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John Chapter
Nine
I. Content of the Chapter
The Son of God the Savior Opened the Eyes of
the Man Who Was
Blind
A. The Sign that He healed the One Who
was Blind by Nature:
1. The background before he was healed (v.1-5)
2. The process of his being healed (v.6-7)
B. The Witness of the Blind Who Had Been
Healed:
1. The witness to the neighbors ---- a Man called Jesus (v.8-12).
2. The witness to the Pharisees for the first time
---- He is a prophet (v.13-17).
3. The cowardice of his parents ---- the weakness
of the flesh (v.18-23).
4. The witness to the Pharisees for the second time
---- He came from God (v.24-33).
5. The result of the witness ---- he was rejected
by the blind religion (v.34).
C. The Blind Man Obtained Deeper Revelation
after Having Been Healed:
1. The revelation that the One who healed him is
the Son of God (v.35-37).
2. He established the right relationship with the
Lord ---- believed Him and worshipped Him (v.38).
3. The world had been divided into two sorts
because of the Lord ---- the blind men saw, but the clear-eyed one became blind
(v.39-41).
II. Verse by Verse commentary
John.
9:1 “Now as
Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.”
YLT:
“And passing by, he saw a man
blind from birth,”
Meaning of Words: “pass by”: go along or away; “from birth”: by
nature;
Literal Meaning: “now as Jesus passed by”, it
referred to the period when Jesus went out of the temple and passed by a certain place. It exactly took place on
the Sabbath (see v.14), and there were three explanations as below: (1) it was the eighth day of the Feast of the Tabernacles (see Lev
23:39); (2) it was the
next Sabbath after the Feast of the
Tabernacles; (3) it was the
feast of the dedication (see 10:21-23).
Spiritual Meaning: “a man who was blind from
birth”，it symbolizes the unbelieving ones, whose thoughts have been so blinded by the god of this world (see 2Cor 4:4) that they walk in the
darkness and know neither themselves nor the true God. This man was
blind from birth, i.e. his was blind
by nature, which typified that blindness originated from the sin. Every one is
born in the sin, so is blind.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Today, many people
see only the visible and transient things, rather than the eternal ones in the
future. Is it blind of one’s spirit, if he sees only the apparent, material and
carnal things rather than the invisible things of his spirit?
2) “Men were blind
from birth”, men were blind by nature and fell into the darkness. Even though a
man acts most morally in the natural life, he can still not “see” the
John.
9:2 “And
His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his
parents, that he was born blind?"”
YLT:
“and his disciples asked him,
saying, `Rabbi, who did sin, this one or his parents, that he should be born
blind?'”
Meaning of Words: “sin”: offend, sin,
and trespass;
The Background:
in the old days, generally the Jews might
regard one’s afflictions as the retributions caused by himself or his parents
(see v.34; Luke 13:2; Acts 28:4; Ex 20:5; Eze18:20).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The disciples asked
whether the man’s blindness related to “sin”, which showed that one could not free
themselves from the moral ideas concerning spiritual things. However, Christ
came to open men’s eyes for the purpose of manifesting the glory of His divine
nature (v.3) rather than merely transforming men’s moral states.
2) Men tended to judge
others, but the Lord was going to heal others. Men always see negatively, but the
Lord sees positively.
John.
9:3 “Jesus answered,
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should
be revealed in him.”
YLT:
“Jesus answered, `Neither did this one sin
nor his parents, but that the works of God may be manifested in him;”
Meaning of Words: “reveal”: manifestly
declare, appear; “work”: deed, doing, and labor;
Literal Meaning: “neither this man
nor his parents sinned”, the Lord did not mean that his fathers were not
sinners, but this man’s blindness was not caused by sin.
“But that the works of God
should be revealed in him.” ---- It could be judged from these words that the
Lord healed this blind man to manifest the great power of God as well as that
He who was sent by God is “the light of the world” (see v.5; 8:12).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Although all the diseases, afflictions
and death enter the world because of the sin (see Gen 2:17; 3:16-19), it does
not mean that one’s sickness is always by some certain sins that he commits.
2) When we see others
encountering troubles or unexpected disasters, we should not conjecture presumptuously
that what they have confronted is the penalty of God.
3) It is the very
chance of being more granted by God when we encounter diseases or afflictions
(see 2Cor 12:9-10).
4) It is better to seek the way of resolving
the troubles rather than the origin of it. We should seize the chance of suffering and change it into another one
that manifests the glory of God.
5) But we know that
all things work together for good to those who love God (Rom 8:28). All the
afflictions, diseases, frustrations, troubles and sufferings we have been
experienced have the good pleasure of God for the purpose of “revealing the
works of God”.
