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 the man He'd healed of lifelong blindness earlier in this passage (John 9:1–7). At that time, Jesus had sent the still-blind man off to wash his eyes, resulting in sight. This conversation is the first time the man has actually "seen" the person who granted him vision. Jesus' question, posed in verse 35, was a chance for the beggar to explain his own faith. Jesus asked the man if he believed in the "Son of Man," a phrase heavily tied to the Jewish concept of the Messiah. 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 formerly-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 has healed, formerly blind since birth. His healing, and subsequent conversation with the Pharisees, has 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, once 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. 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.