John 9

1 – 2

As Jesus was walking along, He saw a man who had been born blind. His followers asked Him, “Teacher, whose sin made this man to be born blind—his own sin or his parents’ sin?”

The disciples are interested in explaining how somebody could be born blind. Even though they have been with Jesus they are not thinking about how to help this man.

The Jewish teachers thought that babies could sin while in the womb. They use Jacob and Esau as an example of their false ideas. Genesis 25:22
People have always thought that sickness means that you have sin in your life. The book of Job shows that this is not true. Job 8:4

God has not acted towards us as our sins deserved. Psalm 103:10

3. Jesus answered, “It is not this man’s sin or his parents’ sin that made him blind. This man was born blind so that God’s power could be shown in him.

Are we willing to see that God might allow some problem in your life so that later He can heal it, and everyone who thought it was impossible will be touched by the presence of God?

4 – 5

While it is daytime, we must continue doing the work of the One who sent Me. The night is coming. And no one can work at night. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Instead of talking about a problem Jesus is always doing something about the problem.

6. After Jesus said this, He spit on the ground and made some clay with it. He put the mud on the man’s eyes.

It is against the Jewish law to heal someone or to make clay on the Sabbath. The Jews had some stories that said even the Messiah’s spit would have healing power.

7. Then He told the man, “Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.” (Siloam means Sent.) So the man went to the pool. He washed and came back. And he was able to see.

The man did what he was told and was healed. Naaman was also told to go wash and at first he refused to do it. 2 Kings 5:10 – 11

8 – 9

Some people had seen this man begging before. They and the man’s neighbors said, “Look! Is this the same man who always sits and begs?”

Some said, “Yes! He is the one.” But others said, “No, he’s not the same man. He only looks like him.” So the man himself said, “I am the man.”

People say there is something different about us after we have been with the Lord.

10 – 12

They asked, “What happened? How did you get your sight?” He answered, “The man named Jesus made some clay and put it on my eyes. Then he told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed and came back seeing.” They asked him, “Where is this man?” The man answered, “I do not know.”

This man grew from not knowing who Jesus was to seeing him as a prophet, and finally he knew that He was the Son of God.

13 - 16

Then the people took to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. The day Jesus had made mud and healed his eyes was a Sabbath day. So now the Pharisees asked the man, “How did you get your sight?”

He answered, “He put mud on my eyes. I washed, and now I can see.” Some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man does not keep the Sabbath day. He is not from God!”
Others said, “But a man who is a sinner cannot do miracles like these.” So they could not agree with each other.

The only thing that the Pharisees were thinking is that Jesus has broken the law of the Sabbath by healing a man and by making clay. They have already forgotten what Jesus told them in Chapter 8.

17 – 21

They asked the man again, “What do you say about Him? It was your eyes He opened.” The man answered, “He is a prophet.”

The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and could now see again. So they sent for the man’s parents

and asked them, “Is this your son? You say that he was born blind. Then how does he see now?”
His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and we know that he was born blind.

But we do not know how he can see now. We do not know who opened his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough to answer for himself.”

The Pharisees are very carefully looking for something to accuse Jesus of. They are building a case to go to trial and they are looking for witnesses to testify against Him.

22. His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. The Jews had already decided that anyone who said that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.

If you lose all of your friends and family, God will give you new friends and family. Think about this, if you say that you cannot follow Jesus because you will lose your friends and family, then they will never know the love and forgiveness and peace of Jesus. Then you will lose them forever in eternity. There are many stories of friends and family coming to Christ by watching the life of a true Christian. Do not be afraid. Proverbs 29:25

23 – 26

That is why his parents said, “He is old enough. Ask him.” So for the second time, they called the man who had been blind. They said, “You should give God the glory by telling the truth. We know that this man is a sinner.”

He answered, “I do not know if He is a sinner, but one thing I do know. I was blind, and now I can see.” They asked, “What did He do to you? How did He make you see again?”

It is a red flag when someone keeps asking you the same questions. It means they are trying to trap you into saying something that you did not mean to say. They are not looking for the truth. They are being told by the devil to destroy you.
Do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. Matthew 10:19

27 – 29

He answered, “I have already told you that. But you would not listen to me. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His followers, too?”

Then they insulted Him and said, “You are His follower. We are followers of Moses.

We know that God spoke to Moses. But we do not even know where this man comes from!”

They see that he knows what they are trying to do to him and that it is not working. So of course they try to talk like they know something about God that he does not know.

When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, the foolish man is angry or laughs, and there is no rest. Proverbs 29:9

Do not waste your breath talking to a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of your words. Proverbs 23:9

30. The man answered, “This is a very strange thing. You do not know where He comes from, but He opened my eyes.

Even an unbeliever knows when God has done something in his life.

31- 36

We all know that God does not listen to sinners. But God listens to anyone who worships and obeys Him.

Some teachers say that God does not listen to the prayers of sinners. If that is the case then we all are lost. Listen! The LORD’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is His ear too deaf to hear you call. Isaiah 59:1

32 – 33

Nobody has ever heard of anyone giving sight to a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

It sounds like this man was thinking out loud. God was putting together the pieces of the puzzle for him. The Pharisees are beginning to see that they are losing the argument.

34. They answered, “You were born full of sin! Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw the man out.

Now they are talking like Hindus. The Hindus think that you are born on this earth to do good things. But if you do bad things, you will die and maybe come back as a bug. They cannot eat a cow because it might be their grandfather, but they never think about how they have possibly stepped on a bug without knowing it. This is how confused the Pharisees were.

35 – 38

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out. So Jesus found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He asked, “Who is the Son of Man, sir? Tell me, so I can believe in Him!”

Jesus said to him, “You have already seen Him. The Son of Man is the One talking with you now.” He said, “Yes, Lord, I believe!” Then the man bowed and worshiped Jesus.

We can see that just being around Jesus does not save you. You need to trust Him and know Him to be saved.

39 – 40

Jesus said, “I came into this world so that the world could be judged. I came so that the blind could see and so that those who see will become blind.”

Some of the Pharisees were near Jesus. When they heard Him say this, they asked, “What? Are you saying that we are blind, too?”

We are blind to the sin in our own lives. This is called a blind spot. We see the wrong things that other people do but not our own.

Many times we are blind to what God is doing in our lives. We do not see what He is doing until later and then we bow our heads and say, “Thank you Lord. I did not see it."

41. Jesus said, “If you were really blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But now that you say you can see, your guilt remains.”

There is a saying, “Nobody is as blind as those who do not want to see."