John 9:41 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

NIV: Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

NASB: Jesus said to them, 'If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you maintain, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

CSB: "If you were blind," Jesus told them, "you wouldn’t have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

NLT: If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,' Jesus replied. 'But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.

KJV: Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

NKJV: Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

The Pharisees, of all people, ought to recognize the Messiah when they see Him. Nobody in Jesus' era was more passionate about Scripture or obedience to God. Unfortunately, most Pharisees—but not all (John 3:1–2; Luke 23:50–51)—were more concerned with tradition and status than with truth (John 5:39–40, 45–47). By worldly standards, these men had more spiritual "sight" than anyone else. When Jesus indicated that His ministry was meant to give spiritual sight to those who sought it, and reveal spiritual blindness to those who thought they were wise, the Pharisees responded with predictable arrogance. Their response, in essence, was to say, "you obviously aren't saying we're spiritually blind."

Here, Jesus clarifies: this is exactly what He's saying.

Further, Jesus' statement underscores an important principle: that God holds people accountable only for what they know yet holds them absolutely accountable for it. Those who come to God in humility, admitting weakness and seeking truth, are met with grace and forgiveness (Matthew 7:7–8; Mark 9:24; John 9:35–38). Those who think they are wise, who claim to have spiritual sight, will be judged accordingly (James 3:1). This is especially true of those like the Pharisees who have knowledge and deliberately choose to ignore it.

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.