JOHN 9

JESUS RESTORES THE SIGHT OF A MAN BLIND SINCE BIRTH

Jesus is with His disciples when they encounter a blind man. The disciples ask Jesus what caused the man to be born blind, believing it was his own sin or the sin of his parents. It was commonly believed that sickness or disability was a result of personal or generational sin.

Jesus responds to the question of the disciples and tells them that sin was not the cause of his blindness. Instead, the man was blind so that God’s glory would be displayed through his healing. Jesus spit onto the dirt, making mud with His saliva and put the mud on the man’s eyes, instructing him to go into the pool of Siloam, a popular gathering place.

When he washed his eyes of the mud, he was miraculously able to see! The people who witnessed his healing wanted to know who restored his sight. The man had never seen Jesus, but knew His name and told the people.

Because Jesus healed this man on the Sabbath day, the Pharisees were angry with His actions. Some of the Pharisees believe that Jesus could not be from God because of His disregard for the Sabbath, but others believe that no one besides God could perform these acts. When asked by the Pharisees who healed him, the man says that Jesus was a prophet who healed him.

Still in disbelief, the Jewish people call the parents of the blind man to confirm he was truly blind at birth. The parents confirm that he was their son and that he was born blind, but they did not cite Jesus as the source of his healing.

The man is frustrated by their continual questions and wonders why they are so interested in the works of Jesus. He asks if they want to become His disciples too, which offends those who did not believe Jesus. When the man affirms his belief and claims Jesus is a messenger from God, the people throw him out onto the streets.

Jesus finds the man and reveals Himself as the Son of God. The healed man believes and worships Him. Jesus proclaims that He came to bring light to the world and give sight to those who are blind. He also teaches that those who claim to see but do not recognize Him, will be exposed for their spiritual blindness.