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 who was blind from birth (John 9:1–2) and granted him sight (John 9:6–7). This echoes the way in which 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. Though a few doubt that this is the same person (John 9:8–9), most are more interested in knowing how he came to be healed. 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 some 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), it violates their traditional interpretation which forbade mixing clay on those days.

As with other incidents, it's important not to automatically condemn everything the Pharisees do, just because. As the religious leaders of their people, these men are supposed to investigate these kinds of 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 in the asking of questions—it's in the hardened hearts and hypocritical attitudes which they bring. And there are those within this sect who are 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. Seeking 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 highlight 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. In typical fashion for that era, the disciples assume this condition is due to some specific sin--either the man's sin or his parents' sin. Jesus challenges this idea, and heals the man. His restoration leads to interrogation, as 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 is able to meet with the 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, where Jesus claimed to have existed before Abraham. This resulted in an attempted stoning for blasphemy. 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, recorded in chapter 10, including several crucial teachings on His role as Shepherd.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.