John 9:1. And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
Therefore the man could not see Jesus, but the more important matter was that Christ could see the blind man. And you, dear heart, may not yet have learned to look on Christ, but he can look on you in your blindness, and a look from him will speedily work a wondrous change in you.
John 9:2. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Many of Christ's disciples are still occupied in asking questions that serve no practical purpose, like this one, «Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?»
John 9:3. Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents:
That is to say, sin on their part was not the cause of his blindness.
John 9:3. But that the works of God should be made manifest in him
Human nature is a platform for the manifestation of divine work. The more in need you are, dear friend, the more room there is for God's mercy to operate upon you.
John 9:4-7. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he Spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.»
Christ used very simple means to cure this man's blindness, very unlikely means, apparently, to produce the desired effect. It might have seemed, indeed, that the man would have been wore in the dark than ever when his eyes were plastered over with clay, yet the Lord chose to work in that way.
And so, when the poor preacher feels as if he was nothing and nobody, and that his agency may rather hinder his Master's work than help him yet still his Lord can work through his weakness, and get to himself glory notwithstanding his servant's infirmities.
John 9:8-9. The neighbors therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind said, Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.
«There is no question about my identity, I am the same man whom you have seen sitting and begging, and I now come before you with my sight fully restored.»
John 9:10-11. Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? He answered and said, a man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.
It was only a short story, but it was very sweet to him, and he told it with no excess of detail, but with all its salient points. He was a sharp, shrewd man of few words, but those few words were weighty. Friend when thou tellest the story of Christ and his love to thee, do not embellish it with flowers of speech. There is enough in what Christ has done to make it shine without any fine words of thine. The beauty of Christ's work is such that it is most adorned when unadorned.
John 9:12. Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
There are a good many things concerning Christ which you may not know, but if you know that he has opened your eyes, you may be well content with the knowledge of that until he shall be pleased to reveal more about himself to you.
John 9:13. They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.
I am sure that this was a very distressing sight to them, for there was nothing that ever grieved their hearts more than for Christ's power to be displayed. They did not want to see the blind man whose eyes Christ had opened; if the miracle brought Christ any glory, it brought them just so much misery.
John 9:14-15. And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight.
That seemed to be the principal question with them; they always wanted to know the manner in which Christ's cures were wrought.
John 9:15. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.
That is shorter than his previous account of the miracle. When Pharisees ask a carping question, the shorter the answer the better; it is a pity to cast pearls before swine.
John 9:16-17. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God because he keepeth not the Sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes! He said, He is a prophet.
He was a brave man, who dared to say what he believed whether he offended or pleased. He did not know much, but what he did know he did know, and he was quite certain about it. There are some men whose breadth of knowledge is as remarkable as its shallowness. It is like water upon the meadows when a river overflows its banks, and covers a wide area, but there is scarcely an inch of depth. Give us the narrower river that is deep, and that can bear onwards to the ocean a noble fleet, rather than the wide expanse of useless, shallow water.
John 9:18-21. But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: but by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
They were timid, but they were also shrewd enough to let their son speak for himself, as he was quite able to do.
John 9:22-24. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents, He is of age ask him. Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.
They thought they could get over him by giving him a little of what they called good advice: «Praise God, but be quiet concerning this man; depend upon it, he is a sinner.»
John 9:25-28. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciple? Then they reviled him,
Of course, that is the usual way with those who are in the wrong. Abuse the plaintiff when you cannot answer his case. «Then they reviled him,»
John 9:28-30. And said, Thou art his disciple but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.
Where could he have come from but from God? Who could have wrought such a miracle unless he had been sent from God?
John 9:31-33. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
That was very forcibly spoken. Oh, that all of us, whose eyes Christ has opened, would speak for him as bravely as this man did! Our cure has been quite as clear and quite as notable as his was, so let us not be ashamed to testify for him before gainsayers and opposers.
John 9:34. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us?
«Such learned men as we are, with such culture and such penetration as we have, ‘dost thou teach us?'»
John 9:34. And they cast him out.
It was a great mercy for him that they did excommunicate him, one of the greatest blessings that could come to him was that of being cast out of the synagogue, and being cast out of the society of such men as those Pharisees were.
John 9:35. Jesus heard that they had cast him out;
Jesus knew all that had happened to this man, but someone probably related the story to him; and our Lord knows all about each one of us, and he knows whether anyone here is suffering for his sake or for the truth's sake. Jesus knew that they had cast him out;
John 9:35. And when he had found him,
For he always finds those whom the world or false professors have cast out,
John 9:35-36. He said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
He was a sensible man, and he had the sense to perceive that knowledge rightly used leads to faith. He desired to know in order that he might believe; and if you ever say that you cannot believe, but are anxious to do so, then make enquiry as to what is to be believed, examine the evidence concerning it, and so faith will come to you by the operation of God's good Spirit.
John 9:37-40. And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
«Are we blind?» It seemed impossible to them that it could be so. Jesus answered them with scathing words:
John 9:41. Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
«If what you have done had been done in utter ignorance, you would have been comparatively guiltless; but you have sinned against light and knowledge, with a most determined antipathy to the grace of God, and therefore your sin remaineth in all its scarlet hue to condemn you.»