John — Chapter 9
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1Now as Jesus was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth,
2and His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him.
4While it is daytime, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes.
7Then He told him, “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing.
8At this, his neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging began to ask, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?”
9Some claimed that he was, but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” But the man kept saying, “I am the one.”
10“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11He answered, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and anointed my eyes, and He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed and received my sight.”
12“Where is He?” they asked. “I do not know,” he answered.
13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.
14Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath.
15So the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. The man answered, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
16Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was division among them.
17So once again they asked the man who had been blind, “What do you say about Him, since it was your eyes He opened?” “He is a prophet,” the man replied.
18The Jews still did not believe that the man had been blind and had received his sight until they summoned his parents
19and asked, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? So how is it that he can now see?”
20His parents answered, “We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind.
21But how he can now see or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.”
22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews had already determined that anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.
23That was why his parents said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
24So a second time they called for the man who had been blind and said, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”
25He answered, “Whether He is a sinner I do not know. There is one thing I do know: I was blind, but now I see!”
26“What did He do to you?” they asked. “How did He open your eyes?”
27He replied, “I already told you, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”
28Then they heaped insults on him and said, “You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses.
29We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from.”
30“That is remarkable indeed!” the man said. “You do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes.
31We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will.
32Never before has anyone heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.
33If this man were not from God, He could do no such thing.”
34They replied, “You were born in utter sin, and you are instructing us?” And they threw him out.
35When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, He found the man and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36“Who is He, Sir?” he replied. “Tell me so that I may believe in Him.”
37“You have already seen Him,” Jesus answered. “He is the One speaking with you.”
38“Lord, I believe,” he said. And he worshiped Jesus.
39Then Jesus declared, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.”
40Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this, and they asked Him, “Are we blind too?”
41“If you were blind,” Jesus replied, “you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”
1And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
4I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
7And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
8The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
9Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.
10Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
11He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.
12Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
13They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.
14And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
15Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.
16Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
17They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.
18But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.
19And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see?
20His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
21But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
22These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
23Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.
24Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.
25He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
26Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?
27He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?
28Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples.
29We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.
30The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.
31Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
32Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
33If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
34They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
35Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
36He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
37And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
38And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
39And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
40And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
41Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
1And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth.
2And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind?
3Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
4We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
5When I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed his eyes with the clay,
7and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went away therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
8The neighbors therefore, and they that saw him aforetime, that he was a beggar, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
9Others said, It is he: others said, No, but he is like him. He said, I am [he].
10They said therefore unto him, How then were thine eyes opened?
11He answered, 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.
12And they said unto him, Where is he? He saith, I know not.
13They bring to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.
14Now it was the sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
15Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. And he said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and I see.
16Some therefore of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, because he keepeth not the sabbath. But others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such signs? And there was division among them.
17They say therefore unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, in that he opened thine eyes? And he said, He is a prophet.
18The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight,
19and asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? How then doth he now see?
20His parents answered and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
21but 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.
22These things said his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man should confess him [to be] Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
23Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.
24So they called a second time the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give glory to God: we know that this man is a sinner.
25He therefore answered, Whether he is a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
26They said therefore unto him, What did he to thee? How opened he thine eyes?
27He answered them, I told you even now, and ye did not hear; wherefore would ye hear it again? would ye also become his disciples?
28And they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are disciples of Moses.
29We know that God hath spoken unto Moses: but as for this man, we know not whence he is.
30The man answered and said unto them, Why, herein is the marvel, that ye know not whence he is, and [yet] he opened mine eyes.
31We know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and do his will, him he heareth.
32Since the world began it was never heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind.
33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.
34They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
35Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and finding him, he said, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
36He answered and said, And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him?
37Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and he it is that speaketh with thee.
38And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
39And Jesus said, For judgment came I into this world, that they that see not may see; and that they that see may become blind.
40Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said unto him, Are we also blind?
41Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye would have no sin: but now ye say, We see: your sin remaineth.
1Now as Jesus was passing by, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.
2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man or his parents?”
3Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that the acts of God may be revealed through what happens to him.
4We must perform the deeds of the one who sent me as long as it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work.
5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6Having said this, he spat on the ground and made some mud with the saliva. He smeared the mud on the blind man’s eyes
7and said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated “sent”). So the blind man went away and washed, and came back seeing.
8Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously as a beggar began saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?”
9Some people said, “This is the man!” while others said, “No, but he looks like him.” The man himself kept insisting, “I am the one!”
10So they asked him, “How then were you made to see?”
11He replied, “The man called Jesus made mud, smeared it on my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and was able to see.”
12They said to him, “Where is that man?” He replied, “I don’t know.”
13They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees.
14(Now the day on which Jesus made the mud and caused him to see was a Sabbath.)
15So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight. He replied, “He put mud on my eyes and I washed, and now I am able to see.”
16Then some of the Pharisees began to say, “This man is not from God because he does not observe the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a division among them.
