The Gospel According to John

Biblical Research Monthly
December, 1956
Dr. David L. Cooper
(Installment Twenty-three)

THE HEALING OF THE BLIND MAN

Most of the New Testament writers speak of Christ's performing wonders, miracles and powers. The choice of the word was determined by the thought which the writer wished to emphasize in his reference to the miraculous power of Christ. If he wished to stress the amazement that was created in the person by Christ's performing a miracle, he designated the miracle as a wonder. If he desired to accentuate the power manifested in Christ, he would use the word that is translated "power." If he wanted to point out that the particular miracle indicated the presence of God in a special and unique manner, he used the term sign. The Apostle John designated as signs all the miracles that he recorded. An instance is Christ's healing of the man born blind. John 9:1 states: "And as he [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth." The preceding verse (John 8:59) reveals that Jesus had just left the temple where the enraged Jews had sought to stone Him because He had declared, "Before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58b). Thus the healing of the blind man occurred immediately after the feast of Tabernacles.

The Gospel of John, chapter nine, falls naturally into three sections: the miracle of the healing of the blind man (vs. 1-12); the investigation regarding the miracle (vs. 13-34); and the moral results (vs. 35-41).

The Miracle of the Healing of the Blind Man

When the disciples noticed the blind man, they asked Jesus, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind?" (v. 2). Because of this question, commentators have thought that the disciples believed in the transmigration of the soul. But this is a mere guess. There is no evidence that the Jews ever believed in this pagan doctrine. Why then did the disciples ask whether the man or his parents had sinned, that he should be born blind? Another occasion for such a question is recorded in Gen. 25:22: "And the children struggled together within her [Rebekah]; and she said, "If it be so, wherefore did I live? [or "wherefore am I thus?"] Rebekah was seeking the cause of her strange suffering, possibly even thinking that she might be out of the will of God. The disciples, however, were probably not thinking of Rebekah and her statement; but they were of the opinion that all diseases were the result of someone's sinning. Since the man had been born blind, they naturally asked whose sin was responsible, not realizing the implications involved in the question as they worded it.

In answer to the disciples, Jesus said that neither the man nor his parents had sinned. According to Exodus 34:6,7, many people do suffer physical disabilities because of the sins of their parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents. God visits the iniquities of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's children, upon the third and fourth generation. In chapter five of the Gospel of John, the crippled man who was healed at the pool of Bethesda was admonished to go and sin no more lest a worse thing befall him. This admonition implies that his being crippled was a result of sin.

The man born blind had not sinned. Neither had his parents. His affliction was brought upon him in order that through his healing "the works of God should be made manifest in him" (John 9:3). Doubtless many men and women today suffer disabilities which have been brought upon them simply in order that God might have an opportunity to manifest His power and glory through them. Such ones have had the privilege of suffering affliction for the glory of God. In this case Jesus clearly states that the man had been afflicted in order that God might be made manifest in him.

Then Jesus declared, "We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work" (v. 4). Our lifetime here upon this earth is thought of as a period that is daylight, and the time that our life's work will be over is thought of as the night. We have only one life to live and only that which we do for Christ will endure throughout all eternity. We should, therefore, take advantage of every opportunity to work for the Lord Jesus Christ while we are here in this life. We are saved by the grace of God, but we shall be rewarded according to our works. Jesus urged the disciples to walk in the Light while He, the Light of the world, was shining in the world.

Then Jesus made spittle on the ground, anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and instructed him to go to the pool of Siloam and wash. Without any hesitation in the boldness of faith, the man went and washed his eyes and came seeing. He was cured by the power of God through faith, which led him to do without any question exactly what Jesus had commanded him to do.

When the man received his sight, his neighbors and others who knew that he had been blind asked in amazement, "Is not this he that sat and begged?" (v. 8). Others, however, averred, "It is he"; and still others exclaimed, "No, but he is like him." Then the man declared, "I am he" (v. 9). To the question "how then were thine eyes opened?" he answered immediately: "The man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to Siloam, and wash: so I went away and washed, and I received sight" (vv. 10,11). Such straightforward statement of facts as they had transpired would be received according to the laws of evidence in any court of law where justice and righteousness predominate.

When asked where Jesus was, the man replied, "I know not" (v. 12).

The Investigation

Those who had been speaking to the man healed of blindness brought him to the Pharisees. It was the Sabbath day on which Jesus had healed him. When the Pharisees questioned the man directly concerning his receiving his eyesight, he testified "He [i.e., Jesus] put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and I see" (v. 15). Again he gave forth his testimony in clear unequivocal language that anyone could understand.

