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But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself." His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."
So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner." He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that thought I was blind, now I see." Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?" Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses, as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from." The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of the one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out.
Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you." Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains."
- John 9:18-41
In yesterday's reading, we read about the events after Jesus had passed through the throng of those who tried to stone Him, for proclaiming, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?" Some said, "This is he." Others said, "He is like him." He said, "I am he." Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight." Then they said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know." They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them. They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."
But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" My study bible points out that the temple authorities try to discredit the miracle by denying that this man was blind from birth. "His parents are called in, even though the age of legal responsibility was 13." We can see their urge to deny the possibility of Jesus' true origin.
His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself." His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." John's Gospel reminds us of the atmosphere of fear surrounding Jesus among the people. At the beginning of the readings regarding the time at this Feast of Tabernacles, we were told that everyone was speaking about Him, and all were divided, but the people were afraid to speak openly, for fear of the leadership. And here, this is illustrated for us again. The formerly blind man's parents will not speak, even for their son. Again, there is a kind of call to witnessing; we know the persecution the Church was under by the time of the writing of this Gospel.
So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner." My study bible tells us, "With Jesus not present, the Pharisees harshly call Him a sinner -- but earlier when Jesus asked them face-to-face, 'Which of you convicts Me of sin?" (8:46), they answered by evading the question. Give God the glory is an oath formula, used before giving testimony or before confessing guilt. Ironically, the formerly blind man will indeed give glory to God. The more he is pressed, the more tenacious he becomes in his belief."
He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that thought I was blind, now I see." Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?" Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses, as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from." The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of the one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out. Here is witnessing. The formerly blind man sticks to the truth, to what He knows. He tells the truth. He doesn't go beyond the scope of what He knows. And yet he also tells them what he has been taught by these same experts in the Law: "We know that God does not hear sinners." And to these same experts in Scripture: "Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of the one who was born blind." And the logical conclusion: "If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." So the leadership does what people usually do to discredit the truth of testimony, they attack his character and person; instead of listening to the truths they already know, they accuse him of being unfit to "teach them."
Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you." Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains." My study bible tells us, "Having opened the blind man's eyes, Jesus also opens the eyes of his heart, offering spiritual illumination. The man, 'seeing' the divinity of the Son of Man, worshiped Him. Jesus' coming brought judgment by increasing the accountability of those who saw and heard Him, but did not believe. The brilliance of Christ's light becomes an illumination to some, but a blinding glare to others."
Let us ponder Jesus' words, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." It's interesting to think about how judgment works, and how it is related to truth. The testimony of the healed man is true. Yet those who know already that what the formerly blind man says is true, the experts in the Law and the Scriptures, refuse to listen to what he has to say; they are outraged that such a man would be teaching them. In effect, as Jesus' words tell us, they are "made blind" by their rejection of spiritual truth, of the illumination offered in both the healing and the presence of Jesus, and in the true testimony of the healed man. This is what it is to face judgment; this is what it is to stumble on the stone of Christ. Another understanding we have of truth is the metaphor of a sword that cuts both ways. There will be things we have to give up to make room for that truth; if we fail, those things will in turn be harmful to our own sight. Let us consider witnessing and testimony, and what it is to be illumined by "the light of the world." Most importantly, let us focus on the formerly blind man's capacity for testimony, for witnessing. He has been enlightened and healed by the light so that he may see light: "In His light we see light." He is a perfect illustration of the prophecy of the psalm. Let us remember this man's understanding of his healing, and his confession to what has happened to him. He has been put out of the synagogue, a type of martyr, which means "witness" in Greek. To what do you witness? What do you know your faith has done for you? Let us also remember the responsibility we carry for what we know, and our refusal to hear.
