Bullet Point Bible

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

¹ Now as Jesus was passing by, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.² His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man or his parents?"³ Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that the acts of God may be revealed through what happens to him.⁴ We must perform the deeds of the one who sent me as long as it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work.⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."⁶ Having said this, he spat on the ground and made some mud with the saliva. He smeared the mud on the blind man's eyes⁷ and said to him, "Go wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated "sent"). So the blind man went away and washed, and came back seeing.

The disciples' question reflects a common Jewish belief linking suffering directly to specific sin (either personal or parental), as seen in Exodus 20:5.
Jesus refutes their premise, stating this specific blindness wasn't punitive but an opportunity for God's work to be revealed (John 9:3). This challenges simplistic views of suffering.
Jesus connects doing God's works with his time on earth ("daytime"), emphasizing the urgency of his mission before his "night" (crucifixion) comes (John 9:4).
Jesus declares himself the "light of the world" (John 9:5), a central theme in John's Gospel (John 1:4-9, John 8:12), immediately before giving physical sight, symbolizing his power to give spiritual light.
The method of healing (spit and mud) is unusual, perhaps echoing God's creation of man from dust (Genesis 2:7) or asserting authority over Sabbath rules (mixing mud could be seen as work).
The command to wash in the Pool of Siloam requires an act of faith and obedience from the blind man.
The name "Siloam" meaning "Sent" subtly points to Jesus as the one sent by the Father (John 9:7), linking the healing pool to the healer's identity.
This miracle is unique in the Gospels as the only healing of someone explicitly stated to be blind *from birth*, highlighting its extraordinary nature.

Neighbors Question the Healed Man

⁸ Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously as a beggar began saying, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?"⁹ Some people said, "This is the man!" while others said, "No, but he looks like him." The man himself kept insisting, "I am the one!"¹⁰ So they asked him, "How then were you made to see?"¹¹ He replied, "The man called Jesus made mud, smeared it on my eyes and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and was able to see."¹² They said to him, "Where is that man?" He replied, I don't know.

The healing causes immediate confusion and debate among those who knew the man, underscoring the undeniable and dramatic change.
The man's simple, direct testimony, "I am the man," confirms his identity despite the astonishing transformation (John 9:9).
His initial explanation is factual and straightforward, recounting the events and naming "the man called Jesus" as the healer (John 9:11).
At this stage, the healed man demonstrates limited understanding of Jesus' identity beyond his name and actions.
The neighbors' question "Where is he?" (John 9:12) sets the stage for the escalating investigation into Jesus' identity and actions.
This section highlights the public nature of the miracle and the initial, bewildered reactions it provoked within the community.

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

¹³ They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees.¹⁴ (Now the day on which Jesus made the mud and caused him to see was a Sabbath.)¹⁵ So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight. He replied, "He put mud on my eyes and I washed, and now I am able to see."¹⁶ Then some of the Pharisees began to say, "This man is not from God, because he does not observe the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such miraculous signs?" Thus there was a division among them.¹⁷ So again they asked the man who used to be blind, "What do you say about him, since he caused you to see?" "He is a prophet," the man replied.

The involvement of the Pharisees shifts the focus from the miracle itself to its implications, particularly regarding Sabbath observance.
John explicitly notes the healing occurred on the Sabbath (John 9:14), recalling previous Sabbath controversies (John 5:9-18) and setting up the conflict.
The healed man repeats his simple testimony to the religious authorities (John 9:15).
The Pharisees are immediately divided: some condemn Jesus for breaking their interpretation of Sabbath law (making mud was considered work), while others question how a sinner could perform such a powerful sign (John 9:16), echoing Nicodemus' logic in John 3:2.
This division reveals the tension between rigid legalism and the undeniable evidence of God's power at work.
Pressured to interpret the event, the healed man offers his first theological assessment: "He is a prophet" (John 9:17), indicating his growing understanding and courage. This aligns him with figures like Moses who performed signs.

The Pharisees Question the Parents

¹⁸ Now the Jewish religious leaders refused to believe that he had really been blind and had gained his sight until at last they summoned the parents of the man who had become able to see.¹⁹ They asked the parents, "Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?"²⁰ So his parents replied, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.²¹ But we do not know how he is now able to see, nor do we know who caused him to see. Ask him, he is a mature adult. He will speak for himself."²² (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders. For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.²³ For this reason his parents said, "He is a mature adult, ask him.")

