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 whom Jesus healed on the Sabbath, the Pharisees questioned the man a second time and told him to “Give God the praise (v.24).” They worshipped God by liturgical formulas which included Temple worship, sacrifices and offerings, the Ten Commandments and the Law, and prayer and the Psalms. These were all external aspects of worship to which Jesus quoted Isaiah, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me (Mk. 7:6; Is. 29:13).” The religious leaders in their pride and arrogance rejected Jesus’ authority and identity. They also passionately rejected his reinterpretation of the Mosaic Law and his teaching of the deeper meanings of the Commandments (Mt. 5-7). Consequently, the religious leaders were convinced that Jesus was a sinner because they worshipped God with rituals and sacrifices handed down from the time of Moses, not the God Jesus preached about. In the OT, the prayer “Give God the praise” gave reverence and praise to God and acknowledged His supremacy. It was also the oath used when people confessed their guilt before God (Josh. 7:19; Jer. 13:16).
When questioned further the man responded by asking the Pharisees if they also wanted to become disciples of Jesus. They were indignant and told the man that he was a disciple of Jesus, but they were disciples of Moses (v. 28). In the discussion that followed (vv. 29-33) the Pharisees argued that the origin of Jesus was unknown, but God has spoken through Moses (the Mosaic Law). They did not want to see that Moses spoke with God, but Jesus was the Son of God and was given glory by God (Jn. 8:54). The Pharisees were the ones who were blind while the man had received sight (Jn. 1:14; Mt. 17:2). The man came to the same conclusion as some of the Pharisees, “If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything (v. 33; 16).” Jesus had warned his disciples that true discipleship required more than a belief in his miracles (Jn. 6:66-69; Mt. 7:21-23). 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). Because of their ‘superior’ knowledge of the Mosaic Law, they refused to accept that the gift God gave them through Moses was being perfected through Jesus (Jn. 1:17-18).
Hearing that the man had been thrown out of the Temple, Jesus found him and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man (v. 35; Jn. 1:51; 3:13)?” Jesus explained that he was the “Son of Man” who came to reconcile mankind to God. The man believed in 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) 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 Jesus was the Son of God so they condemned themselves and would die in their sins (Jn. 8:24).
Almighty God, grant us the grace to see the presence of Christ in our lives and the courage to follow him no matter where he leads us. This we pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
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.
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.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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