John 9:13-4113They 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. (John 9:13‑41)
The neighbors or friends who found that the man born blind had been made to see, took him to the leaders in the temple to show them what a great miracle Jesus had done. The man told them that Jesus put clay on his eyes and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam, and he washed and could see.
But the men would not believe that he had been born blind, and they sent for his parents to ask them. The parents said he was their son who was born blind, but they were afraid to say who had made him see, because those leaders had declared that whoever spoke of Jesus as the Christ, the One with power from God, would be put from the synagogue (or congregation). They said their son was of age, to ask him.
It would seem that the son was a young man, since his parents were questioned, and also from their words that he was of age, which in that nation was from the time a young man was twenty years old (Nu. 1:18). Anyway the son had courage to speak of Jesus, though his parents did not: he had told them that Jesus must be a prophet, one whom God directed, and he said again He must be from God or He could not have done so marvelous a thing as to “open” his eyes.
He told them that they should know that such a man’ was from God. It made them very angry that he should talk so plainly to them, and they put him from the temple. These men were called Pharisees, a party among the Jews of that who taught much about the law and rules which had been made by leaders before them, but few of them truly believed or honored God.
It was a great disgrace for anyone to be put out of the company of other people who could come to the temple, and the man may have been sad at such treatment, but soon he had the company of the Lord Jesus. We had heard he was put out and came where he was.
The man may not have seen Jesus before, but he believed His power because He had caused him to see, and he believed He should be obeyed. When Jesus asked him if he believed on the Son of God, he at once asked,
“Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?”
When Jesus said, “He it is that taketh with thee,” the man said,
“Lord, I believe,” and worshipped Him.
Though the man had always been blind, he had listened well to God’s words when he heard them, for he believed One from God was to come to earth, and that One to do so great good must be without sin. Though he could no more go to the temple, he must have learned more of Jesus with others who believed Him, the Christ, the Son of God.
We might say that man would have been very ungrateful for his sight, for he had not told Who had made him to see: is it any less a miracle that Christ now saves from darkness forever, anyone who believes on Him. Should we not now say Who has done so great a miracle for us, even to those who are against. Him?
ML 10/05/1946