6) The genetic defect of a man is not completely the matter of sin, but the chance of manifesting the works
of God.
7) The principal aim
of “the works of God” is to heal the blindness of men’s spirit and bring men to
the spiritual enlightenment and knowledge.
John. 9:4 “I must work the works of
Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. ”
YLT: “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: --”
Literal
Meaning: “I must work the works of
Him”, it indicates that the Lord grants His
disciples to partake in His works, for not only is He “the light of the world
(v.5)”, and His disciples are “the light of the world” as well (see Matt 5:14)”.
Spiritual
Meaning: “the day” and “the night” typify that: (1) “day”
means the age of grace remains, and “night” refers to the end of the age of
grace. (2) “Day” indicates that men still live in the world, and “night”
symbolizes that men have been dead. (3) “Day” indicates that the gospel is
still permitted to preach in the circumstance, and “night” shows the opposition
to the gospel has reached the summit in the circumstance.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “While it is day”, it reminds the Christians that the day of
life passes away swiftly. “The
night is coming”, our service on the
earth will pass in the future. Therefore, we should seize every favorable
opportunity granted by God to serve Him according to what is agreeable to Him.
2) We should avail
ourselves of the opportunity to preach the gospel diligently when the light of
the glad tidings of the glory of the Christ is still shining (“the day”). For there will be no chance to preach the
gospel when the end of the age (the night) comes.
3) It is critically
important to seize opportunities for those who serve God. Many believers lose
the chance of bearing witness of the Lord because of fearing for various
things.
4) Preach the word! Be
ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all
longsuffering and teaching (2 Tim 4:2).
5) The Lord mentioned “we”
instead of “I” or “you”.
He likes to work with us. All the works that the Lord has not partaken in are
not what the Lord requests.
6) In order to heal
the blindness of men’s
spirit and grant enlightenment to them in darkness, the Lord is willing to work
with the men who are of Him together.
7) The chief work of
the Lord’s workers is to open
men’s eyes, namely, turn
men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God (see Acts
26:18).
8) “We”
refers to not only the Lord and “one
certain individual”, but the Lord and “all of us”. It is acceptable to the Lord that all the
believers in the assembly can cooperate with each other together and serve in
the spirit of fellowship
9) “We”
refers to His entire disciples, and therefore all those who have believed Him
have the right to serve Him. We should not be on the pretext of “being unable to do”, or “being unable to do well” to escape the works of the Lord.
10) Doing the works of
the Lord is not only the responsibility of the evangelists, elders or
ministers, but also that of every Christian.
11) “I must work…” it indicates that the Lord not only “calls” us to do His works, but rather “orders” us to do it. Doing the works of the Lord is
not dispensable for us, but obligatory.
12) “Do the works of Him who sent Me”, neither “do the works of you and me”, nor “the works of any assembly”, but “the works of God”. How much works that we do can be accounted
into “the works of God” on earth?
John. 9:5 “As long as I am in the
world, I am the light of the world." ”
YLT: “when I am in the world, I
am a light of the world.'”
Literal
Meaning: “as long as I am in the world”, it referred to the time that the Lord
Jesus came to be a man on the earth, especially the three years and a half when
He came to preach the words of God and serve God.
Assuredly, the Lord is still with us in the world today (see Matt
28:20). Therefore, the words of the Lord here do not mean His life and time of
working are limited, but chances for men to believe Him are limited. Almost
every one has the opportunity of receiving Christ to be one’s personal savior.
However, as long as men ignore or lose the opportunity, it will never come
again.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The Lord is “the light of the world”, for He is the light of life (see 8:12).
People in the world are blind for the sake of lacking life, so they have no
light. If they want to see, they should firstly receive the life. Once a man
has the life, he must be able to see.
2) The Lord is “the light of the world”, which enlightens men inwardly, not
outwardly. The Lord, through being men’s
life, sheds His light to make men see.
3) If we want to do
the works of the Lord, we should have the presence of Him. Such works are in
the light, for He is light. If we work without the presence of the Lord, we
will fumble in darkness and harvest nothing.
John. 9:6 “When He had said these
things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed
the eyes of the blind man with the clay.”
YLT: “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,”
Meaning
of Words: “anointed”: smear over;
Spiritual
Meaning: “and made clay with the
saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.” ---- “Saliva” symbolizes the words spoken
by the Lord. God formed man of the dust of the ground (see Gen 2:7), so “made
clay with the saliva” symbolized the words of God entered men and united with
men therein. “Anointed” symbolizes the anointment of the Holy Spirit. The words
that the Lord have spoken to us should be anointed by the unction (see 1John
2:27) and works in us thereafter.
