91 And passing by, he saw a man blind from birth, 2 and his disciples asked him, saying, 'Rabbi, who did sin, this one or his parents, that he should be born blind?' 3 Jesus answered, 'Neither did this one sin nor his parents, but that the works of God may be manifested in him; 4 it behoveth me to be working the works of Him who sent me while it is day; night doth come, when no one is able to work:— 5 when I am in the world, I am a light of the world.' 6 These things saying, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and rubbed the clay on the eyes of the blind man, and said to him, 7 'Go away, wash at the pool of Siloam,' which is, interpreted, Sent. He went away, therefore, and did wash, and came seeing;
8 the neighbours, therefore, and those seeing him before, that he was blind, said, 'Is not this he who is sitting and begging?' 9 others said—'This is he;' and others—'He is like to him;' he himself said,—'I am 'he'.' 10 They said, therefore, to him, 'How were thine eyes opened?' 11 he answered and said, 'A man called Jesus made clay, and rubbed my eyes, and said to me, Go away to the pool of Siloam, and wash; and having gone away and having washed, I received sight;' 12 they said, therefore, to him, 'Where is that one?' he saith, 'I have not known.'
13 They bring him to the Pharisees who once 'was' blind, 14 and it was a sabbath when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. 15 Again, therefore, the Pharisees also were asking him how he received sight, and he said to them, 'Clay he did put upon my eyes, and I did wash—and I see.' 16 Of the Pharisees, therefore, certain said, 'This man is not from God, because the sabbath he doth not keep;' others said, 'How is a man—a sinful one—able to do such signs?' and there was a division among them. 17 They said to the blind man again, 'Thou—what dost thou say of him—that he opened thine eyes?' 18 and he said—'He is a prophet.' The Jews, therefore, did not believe concerning him that he was blind and did receive sight, till that they called the parents of him who received sight, 19 and they asked them, saying, 'Is your son, of whom ye say that he was born blind? how then now doth he see?' 20 His parents answered them and said, 'We have known that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 and how he now seeth, we have not known; or who opened his eyes, we have not known; himself is of age, ask him; he himself shall speak concerning himself.' 22 These things said his parents, because they were afraid of the Jews, for already had the Jews agreed together, that if any one may confess him—Christ, he may be put out of the synagogue; 23 because of this his parents said—'He is of age, ask him.' 24 They called, therefore, a second time the man who was blind, and they said to him, 'Give glory to God, we have known that this man is a sinner;' 25 he answered, therefore, and said, 'If he be a sinner—I have not known, one thing I have known, that, being blind, now I see.' 26 And they said to him again, 'What did he to thee? how did he open thine eyes?' 27 He answered them, 'I told you already, and ye did not hear; why again do ye wish to hear? do ye also wish to become his disciples?' 28 They reviled him, therefore, and said, 'Thou art his disciple, and we are Moses' disciples; 29 we have known that God hath spoken to Moses, but this one—we have not known whence he is.' 30 The man answered and said to them, 'Why, in this is a wonderful thing, that ye have not known whence he is, and he opened my eyes! 31 and we have known that God doth not hear sinners, but, if any one may be a worshipper of God, and may do His will, him He doth hear; 32 from the age it was not heard, that any one did open eyes of one who hath been born blind; 33 if this one were not from God, he were not able to do anything.' 34 They answered and said to him, 'In sins thou wast born altogether, and thou dost teach us!' and they cast him forth without.
