John 9 - Jon Courson's Application Commentary

The disciples voice the foundational question of all suffering: “Why?”-and then proceed to give Jesus two possible answers. The blindness is either the result of the blind man’s sin, they reason, or it is the result of his parents’ sin. If his blindness was a result of his own sin, when did he sin? He was, after all, born blind. Based on the story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 25, the rabbis taught man could sin in the womb. That’s the way they explained birth defects. If his blindness was the result of his parents’ sin, however, on the basis of Exodus 20:5, the rabbis taught that his mother’s, father’s grandparent’s or great-grandparent’s sin could have repercussions in him.

Is this what God means when He says He is a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation? No-that’s the godfather, not Father God. Exodus 20:5 simply means that God doesn’t change the rules. He continues to visit, deal with, convict, and judge generation after generation. Regardless of what society says; the fact remains that sin is always sin because God is consistent in His heart and in His ways.

It is true that all sadness and sorrow are the indirect result of sin. But Jesus says no one can point a finger at another as the culprit. I talk to many people who say the reason they are vulnerable to the occult or pornography is because the vulnerability has been passed from generation to generation in their family. Scripture, however, teaches exactly the opposite. In the days of Ezekiel, people would justify their own sin with a proverb that said, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”

God, however, said, “As I live, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold all souls are mine,” (see Ezekiel 18:2-4). In other words, “Every single soul is created by Me, belongs to Me, and is individually responsible to Me.”

“The issue is not sin,” said Jesus. “Rather, this man’s misery gives Me opportunity for ministry. I am the Light of the world, and I have only so many hours in which I can work before night falls on the day of My public ministry.”

Misery always opens the door for ministry.

As a junior in high school, I had the opportunity to represent our district at the Athletes in Action National Conference. Although the conference began Monday morning, the featured speaker failed to show up for Monday’s, Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s meetings. He was on campus, but the pain he lived with continually prevented him from joining us.

Maybe you’ve heard his story: During the ’68-’69 season, Brian Sternberg was at the West Coast Relays in Fresno, California, pumped, primed, and poised to break the world record in the pole-vault. The day before the meet, he was doing what pole-vaulters often do-working out on the trampoline. But following one particular double flip, he hit the metal railing and broke his neck. It was a tragedy and a shock to the track and field world when Sternberg was told not only that he would never vault again, but that he would be a quadriplegic for the rest of his life.

Other speakers and athletes filled in for Brian at the AIA Conference. Then came Thursday night. After Brian was wheeled out, he began to share with this group of young athletes how he had been a nominal, lukewarm Christian for a number of years. Then came the tragedy. And he said, “As I was in the hospital flat on my back, hearing I would never run, never walk, never even lift my hands again, God started to do a work in my life and gave me a peace I cannot explain. Jesus became so incredibly real to me at that time and has been real to me since then in a way I could never comprehend or explain.” Then, with tears rolling down his cheeks, this world-class athlete said, “If that was the only way I could have what I have right now in my heart, I would take that jump all over again.”

When he extended an invitation to make a real commitment to Jesus Christ, virtually the entire audience came forward. We saw revival happen unlike anything I’ve ever seen before or since. But it came through a man who was broken and in pain.

You who are going through difficulties, you who are experiencing tragedy, sickness, or hard times-watch out that you don’t become introspective and wonder what you’ve done wrong. Jesus would say to you today, “Sin is not the issue. The question is not, “Who caused the misery?” The question is, “Will you allow Me to use it?” The Greek language has no punctuation, so I believe a better rendering of this passage would be: “But that the works of God should be made manifest in him, I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day.” In other words, “It’s not a time to speculate philosophically. It’s a time to reach out compassionately.”

Not only does this passage provide an explanation of suffering, but it also provides an illustration of salvation. Did the blind man see Jesus pass by and say, “I want to follow Him”? No. He didn’t have a clue as to what was happening. The same is true of you and me. You and I are the blind man. Before we were saved, we stumbled in the dark (Ephesians 4:18).

“I’m kind of a spiritual guy,” you might be saying. “I’ve been pursuing the cosmic reason for being. And in my pursuit, I came across Christianity.” Wrong. You and I were blind as bats as we sat begging for a tidbit of pleasure, a crumb of happiness, a scrap of satisfaction from materialism, relationships, or anything else that passed our way. But even though we couldn’t see Jesus, He saw us. And as He passed by, He said, “I’m going to stop and do a work in them. I’m going to save them from their own misery and poverty.”

The man was now doubly blinded: not only blind from birth, but blind from the clay-which speaks of humanity, of depravity. “In sin did my mother conceive me,” wrote the sweet psalmist of Israel (Psalm 51:5). So, too, we were born in sin. We live in sin. We’re sinners in desperate need of a Savior.

Feeling the irritation of the mud in his eyes, the blind man was no doubt ready to follow instructions. How often it is the way of the Lord to cause irritations in us in order to drive us to the place of healing and redemption.

