So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give God the praise! We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He replied, “If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.” 26 So they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” 28 They ridiculed him and said, “You are that man’s disciple; we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from.” 30 The man answered and said to them, “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. 32 It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.” 34 They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out. 35 When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he.” 38 He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him. 39 Then Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.
After questioning the parents of the man born blind who Jesus healed, the Pharisees question the man a second time and called Jesus a sinner. In the OT, “Give God the praise (v.24)” was the oath used when people were to confess their guilt before God (Josh. 7:19; Jer. 13:16). When questioned further the man asked the Pharisees if they also wanted to become disciples of Jesus. Their indignant response was that the man was a disciple of Jesus, but they were disciples of Moses (v. 28). The argument that followed (vv. 29-33) was similar to the arguments the Johannine community had with the Jews. The Pharisees argued that the origin of Jesus was unknown, but Moses spoke with God and God has spoken through Moses (the Mosaic Law). Moses spoke with God but Jesus was the Son of God and was given glory by God, but the Pharisees were the ones who were blind while the man had received sight (Jn. 1:14; Mt. 17:2). The man concluded that if Jesus was not from God, he could not perform the signs he did (v. 33). The Pharisees grew angry because they perceived the man to be a sinner who was trying to explain to them how Jesus’ signs should be interpreted, and they threw him out of the Temple (v. 34).
Jesus found the man who was now a disciple. Jesus explained to the man that he was the “Son of Man” who came to reconcile mankind to God. The man believed and worshipped Jesus (vv. 35-38). His faith and conversion were now complete. Jesus said that now was the time for judgment (Jn. 12:31) when those who truly see (believe) as a result of his signs and wonders would be separated from those who claim to see but were truly blind (rejected him). The Pharisees did not see because they did not believe he was the Son of God so they are condemned and would die in their sins (Jn. 8:24).
Almighty God, our journey to your kingdom is along the path of a deeper and deeper faith in your Son who will draw all who believe to himself through his resurrection. Grant us the grace to see his presence in our lives and the courage to follow him no matter where he leads us. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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