There were also some Bible exegetes who interpreted oppositely: “saliva”
symbolized the traditional teaching by the rabbis. “Anointed…with the clay” stood
for sticking to the laws and customs. Both of the above two points would make
men blind, so they should go to the pool of Siloam to wash, and come back
seeing (v.7).
There was another explanation: since God formed man of the dust of the
ground (see Gen 2:7), the action of the Lord’s anointing here symbolized the
creation of God. The divine trinity engaged in the new creation hereon.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The words of the Lord
should be anointed upon our heart and have live contact with our spirit, thus
turning to be spirit and life (see 6:63).
2) The letters in the
Scriptures should work by the anointment of the Spirit ---- the words have been
spoken into our spirit and have been understood through our mind then, thus
bringing about life and peace finally (see Rom 8:6).
3) We should do well taking heed as
to a lamp that shining in an obscure place until day dawn and morning star arise in your hearts (see 2Pet 1:19).
John. 9:7 “And He
said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated,
Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. ”
YLT: “`Go
away, wash at the pool of Siloam,' which is, interpreted, Sent. He went away,
therefore, and did wash, and came seeing;”
Literal
Meaning: “go,
wash in the pool of Siloam.” “Siloam”: sent (in Greek), the poor was located in
the
Spiritual
Meaning: “Siloam which is translated, Sent”, the Lord Jesus especially asked that blind man
to wash in the
pool of Siloam and come back
seeing, which indicated several meanings as follows: (1) The blind man
expressed his faith and obedience towards the words of the Lord by these
actions. Only can those who believe and obey the Lord obtain the Lord’s
salvation. (2) This Book of Gospel describes repeatedly the Lord as “being
sent” (see 3:17, 34; 4:34; 5:23-24, 30, 36-38; 6:29, 38-39, 44, 57; 7:16, 18,
28-29, 33; 8:16, 18, 26, 29, 42; 9:4; 10:36; 11:42; 12:44-45, 49; 13:20; 14:24;
15:21; 16:5; 17:3, 8, 18, 21, 25; 20:21), so “the pool of Siloam” typifies Jesus Christ. Only He is the rivers
of water that heals men’s spirit (see 7:37). (3) “The pool of Siloam” symbolizes the provision and attention of
God (see Is 8:6). (4) “
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “So he went and washed, and
came back seeing.”---- The blind man
did not hesitate over the Lord’s
command so that he was healed at once. Faith does not care for reasons, but the
matter that who says the words. If there are the words of God, we shall receive
without any condition. He who is willing to receive the words of God
unconditionally has been truly favored.
2) Today, many people, though
knowing their need and having confessed the vanity and torture in them, do not
believe the words of the Lord, so their blindness of spirit has not been
resolved.
3) The essence of faith is
to receive the guidance of the Lord and do according to His words. No matter
how He guides, the one who believes Him and does according to His words never
stumbles, and his eyes of spirit will be open.
4) The blind man who was
healed had two characteristics: (1) he believed the Lord’s words. (2) He obeyed the Lord’s words. May we always believe and obey the
Lord’s words to make our
spiritual eyes bright and know more about the will of God.
John. 9:8 “Therefore
the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said,
"Is not this he who sat and begged?" ”
YLT: “the
neighbours, therefore, and those seeing him before, that he was blind, said, `Is
not this he who is sitting and begging?'”
Literal
Meaning: “he who sat and begged”, “beg”, it was the only way for a blind
man to earn a living at that time.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) If a man has really been
granted the grace of the Lord, his neighbors, relatives and friends will be
definitely aware of his changes (see 2 Cor 5:17).
2) When a man has been
saved, his life will be transformed and be completely distinct from the past.
Then his friends who do not believe the Lord shall feel it amazing and think it
unbelievable and even consequently come to seek Christ so as to obtain the new
life through the divine belief.
3) All of us are
beggars before receiving the salvation ---- begging men’s mercy and sympathy.
But once having been saved, all the people are surprised by us and
talking about us ---- we have the
unusual experiences that men who do not believe the Lord have not.
4) Being unable to see
clearly, the blind men can not run in the journey of life for, so they have to “sit”.
Being unable to work normally, they become poor, so they have to “beg”.
All the torment of their life is ascribable to blindness. If they want to
resolve their life problems, firstly their eyes should be open.
John. 9:9 “Some said, "This is
he." Others said, "He is like him." He said, "I am
he." ”
YLT: “others said -- `This is he;' and others -- `He is like to him;' he himself said, -- `I am .'”
