EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

John 9:1-41

John tells the Good News about Jesus

Gospel of John

Marion Adams

Chapter 9

Jesus cures a man who was blind since birth 9:1-12

v1 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a blind man. The man had been blind since birth. v2 Jesus’ *disciples asked him (Jesus), ‘Teacher, why has this man been blind since birth? Was it because he or his parents *sinned?’

v3 Jesus answered. ‘No. This man is not blind because of his own *sin. And he is not blind because of his parents’ *sin. But this happened so that God’s power can show itself in his life. v4 During the daytime, we must do the work of God, who sent me. We must work now, because soon it will be night. Then, nobody can work. v5 While I am in the world, I am the *light for the world.’

v6 After he said this, Jesus spat (sent liquid out of his mouth) on the ground. He used the liquid to make some mud. Then he put the mud on the man’s eyes.

v7 Then Jesus said to the man, ‘Go to Siloam Pool. Wash off the mud in the pool.’ (‘Siloam’ means ‘sent’.) So the man went and he washed off the mud. He returned able to see!

v8 The man’s neighbours began to talk about him. Previously, people had seen him when he was a blind beggar (a person who asks for money or gifts). They asked if he was really the same beggar. v9 Some people said that he was the same beggar. Other people said, ‘No. He is just similar physically to that man.’

But the man himself insisted, ‘Yes, I am the same beggar!’

v10 They asked him, ‘What happened? You used to be blind. How can you see?’

v11 He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made some mud. He put the mud on my eyes. Then he told me to go to Siloam Pool and to wash it off. I did this. And then I was able to see.’

v12 They asked, ‘Where is this man?’

He answered, ‘I do not know.’

This next passage is an account of how Jesus cured a blind man. But it also makes us think about *spiritual blindness. (Blindness usually means that someone cannot see. But *spiritual blindness is the result of *sin. It means that we cannot see (know) the truth about God.)

The *Jewish leaders were able to see Jesus with their eyes. They had physical sight. But they were unable to recognise him as the *Messiah and God’s Son. This was *spiritual blindness.

When the first man (Adam) *sinned, it affected all his *descendants. His *descendants were every person who has ever lived on the earth. Adam’s *sin separated him from God. Illness and death were also the results of Adam’s *sin.

So, because all people are Adam’s *descendants, everybody is born with *sin already in their hearts. This *sin separates us from God. It makes us all *spiritually blind. We are unable to free ourselves from our *sinful attitude and its effects. Only Jesus can cure our *spiritual blindness. Then we can see how bad *sin is really. We are able to see and to understand *spiritual truth.

Verses 1-3 When they saw this blind man, the *disciples asked Jesus a question. It was a common belief that illness was the result of *sin. So people thought that an ill person had *sinned greatly. Otherwise, people thought that the ill person’s *ancestors had *sinned greatly. So that is why the *disciples asked this question. It is true that the effects of *sin are always bad. If someone *sins greatly, this can affect their *descendants. The *Old Testament teaches this, for example, Exodus 20:5; Psalms 109:14.

This man had been born blind. So the *disciples believed that either he or his parents had *sinned. However, in this particular case, Jesus told them that the man’s *sins or his parent’s *sins were not the cause. This reminds us that good people suffer, too. And sometimes it seems that bad people do not receive any punishment. But problems can also provide an opportunity for God to show his power in a person’s life. In this man’s case, that is what actually happened. It reminds people for all time that Jesus can cure *spiritual blindness, too. Sometimes, when people suffer, God can use this as an opportunity to show his power in their lives.

Verse 4 The words ‘daytime’ and ‘night’ had a double meaning here. The ‘daytime’ probably referred to Jesus’ short time on the earth. When he was travelling with his *disciples, they were doing God’s work all the time. Jesus was teaching people about God. Jesus was curing people who were ill. Good things were happening because of Jesus, the *light for the world. But very soon, people would arrest Jesus. Jesus, the *light for the world, would die. This would be like the ‘night’.

Verse 5 Again, Jesus emphasised that he was the *light for the world (see also John 1:4-9 and 8:12).

Verses 6-7 Jesus did not cure the man immediately. The man had to do something first. He had to go to Siloam Pool and to wash the mud from his eyes. Because he obeyed Jesus, he received his physical sight.

