What does John 9:22 mean?
This verse is often presented in parentheses. It reads like a footnote inserted by John into the story. After Jesus healed a man born blind (John 9:6–7), local religious leaders interrogate the healed man's parents. Their answers are brief, fact-based, and clearly show that they want no part of this controversy (John 9:18–21). In modern speech, they seem to be saying, "he is our son who was born blind—other than that, we have no comment.""The Jews" is John's term for the religious leaders of Jerusalem and their followers. These men have asked repetitive questions about this miraculous incident. They ask "who" has done it, in part to see if people are going to identify Jesus as the Messiah. They also ask "how" the miracle was done. These scribes and Pharisees refuse to believe Jesus is the Promised One. They scrabble for any other explanation for what has occurred.
This verse explains one reason the once-blind man's parents appear so timid. Jerusalem's spiritual rulers have made up their minds. They promise to excommunicate anyone who thought Jesus was the Messiah. These parents are making a conscious effort to avoid that kind of trouble.
John 9:13–34 describes the Pharisees' reaction to Jesus' healing of a man born blind. Rather than being swayed by an obvious sign of divine power, they look for excuses and criticisms to discredit the miracle. They interrogate the man's parents, who timidly defer back to their son. The healed man knows nothing more than this: ''though I was blind, now I see.'' His matter-of-fact responses to the Pharisees highlights their obvious prejudice. As a result, they excommunicate the healed man from the synagogue. Jesus will meet with the man in the next passage to give more context for the miracle.
Jesus encounters a man who has been blind his entire life. Consistent with notions of that era, the disciples assume the disability is due to some specific sin: either the man's or his parents'. Jesus challenges this idea and heals the man. His restoration leads to interrogation. The Pharisees try to discredit Jesus' miraculous work. The healed man's simple, straightforward perspective embarrasses the religious leaders, who excommunicate him in frustration. Jesus meets with the healed man, explaining more about His identity and the purpose of His ministry. Jesus also reminds the Pharisees that those who ought to know better, spiritually, will be held more accountable as a result.