John. 9:10 “Therefore they said to him,
"How were your eyes opened?"
”
YLT: “They said, therefore, to
him, `How were thine eyes opened?'”
Enlightenment
in the Word: “How were your eyes opened?” ---- When people see the change of a new favored one in Christ, they will be drawn near and
raise various questions, which presents him great chance to bear witness of the
Lord.
John. 9:11 “He answered and said,
"A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me,
"Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received
sight." ”
YLT: “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;'”
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “So I went and washed, and I
received sight.” ---- We shall also narrate
the story that we have been saved to others (see 1 Pet 3:15).
2) When we bear
witness of the Lord, we shall use simple and concise words to summarize the
process of our being granted grace. The foremost part is to introduce Jesus
Christ.
John. 9:12 “Then they said to him,
"Where is He?" He said, "I do not know." ”
YLT: “they said, therefore, to
him, `Where is that one?' he saith, `I have not known.'”
Enlightenment
in the Word: a triumphant
witness always draws forth men’s pursuit of seeing the Lord Jesus personally
---- “where is He?”
John. 9:13 “They brought him who
formerly was blind to the Pharisees.
”
YLT: “They bring him to the
Pharisees who once blind,”
Literal
Meaning: “brought him to the Pharisees”, “the Pharisees” owned the chief place
in the Judaism (see 7:26, 45). Probably, they brought the blind man to the
Pharisees because of being in fear (see v.22).
John. 9:14 “Now it was a Sabbath when
Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.”
YLT: “and it was a Sabbath when
Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.”
The Background: according to the explanation for the commandment
of the Sabbath provided by rabbis, there were 39 regulations that forbade men
from working. If one violates any of the regulations, he has violated the
Sabbath. It was commanded in the 39 regulations that one should not knead the
dough or anoint with the ointment. The Pharisees might regard “making clay” as kneading
the dough, and “anointing…with the clay” as anointing with the ointment, so
they claimed that the Lord Jesus had violated the regulation on the Sabbath
since He made clay to heal one’s eyes.
In addition, it
was unlawful to heal on the Sabbath except for those who were at their last
gasp and would be allowed to take medicine. Besides,
people were only permitted to control the state of the illness and prevent it
from deterioration instead of making a full recovery. Otherwise, it would
violate the Sabbath.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The Sabbath was in remembrance of the fulfillment of
the works of God, who rested from
all his work which he had made (Gen 2:2). The entire works of God had been fulfilled in
Christ (see 19:30 “It is
finished.”), so Christ is the rest of God.
2) Jesus is the true
rest of the Sabbath. Men shall receive the revelation and enlightenment from
Him and enjoy the true rest only when they have seen Him.
John. 9:15 “Then the Pharisees also
asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put
clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." ”
YLT: “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.'”
Literal
Meaning: “He put clay on my eyes”, he mentioned “He” instead of the name of
Jesus, for he thought all of them had already known that “He” was the Lord
Jesus.
John. 9:16 “Therefore some of the
Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the
Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such
signs?" And there was a division among them. ”
YLT: “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.”
Meaning
of Words: “division”: split, schism;
Literal
Meaning: “this Man is not from God”, “this man”, namely, “this guy”, which
contains a despising tone.
“Because He does not keep the
Sabbath.”---- according to the
commandment of Sabbath, it was unlawful to heal on the Sabbath except for those
who were at their last gasp. Therefore, when the Lord opened the eyes of that
blind, it obviously violated the law of the Sabbath in their views.
The former ones, namely, the
Pharisees, judged from the view that “He
did not keep the Sabbath”, so they ruled out the possibility that He came from
God. The latter ones saw from the fact that He could “do signs”, so they eliminated
the possibility that He was a sinner (see v.31-33). Controversial point of views
created the contrary situation.
Enlightenment
in the Word: If any of us sees
the truth from a single angle, it will definitely bring about controversial
views. Therefore, we believers should broaden our vision to know all the truth in
the comprehensive views of the Scriptures, thus avoiding exhaustion and extremity.
John. 9:17 “They said to the blind man
again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?" He
said, "He is a prophet."
”
YLT: “They said to the blind man
again, `Thou -- what dost thou say of him -- that he opened thine eyes?'”
Literal
Meaning: “What do you say about Him
because He opened your eyes?” ---- “you” and “your”
are emphatic in the original.
John. 9:18 “But the Jews did not
believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until
they called the parents of him who had received his sight. ”
YLT: “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,”
Literal
Meaning: “the Jews did not believe
concerning him”, it indicated two
things: (1) the stubbornness of the Jews. (2) The healing of the Lord Jesus was
so perfect that one could not distinguish between a blind man and a perfect
man.