This reminds us of an important lesson. Real *faith begins when we obey Jesus. Then we will see good results in our lives. And Jesus will give to us the gift of *spiritual sight. In other words, we will understand more about *spiritual truth.

Verses 8-9 Some people could not believe what had happened. The man seemed to be the same man that they had always known. But he was different because something wonderful had happened to him. It can be like this when a person starts to *believe in Jesus. The *Holy Spirit changes them inside their hearts. So although they have the same face and body, they seem very different. Their attitude and behaviour change. Their family and friends realise that something very important has happened to them.

Verses 10-12 The man did not really know Jesus. He knew only his name. But he had trusted Jesus enough to obey his instructions. And he knew that now he was able to see!

The *Pharisees speak to the man and to his parents 9:13-34

v13 The people took the man who had been blind to the *Pharisees. v14 But the day when Jesus cured the man was a *Sabbath. Jesus made the mud, and he made the man able to see on that day. v15 The *Pharisees asked the man again, ‘How are you able to see now?’

The man answered, ‘Jesus made some mud. He put it on my eyes. When I washed it off, I was able to see!’

v16 Some of the *Pharisees said, ‘This man Jesus does not come from God. We know this because he does not obey the rules about the *Sabbath.’

Other *Pharisees said, ‘But he does *miracles! An ordinary *sinner could not do these *signs!’

The *Pharisees could not agree about him. v17 So they asked the man, ‘What do you say about him? Who is this man who made you able to see?’

The man answered, ‘He is a *prophet.’

v18 But the *Jewish leaders still did not believe that a *miracle had happened. The man used to be blind, but now he could see. But the *Jewish leaders would not believe this until they had spoken to the man’s parents. So they ordered his parents to come.

v19 The *Jewish leaders asked, ‘Is this man your son? You said that he was born blind. So how is he able to see now?’

v20 The man’s parents answered, ‘We know that he is our son. And we know that he was born blind. v21 But we do not know how he can see now. We do not know who cured him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak on his own behalf.’

v22 The man’s parents said this because they were afraid of the *Jewish leaders. The *Jewish leaders had agreed already what to do about people who *believed in Jesus. The *Jewish leaders would not allow anyone to say that Jesus was the *Messiah. Anyone who did not agree with them could not continue to attend the *synagogue. v23 That is why the man’s parents said, ‘He is old enough. Ask him.’

v24 The leaders called for the man who had been blind to come back again.

They said to him, ‘If you can see, give the *glory to God! This man deserves no honour. We know that he is just a *sinner!’

v25 The man answered, ‘I do not know if he is a *sinner or not. But I know that I used to be blind. And now I can see!’

v26 The leaders asked, ‘What did he do to you? How did he cure your eyes?’

v27 The man answered, ‘I have told you this already. But you refused to listen. And you want me to repeat it. Perhaps you want to become his *disciples!’

v28 Then the leaders insulted the man. They said, ‘You are his *disciple! We are Moses’ *disciples! v29 We know that God spoke to Moses. But we do not know anything about this man Jesus!’

v30 The man answered, ‘That is strange! He cured me, but you do not know anything about him. v31 We know that God does not listen to *sinners. But God listens to the person who respects him. God listens to the person who obeys him. v32 Nobody has ever cured a man who was born blind. It has never happened before! v33 This man Jesus could not do it if he did not come from God.’

v34 The *Jewish leaders answered, ‘You have been a *sinner from the time of your birth! You cannot teach us anything!’ And they said, ‘You can never attend the *synagogue again!’

Verses 13-16 The *Pharisees argued among themselves about Jesus. Some of them said that he could not have come from God. They said this because Jesus had not obeyed the rules about the *Sabbath. He had made mud and he had cured the man. This was ‘work’. But other people thought that only somebody with God’s power in them could do such wonderful *miracles.

Verse 17 The man did not really know Jesus. It seems that the man had met Jesus only once. But the man knew that Jesus was very special. And the man thought that Jesus was a *prophet. However, the man did not *believe in Jesus completely. But after Jesus had spoken to him again, the man *believed completely in him (John 9:38).

Verses 18-23 The *Jewish leaders could not explain the *miracle. They knew that the man could see. But they refused to believe that he had been blind from birth. So they asked his parents about this.

But the man’s parents told the leaders that he was their son. And they told the leaders that their son had been blind from birth. They knew that he could see. However, they refused to say anything else about the situation because they were afraid.

The *Jewish leaders had decided to punish anybody who *believed in Jesus. They would not allow that person to meet with other *Jews in the *synagogue. Any *Jew would consider that this was a terrible punishment. The leaders had separated them from God’s people and also, they believed, from God.

The man’s parents did not want this to happen to them. So they told the leaders to talk to their son about what had happened.

Verses 24-25 The leaders had said that Jesus was not obeying the *Sabbath rules. They wanted the man to agree that Jesus was bad because of this. But the man could not agree because he knew hardly anything about Jesus. The man knew only that Jesus had cured his eyes. And the man was not afraid to tell this to the people.

If we are *Christians, we should be like this man. We may not be able to answer every question about Jesus. But we know what Jesus has done on our behalf. We know that he died to save us from the results of our *sins. And we know how he has helped us personally. We must not be afraid to share this with other people whenever we have an opportunity.

Verses 26-29 When the leaders continued to ask him questions, the man became impatient with them. They insulted each other. The *Jewish leaders again emphasised that they were following Moses and the *Law. It was true that God spoke to Moses. He gave the *Law to *Israel by means of Moses. The *Law showed people God’s standards. But it did not free people from the power of *sin. Only Jesus himself could save us from the power of *sin. And Moses himself *prophesied that Jesus (the *Prophet) would come. He said that God urged people to listen to his *Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).

Verses 30-33 But the man continued to argue with them. He used the same argument as some of the *Pharisees (verse 16). He said that Jesus had certainly come from God. Otherwise, Jesus would not have been able to do such a wonderful *miracle. First, the man had said that Jesus must be a *prophet (verse 17). Now, in this speech, he added that Jesus had certainly come from God. The man’s *faith in Jesus was increasing all the time.

Verse 34 The *Jewish leaders had no answer to this. The man had been born blind. So they believed that he was a bad person anyway. (See note on verses 1-3.) They believed that they were good people themselves. This was because they tried to obey all the rules of their religion. So they became angry that this man disagreed with them. And because of his beliefs about Jesus, they would not allow him to attend the *synagogue. They forced him to be separate from other *Jews as a punishment.

Jesus teaches about *spiritual blindness 9:35-41

v35 Jesus heard that the *Jewish leaders had ordered the man not to attend the *synagogue. Jesus found the man. Then Jesus asked him, ‘Do you *believe in the Son of Man?’

v36 The man answered, ‘Who is the Son of Man? Tell me, sir. Then I can *believe in him!’

v37 Jesus said, ‘You have already seen the Son of Man. In fact, he is speaking with you now!’

v38 The man said, ‘I *believe, *Lord!’

And he kneeled in front of Jesus.

v39 Jesus said, ‘I have come to *judge the people in this world. I am here to give sight to blind people. And those people who can see will become blind.’

v40 Some *Pharisees were standing there with him. They heard what Jesus said. So they said to Jesus, ‘Are you saying that we are blind?’

v41 Jesus answered, ‘No. If you were really blind, you would not be guilty. But you say that you can see. So you remain guilty.’

Verses 35-38 The man had done a brave thing. He had refused to agree with his leaders. They had had more education than the man. They were experts on the *Law and the *Jewish religion. But still the man had refused to say bad things about Jesus. He had even argued with them that Jesus had certainly come from God. And now he was alone because the leaders had separated him from the people. But Jesus did not leave the man alone. He went to him immediately.

We may be in a similar situation ourselves when we talk about our belief in Jesus. We may lose friends or even our families. But Jesus will always help us and he will comfort us. Nobody can separate us from his love.

The man’s *faith was growing still. Jesus asked him if he *believed in the Son of Man (see note on John 1:51). The man showed that he was ready to *believe in him. But the man did not know who the Son of Man was. When Jesus told him, the man’s *faith in Jesus became complete. He *worshipped Jesus.

Jesus had given the man physical sight when he (Jesus) cured the man’s eyes. But the man received *spiritual sight also. This took longer. It happened while he was speaking to Jesus. Then he realised that Jesus was God’s Son. And he *worshipped him.

As we spend time with Jesus, we, too, understand more about him. When we pray to him, he shows us more of himself. And as we know him more, we *worship him.

Verses 39-41 Our beliefs about Jesus affect the judgement that we will receive. So really we choose our own judgement. If we do not *believe in him, then we have *condemned ourselves. But if we have *faith in him, he will not *condemn us.

When Jesus referred to ‘blind people’, he did not mean just physically blind people. Some people realise that everyone is naturally *sinful. So, they realise the effects of their *sin. And they know that they have a problem. Because of *sin, people cannot see (know) God’s truth. In other words, people cannot understand more about God as a result of their *sin. Such people may not be physically blind. But, *spiritually, they are ‘blind people’.

However, other people think that they understand all about God. They think that they understand *spiritual matters. But they do not realise that *sin makes them unable to see (know) the truth about God. They think that they are good. So they become proud. The *Pharisees were like this. Jesus said that they would remain guilty. He said this because *sin had made them *spiritually blind. But they would not agree with this. Therefore, they would not ask for help. They did not think that they needed it!

disciple ~ a person who wants to do the same things as another person and to learn from them. Jesus had disciples. John the Baptist had disciples, too.
Baptist ~ a person who baptises people.

baptise/baptism ~ to put a person into water, or to put water on a person; it is to show that the person wants to obey God. Christians receive baptism as a sign that they want to follow Jesus.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
light ~ Natural light helps us to see physical things. But in John’s Gospel, the word ‘light’ also refers to that which helps us to see (understand) spiritual truths.
Gospel ~ one of the 4 books at the beginning of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They record Jesus’ life.
spiritual ~ something that belongs to the spirit rather than to physical things.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on the earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church and what Christians should believe.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
spiritual ~ something that belongs to the spirit rather than to physical things.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to the Jews. The ‘Jewish leaders’ were a group of important Jews who lived in Judah.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ name for the special servant of God. It means the person whom God sent to save people from the results of their sins. Jesus is the Messiah.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
descendant ~ a future member of a family or a nation.
ancestor ~ person in the past from whom one’s parents came.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the Jewish *scriptures. The writers wrote this before the birth of Jesus.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to the Jews. The ‘Jewish leaders’ were a group of important Jews who lived in Judah.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
faith ~ to *believe in someone or something; to be really sure about the things of God and Jesus.
holy ~ what God is like. God’s character: perfect, completely good with nothing bad in it. Separate from sin.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Pharisees ~ a group of Jews who thought that they obeyed all God’s commands.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
Sabbath ~ the Sabbath was Saturday; the 7th day of the week which is special to the Jews. It was the day when the people had to rest from work (Exodus 20:8-11).
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
miracle ~ wonderful works that only God can do by his power. A wonderful event that shows that a person’s message is from God.
sinner ~ someone who sins.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
sign ~ the word that John often uses in his Gospel to mean a miracle. A sign gives evidence and it points to something beyond itself.
Gospel ~ one of the 4 books at the beginning of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They record Jesus’ life.
miracle ~ wonderful works that only God can do by his power. A wonderful event that shows that a person’s message is from God.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the Jewish *scriptures. The writers wrote this before the birth of Jesus.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to the Jews. The ‘Jewish leaders’ were a group of important Jews who lived in Judah.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
synagogue ~ the building where Jews met locally to worship God.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
worship ~ to give thanks and honour to God and Jesus. To show to him that we love him very much.
glory ~ everything that makes God great and beautiful. A bright light that comes from God or Jesus to show that they are beautiful and holy.
holy ~ what God is like. God’s character: perfect, completely good with nothing bad in it. Separate from sin.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
Israel ~ name of the land that God gave to Jacob (who is also called Israel) and his sons (Genesis chapter 35). Also refers to the Jews, the group of people whom God chose to belong to him in a special way.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
prophesy ~ to speak or to write God’s words.
prophet ~ a person who hears God’s words and tells them to other people. Some prophets wrote books in the Old Testament. Sometimes, they told about events before they happened.

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