Bible Commentaries

CHAPTER 9

1. The Man Born Blind, Healed. (John 9:1-7.)

2. The Healed Man Questioned. (John 9:8-26.)

3. Reviled and Cast Out. (John 9:27-34.)

4. Jesus Reveals Himself to Him. (John 9:35-41.)

The healing of the man born blind is a type and an illustration of how Christ, the Light, communicates light and how he who follows the Light walks no more in darkness, but has the light of life. (John 8:12.) And before He healed the man He testified that His day of activity on earth as Man was rapidly drawing to its close. (John 9:4-5.) The clay and the spittle did not effect the opening of the eyes; it was the power of Christ. The blind man went and washed in the pool of Siloam and came seeing.

The conflict the blind man had is interesting and instructive, but too lengthy to follow in our annotations. The Pharisees exhibit their hatred against Him Who healed the blind man and they did all in their power to discredit the miracle and Him Who performed it. They questioned the man to confound him, but did not succeed. Then they questioned the parents, but they were afraid to say how their son had received his sight, for the Jews had agreed that if any man confessed Him as Christ he should be put out of the synagogue. Then they questioned the man again and he gave them an excellent testimony. “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not; one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” And when after repeated questionings the healed one expressed his firm belief that He Who gave him sight was of God, they cast him out.

But they only cast him into the arms of the loving Lord. He heard of what had been done to the man, and He sought for him. Then He revealed Himself to him as the Son of God. The man believed and worshipped Him. He was thrust outside of Judaism and in that outside place Christ found him, and he believed on Christ. Like everything else in the Gospel of John this anticipates the position of true Christianity. It is outside of the camp of Judaism, outside of that which has rejected Christ. “Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.” (Hebrews 13:13.)