John 9 Study Notes

9:22-23 On the Jews and their power, see note at 7:13.

9:24 The Pharisees’ exhortation to the healed man, Give glory to God, was a solemn warning for him to tell the truth (Jos 7:19; 2Ch 30:8; Jr 13:16).

9:25-27 The man spoke boldly.

9:28 The Pharisees’ claim of being Moses’s 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, We know that God has spoken to Moses, harks back to God’s giving Moses the law at Mount Sinai (Ex 33:11; Nm 12:2-8; cp. Jn 1:17).

9:30-33 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, If this man were not from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything (cp. 3:2), fit with the common Jewish view that miracles were performed in answer to prayer.

One of the key doctrines of the Christian faith is that every person is a sinner and must believe in Jesus as Savior to have eternal life. This teaching is consistent with the use of the word hamartolos (sinner) in several places and with other related passages about sin (Rm 3:9-23; 5:12). A special use of the term hamartolos occurs in the Gospels and refers to those who have a reputation for being guilty of grievous sins, such as tax collectors, prostitutes, and pagans (see Mt 9:10-11; Lk 6:32-34; 7:36-39). In the aftermath of Jesus’s miracle of healing the man born blind (Jn 9), Jewish leaders used the term sinner in this especially derisive sense to describe Jesus (v. 24). In doing so they hoped to undermine the clear implication of this miracle—that Jesus was the Messiah—and to keep people from following him.

9:34 The Pharisees’ charge against the healed man may allude to Ps 51:5. Threw 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.

9:35-38 Jesus the good shepherd sought out the man he had healed and led him to faith. The blind man progressed from identifying Jesus as “a prophet” (v. 17) to confessing him as Lord (v. 38).

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