John 9 - Holman KJV Study Bible

9:1-41 ­Jesus' identity as "the light of the world" was illustrated in His sixth and penultimate "miracle" recorded in John's Gospel—the healing of a man born blind (see note at 2:11). As in chapter 5, ­Jesus healed on the sabbath and thus suffered persecution from the Jewish leaders. But in contrast to the lame man of chapter 5, who showed no faith and reported ­Jesus to the authorities, the formerly blind man showed a progression of faith and ended up worshipping ­Jesus (9:38). ­Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their spiritual blindness (v v. 40-41).

9:2 The disciples' question reflected the assumption, customary in ancient Judaism, that suffering could be traced to specific sins (cp. Job 4:7). The underlying concern of this assumption is to clear God of wrongdoing against innocent people (Exod. 20:5; Num. 14:18; Deut. 5:9). Yet the NT makes it clear that suffering is not always a direct result of a person's sin (Luke 13:2-3; 2 Cor. 12:7; Gal. 4:13). We should not speculate about the cause of a person's suffering but realize that even evil can contribute to the greater glory of God (esp. the crucifixioncp. ; 12:28,37-41; 17:1,5).

9:5 On ­Jesus as the light of the world, see notes at 6:35,48 and 8:12.

9:7 ­Jesus' sending the man to wash in the pool of Siloam is reminiscent of Elijah's sending Naaman to wash in the Jordan river (2 Kings 5:10-13). The interpretation of Siloam as Sent may echo the messianic reference in Gen. 49:10 (cp. Isa. 8:6; see notes at John 1:38 and 3:16-18).

9:14 The mention of the sabbath here (cp. 5:9) resumes the earlier sabbath controversy in chapter 5. ­Jesus had moistened clay with His saliva and then kneaded it to make mud. Kneading dough, and by analogy kneading clay, was included among the 39 classes of work forbidden on the sabbath by Jewish rabbinic tradition (m. Shabb. 7:2).

9:16 The division among the Pharisees follows the differing ways of reasoning observed by the schools of Shammai and Hillel. The former argued from foundational principles ("anyone who breaks the law is a sinner"), the latter from the established facts of a case ("Jesus has performed a good work").

9:22 On the Jews and their power, see note at 7:13.

9:24 The Pharisees' exhortation to the healed man, Give God the praise, was a solemn warning for him to tell the truth (Josh. 7:19; 2 Chron. 30:8; Jer. 13:16).

9:28 The Pharisees' claim of being Moses' disciples was undermined by their failure to listen to the One of whom Moses wrote (see note at 5:45-47).

9:29 The Pharisees' assertion harks back to God's giving Moses the law at mount Sinai (Exod. 33:11; Num. 12:2-8; cp. John 1:17).

9:31-33 The healed man's major premise, that God doesn't listen to sinners, is borne out by the OT (Ps. 34:15; 66:20; 109:7; 145:19). His minor premise, that there was no precedent for opening the eyes of a person born blind, is also confirmed by the absence of such instances cited in OT or extrabiblical sources. The man's conclusion, that if Jesus were not from God, he could do nothing (cp. 3:2), fit with the common Jewish view that miracles were performed in answer to prayer.

9:34 The Pharisees' charge against the healed man may allude to Ps. 51:5. Cast him out refers to expulsion from the synagogue (see v. 22). The way this was done suggests an impulsive action rather than excommunication based on a formal procedure.

9:39-41 Giving sight to the righteous blind (Ps. 146:8; Isa. 29:18; 35:5; 42:7,18) and blinding unrighteous persons who can see (Isa. 6:10; 42:19; Jer. 5:21; cp. Matt. 13:13-15; John 12:40) are common OT themes. Elsewhere, ­Jesus called the Pharisees "blind guides" (Matt. 23:16; cp. Matt. 15:14; 23:26).