What does John chapter 9 mean?

This passage heightens tension between Jesus and the religious leaders who despise Him. In prior chapters, Jesus confronted hypocrisy in those who claim to understand Scripture yet reject what it says. He also challenged man-made tradition by healing on the Sabbath day. In this chapter, Jesus will once again perform a miracle on the Sabbath, resulting in no small controversy. When the dust settles, local religious leaders will be thoroughly embarrassed—not by Jesus, but by the man who has been healed.

Chapter 9 opens with Jesus passing by a man who has been blind his entire life. The disciples react with the typical worldview of their era. In their minds, suffering is always a punishment for something. So, they ask Jesus whose sin this man is suffering for: his own or that of his parents. Jesus' response proves that not all hardship is "our fault," so to speak. It's true that our own choices have the greatest impact on our lives. But it's also true that bad things can happen to those who've done nothing to deserve those struggles (John 9:1–3).

Jesus heals the man by putting mud on his eyes and sending him away to wash. The result is a man who can see, though he'd never been able to before. Light, sight, and blindness are often used in Scripture as symbols of spiritual knowledge. In this case, the man's literal experience also serves as a metaphor for the Christian experience. The "light" that comes when we are saved is something we never previously had, and never could have, until Christ chose to grant it to us (John 9:4–7).

This healing is also prophetic: the Old Testament speaks of the Promised One healing blindness (Isaiah 29:18; 35:5; 42:7). In all of Scripture, only Jesus is credited with miracles which give sight to the blind. This is not only proof of His identity, but it also symbolizes the unique way in which the Messiah grants understanding of the truth (Matthew 11:5; 12:22–23).

As with other miracles, Jesus' critics are more interested in finding ways to debunk the miracle than to understand it. Even those not hostile to Jesus are focused on knowing "how" Jesus performed the healing, rather than "why." The Pharisees' immediate reaction is to condemn Jesus for not properly honoring their Sabbath tradition. That's more important to them than the miraculous healing of blindness. Meanwhile, the formerly blind man only knows that whoever granted him sight must be from God. The man refers to Jesus—whom he has not actually seen, yet—as "a prophet" (John 9:8–17).

John uses the phrase "the Jews" as a reference to Jerusalem's religious leaders and their most ardent followers. This includes the scribes and Pharisees who have already decided that Jesus is a fraud to be rejected. At first, they don't even believe that a healing has occurred. After questioning the once-blind man, they summon his parents. Their tactics are clearly meant to intimidate. They hint that the parents themselves might be bending the truth. These leaders have threatened to excommunicate anyone who supports Jesus; the man's parents seem quick to push all responsibility onto their son (John 9:18–23).

The second attempt to interrogate the healed man ends in disaster for the scribes and Pharisees. After implying the beggar is lying and needs to tell the truth, they suggest Jesus is "a sinner." This means He cannot really be performing godly miracles. The man's response is a poignant explanation of the Christian experience. For all he does not know, what he does know is beyond doubt: "though I was blind, now I see!" The investigators repeat the same questions already asked. The formerly blind man responds with what might be sarcasm, openly mocking the religious leaders' insincerity. Even if his remarks are innocent, they expose flaws in his interrogators. They, in turn, heap insults and verbal abuse on the healed man. In a dramatic turn, the beggar gives a brilliantly simple counter. He points out that God would not give a sinner the power to perform miracles which have never been done before! Having lost face, and the argument, the religious leaders hurl more insults and bar the man from the synagogue (John 9:24–34).

At this point, Jesus once again approaches the man. Presumably, the man realizes Jesus is the one who healed him. Yet he does not fully understand to whom he is speaking. Jews of that era would recognize the "Son of Man" as a Messianic figure. The healed man openly admits that he wants to believe but does not know where to turn. When Jesus identifies Himself, the healed man responds with faith and worship. Jesus uses that reaction as an example of one aspect of His earthly mission: to separate those who are willing to believe from those who are willfully, spiritually "blind" (John 9:35–41).

The themes of this chapter introduce the subject of Jesus' next teaching. That will heavily involve the symbolism of a shepherd. Those words are meant to be understood in the context of this chapter, where the Pharisees' hypocrisy and failed leadership are on full display.