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

 

 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 though 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 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 our present readings, we are in chapter 9 of John's Gospel.  John 7:1-10:21 covers the events at the Feast of Tabernacles, which takes place during the final year of Jesus' earthly life.  Yesterday we read that, 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?"  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."  My study Bible comments on the behavior of the Pharisees here. It notes that with Jesus not present, they still call Him a sinner.  But earlier when He asked them face-to-face, "Which of you convicts Me of sin?" (John 8:46), they evaded that question.  Give God the glory! is an oath formula which was used before giving testimony.  My study Bible points out that he does indeed give God glory (verse 38).  The more he is pressed, the more fervent his faith becomes, while the Pharisees lapse into deeper darkness.  

 

He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know:  that though I was blind, now I see."   Here the healed man becomes a model of Christian witness.  My study Bible comments that many people do not bear witness to Christ because they fear they will be asked questions they cannot answer.  This man's response to people who are much more educated than he is provides our solution:  he admits what he does not know, but follows with what he does know.  This formula, "That I don't know, but what I do know is this," is foundational to witnessing one's faith to others.  

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 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 the Gospel gives witness to the transformation of faith taking place in this healed man.  My study Bible points out that he moves from knowing nearly nothing about Christ, through to the conclusion that Jesus cannot possibly be a sinner, to finally confessing that Jesus must be from God.  As the Pharisees once again cannot refute the man's logic, nor the truth of what he reveals, they once again resort to personal insult (see John 8:48).  Additionally, my study Bible comments on this passage that the unprecedented nature of opening the eyes of one who was born blind is a confirmation of Christ's divinity.  This was one of the prophesied signs of the coming Messiah (Isaiah 35:5; 42:7) and a prerogative belonging solely to God (Psalm 146:8). 

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.  Here the man healed of physical blindness is also healed of spiritual blindness:  he comes to see Jesus for who He is:  the divine Son of God whom it is appropriate to worship. 

 

 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 comments here that our Lord's coming brought judgment to the world, not because He came to judge (John 12:47-48), but because of our accountability to Him.  Those who see and hear Christ but do not believe are judged by their own faithlessness.  

It's quite a marvel to observe this man blind from birth who first has sight given to him by Jesus, and then -- even tested by the religious leaders and their questions (which his parents refuse to answer themselves) -- he gradually is "illumined" with faith in Christ.  Clearly we can see the parallels to holy illumination, the light now permeating and taken in by his eyes also parallel to the spiritual light with which he sees as well.  As my study Bible explained in an earlier note at the beginning of this chapter (see yesterday's reading and commentary), baptism is also called "holy illumination," and the focus on light in this chapter teaches us about this process of coming to "see."  But today's reading is also a story about judgment, as Jesus' final notes in this chapter signal.  He has come for judgment.  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."  As is not unusual in the stories of the Gospels, God the Father has revealed something not to the wise and prudent, but to babes (see Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21).  For if it is God the Father who revealed Jesus' identity as Christ, the Son of the living God, to St. Peter and the disciples (see Saturday's reading), then why should we not assume that the Father has also revealed to this "babe," the one whose sight has just been given to him through grace, Jesus' divine identity?  So let us rejoice at the judgment we witness, that the wise and prudent remain stubbornly, deliberately blind, while the mouth of a babe who has just received his sight confesses that Jesus is the Christ.  Who's to say who has sight?  Who sees and knows, who doesn't see, and doesn't know?  These experts in the Scripture (the Pharisees) are the authorities passing judgment on Christ, and will soon successfully bring Him to trial.  But it is the healed who see, even the "babes" with fresh sight.  It is by grace that we have our eyes opened.  St. Paul writes, "Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3).