35 Jesus heard that they cast him forth without, and having found him, he said to him, 'Dost thou believe in the Son of God?' 36 he answered and said, 'Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?' 37 And Jesus said to him, 'Thou hast both seen him, and he who is speaking with thee is he;' 38 and he said, 'I believe, sir,' and bowed before him.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on John 9:1-38
Commentary on John 9:1-7
(Read John 9:1-7)
Christ cured many who were blind by disease or accident; here he cured one born blind. Thus he showed his power to help in the most desperate cases, and the work of his grace upon the souls of sinners, which gives sight to those blind by nature. This poor man could not see Christ, but Christ saw him. And if we know or apprehend anything of Christ, it is because we were first known of him. Christ says of uncommon calamities, that they are not always to be looked on as special punishments of sin; sometimes they are for the glory of God, and to manifest his works. Our life is our day, in which it concerns us to do the work of the day. We must be busy, and not waste day-time; it will be time to rest when our day is done, for it is but a day. The approach of death should quicken us to improve all our opportunities of doing and getting good. What good we have an opportunity to do, we should do quickly. And he that will never do a good work till there is nothing to be objected against, will leave many a good work for ever undone, Ecclesiastes 11:4. Christ magnified his power, in making a blind man to see, doing that which one would think more likely to make a seeing man blind. Human reason cannot judge of the Lord's methods; he uses means and instruments that men despise. Those that would be healed by Christ must be ruled by him. He came back from the pool wondering and wondered at; he came seeing. This represents the benefits in attending on ordinances of Christ's appointment; souls go weak, and come away strengthened; go doubting, and come away satisfied; go mourning, and come away rejoicing; go blind, and come away seeing.
Commentary on John 9:8-12
(Read John 9:8-12)
Those whose eyes are opened, and whose hearts are cleansed by grace, being known to be the same person, but widely different in character, live as monuments to the Redeemer's glory, and recommend his grace to all who desire the same precious salvation. It is good to observe the way and method of God's works, and they will appear the more wonderful. Apply this spiritually. In the work of grace wrought upon the soul we see the change, but we see not the hand that makes it: the way of the Spirit is like that of the wind, which thou hearest the sound of, but canst not tell whence it comes, nor whither it goes.
Commentary on John 9:13-17
(Read John 9:13-17)
Christ not only worked miracles on the sabbath, but in such a manner as would give offence to the Jews, for he would not seem to yield to the scribes and Pharisees. Their zeal for mere rites consumed the substantial matters of religion; therefore Christ would not give place to them. Also, works of necessity and mercy are allowed, and the sabbath rest is to be kept, in order to the sabbath work. How many blind eyes have been opened by the preaching of the gospel on the Lord's day! how many impotent souls cured on that day! Much unrighteous and uncharitable judging comes from men's adding their own fancies to God's appointments. How perfect in wisdom and holiness was our Redeemer, when his enemies could find nothing against him, but the oft-refuted charge of breaking the sabbath! May we be enabled, by well-doing, to silence the ignorance of foolish men.
Commentary on John 9:18-23
(Read John 9:18-23)
The Pharisees vainly hoped to disprove this notable miracle. They expected a Messiah, but could not bear to think that this Jesus should be he, because his precepts were all contrary to their traditions, and because they expected a Messiah in outward pomp and splendour. The fear of man brings a snare, Proverbs 29:25, and often makes people deny and disown Christ and his truths and ways, and act against their consciences. The unlearned and poor, who are simple-hearted, readily draw proper inferences from the evidences of the light of the gospel; but those whose desires are another way, though ever learning, never come to the knowledge of the truth.
Commentary on John 9:24-34
(Read John 9:24-34)
As Christ's mercies are most valued by those who have felt the want of them, that have been blind, and now see; so the most powerful and lasting affections to Christ, arise from actual knowledge of him. In the work of grace in the soul, though we cannot tell when, and how, and by what steps the blessed change was wrought, yet we may take the comfort, if we can say, through grace, Whereas I was blind, now I see. I did live a worldly, sensual life, but, thanks be to God, it is now otherwise with me, Ephesians 5:8. The unbelief of those who enjoy the means of knowledge and conviction, is indeed marvellous. All who have felt the power and grace of the Lord Jesus, wonder at the wilfulness of others who reject him. He argues strongly against them, not only that Jesus was not a sinner, but that he was of God. We may each of us know by this, whether we are of God or not. What do we? What do we for God? What do we for our souls? What do we more than others?
Commentary on John 9:35-38
(Read John 9:35-38)
Christ owns those who own him and his truth and ways. There is particular notice taken of such a suffer in the cause of Christ, and for the testimony of a good conscience. Our Lord Jesus graciously reveals himself to the man. Now he was made sensible what an unspeakable mercy it was, to be cured of his blindness, that he might see the Son of God. None but God is to be worshipped; so that in worshipping Jesus, he owned him to be God. All who believe in him, will worship him.