The Pharisees' disbelief ("did not believe," John 9:18) reveals their resistance to the implications of the miracle – that Jesus might be from God.
They attempt to discredit the miracle by questioning the man's identity and prior condition, summoning his parents as witnesses.
The parents confirm two crucial facts: he is their son, and he was indeed born blind (John 9:20). This validates the core miracle.
However, the parents deflect the question about *how* he was healed and *who* did it, directing the Pharisees back to their son (John 9:21).
John provides crucial context: the parents' fear stemmed from a formal decision by the Jewish leaders to excommunicate anyone acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah (Christ) (John 9:22).
This threat of being "put out of the synagogue" (`aposynagōgos`) was a severe social, economic, and religious punishment in first-century Judaism.
The parents' fear contrasts sharply with their son's growing boldness, highlighting the cost of discipleship.

The Healed Man Testifies Boldly and Is Expelled

²⁴ Then they summoned the man who used to be blind a second time and said to him, "Promise before God to tell the truth. We know that this man is a sinner."²⁵ He replied, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing-that although I was blind, now I can see."²⁶ Then they said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he cause you to see?"²⁷ He answered, "I told you already and you didn't listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You people don't want to become his disciples too, do you?"²⁸ They heaped insults on him, saying, "You are his disciple! We are disciples of Moses!²⁹ We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man comes from!"³⁰ The man replied, "This is a remarkable thing, that you don't know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see!³¹ We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but if anyone is devout and does his will, God listens to him.³² Never before has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see.³³ If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."³⁴ They replied, "You were born completely in sinfulness, and yet you presume to teach us?" So they threw him out.

The Pharisees' command "Give glory to God!" (John 9:24) was a formal charge to tell the truth (cf. Joshua 7:19), but here it implies attributing the healing to God while denouncing Jesus as a sinner.
The healed man cleverly sidesteps their theological trap, focusing on his undeniable experience: "One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I see!" (John 9:25). This emphasizes the power of personal testimony.
His sarcastic retort in John 9:27 ("You don't want to become his disciples too, do you?") exposes their repetitive questioning and highlights their closed-mindedness.
The Pharisees react defensively, claiming allegiance to Moses while denigrating Jesus ("We don't know where he comes from," John 9:29), ironically echoing Jesus' own statements about his divine origin being misunderstood (John 8:14).
The formerly blind man employs sharp logic: God doesn't listen to sinners, yet God answered Jesus by healing him; therefore, Jesus must be from God (John 9:30-33). He even points out the unprecedented nature of the miracle (John 9:32).
His argument uses their own theological premises (Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 15:29) against them.
Unable to refute his logic or deny the miracle, the Pharisees resort to ad hominem attacks ("You were entirely born in sin!") and expel him (John 9:34), demonstrating their spiritual blindness and abuse of authority.

Jesus Reveals Himself to the Man

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, so he found the man and said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"³⁶ The man replied, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"³⁷ Jesus told him, "You have seen him; he is the one speaking with you." [³⁸ He said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

Jesus actively seeks out the man who was expelled for defending him, demonstrating his care for those who suffer for his sake.
Jesus poses the crucial question about belief in the "Son of Man" (John 9:35), a messianic title with connotations of divine authority and judgment (Daniel 7:13-14), which Jesus often used for himself.
The man expresses immediate willingness to believe but needs identification ("Who is he, sir?... Tell me," John 9:36), showing his readiness and trust despite his previous limited knowledge.
Jesus gives a clear self-revelation: "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you" (John 9:37). This connects the physical sight granted earlier with the spiritual sight of recognizing Jesus' true identity.
The man's response is immediate faith ("Lord, I believe") followed by worship (John 9:38), the appropriate response to encountering the divine Son of Man. This is one of the few instances in John where someone explicitly worships Jesus during his earthly ministry.
This progression shows the man moving from experiencing a miracle, to testifying about Jesus, to suffering for him, and finally to recognizing and worshiping him as Lord.

Jesus Speaks of Spiritual Blindness

³⁹ Jesus said,] "For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, and the ones who see may become blind."⁴⁰ Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and asked him, "We are not blind too, are we?"⁴¹ Jesus replied, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains.

Jesus declares his coming brings judgment (krisis), not primarily as condemnation, but as a separation based on response to him (John 9:39; cf. John 3:17-19).
His mission results in a great reversal: the spiritually blind (like the healed man, initially unaware but open) receive sight, while those who claim spiritual sight (like the Pharisees) are revealed as blind.
The Pharisees nearby overhear and defensively ask if Jesus considers them blind too (John 9:40), showing they sense the critique but resist its application to themselves.
Jesus' final statement is profound: If they recognized their spiritual blindness (like the healed man initially), they could be forgiven ("would not be guilty of sin"). But because they arrogantly insist on their spiritual insight ("claim you can see"), they remain culpable for rejecting the Light of the World (John 9:41).
This concludes the chapter by emphasizing the central theme: true blindness is not physical lack of sight, but the willful refusal to recognize Jesus as the light and truth sent from God.
The Pharisees' confidence in their own righteousness and understanding becomes the very source of their condemnation.

The Bullet Point Bible

John 9