John. 9:19 “And they asked them,
saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he
now see?" ”
YLT: “and they asked them,
saying, `Is your son, of whom ye say that he was born blind? how then now doth
he see?'”
Literal
Meaning: “Is this your son?” ---- The first question was purposed to make
sure his identity. “How then does he now see?” ---- The second question was tricky ---- if one answered
carelessly, he might bring trouble on himself.
John. 9:20 “His parents answered them
and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; ”
YLT: “His parents answered them
and said, `We have known that this is our son, and that he was born blind;”
Literal
Meaning: this was the unobjectionable
fact.
John. 9:21 “but by what means he now
sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask
him. He will speak for himself."
”
YLT: “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.'”
Meaning
of Words: “is of age”: maturity
Literal
Meaning: “but by what means he now sees we do not know”, they might truly
not know the fact, or they might have already learned it, but dared not
disclose the face because of some scruples (v.22).
Enlightenment
in the Word: even the blind man’s
parents did not know how he could see ---- it indicated that once a man’s inner
eyes was opened, the spiritual mystery therein could never be naturally or
traditionally understood. So his parents could not prove him, or even dare not
bear witness of him.
John. 9:22 “His parents said these
things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if
anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.”
YLT: “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;”
Meaning
of Words: “agree”: consent; “confess”: assent;
Literal
Meaning: “he would be put out of the
synagogue”, that was to say
he would at least be temporarily deprived of his right of partaking in
worshiping God or any normal group activities (about a week to a month). Or in
a more serious case, he would be excommunicated from the synagogue and be despised and
rejected all his life.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “His parents said these
things because they feared the Jews”,
fearing the power of men often makes a man dare not bear the witness that he
ought to. Today, many Christians dare not bear witness in the public, for they
are bound by the “fearing” attitude.
2) “The Jews had agreed already”, things which has been unanimously approved
by men will often be utilized by Satan to oppose the Lord. Note that many times
if we seek to satisfy men, we will not be able to satisfy God. If we please
men, we will not be able to please God (see Gal 1:10).
3) To bear witness of the
Lord, one shall usually pay the cost ---- “if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he
would be put out of the synagogue.”
4) He whose eyes has been
opened to see Christ must be rejected by the blind religion ---- “be put out of the synagogue”. It tells us that one shall pay the cost,
if he wants to know the Lord.
John. 9:23 “Therefore his parents said,
"He is of age; ask him."
”
YLT: “because of this his
parents said -- `He is of age, ask him.'”
John. 9:24 “So they again called the
man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this
Man is a sinner." ”
YLT: “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;'”
Literal
Meaning: “give God the glory!” ---- It
contains two meanings: (1) one should give glory and thanks to God (see Luke 17:18); (2) one should
fear God and make confession to Him (see Josh 7:19).
John. 9:25 “He answered and said,
"Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that
though I was blind, now I see."
”
YLT: “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.'”
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “One thing I know: that
though I was blind, now I see.”
---- This is the true feeling from his personal experience. The belief of the
Christians is true indeed, for we have personally enjoyed the precious
experience of being reborn from above.
2) We may be not aware of
all the things that the Lord has done, but there is one thing that we have to
know ---- what has the Lord done upon us on earth?
3) Every true believer has
some “firsthand knowledge” about the Lord ---- which is not heard from
others, but the personally experience in the Lord.
4) Bearing witness does not
need say some truth, but testify one’s
personal experience ---- “one
thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
5) The world may be contempt,
suspicious and scornful, but no one can deny the real witness of our
experience.
6) The most powerful witness
does not lie in perfect truth or excellent eloquence, but the true work that
the Lord has done upon us. The living witness is indisputable. We should also
bear witness of the Lord in this way
John. 9:26 “Then they said to him
again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" ”
YLT: “And they said to him
again, `What did he to thee? how did he open thine eyes?'”
John. 9:27 “He answered them, "I
told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do
you also want to become His disciples?" ”
YLT: “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?'”
Literal
Meaning: “do you also want to become
His disciples?” ---- It seemed
from his words and his tone that he had regarded him as the disciple of the
Lord.
John. 9:28 “Then they reviled him and
said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. ”
YLT: “They reviled him,
therefore, and said, `Thou art his disciple, and we are Moses' disciples;”
Meaning
of Words: “revile”:
reproach;
Literal
Meaning: “you are His disciple”, in the original it means: “do (you) go
and be His disciples!” (i.e. “You are His disciple ---- just be His disciple
yourself!”)
