” To him, all he needed to know was that in his obedience, he was healed. After they once more tried to trap him with their questions, the man said, "If this Man were not from God, he could do nothing.” (v. 33)

Opportunities Lost to Blindness

• The disciples failed to see an opportunity for service because they were too busy speculating on the cause of the man’s blindness.
• The man’s neighbors didn’t see the man at all, wasting time wondering whether the account was believable.
• The Pharisees couldn’t see past their so-called mastery of the law and the prophets to recognize in this event the One of whom all law and all prophetic voices pointed to.
• The Jews couldn’t see the truth of the account.

How could so many different groups of people completely waste an opportunity to share in the joy that should accompany such an event? And what can Bible students today learn from this account?

John 9's Relevance Today

It is easier to resemble the disbelieving groups, the undiscerning groups, the agenda-driven groups, than to emulate the simple man who at first sight of Jesus, worshiped at his feet with joy (v. 38). In different ways over the years, the church has had to battle against characteristics like some of those on display in the account of Jesus and the blind man in John chapter 9.

Even today, there is a great danger of spiritual blindness robbing Christians of the ability to rise up and meet opportunities to minister. Close study of Scripture reveals that the same difficulties have existed since Biblical times. The story of the healing of the blind man demonstrates that the only way for believers to see opportunities for service is to get past preconceptions and focus on others' needs.

Reference:

• Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The copyright of the article John 9--Jesus Heals the Blind Man in Protestantism is owned by Jim Whitton. Permission to republish John 9--Jesus Heals the Blind Man in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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