9:2,3A common belief in Jewish culture was that calamity or suffering was the result of some great sin. But Christ used this man’s suffering to teach about faith and to glorify God. We live in a fallen world where good behavior is not always rewarded and bad behavior not always punished. Therefore, innocent people sometimes suffer. If God took suffering away whenever we asked, we would follow him for comfort and convenience, not out of love and devotion. Regardless of the reasons for our suffering, Jesus has the power to heip us deal with it. When you suffer from a disease, tragedy, or disability, try not to ask, Why did this happen to me? or What did I do wrong? Instead, ask God to give you strength for the trial and a clearer perspective on what is happening.
Life Application Study BibleJohnChapter 9
John 9
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1771, 1772, 1773
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
1As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2“Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” 3“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us.* The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the 8:57 Some manuscripts read How can you say Abraham has seen fout 8:58 Or before Abraham was even born, I have always been alive; Greek reads before Abraham was, I am. See Exod 3:14. 9:4 Other manuscripts read { must quickly carry out the tasks assigned me by the one who sent me; still others read We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me. blind man’s eyes. 7He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing! 8His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!” But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!” 10They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?” 11He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Goto the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’So I went and washed, and now I can see!” 12“Where is he now?” they asked. “I don’t know,” he replied. Religious Leaders Question the Blind Man (149) 13Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. ‘SThe Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!” 16Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them. 17Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What's your opinion about this man who healed you?” The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.” 18The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. 19They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?” 20His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, "but we don't know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.” 22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. #8 That's why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.” 24So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this,* because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” 25“ don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” 26“But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?” 27"Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” 28Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.” 30”Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? 31We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he couldn't have done it.” 34"You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue. Jesus Teaches about Spiritual Blindness (150)
35When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe inthe Son of Man?*”
36The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”
37"You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”
38" Yes, LORD, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.9Then Jesus told him,* “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to theblind and to show those who think they see* that they are blind.”
Textual footnotes
- 9:24 Or Give glory to God, not to Jesus; Greek reads Give glory to God.
- 9:39b Greek those who see.
Life Application Notes 9 notes
9:6When Jesus spit on the ground and made mud in order to repair the man’s eyes, he was working with original materials. Genesis 2:7 states that God formed Adam’s body from the dust of the ground. Jesus was demonstrating a creator's awareness of the materials he first used to shape the human body.
9:7The pool of Siloam was built by Hezekiah. His workers constructed an underground tunnel from a spring outside the city walls to carry water into the city. Thus, the people could always get water without fear of being attacked. This was especially important during times of siege (see 2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chronicles 32:30).
9:13-17While the Pharisees conducted investigations and debated about Jesus, people were being healed and lives were being changed. The Pharisees’ skepticism was based not on insufficient evidence, but on jealousy of Jesus’ popularity and his influence on the people.
9:14-16The Jewish Sabbath, Saturday, was the weekly holy day of rest. The Pharisees had made a long list of specific dos and don'ts regarding the Sabbath. Kneading the mud and healing the man were considered work and therefore were forbidden. Jesus may have purposely made the clay in order to emphasize his teaching about the Sabbath—that it is right to care for others’ needs even if it involves working on a day of rest.
9:25By now the man who had been blind had heard the same questions over and over. He did not know how or why he was healed, but he knew that his life had been miraculously changed and he was not afraid to tell the truth. You don’t need to know all the answers in order to share Christ with others. It is important to tell them how he has changed your life. Then trust that God will use your words to help others believe in him, too.
9:28,34The man’s new faith was severely tested by same of the authorities. He was cursed and evicted from the synagogue. Persecution may come when you follow Jesus. You may lose friends; you may even lose your life. But no one can ever take away the eternal life that Jesus gives you.
9:38This man gained not only physical sight but also spiritual sight as he recognized Jesus first as a prophet (9:17), then as his LORD. When you turn to Christ, you begin to see him differently. The fonger you walk with him, the better you will understand who he is. Peter tells us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). If you want to know more about Jesus, keep trusting him in every area of life.
9:40,41The Pharisees were shocked that Jesus thought they were spiritually blind. Jesus countered by saying that it was only blindness (stubbornness and stupidity) that could excuse their behavior. To those who remained open and recognized how sin had truly blinded them from knowing the truth, he gave Spiritual understanding and insight. But he rejected those who had become complacent, self-satisfied, and blind.