“But we
are Moses' disciples”. ---- They
considered themselves as
Moses' disciples, but actually they
were not (see 5:46).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) All the Christians should
regard themselves as “His
disciples”. However, many
Christians are actually disciples of other some petty groups besides “being His disciples”.
2) The Pharisees boast of “being Moses' disciples”.
Today, in the assembly, do we boast of “being disciples of some certain spiritual
great man”?
3) Maybe we have not
regarded ourselves as “students from some certain theological seminary”, “believers
of some religious sects” or “believers of some certain creed or doctrine”, but do
we really have none such conceptions in our subconsciousness at all?
John. 9:29 “We know that God spoke to
Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from." ”
YLT: “we have known that God
hath spoken to Moses, but this one -- we have not known whence he is.'”
Literal
Meaning: “we do not know where He is
from”, the Pharisees knew where the Lord Jesus
was born (see 7:27-28), and were confused about where His power came from.
John. 9:30 “The man answered and said
to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is
from; yet He has opened my eyes!
”
YLT: “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!”
Meaning
of Words: “marvelous”: wondered at,
wonderful;
Literal
Meaning: 1) That man was unlettered
and uninstructed, but once he tasted the flavor of the Lord’s grace, he could
even teach those learned Pharisees. His knowledge about the God’s power came from the enlightenment of the Lord, not
the teaching of men.
2) The traditional
ideas and concepts of religion dust the eyes of men, preventing them from seeing “the
works of God” (see v.3).
John. 9:31 “Now we know that God does
not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He
hears him.”
YLT: “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;”
Meaning
of Words: “worshiper of God”: reverent of God;
Literal
Meaning: his meanings are as
below: (1) He opened my eyes (see v.30), for God hears Him. (2) God hears Him
proves He is not a sinner, but is of God (see v.33). (3) He must be a worshiper of God and do His will, so
God hears Him.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Had men regarded iniquity
in their hearts, the Lord would not hear their prayers (see Ps 66:18; Is 1:15).
2) The mystery that
God hears one’s prayer lies in:
(1) being a worshiper of God. (2) Doing God’s will.
John. 9:32 “Since the world began it
has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. ”
YLT: “from the age it was not
heard, that any one did open eyes of one who hath been born blind;”
John. 9:33 “If this Man were not from
God, He could do nothing." ”
YLT: “if this one were not from
God, he were not able to do anything.'”
Enlightenment
in the Word: today believers “can
do nothing” without God (see 15:5).
John. 9:34 “They answered and said to
him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And
they cast him out. ”
YLT: “They answered and said to
him, `In sins thou wast born altogether, and thou dost teach us!' and they cast
him forth without.”
Literal
Meaning: “and they cast him out.” ---- “Cast out” refers to not only being
cast out of the temple, but also being excommunicated from the Judaism.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) If the religionists can not win in dispute,
they will use craftiness and violence, disclosing sufficiently that they are
manipulated by the devil.
2) All the places or
groups that can not accept those who have revelation and knowledge of Christ
must be religious organizations that lack enlightenment.
John. 9:35 “Jesus heard that they had
cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe
in the Son of God?" ”
YLT: “Jesus heard that they cast
him forth without, and having found him, he said to him, `Dost thou believe in
the Son of God?'”
Meaning
of Words: “believe in”: put in trust with;
Literal
Meaning: “when He had found him”, the Jews cast him out, but the Lord found
and accepted him.
“Do you
believe in the Son of God?” ---- There are two great
points in this problem: (1) men should have faith ---- faith is the condition
of receiving grace, without which, one can not be granted grace. (2) The object
of faith is the Son of God ---- if one preaches a
gospel without focusing on the Son of God, there will be no salvation therein.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) All the believers
who love the Lord truly and singly will be “cast out” by the groups that reject or despise the
Lord. Therefore, we shall not covet for the temporary rest so as not to lose
the boldness to stand for the Lord.
2) What part for a believer along with an
unbeliever? God said: “therefore come out from among them, and be
separated, and touch not unclean and I will receive you.” (see 2cor 6:15, 17).
3) All those who have
been rejected for the fake of the Lord will contrarily obtain greater
blessings, for God will personally accept them and commune with them.
4)
We shall believe in God only rather than rely on men ---- this is the path that
Christians shall tread in.
5)
The man whose blindness had been healed did not meet the Lord until the
synagogue “cast him out”. If one still lingers in
the synagogue, he will never meet the Lord. If we are
cast out by the world, we will see the Lord’s blessings upon us ---- what great reward!
John. 9:36 “He answered and said,
"Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" ”
YLT: “he answered and said, `Who
is he, sir, that I may believe in him?'”
