John 9:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

NIV: His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?'

NASB: And His disciples asked Him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?'

CSB: His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? "

NLT: Rabbi,' his disciples asked him, 'why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?'

KJV: And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

NKJV: And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

In the disciples' culture, sickness and suffering were often seen as a punishment for sin. In other words, those who suffered must have "deserved it," or at least someone in their family did. The fact that this man was born blind, then, leaves the disciples with only two options: either the man somehow sinned before his birth, or he is being punished for something his parents did.

Jesus will directly counter this mistake in the next verse. His response will be that personal suffering is not necessarily linked to one's own personal sin. In a broad sense, all suffering is a result of sin—aftershocks of the fall of man through Adam (Romans 5:12). It's also true that most of the suffering we experience in this world is primarily the result of human sin. Everything from political unrest to poverty to hunger are grounded in humanity rejecting their created purpose. But, as this man's example shows, not all suffering is directly deserved, in and of itself. In other words, not everything that happens to a person happens because they did something wrong. Hardship and suffering, including persecution, are not surefire signs of divine retribution. This directly counters the eastern idea of karma, which suggests that all current suffering is, in some way, that person's own fault.

John 9:1–12 contains the sixth of the gospel of John's seven miraculous ''signs'' of Jesus' divinity. This miracle is the healing of a man who has been blind since birth. Jesus corrects His disciples' misconceptions about sin and suffering, then grants this man an ability he has never had before. This will lead to more angry confrontations with local religious leaders, as they purposefully ignore the spiritual message being proven by Jesus' works.

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.