As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. 4 We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, 7 and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
8 His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is,” but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.” 10 So they said to him, “[So] how were your eyes opened?” 11 He replied, “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went there and washed and was able to see.” 12 And they said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.”
13 They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. 15 So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” 16 So some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” [But] others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18 Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. 19 They asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?” 20 His parents answered and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Messiah, he would be expelled from the synagogue. 23 For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; question him.”
24 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.
As Jesus passes by, He notices a man who has been blind since birth (v. 1). The disciples immediately raise a question that reflected a common assumption in ancient Jewish thought. Because the Law often connected suffering with the consequences of sin (Deut. 28:15-22), many believed that serious affliction must be the result of someone’s wrongdoing. They therefore ask whether the man himself sinned or whether his parents did (v. 2). Yet the Scriptures themselves had already begun to correct this simplified view. In the Book of Job, a righteous man suffers greatly even though he has not committed the sins his friends assume must explain his suffering (Job 1:1; 42:7-8). Jesus makes the correction even clearer. This man’s blindness is not the result of a specific personal sin. Instead, Jesus says that through this situation ‘the works of God might be made visible’ (v. 3).
Jesus then places the event within the context of His mission. He says that the works of God must be carried out while it is day, because night is coming when no one can work (v. 4). He immediately explains the meaning of this image: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (v. 5). The miracle that follows will show what that light does—it brings sight where there was darkness.
Jesus spits on the ground, makes clay, places it on the man’s eyes, and tells him to wash in the Pool of Siloam (vv. 6-7). The man obeys. When he washes, his sight is restored. The action is simple, but the result is extraordinary. The people who knew the man are astonished and struggle even to believe that he is the same person who had been begging nearby (vv. 8-9).
When asked how this happened, the man simply recounts the facts: “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes… So I went there and washed and was able to see” (v. 11). At this stage he knows little about Jesus. He does not even know where Jesus is (v. 12). His understanding will grow gradually throughout the story.
Because the healing took place on the Sabbath, the man is brought before the Pharisees (vv. 13-14). This creates controversy. Some insist that Jesus cannot be from God because He made clay on the Sabbath. For the Pharisees, who interpreted the Sabbath law very strictly, even kneading clay could be treated as a form of work forbidden on the day of rest (Ex. 20:8-10; Jer. 17:21-22). Others question how a sinner could perform such signs (v. 16). When they ask the healed man for his opinion, he answers simply: “He is a prophet” (v. 17). His faith is beginning to deepen.
The authorities then question the man’s parents to confirm that he was truly born blind (vv. 18-19). They verify that he is their son and that he had indeed been blind from birth, but they refuse to explain how he was healed. They fear the religious leaders because anyone who confessed Jesus as the Messiah could be expelled from the synagogue (vv. 22-23).
The Pharisees therefore interrogate the man again. They demand that he condemn Jesus as a sinner. The man refuses. Instead he states the undeniable fact: “One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see” (v. 25). When pressed further, he points out that God does not grant such power to someone acting against Him. No one has ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. “If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything” (v. 33). Unable to refute his reasoning, the authorities dismiss him with contempt and expel him from the synagogue (v. 34). In that society, to be expelled from the synagogue was not a small matter. It could mean religious exclusion, public shame, and separation from an important part of one’s communal life. The man who received sight is cast out by those who claim to see clearly.
Later Jesus finds the man again. He asks him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” (v. 35). Here Jesus is using a title that points to the figure in Dan. 7:13-14, the one who comes from God and receives authority and glory. He is leading the man to recognize not only who healed him, but who He truly is. The man responds with openness: “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” (v. 36). Jesus reveals Himself: “You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he” (v. 37). The man then declares, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worships Jesus (v. 38). The man’s journey is complete. At first he knew only “the man called Jesus” (v. 11). Later he recognized Him as a prophet (v. 17). Finally he comes to believe in Him fully and worships Him as Lord.
Jesus then explains the deeper meaning of what has happened: “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind” (v. 39). Here Jesus is not speaking primarily about the final judgment at the end of time. In John’s Gospel, judgment often refers to the revealing effect of His presence. When the light of Christ enters the world, it exposes the true condition of the human heart. Those who recognize their need for light receive sight, while those who believe they already see refuse the light and remain in darkness.
Some Pharisees nearby ask whether Jesus is saying that they are blind. Jesus answers that if they truly recognized their blindness, they would not be guilty. But because they claim to see while rejecting the truth before them, “your sin remains” (v. 41).
This story shows two opposite movements. The man who was physically blind gradually comes to see—not only with his eyes but also with faith. The religious authorities, who believe they already possess full knowledge, become increasingly blind.
During Lent, this passage invites us to examine our own hearts. The man who was healed did not pretend to know everything. He was open to the truth, and because of that openness he came to recognize Jesus. The Pharisees, convinced that they already understood everything, refused the light that stood before them.
Through his suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father and continues to bring light into the world. Those who acknowledge their need for that light will come to see.
Lord Jesus Christ, You are the light of the world. Open our eyes to recognize Your truth. Remove the blindness that keeps us from seeing You clearly. Give us humble hearts that seek Your light and follow where it leads. Amen.
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Sources and References
- New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE), John 9:1-41.
- Raymond E. Brown, S.S., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J., and Roland E. Murphy, O. Carm., eds., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990.
- José María Casciaro, gen. ed., The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008.
- Donald Senior, John J. Collins, and Mary Ann Getty, eds., The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022.
- Richard J. Clifford, S.J., et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018.
- Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010.
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