John 9:37 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you."

NIV: Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."

NASB: Jesus said to him, 'You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.'

CSB: Jesus answered, "You have seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."

NLT: You have seen him,' Jesus said, 'and he is speaking to you!'

KJV: And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.

NKJV: And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.”

Jesus is speaking to a man He'd healed of lifelong blindness (John 9:1–7). At that time, Jesus sent the still-blind man off to wash his eyes, resulting in sight. This conversation is the first time the man has physically "seen" the person who granted him vision. Jesus' question, posed in verse 35, was an opportunity for the beggar to explain his own faith. Jesus asked the man if he believed in the "Son of Man," a title tied to the Jewish concept of the Messiah (Daniel 7:13; 9:25). In response, the man admitted his own ignorance and his willingness to believe. This is a strong contrast to the scribes and Pharisees who have more than enough information (John 5:39–40) but who simply did not want to understand (John 7:17).

Since the once-blind man does not know who the "Son of Man"—the Messiah—actually is, Jesus tells him. It's Jesus Himself, the one standing right there speaking with the now-seeing man. Once again, the man's response differs drastically from that of Jesus' religious critics. Following his own advice (John 9:27), the man will immediately confess his faith in the Promised One.

John 9:35–41 shows Jesus meeting with the man He healed, who had been blind since birth. His healing and subsequent conversation with the Pharisees resulted in the man being excommunicated from his synagogue. Jesus reveals His identity to the man and explains how this episode summarized His earthly ministry. The Pharisees again prove their spiritual stubbornness, giving Jesus an opportunity to connect greater knowledge with greater responsibility.

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.