John 9:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.

NIV: They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.

NASB: They *brought the man who was previously blind to the Pharisees.

CSB: They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees.

NLT: Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees,

KJV: They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.

NKJV: They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees.

Jesus chose a man blind from birth (John 9:1–2) and granted him sight (John 9:6–7). This echoes how God, through His grace, offers salvation to those who would otherwise never have had it. It also gives a potent example proving that not all suffering is a punishment for that person's wrongdoing (John 9:3–5). The people of the city recognize the man and are shocked that he is now able to see. A few doubt this is the same person (John 9:8–9), but most are more interested in knowing how he came to be healed (John 9:10). The man—who left Jesus to wash his eyes while still blind—knows little about how his eyes were cured, other than the fact that it was Jesus who spoke to him (John 9:11).

If the man's sudden change in condition wasn't controversial enough, referring to Jesus certainly was. This is likely one reason the people bring the formerly blind man to the Pharisees. Jesus has had recent arguments with these religious leaders (John 5:18; 7:32; 8:39–41). This miraculous healing not only defies their legalism surrounding the Sabbath (John 9:14), but it also violates their traditional interpretation which forbade mixing clay on those days.

It's important not to automatically condemn everything the Pharisees do. As the religious leaders of their people, these men are supposed to investigate such incidents. As was the case with John the Baptist, the scribes and Pharisees are completely justified in asking what has happened and why. The problem is not that they asked questions—it's that they brought only hardened hearts and hypocritical attitudes, not sincerity. There are those within this sect more open to the truth (John 7:43; 9:16; 10:19).

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.

Jesus has begun to actively confront the false teachings of local religious leaders. His most recent debate included a heated exchange with the Pharisees. There, Jesus claimed to have existed before Abraham. This resulted in an attempted stoning for blasphemy (John 8). Here, Jesus continues to antagonize religious hypocrites by healing a man who was born blind. The ensuing ruckus further exposes Jerusalem's religious leaders as shallow, prejudiced, and false. This event launches Jesus into another lengthy discussion of His ministry. That, recorded in chapter 10, includes several crucial teachings on His role as Shepherd.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.