For topical study of John 9:1-7 see “Here’s Mud in Your Eye”.

Jesus was sent to be the Light of the world. He in turn sent this man to the pool of Siloam in order to receive his sight.

The Puritan writers say this man blindly obeyed the Lord’s command. I like that!

Not only does this miracle give insight into the nature of suffering, but it gives encouragement regarding the need for service. You see, in their theologizing and philosophizing, the disciples were attempting to be teachers when in reality Jesus had called them to be “touchers.” It’s easy to discuss situations and solutions. But when we get to heaven, the Lord is not going to say, “Well said, good and faithful servant.” No, He’s waiting to say, “Well done.”

In addition to being an encouragement to the disciples, I suggest this miracle was an encouragement to Jesus. For as the Jews picked up stones to throw at Him in John 8, just outside the temple sat a man who would receive not only his sight, but his salvation. So, too, perhaps you feel rejected and misunderstood. But it could very well be that a mere stone’s throw away from where you are right now sits someone who needs love. If you will reach out to him, listen to him, and pray for him, you will find great encouragement and your own depression will lift. Follow Jesus’ example: Take your eyes off yourself and let the Father use you to bring sight to someone else.

The disciples asked why the man was blind. His neighbors asked how his eyes were opened. But both groups missed the most important question, which was, “Who performed the miracle?”

This man omitted part of the story. He said Jesus made clay but failed to say how He did it. Why? Because, blind when Jesus spat in the ground, he didn’t see it. In other words, he didn’t see exactly how the miracle took place. He just knew it did. So, too, we have felt the Lord’s touch on our lives. Exactly how it happened, we are at a loss to explain. We only know that, after walking in darkness from birth, like the blind man, we received sight.

This breaks my heart. After receiving the gift of vision, the blind man lost sight of the Giver.

Here, a man born blind now sees. Yet the Pharisees say, “Wait a minute. That violates Statue 2482.6, which forbids making clay on the Sabbath.”

In verse 11, the blind man called Jesus a man. But now, about five minutes old in his knowledge of Jesus, he realizes He is more than a man-He’s a Prophet.

As parents, we know our kids were born blind spiritually. After all, how many of us have said, “Okay, sweetheart, you’re three months old. I’m now going to teach you how to cry your head off until you get your way. And when you turn two, we’ll start working on lying. At four, we’ll move on to stealing”? Having watched the demise of Communism, understand that the flaw of Marxism is the completely erroneous presupposition that man is basically good. “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need,” said Karl Marx. In reality, however, because all men are born blind, the question we ask is not, “What is your need?” but “What’s in it for me?” Thus, Marxism was doomed from its very inception.

Being put out of the synagogue meant one lost his ability to pray to God or to be blessed by God. It meant that his family was to treat him as though he were dead and that his business would be absolutely off-limits to all Jews. Thus, to be put out of the synagogue was a serious matter.

I like this! The blind man said, “You may be able to trip me up intellectually and outmaneuver me logically, but all I know is this: Once I was a miserable, blind, wretched sinner like you-and now I see!”

“Do you want me to tell you again so you can be converted too?” asked the once-blind man.

Isaiah prophesied three times that when Messiah came, He would open blind eyes (29:18; 35:5; 42:7). Here, the blind man, now six minutes old in his faith, says, “The One who opened my eyes is of God. How else do you explain what happened to me? It’s never happened in all of history. You’re professing to be authorities, yet you can’t answer this simple question?”

The story is told of a teacher who was as wise as this blind man. Four of her seniors came cruising into class one day, saying, “Sorry we’re late again, but we had a flat tire on the way to school.”

“Oh?” she said, “Okay. You sit here in this corner, Bill, and you in that one, Steve. Jim, you take a seat in the third corner; and, Joe, you’re in the fourth. Now take out a piece of paper, and tell me which tire was flat.”

This newly sighted man is doing the same thing. He’s deflating the puffed-up egos of his accusers.

It’s interesting how the Pharisees resort to name-calling whenever they’re backed into a corner. When you’re sharing your faith, and people start calling you names, when they get uptight, when they get angry-rejoice because when you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, the one that barks the loudest is the one that got hit. I’d far rather someone react in this way than to hear him say, “You found your way. I found my way. And we’ll all end up in bliss together.” No, I like it when someone’s angry because it means he’s convicted.

At last we hear the pivotal question as the blind man asks, “Who is He?”

The blind man went from calling Jesus a man to a prophet of God to Lord.

By receiving worship, Jesus once again assumes deity.

Although judgment is not the reason for Jesus’ coming (John 3:17), it is the result.

“If you truly didn’t understand,” said Jesus to the Pharisees, “you wouldn’t be held responsible.” But such was not the case with the Pharisees, for, had they desired, they could have understood. However, preferring the darkness of their pride, they rejected the Light of the World.