Meaning
of Words: “believe in”: put in trust with;
John. 9:37 “And Jesus said to him,
"You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you." ”
YLT: “And Jesus said to him, `Thou
hast both seen him, and he who is speaking with thee is he;'”
Literal
Meaning: it mentions in this
book that the Lord twice declares He is “the Son of God” (see 9:35; 10:30). The
author of this book intends to testify that “Jesus is the Son of God” (20:30). When
the New Testament mentions the faith through which men can be saved, it always
regards the divinity of Christ as an essential fact, closely connected with
such faith (see 20:31). Whether a man confesses Jesus is God decides whether he
will be condemned or obtain the eternal life (see 3:36; 1John 5:12).
John. 9:38 “Then he said, "Lord, I
believe!" And he worshiped Him.
”
YLT: “and he said, `I believe,
sir,' and bowed before him.”
Meaning
of Words: “believe in”: put in trust with;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) A man who believes into
the Lord shall experience the process: spiritual enlightenment first, and then
the confession of his sins and finally receiving Christ through believing.
2) When the blind man was
healed, he knew only that the Lord was
of God (see v.33). And he
knew further that He was the Son of God when he paid the cost for the Lord (see
v.35-37). Having been saved, Christians should diligently seek to know Christ
further. The more cost one has paid for Him, the more he will know Him.
3) Though the blind man had
been healed to see, his knowledge about Christ should still be furthered ----
at first, he only knew “His
name was Jesus” (v.11), and then he
confessed He was “a prophet” (v.17). Afterwards, he believed that He “was of God” (v.33) and “is a worshiper of God and does His will” (v.31). Finally, the Lord directly revealed
him that “He is the Son of God” (see v.35-37), and thus the man worshiped
Him. All the above reveals us: (1) men’s
eyes are opened to know the Son of God and worship Him. (2) Later, he needs
further revelation from the Lord Himself, thus being delivered from the
traditional religious concepts concerning Christ ---- Jesus, the prophet, a
worship of God etc and obtaining the accurate and fundamental knowledge ---- “the Son of God”.
John. 9:39 “And Jesus said, "For
judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and
that those who see may be made blind." ”
YLT: “And Jesus said, `For
judgment I to this world did come, that those not seeing may see, and those
seeing may become blind.'”
Meaning
of Words: “judgment”:
to distinguish;
Literal
Meaning: “for judgment I have come
into this world”, it seemed to be contradictory
to the Lord’s words in other places (see 3:17, 8:15, 12:47), but actually,
there was no inconsistency: (1) the Lord’s words in other places indicated that
He came to the world for the sake of saving the world rather than judging it.
(2) Here, it showed that judgment by the Lord when he came into the world was unavoidable.
When the Lord came to the world, there must arise different reactions
from men ---- some believed while others did not; some received or others did
not, i.e. men were separated on account of Him. Therefore, He became the
standard of the judgment on the world, namely, He brought the “judgment”.
“That
those who do not see may see”, “those who do not see”, it refers to the men who confess to
lacking spiritual insight and then call upon the Lord’s name. All those who
know they are in darkness and call on the Lord will be surely able to see.
“That those who see may be made blind”, “those who see”, it referred to
the Pharisees and the Jews, who falsely assumed that they had spiritual insight
and turned a blind eye to the spiritual things, so they were blind obviously. All
those who can see in their own eyes will be not able to call upon the Lord,
thus turning to be always blind eventually.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) A man’s physical eyes can see, but he will still
remain in darkness if his spiritual eyes are blind.
2) May the Lord opens
our spiritual eyes and grants us the true knowledge of both the Lord and the
man himself.
3) Whether a sinner
can obtain the light of life decides whether he has the inclination or
determination of drawing near the light.
4) The manifestation
of the mysterious Christ always grants those who seek the Lord of a pure heart
more enlightenment. But those who have self-righteousness and full religious
prejudices will become increasingly blind. The more Christ has been revealed,
the clearer these two
5) Being the light of
the world, the Lord intends to reveal the real state of men, so this light
carries the essence of judgment. When the blind man received the light, he
could see. But the Pharisees refused the Lord’s light of judgment (they held an antagonistic
attitude towards this light), so their spiritual eyes would be veiled forever
and could never be open. Therefore, believers should never refuse the Lord’s light of judgment ---- for enlightenment
is the prerequisite of one’s
spiritual eyes being unveiled.
John. 9:40 “Then some of the Pharisees
who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind
also?" ”
YLT: “And those of the Pharisees
who were with him heard these things, and they said to him, `Are we also
blind?'”