17So again they asked the man who used to be blind, “What do you say about him, since he caused you to see?” “He is a prophet,” the man replied.
18Now the Jewish religious leaders refused to believe that he had really been blind and had gained his sight until at last they summoned the parents of the man who had become able to see.
19They asked the parents, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?”
20So his parents replied, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
21But we do not know how he is now able to see, nor do we know who caused him to see. Ask him, he is a mature adult. He will speak for himself.”
22(His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders. For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.
23For this reason his parents said, “He is a mature adult, ask him.”)
24Then they summoned the man who used to be blind a second time and said to him, “Promise before God to tell the truth. We know that this man is a sinner.”
25He replied, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing—that although I was blind, now I can see.”
26Then they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he cause you to see?”
27He answered, “I told you already and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You people don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?”
28They heaped insults on him, saying, “You are his disciple! We are disciples of Moses!
29We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man comes from!”
30The man replied, “This is a remarkable thing that you don’t know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see!
31We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is devout and does his will, God listens to him.
32Never before has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see.
33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34They replied, “You were born completely in sinfulness, and yet you presume to teach us?” So they threw him out.
35Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, so he found the man and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36The man replied, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
37Jesus told him, “You have seen him; he is the one speaking with you.” [
38He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
39Jesus said,] “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, and the ones who see may become blind.”
40Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and asked him, “We are not blind too, are we?”
41Jesus replied, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains.
1As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3Jesus answered, “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed in him.
4I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work.
5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud,
7and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing.
8The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind before, said, “Isn’t this he who sat and begged?”
9Others were saying, “It is he.” Still others were saying, “He looks like him.” He said, “I am he.”
10They therefore were asking him, “How were your eyes opened?”
11He answered, “A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.”
12Then they asked him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.”
13They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees.
14It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
15Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see.”
16Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was division among them.
17Therefore they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight,
19and asked them, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
20His parents answered them, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;
21but how he now sees, we don’t know; or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself.”
22His parents said these things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.
23Therefore his parents said, “He is of age. Ask him.”
24So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
25He therefore answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
26They said to him again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27He answered them, “I told you already, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?”
28They insulted him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
29We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.”
30The man answered them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.
31We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.
32Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind.
33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34They answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” They threw him out.
35Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
36He answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?”
37Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.”
38He said, “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him.
39Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.”
40Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”
41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.
Summary
Jesus heals a man born blind by anointing his eyes with mud and sending him to wash in the Pool of Siloam, explaining that the man's blindness was not caused by anyone's sin but was an opportunity for God's work to be displayed (vv. 1-7). The healing on the Sabbath draws Pharisees who interrogate the man and his parents, and the man's understanding of Jesus deepens through the questioning — from calling Him simply "the man called Jesus" to identifying Him as a prophet sent from God (vv. 8-33). When the man is thrown out of the synagogue for defending Jesus, Jesus finds him, reveals Himself as the Son of Man, and the man worships Him (vv. 34-38). Jesus closes by explaining that He came into the world for judgment, so that the spiritually blind might see and those who claim to see would be shown their blindness — a rebuke aimed at the Pharisees (vv. 39-41).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Jerusalem: The healing of the man born blind occurred in Jerusalem, still during the period around the Feast of Tabernacles.
- The Pool of Siloam (v.7): Located at the southern end of the City of David in Jerusalem. Fed by the Gihon Spring through Hezekiah's tunnel. Jesus sent the blind man to wash here.
Places on this map
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines the seven-scene structure of the chapter, the significance of the Pool of Siloam, the man's growing understanding of Jesus (prophet → Son of God), and the irony of the Pharisees' spiritual blindness.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
David Guzik — Enduring Word Video Series (John)
YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_QIfO0mxbX4zgQH4vuK6q1q7gu8Ok6tz John 9:1-16 - Opposed by Blindness: John 9:17-41 - Opposed by Ignorance:
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of John -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Suffering With a Purpose (v.3) — Jesus corrects the assumption that the man's blindness was punishment for sin, saying instead it was preparation for God's work to be displayed. Is there a hardship in your life that God might be using as a stage for His glory rather than a punishment for your failure?
- A Simple Testimony (v.25) — The healed man doesn't have his theology sorted out, but he knows exactly what happened to him: he was blind, now he sees. Could you state your own testimony that simply and clearly?
- Courage Under Pressure (vv.30-33) — Standing alone before the religious authorities with everything to lose, the man defends Jesus anyway, even with a bit of sarcasm. What does courage in the face of opposition look like for you right now — at work, at home, or in your community?
- Jesus Seeks Him Out (v.35) — After the man is thrown out of the synagogue, Jesus is the one who goes looking for him. When you feel rejected or alone because of your faith, how does it change things to know Christ comes looking for you?
- The Danger of Claiming to See (v.41) — Jesus says those who insist they already see clearly have no excuse for their blindness. How do you guard against the kind of spiritual pride that keeps you from recognizing your own need?