God Uses the Common and Ordinary to Serve Him. (John 9)

Scripture reading – John 9

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* Please note that words and phrases in brackets are the author’s amplification. 

John 8 marked a dramatic shift in Jesus’ life and ministry. He had enjoyed a significant following among the Jews, and great crowds welcomed Him as news of His teachings and miracles spread throughout Israel and beyond. Many wondered whether He was Israel’s long-awaited Messiah.

For the religious rulers, however, the following Jesus enjoyed was intolerable. They revealed their hatred by taking up stones to cast at Him, but “Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by” (John 8:59).

John 9

A Theological Portrait of Compassion and Grace (John 9:1)

As Jesus left the Temple, He passed a blind man who became the focal point of a theological showdown between Jesus and His enemies (John 9). This verse reveals the compassion and grace of a loving Savior: “He saw a man which was blind from his birth” (John 9:1).

There are fifty-four references to physical blindness in the Scriptures. Blindness was a common malady in Jesus’ day for several reasons: environmental (poor diet and the desert sun’s brightness); physical injury (irritation from desert sands, accidents, or violence); disease (especially sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea, often linked to promiscuity, which could cause blindness in infants born to infected mothers); and genetic birth defects.

A Theological Problem: “Who Did Sin?” (John 9:2-7)

Without social or welfare programs, people who were blind were dependent on family and charity and often reduced to begging. Blind beggars in prominent places, such as near the Temple, were a common sight. The blind were often treated with disdain because some believed physical maladies were a consequence of personal or familial sin. Thus, seeing the blind man, the disciples asked Jesus, “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2).

A Theological Purpose (John 9:3-7)

Jesus’ answer must have stunned the disciples, for He stated, “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:3). Jesus explained that the man was born blind, not as punishment for sin. He was blind so that his life might serve as a backdrop for God’s miraculous works through His Son (John 9:3).

Jesus then said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). Then, making a poultice of His spittle mixed with clay, Jesus “anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay” (John 9:6) and sent him to “wash in the pool of Siloam” (John 9:7a).

An Inquisition (John 9:7-15)

Imagine the joy and excitement when the blind man “went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing” (John 9:7b). His neighbors were astounded that he could see! Knowing he was born blind, they asked one another, “Is not this he that sat and begged?” (John 9:8).

Many details about the blind man’s healing capture our attention. For instance, some were so bewildered that they debated whether he was the blind beggar. “Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him” (John 9:9a). Finally, exasperated by the debate, the man declared, “I am he” (John 9:9b). In other words, he was that blind beggar!

Some asked, “How were thine eyes opened?” (John 9:10). The man “answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight” (John 9:11). Instead of rejoicing that he had received sight, the people took him to the Pharisees, who questioned, “how he had received his sight” (John 9:15a). He again answered, “He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see” (John 9:15b).

An Accusation (John 9:14, 16-34)

The Pharisees refused to recognize the blind man’s healing as a miracle and a sign that Jesus was the Christ. Instead, they accused Jesus of violating their interpretation of the Sabbath commandment (for Jesus had “made the clay, and opened [the] eyes” of the blind man on the Sabbath, John 9:14; Exodus 20:8). They railed against the Lord, saying, “This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day” (John 9:16a). Still, others asked, “How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles?” (John 9:16b).

The people’s sentiment was divided, and they turned to the man who had been blind and asked, “What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet” (John 9:17).

The Pharisees’ disdain for Christ led them to ignore the evidence of the blind man’s healing (John 9:18-29). They then questioned his parents, who affirmed, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue” (John 9:20-22).

Refusing to betray or deny the One who had given him sight, the man declared, “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25). He then declared what no man could deny: If Christ “were not of God, he could do nothing” (John 9:30-33).

Vindictive and spiteful, the Pharisees condemned the man and said, “Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out [i.e., out of the synagogue]” (John 9:34).

Closing thoughts –

I conclude this Bible study by inviting you to reflect on the reactions of those in today’s Scripture. The disciples saw a blind beggar who depended on charity and was the object of contempt (John 9:2). Jesus, however, “saw a man” who had never seen his mother’s smile or the beauty of a sunset (John 9:1). The Pharisees, however, made the blind man an object of disdain. Jesus, though, saw his affliction as an opportunity to glorify His Heavenly Father (John 9:3-4).

Think about it: If God can use spittle and clay to glorify Himself, He can surely use you and me to serve and glorify Him (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

Copyright © 2026 – Travis D. Smith 

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