John Chapter 9 — Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

Jesus heals a man born blind using mud and water, leading to a legalistic investigation by the Pharisees. The man maintains his testimony despite pressure and eventually worships Jesus as the Son of God.

Spiritual BlindnessHealing MiraclesJesus as LightPersecution and FaithDivine Authority

1As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.

2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3Jesus answered, “This man didn’t sin, nor did his parents, but that the works of God might be revealed in him.

4I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. The 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, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud,

7and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing.

8Therefore the neighbors and those who saw that he was blind before said, “Isn’t this he who sat and begged?”

9Others were saying, “It is he.” Still others were saying, “He looks like him.”

10They therefore were asking him, “How were your eyes opened?”

11He answered, “A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.”

12Then they asked him, “Where is he?”

13They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees.

14It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.

15Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see.”

16Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.”

17Therefore they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?”

18The Jews therefore didn’t believe concerning him, that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight,

19and asked them, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

20His parents answered them, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;

21but how he now sees, we don’t know; or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself.”

22His parents said these things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.

23Therefore his parents said, “He is of age. Ask him.”

24So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”

25He therefore answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

26They said to him again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

27He answered them, “I told you already, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?”

28They insulted him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.

29We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.”

30The man answered them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.

31We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, he listens to him.✡Psalms 66:18; Proverbs 15:29; 28:9

32Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind.

33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

34They answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” Then they threw him out.

35Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”

36He answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?”

37Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.”

38He said, “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him.

39Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.”

40Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”

41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

WEB Translation

Notable Verses

John 9:5

While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Jesus identifies His presence as the source of spiritual illumination for humanity.

John 9:25

He therefore answered, 'I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.'

This verse represents a simple yet powerful firsthand testimony of transformation.

John 9:39

Jesus said, 'I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.'

Jesus summarizes the spiritual outcome of His ministry for those who accept or reject Him.

Chapter Summary

John Chapter 9 recounts the miracle of Jesus healing a man who had been blind since birth. When the disciples ask if the man's condition was caused by sin, Jesus explains it was so that the works of God might be revealed in him. Jesus makes mud with saliva, applies it to the man's eyes, and tells him to wash in the pool of Siloam. The man obeys and receives his sight. This event triggers an intense investigation by the Pharisees because the healing occurred on the Sabbath. The religious leaders interrogate the man and his parents, eventually casting the man out of the synagogue when he defends Jesus' divine origin. Jesus later finds the man, reveals His identity as the Son of God, and the man believes. The chapter concludes with Jesus teaching that His arrival brings a judgment where those who admit their spiritual blindness receive sight, while those who claim to see remain in their sin.

Frequently Asked Questions

The text describes Jesus spitting on the ground and making mud to anoint the man's eyes before telling him to wash in the pool of Siloam. While the method is unique, the focus of the passage is on the man's obedience to Jesus' command and the subsequent miracle.

The Pharisees were concerned because the healing took place on the Sabbath. They viewed the act of making mud as a form of work that violated their strict interpretation of religious law, leading them to question Jesus' character.

The parents confirmed that their son was born blind but refused to explain how he was healed or who performed the miracle. They were afraid of being expelled from the synagogue, as the religious leaders had agreed to remove anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ.

The author specifies that the name Siloam means 'Sent.' This is significant because the man had to be sent to the pool to receive his sight, and it reflects Jesus' own identity as the one sent by God.

Study Note

The author specifically notes the meaning of the Pool of Siloam as 'Sent' to emphasize a recurring theme in John's Gospel regarding Jesus' divine mission.

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