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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh_9:1-12
1As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" 3Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world." 6When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, 7and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing. 8Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, "Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?" 9Others were saying, "This is he," still others were saying, "No, but he is like him." He kept saying, "I am the one." 10So they were saying to him, "How then were your eyes opened?" 11He answered, "The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash'; so I went away and washed, and I received sight." 12They said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know."
Joh_9:1 "blind from birth" This is the only example of a cure of this type. There was no possibility of a fraud.
Joh_9:2 "His disciples" This is the first mention of His disciples since chapter 6. This could refer to (1) the Judean disciples mentioned in chapter Joh_7:3 or (2) the Twelve.
▣ "who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind" This question has generated much theological discussion. We must interpret it in terms of ancient Judaism, not Eastern religions. There are several possibilities.
1. this refers to prenatal sins which the rabbis theorized from Gen_25:22
2. this refers to sins of parents or immediate ancestors which affected the unborn child (cf. Exo_20:5; Deu_5:9)
3. this refers to the relationship between sin and sickness, so common in rabbinical theology (cf. Jas_5:15-16; Joh_5:14)
This has nothing to do with the eastern cyclical theology of reincarnation or the wheel of karma. This is a Jewish setting. For a good discussion of this issue see James W. Sire's Scripture Twisting, pp. 127-144.
Joh_9:3 This verse gives Jesus' answer to the disciples' question in Joh_9:2. Several truths are implied: (1) sin and sickness are not automatically linked and (2) problems often provide the opportunity for God's blessing.
Joh_9:4 "We. . .Me" These pronouns obviously do not agree. Several Greek manuscripts have changed one or the other to bring grammatical agreement. They do seem to reflect the theological position that as Jesus was the light of the world, we are to reflect that light in our own day (cf. Mat_5:14).
▣ "night is coming" A comparison with Joh_9:5 shows that this is obviously metaphorical. The night can represent
1. the coming judgement
2. a period of opportunity closed
3. the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus
Joh_9:5 "While I am in the world" This seems to refer to the period of the incarnation, the time from Bethlehem to Calvary/Mt. of Olives. Jesus was here for only a limited time. His hearers must respond now to His message. This phrase is theologically parallel to Joh_9:4.
One wonders how much the "I am" implies in a context like this!
▣ "I am the Light of the world" John often uses "light" and "darkness" as metaphors of spiritual realities. Jesus as the "light of the world" (cf. Joh_1:4-5; Joh_1:8-9; Joh_3:17-21; Joh_8:12; Joh_9:5; Joh_12:46) may reflect OT Messianic implications (cf. Isa_42:6; Isa_49:6; Isa_51:4; Isa_60:1; Isa_60:3). See note at Joh_8:12.
Joh_9:6 "made clay of the spittle" Saliva was a Jewish medical home remedy. It was not allowed to be used on the Sabbath (cf. Joh_9:14). The Gospels record three examples of Jesus' use of saliva (cf. Mar_7:33; Mar_8:23; and here). By using this accepted, even expected, method of healing, Jesus was physically encouraging this man's faith, but also deliberately challenging the Pharisees' traditions and rules!
Joh_9:7 "the pool of Siloam" Siloam means "the One who has been sent." This pool was used in the ritual of the Feast of the Tabernacles.
▣ "(which is translated, Sent)" The term "sent" was related to the fact that the water of the pool was piped in from the Gihon springs, which was outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem. The rabbis connected the word "sent" with Messianic implications. This is another editorial comment by the author.
▣ "washed" This was his act of faith. He acted on Jesus' words! Yet this was not yet "saving faith" (cf. Joh_9:11; Joh_9:17; Joh_9:36; Joh_9:38). It was faith in process. Of all the Gospels, John's reveals "levels" of faith. Chapter 8 shows a group who "believed," but not unto salvation (cf. Matthew 13; Mark 4; the parable of the soils).
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Joh_9:8 "the neighbors" There are three groups mentioned in this chapter as bearing testimony to this miracle: (1) his neighbors (Joh_9:8); (2) the man himself (Joh_9:11); and (3) his parents (Joh_9:18). There was disagreement among the neighbors, as there was among the Pharisees, over this healing.
▣ "Is not this the one who used to sit and beg" This Greek question expects a "yes" answer.
Joh_9:9 "I am the one" This is the same Greek idiom Jesus uses in Joh_4:26; Joh_6:20; Joh_8:24; Joh_8:28; Joh_8:58; Joh_13:19; Joh_18:5-6; Joh_18:8. This context shows that this form did not automatically have divine connotations. There is much of the same ambiguity in the term kurios used in Joh_9:36 (sir) and 38 (Lord) of this chapter.
Joh_9:11-12 This conversation shows that this man's healing did not immediately involve spiritual salvation. This man's faith develops through his meetings with Jesus (cf. Joh_9:35).