Enlightenment in the Word: the Pharisees’ true problem lay in their self-conceitedness,
flattering themselves that they knew well about the laws of Moses and the
salvation of God. He who regards his own cognition as the absolute authority to
judge and examine others will fall into such blindness. There is also such phenomenon
in the Christianity today ---- especially among some evangelists and elders,
who may either consciously or unconsciously count their own understanding of
the Scriptures and theology as the authority, and finally fall into darkness
without any awareness, causing unnecessary divisions and disputes in the
assemblies.
John. 9:41 “Jesus said to them,
"If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, "We see.'
Therefore your sin remains. ”
YLT: “Jesus said to them, `If ye
were blind, ye were not having had sin, but now ye say -- We see, therefore
doth your sin remain.”
Literal
Meaning: “If you were blind, you
would have no sin”, “were blind”, it
indicated that they confessed to being lack of the spiritual insight and living
in sin and being in need of a savior. So there might be remission for
them.
“But
now you say, "We see.' Therefore your sin remains.” ---- “We see”, they were not willing to confess
they lived in darkness, so they refused to receive the savior and there was no
remission for them.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The Pharisees were
blind, but did not realize it, so their sin remained. May the Lord open our
eyes and let us know our state so that we can rely on His salvation.
2) He who confesses to being blind calls for great courage, for
confessing to being blind equals to confessing to having committed sins. Today,
many men’s spiritual eyes are
blind, but they refuse to confess it.
3) All those who are
unwilling to be in darkness of themselves will definitely be unwilling to come
to the Lord to obtain mercy, thus remaining themselves in sins.
4) One’s blindness may stem from the inability of
seeing or the avoidance of seeing on purpose. If the Pharisees did truly not
know the truth, their “blindness” would be possibly healable. However, having
regarded themselves as the leaders or teachers of the spirit of the people,
they thought they could understand and see. They refused to see deliberately,
and nothing could exonerate them from such blindness.
5) A man who does not
believe the Lord is in spiritual blindness, but a man who believes the Lord can
“see” truly. A lot of men in the world are physically
blind, but they can see the spiritual things. On the contrary, the eyes of many
people are physically healthy, but are blind in truth. It is said that the
blindest one is the one who is most unwilling to see.” The Pharisees thought their eyes were brightest
in the world, and considered themselves as “leaders of the blind (see Rom 2:19)”. However, they were blind to the Lord
Jesus, so their sins were more serious.
III. Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
I. The Need of the Blind Men
A. The Condition of the Blindness:
A man who was blind from
birth (v.1) ---- the god of this
world has blinded the thoughts of the unbelieving (2Cor 4:4).
B. The Necessary Attitude towards the Blind Men of us.
1. Do not always condemn the sins of
others (v.2
2. We shall regard it as a chance that
God will manifest His works upon the blind man (v.3b).
C. How to Open the
Blind Men’s eyes?
1. By those who are of Him to seize the opportunity and
to cooperate with the Lord ( while it is day) (v.4).
2. By the light of the world (v.5) ----
only through Christ, one’s eyes shall be opened.
3. By the words of the Lord (v.6) ----
the Holy Spirit anointed the Lord’s words into our spirit.
4. By the faith and obedience towards
the Lord’s words (v
5. By the baptism to wash off the old
nature (v.7b) ---- he went
and washed, and came back seeing.
D. The Result after
the Blind Men’s eyes is open:
1. Those who knew him felt amazed at him
(v.8-12).
2. It invoked the opposition and
persecution of the blind religion (v.13-23).
3. He was excommunicated from the Judaism, for he could not agree with them
any longer (v.24-34).
4. He was taken by the Lord, and knew
Christ further (v.35-41).
II. The Progressive
Knowledge about the Lord of the Blind Men
A. The
blind man knew only the
Man called Jesus (v.11)
B. He
is a prophet (v.17).
C. He
has disciples (v.27).
D. He came from God (v.33).
E. The
blind man believed in the Son of God (v.35-38).
III. The Faults of the
Pharisees
A. They
obstinately clung to the letters of the laws. ---- This Man is not from God, because He
does not keep the Sabbath. (v.16).
B. They
did not believe the objective facts. ---- The
Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his
sight (v.18)
C. They took advantage of their power to
bully others. ---- The
Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue
(v.22).
D. They adhered stubbornly to their own
ideas ---- We know that this Man is a sinner (v.24).
E. They thought they were cuts above others
---- they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses'
disciples (v.28).
F. They were eclipsed by what they had known
---- God spoke
to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from (v.29).
G. They despised others ---- You were completely born in
sins, and are you teaching us? (v
H. They abuse their power ---- and they cast him out (v.34b).
I. They were too much self-confident ---- are we blind also? (v.40).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou