CHAPTER 9 VER. 1. _And as Jesus passed by_, &c. Passing through the midst of His enemies and the crowd of the people. This signifies (though some deny it) that this cure took place immediately after Christ had withdrawn from the temple. As soon as He had escaped His enemies, He became visible again,... [ Continue Reading ]
_And His disciples_, &c. This question sprang out of the opinion of the ignorant multitude, who think that diseases are the punishments of sin, and, as S. Ambrose says, "They ascribe weaknesses of body to the deserts of their sins." But they are wrong in this; for though it is often the case, yet no... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jesus answered_, &c. Christ denies not that he and his parents had sinned both by original and actual sin. But He denies that he was condemned to blindness for these sins, beyond other people, who had committed the same and even greater sins. So S. Augustine. In vain therefore do the Pelagians misu... [ Continue Reading ]
_I must work_, &c. S. Chrysostom, Theophylact, and others understand by the word "day" the present life, and by "night" the future life. But this is what is common to all men. But Christ speaks of this _day_ as specially relating to Himself and His own work. And therefore S. Augustine, Cyril, and Be... [ Continue Reading ]
_As long as I am in the world_, &c. And therefore I will give light to this blind man, to show that I am the Light of this world.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And when He had thus said_, &c. He used clay, which naturally closes up the eyes, to show that He healed the man supernaturally. The symbolical reason was (S. Chrysostom says) to signify that He was the self-same (God) who formed man out of clay, and that it was His work to form and fashion again ... [ Continue Reading ]
_And said unto Him_, &c. Siloam is a stream at the foot of Mount Sion, which does not flow continuously, but at uncertain times of the day; it bursts forth (says S. Jerome) with a loud noise, and is then silent. It hides itself under the earth, and by channels runs into the pool of Siloam, and hence... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then again called they the man_, &c. To give God the glory, is a form of obtestation or oath among the Jews (see Jos 7:19). Confess that this man is a sinner, and so wilt thou by this confession of the truth give glory to God, who is the chief and eternal truth. "To give glory to God" (says the Glo... [ Continue Reading ]
_Since the world began_, &c. Granted that Moses and the Prophets wrought many miracles, yet they never restored sight to one who was born blind. Jesus who has restored my sight must needs be a greater Prophet than they. He retorted the words of the Pharisees on themselves, "Ye prefer Moses to Christ... [ Continue Reading ]
_They answered_, &c. _, in sins_, both in mind and body, for thou wast born blind by reason of thy sin. For they held the tenet of Pythagoras that the soul existed before the body, and that it was in consequence of its sins thrust down into a deformed (_i.e._, a blind) body. So Cyril, Leontius, and... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jesus heard that they had cast him out,_ &c. Christ received him kindly, and rewards his constancy. Having given sight to his body, He now enlightens his mind. In giving him bodily sight, He had cast in some scattered seeds of faith, which He now particularly forms into perfect shape: so as to make... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Jesus said,_ &c. Thou seest him now for the first time, for he had been healed in the pool of Siloam, when Christ was not there. Christ therefore points out to him that it was He who restored his sight. He recalls his healing to his remembrance, says Theophylact, and that he had received the gi... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him_, as the Son of God, and very God, to be worshipped as God with the worship due to Him (_latria_). Moreover, the blind man, inwardly enlightened (and moved to it by Christ), by saying, "I believe," brought out acts of hope, contrition, charity, de... [ Continue Reading ]
_And some of the Pharisees_, &c. The Pharisees felt themselves sharply touched by our Lord's words, which they understood to speak not of the blindness of the body, but of the mind. They knew that they were not bodily blind, and therefore if He had said this, they would have hooted Him down as a foo... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jesus said to them_, &c. (1.) S. Chrysostom, Theophylact, and Euthymius explain this of bodily blindness; meaning, If ye were blind in your bodies, ye would be less proud and sinful. For bodily blindness would humble your mind. (2.) S. Augustine (_in loc._) is more to the point. If ye were blind in... [ Continue Reading ]