Not withstanding the testimony of the man himself and of those who had known him the Pharisees, blinded by prejudice, began to debate among themselves. Some declared: "This man is not from God, because he keepeth not the sabbath." Others asked, "How can a man that is a sinner do such signs?" (v. 16). On a previous Sabbath, Jesus had helped the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda (John, ch. 5). Now He had healed this blind man on the Sabbath. Some of the Pharisees, therefore, said that He could not be from God because He was a Sabbath breaker. If Jesus had been actually violating the Sabbath, He would not have been the true character that He was, the Son of God. But, in healing on the Sabbath, He was not breaking the Sabbath law. To some, however, the fact that the power of God had worked through Jesus in performing these signs and miracles was proof that He was not a sinner, but a man of God. When this division arose among them, they turned to the man himself and said, "What sayest thou of him, in that he opened thine eyes?" (John 9:17a). Their question was an admission that Jesus had restored sight to the man. They wanted to hear again the testimony of the man. He testified of Jesus, "He is a prophet" (v. 17b). Jesus had told him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam and receive his sight. He had done exactly as the Lord Jesus had commanded him; therefore, when he received his sight, he was convinced that Jesus was a prophet. But Jerusalem authorities would not believe that the man had been blind and had received his sight until they had called his parents and cross-examined them. After this investigation they asked the parents, "Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see?" (v. 19). The parents knew that the authorities had already agreed that anyone who should confess Jesus to be the Christ should be put out of the synagogue. Aware of this danger which was confronting them, they replied, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: 21 but how he now seeth, we know not; or who opened his eyes, we know not: ask him; he is of age; he shall speak for himself." It is quite evident that the parents thought that they could avoid getting into trouble by placing all the responsibility upon their son.

Unable to involve the parents in the case, the Pharisees called the man again and, on this occasion, commanded him saying, "Give glory to God: we know that this man is a sinner" (v. 24). They categorically stated that they knew Christ was a sinner, but they did not. When He had challenged them in the temple by asking, "Which of you convicteth me of sin?" they had evasively answered by accusing Him of being a Samaritan possessed of a demon (John 8:46-48).

The blind man replied to the Pharisees, "Whether he is a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25). The man was clear in every statement that he made with reference to his sight being restored. Every statement that he made has a ring of sincerity. Then his examiners asked, "What did he to thee? How opened he thine eyes?" (v. 26). Since he had already answered these questions once their repeating them made him wonder whether they were really asking in order that they might know the truth and might become disciples of Jesus. Immediately they disillusioned him by saying, "Thou art his disciple; but we are disciples of Moses" (v. 28). They were disciples of Moses in their way. The Jerusalem authorities sat on Moses' seat and laid heavy burdens to be borne by men, but they would not make any effort to relieve the persons upon whom they cast the burdens. Continuing their supposed investigation, they declared, "We know that God hath spoken unto Moses: but as for this man, we know not whence he is" (v. 29). They knew that God had spoken to Moses, but they were in doubt as to God's speaking to Christ. Their eyes were blinded so that they could not see the truth. They were not wanting truth. They assumed that they had all the truth that there was to be had. Moreover they asserted that they did not know who Jesus was. In this statement they were correct. They did not realize that He was God who had entered the world by miraculous conception and virgin birth. They did not know that He was God-man.

Then the man who had received his sight replied, "Why, herein is a marvel, that ye know not whence he is, and yet he opened mine eyes. 31 We know that God heareth not sinners; but if any man be a worshipper of God, and do his will, him he heareth" (vv. 30,31). Sticking to his original account of his receiving his sight and to the position on which he had first taken his stand, he declared that it was a marvel that they did not know whence Christ was, since He had the power to restore sight to the blind. With boldness he hurled at his opponents this truth, "We know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and do His will, him He heareth" (v. 31). Since God had answered Christ in His petition to give this man's sight, the man was convinced that Christ was not a sinner as His opponents charged. Continuing with boldness, the man said, "Since the world began it was never heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind" (v. 32). To him the restoration of his sight was a marvel that proved that Christ was what He claimed to be. Therefore, he said, "If this man were not from God, he could do nothing" (v. 33). Thus the man's testimony rang true from beginning to end.

Being unable to break down his testimony, the investigators hurled at him an accusation that they could not prove, saying "Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us?" (34). Then they cast him out. Their statement about his being born in sin implied that his parents were immoral and that he was probably an illegitimate child. They were resentful, because they thought he was trying to teach them. To their way of thinking, they had the truth and could not be taught anything new. Many people assume the same dogmatic position today.

The Moral Result

After the authorities had cast the man out, Jesus hunted him up and, upon finding him, asked, "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" His reply was, "And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him?" (vv. 35, 36). The man had very little light, but he was following all the light that he had, and was seeking for more that he might step forward in it and grow in the knowledge of God.

When Jesus replied, "Thou hast both seen him, and he it is that speaketh with thee" the man immediately declared his faith in the Son of God, saying, "Lord, I believe," and then worshipped Him (vv. 37, 38). Jesus then revealed one of His purposes in coming into the world, saying, "For judgement came I into this world, that they that see not may see: and that they that see may become blind" (v. 39). Those who are positive that they have the truth and are unwilling to receive more light cannot be reached by the truth of the Gospel. It is like the sun which melts the wax, but hardens the clay. The truth of God will blind those who do not want it, but will open the eyes of those who are sincere by seeking after God.

When Jesus made those statements, the Pharisees in rebuttal asked Him, "Are we also blind?" (v. 40). He replied, "If ye were blind, ye would have no sin: but now ye say, We see: your sin remaineth (v. 41). God is going to hold people responsible for the attitude which they assume toward Jesus Christ and the truth.

Let us be open to conviction and receive any truth that God has for us. Let us not assume that we know or that we see, but let us always be on the alert for the discovery of truths hitherto unknown to us.