The exact time of this miracle and Jesus' resultant discourse is unclear. Evidently these events transpired sometime between the feast of Tabernacles (7:2, 10; September 10-17, 32 A.D.) and the feast of Dedication (10:22-39; December 18, 32 A.D.).329This sixth of John's seven select signs shows Jesus' power over misfortune.330
9:1 Probably Jesus healed this man in Jerusalem (8:59). John apparently noted that the man had been blind from birth to prove his helpless condition and to compare him with those who were spiritually blind from birth (cf. vv. 39-41; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:1-3). While the Synoptics record several instances in which blind people received their sight, this is the only case of this happening to a man who was born blind. The miracle also illustrates the origin and development of faith.
9:2 The disciples' question reflected popular Jewish opinion of their day. Clearly the Old Testament taught that sin brings divine punishment (e.g., Exod. 20:5; 34:7; Ezek. 18:4). This cause and effect relationship led many of the Jews, as well as many modern people, to conclude that every bad effect had an identifiable sinful cause. That conclusion goes farther than the Bible does (cf. Job; 2 Cor. 12:7; Gal. 4:13). Sin does lie behind all the suffering and evil in the world, but the connection between sin and suffering is not always immediate or observable.
The disciples assumed that either one or both of the blind man's parents had sinned or he had and that this sin was the cause of his blindness.
"It is not absolutely certain they were thinking of the possibility of the man having sinned in a pre-natal condition. As R. A. Knox points out, they may not have known that the man was born blind, and the Greek might be understood to mean, Did this man sin? or did his parents commit some sin with the result that he was bornblind?'"331
"The disciples did not look at the man as an object of mercy but rather as a subject for a theological discussion. It is much easier to discuss an abstract subject like sin' than it is to minister to a concrete need in the life of a person."332
9:3 Neither of the disciples' options was the reason for this man's blindness. Rather God had permitted it so He might display His work in this man's life. It is wrong to conclude that every instance of suffering springs immediately from a particular act of sin. It is also wrong to conclude that God permits every instance of suffering because He intends to relieve it miraculously. Jesus was talking about that particular man's case. He did not reveal all the reasons for the man's condition either.
"Only God knows why babies are born with handicaps, and only God can turn those handicaps into something that will bring good to the people and glory to His name."333
Notice the positive viewpoint of Jesus. The disciples viewed the man's condition as an indication of divine displeasure, but Jesus saw it as an opportunity for divine grace.
There is no punctuation in the Greek text, so it may help to understand Jesus' meaning to omit the period at that end of verse 3 and to read verses 3 and 4 as follows. "But that the works of God might be displayed in him, we must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day."
9:4-5 Jesus' "we"probably refers to Himself alone, though He could have meant Himself and the disciples. Jesus later spoke of His disciples continuing His work (14:12; cf. 20:21). The day in view is probably a reference to the daylight made such by the Light of the World's presence on the earth. Darkness would descend when He departed the earth and returned to heaven (cf. 12:35). The nighttime when no man can work may refer to the spiritual darkness that will yet engulf the world. I doubt that this is a reference to the Tribulation.
9:6 The healing of the blind man that followed shows the Light of the World dispelling darkness while it was still day. Perhaps Jesus spat on the ground so the blind man would hear what He was doing. Jesus applied His saliva directly when He healed the deaf man with the speech impediment in the Decapolis (Mark 7:33) and the blind man near Bethsaida (Mark 8:23). Here He mixed His saliva with clay. Applying the clay to the blind man's eyes would have let him feel that Jesus was working for Him. Jesus may have intended these sensory aids to strengthen the man's faith. Jesus may have varied His methods of healing so people would not think that the method was more important than the man doing the healing.
Perhaps Jesus also used saliva and clay to associate this act of healing with divine creation (Gen. 2:7).334Another suggestion is that by covering the man's eyes with mud Jesus was making his blindness even more intense to magnify the cure (cf. 1 Kings 18:33-35).335Some students of this passage have suggested that Jesus was using something unclean to affect a cure to show His power to overcome evil with good.336Another view is that Jesus introduced an irritant so the man would want to irrigate his eyes.337
"The blind man, introduced as the theme of a theological debate, becomes the object of divine mercy and a place of revelation."338
9:7 Jesus then instructed the blind man to go to the pool of Siloam in southeast Jerusalem and wash the mud off his eyes.339He obeyed Jesus, received his sight, and departed from the pool seeing. His obedience evidenced faith that something good would come of obeying Jesus.
It is probably significant that Jesus sent the man to that particular source of water. John interpreted the meaning of "Siloam"as "sent"for his readers. Jesus had sent the man, he obeyed, and he received sight. Likewise all who obeyed Jesus' command to believe on Him received spiritual sight.
9:8-9 John's record of the conversation of the blind man's neighbors is interesting. It shows that the change in him was so remarkable that even some people who knew him well could not believe that he was the same man. The former beggar's personal testimony settled the debate. No one could argue with that.
"The change wrought by regeneration in the converted Christian is so great that other people often find it difficult to believe he is the same person; so it was with the physical change effected by Jesus in the blind beggar."340
Evidently this man had been a beggar out of necessity rather than choice. He later demonstrated a sense of humor, a knowledge of history and Scripture, the ability to withstand intimidation, and facility in arguing logically (cf. vv. 27, 30-32). These traits show that he was far from mentally incompetent.
9:10-12 Jesus had not accompanied the man to the pool so he could identify Him to the crowd as his healer. Here is further evidence that Jesus was not promoting Himself to gain glory but was simply doing the work that God had given Him to do.
When questioned about the miracle, the former blind man could only report the facts of his case and the name of Jesus whom he had not yet seen. The crowd obviously wanted to find Jesus. The man's description of Jesus gives no indication that he was a true believer. Jesus did not perform this healing because the man believed that He was God's Son or even the Messiah. It was simply an expression of God's grace that became an opportunity for teaching.
