John 9:34 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

NIV: To this they replied, 'You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!' And they threw him out.

NASB: They answered him, 'You were born entirely in sins, and yet you are teaching us?' So they put him out.

CSB: "You were born entirely in sin," they replied, "and are you trying to teach us? " Then they threw him out.

NLT: You were born a total sinner!' they answered. 'Are you trying to teach us?' And they threw him out of the synagogue.

KJV: They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

NKJV: They answered and said to him, “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out.

These scribes and Pharisees have attempted to debunk Jesus' latest miracle. They've interrogated the man who was born blind (John 9:13), and subsequently healed (John 9:6–7). They've questioned the man's parents (John 9:18). And, they've taken a second look at the healed man's testimony (John 9:24). That second exchange led to embarrassment for the religious leaders. The formerly-blind man's sincere, but sarcastic responses showed these men were nothing more than religious hypocrites. They claimed not to know where Jesus was from; the healed man said Jesus' miracles were evidence enough of who He was (John 9:25). The scribes and Pharisees claimed Jesus was a "sinner;" the healed man pointed out that a "sinner" wouldn't have access to God's power (John 9:30–31).

In response, these men once again resort to a typical reaction: personal attacks. In logic and debate, this is known as an ad hominem, which literally means "to the man." This is where one side insults or disparages the person, rather than dealing with the issue itself. Here, the scribes and Pharisees dismiss the once-blind beggar with yet another insult.

It's worth noting that these same men have used this tactic on Jesus, as well: insults instead of reason (John 8:48). In fact, their verbal abuse of this man is similar to what was said to Jesus by questioning His birth (John 8:41). This man is experiencing the same kind of hatred, from the world, which Christ Himself received (John 15:18–21).

In a very practical sense, this man's experience is a compressed version of what it means to convert to Christianity. He is given a "sight" he never before possessed (John 9:1–2), by someone he had never before known (John 9:11–12). The only thing he knows for certain is the effects of this change on his own life (John 9:25). And, when he stands up for the truth of his own experience, the world insults and abuses him (John 9:28, 34), much the same way it did Jesus.

In the next passage, this blind man will finally see Jesus—who had sent him off to complete the healing miracle by washing his eyes. Jesus will fill in the last gaps in this man's knowledge, resulting in his salvation.

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.