JOHN
CHAPTER 9.
This chapter illustrates the truth that Jesus is the
"Light of the world". A man
healed of physical blindness eventually finds in Jesus the revelation from
God. The chapter indicates an increasing
apprehension by the man.
9:1-12. Jesus heals
the blind man. As Jesus went along he
saw a man who was blind from birth and his disciples asked him "who sinned
that he was born blind?" Jesus
relied, "Neither this man or his parents sinned, but this happened so that
the work of God might be displayed in his life." The man had been marked out as an object of
mercy. He had been chosen to display the
work of God in his life. It was then a
matter of Divine choice.
There is a sense of urgency in everything Jesus was about to
do. His sojourn in the world would soon
be terminated. Soon the night would come
when no one could work. Jesus then was
justified to heal the man on the Sabbath.
The work of God proceeds while the light shines. Jesus insists that in his becoming Incarnate,
he was the light of the world. His
Incarnation had implications for all men.
He brought the revelation of God to all.
He revealed God. Jesus enabled
men to see, he gives light to all.
However many refuse the light. The healing of this man was a sign that Jesus
offers light to all men. The man was
first healed of physical blindness, but the incident eventuated in the healing
of his spiritual blindness. The man
then, had a twofold healing, for he was healed both physically and
spiritually. In a very real sense Jesus
was to him the light of the world. The
greatness of the physical sign was that the man though born blind was healed. Now his eyes were opened on a spiritual
level. Jesus gave him not only physical
sight, but also spiritual insight.
The Lord's work in healing the blind man is associated with
the Lord's declaration "while I am in the world, I am the light of the
world." Just as the light of the
sun controls the day and enables a man to see where he is going, so likewise
the revelation of God enlightens the heart and mind. Jesus not only reveals to us our true state,
he points the way to God. He gives both
direction and assurance. In the healing
of this man the light overcame the darkness and it eventually brought him to a
true worship of the Son of Man.
9:6-7. The
healing. The moistened clay may be
illustrated by Genesis 2:7. The healing
of this man was like a new creation. Or
possibly the clay and the spittle may suggest the humiliation of Jesus. Jesus prepares for the man's healing. The ancients attributed certain qualities to
spittle. Jesus does not set aside
conventional methods, but he was not bound by them. He used them to convey spiritual
lessons. Jesus prepared the clay and the
spittle that he might deepen the man's faith.
In like manner he sends the man to wash in the pool of Siloam that he
might provoke faith and obedience. The
pool of Siloam was a figure of Jesus as the `Sent One' of God. The man did as he was told and was healed of
his blindness. However the local people
and neighbours were surprised that he had been healed and some refused to
believe he was the man who sat and begged.
A blind man could do little else for a living.
9:13-34. Further
Investigations are pursued, the neighbours bring the man to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were opposed to Jesus and the
complaint they made was that Jesus broke the Sabbath. Their inquiries concerning the man indicate
their hostilities, but this provoked the man to take his stand for Jesus.
The Pharisees placed great importance upon observing the
Sabbath. In their eyes no matter what
good a man did, if he did not properly observe the Sabbath, then he was not
sent from God. Religion consisted in a
great deal of Sabbath keeping. If any
man did not keep the Sabbath, then he was not of God. However, some Pharisees reasoned that if a
man did such miraculous signs he must be sent from God. So they were divided among themselves.
In their dilemma they turned again to the man healed of his
blindness. They wanted to hear what he
had to say about Jesus. And without
hesitation he insists that Jesus is a prophet.
That they should ask this man about Jesus indicates how perplexed they
were. They were embarrassed, for
normally they would not have asked this man what he thought of Jesus. To ask him was sheer inconsistency on their
part. They may have hoped to make him
afraid to testify for Jesus. But their
minds it would seem was already made up and they were not willing to receive
his testimony.
9:18-23. His
parents. Now that they could not silence
the man nor shake his convictions, they sent for his parents. They hoped fear would make the parents disown
him or that they would deny he was blind.
They hoped to prove that no miracle had occurred. However, the parents agree that the man is
their son, and that he was born blind, but because they feared excommunication
from the synagogue, they pleaded ignorance as to how he could now see. To be excommunicated was punishment much to
be feared. The parents placed the
responsibility to explain upon their son.
They insisted that he was old enough to answer for himself.
9:24-34. The
Pharisees again examine the man. Having
discussed the matter among themselves, the Pharisees could not deny that a
miracle had been wrought, so they exhorted the man to "give glory to
God." They affirm their confidence
that Jesus is a sinner. However, the man
will not agree to their opposition to Jesus.
He has no doubt about his own experience and this gives strength to his
testimony.
In this man we observe a growing insight as to the person of
Jesus and along with it an increasing resistance to their rejection of
Jesus. He affirms the reality of his
experience and when they continue their cross-examination he retorts, "Do
you want to become his disciples?"
They sought to undermine his experience, but he holds his ground against
them. His personal experience of healing
enables him to oppose their tradition and prejudice. They could not silence him. He was confident of the reality of his
experience. He will not agree that Jesus
is a sinner. That which Jesus had done
was proof that he was a godly man who does the will of God. (v.31).
The Pharisees now realized that they had no hope of
reasoning him out of his experience. He
took his stand upon what he knew while they clung to their traditions. They could not argue with a man who had
experienced the healing power of God.
However, the arguments of the Pharisees would help the man to clarify
his ideas and to become firmly fixed in his loyalties. The Jews became angry and they threw him out
because he dared to lecture them.
9:35-39. The eyes of
faith opened. Jesus finds and interviews
the man and leads him to faith in the Son of Man. (See N.I.V.). The man is ready to believe and needs only to
hear the authentic word of Jesus. He
immediately confesses his faith and worships Jesus. The Light of the world shines into the heart
of men.
It is interesting to observe the increasing spiritual
insight of the man. He worships Jesus,
that is, gives him the reverence that is alone fitting to God. Darby rendered the Greek "do
homage" and the A.S.V. 1901 has a footnote expressing their
difficulty. Mr C.F.Hogg criticised this
version to me because of this footnote.
He expressed his preference for the English R.V. Some modern commentators think John tells the
story from the Church's understanding of his day. However, Dr Leon Morris will have none of
this, but insists that the man's insight as to the Person of Jesus had grown
and now he gratefully pays divine worship to Jesus. He gives to Jesus the reverence and adoration
that is appropriate to God.
9:39-41. The judgment
of the Pharisees. This must not be
thought to contradict 3:17 where we have the purpose of his coming into the
world, but here we have the result of his coming. "For judgment I have come into this
world." This brings out the great
significance of his Incarnation. They
who reject it are blind and under judgment.
The man whom the Pharisees excommunicated gave Jesus his
faith and worship. But the Pharisees
sought only to discredit the Lord who had healed the man.
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