John 9 | Jesus Heals the Blind Man

In today’s Daily Devotional, Jesus performs a miraculous healing of a man born blind, an act that underscores the profound difference between physical and spiritual blindness in John 9. Delve into this chapter and reflect on the ways God’s Word speaks directly to us. Allen J. Huth shares his personal journey through multiple readings of John 9 over the years, highlighting different insights and revelations each time. Do you have a few things you want to discuss with Jesus? Check out the Daily Devotional on John 8.

We will see the stark contrast between the blind man’s newfound sight and the Pharisees’ denial of the miracle. We will explore the nature of sin and deformities as opposed to God’s sovereignty and the purpose behind human conditions. May you recognize and celebrate God’s works openly, just as the healed man did. May you reflect on your own responses to God’s miracles and to embrace your calling to work while it is day, trusting in God’s timing and purpose.

John 9 Commentary by Allen J. Huth

In chapter 9, Jesus heals a blind man, and we are to work while it is day because the night comes when no one can work. Has God ever spoken to you directly as you read His Word? Please read or listen to John 9.

John Commentary Jesus Heals the Blind Man

In 1990, after reading John 9, I wrote in my journal, “Jesus heals a blind man. Pharisees tried to deny the healing. There’s a great difference between physical and spiritual blindness.”

In 2005, after reading John 9 (NASB), I wrote, “Who sinned? Sin does not necessarily cause deformities, sickness, physical disabilities, although sometimes disobedience can result in some of this. God is sovereign. He does what He wants with people. Sometimes they are the way they are just so the works of God may be displayed, according to verse 3.” I continued, “Jesus heals a blind man, and rather than rejoice, the Pharisees criticized. His parents feared men more than God, so they played it safe. The blind man demonstrated simple faith. ‘Lord, I believe.’ (v. 38).”

John 9:1-4

In 2018, I wrote, “Verses 1-4, work while it is day. The theme of my keynote message I gave at the convention I was elected International Treasurer in 2013: Sent. The day I was to deliver, I read down more verses and saw the title of my message in verse 7, God’s confirmation.” Then I wrote, “‘We know that God does not listen to sinners’ verse 31? Really?” I continued, “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I came into this world’, according to verse 39, yet before in chapter 8, He says, ‘I judge no one’, 8:15. In 41, He associates guilt to the Pharisees. Sounds like judgment to me.”

John 9:4

Those journal entries stir our hearts with some questions. Let’s look at John 9. I start my thoughts with the memory of that keynote message before The Gideons International Convention in 2013. The theme of the convention was John 9:4, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” I worked on that keynote message for four months, but I really never read more than verses 1-4. I mentioned in my journal, the morning I was to deliver the keynote message before the convention, I decided to read down a few more verses from the theme verse in verse 4. I had entitled my message with one word, “Sent.”

Getting the opportunity to do the keynote message before a convention with delegates from almost a hundred countries from around the world is a little intimidating. I would not say I was nervous, but I was certainly uptight, tense, and I was praying that morning for God to give me peace and give me His anointing to deliver this message.

As I decided to read down past verse 4, I came to verse 7, “and said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent)”. I almost jumped up off my knees because I could not believe the title of my message was right there in the Scriptures, my one-word title, “Sent.” That’s God! That’s amazing! That’s His confirmation I was giving the right message to the convention that morning. Wow!

Jesus Heals the Blind Man

Let’s cover a couple principles in this chapter. One, Jesus heals a blind man. There is no question the man was blind and then he could see. That is our Jesus. He can heal a blind man, or He can put the word “Sent” right in the Scriptures the day you are giving a message.

The Pharisees do not buy it, so they questioned the man, his parents, the circumstances all around this miracle. We still do that today. We see Jesus. We see the works of God, the hand of God, and we still question whether it is God or not. The parents tell the truth, but they do not want to get kicked out of the synagogue, so they play it safe, like I wrote in my journal. When you see the works of God, do you play it safe? There is no question their son who was born blind can now see. You would think they would be shouting Hallelujah.

The blind man gives the Pharisees a little bit of a lesson here. The man answered:

“Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out (vs. 30-34).

Sometimes the truth hurts. But, praise God, this man experienced a miracle and he was going to give God the glory. That is part of our application: when we see God work, give Him the glory.

Did Jesus Come to Judge or Not?

We finish with a question Jesus raises, “For judgment I came into this world” (v. 39) but in my journal I mentioned back in John 8:15, He said, I did not come to judge the world. The words in John 8:15 are actually, “You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.”  But He goes on to say, “Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me” (v. 16). Did Jesus come to judge or not?

You might be reminded of John 3:17, where He says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Verses 18-19 of chapter 3 go on to say, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light”. So, did Jesus come to judge the world? We see we are already judged. We either believe or we do not believe, and that is what judges us. Praise God, I believe. How about you? Let’s pray.

Prayer of Thanks for God’s Healing Power

Father, thank You for this wonderful chapter in Your Word. Thank You for healing a man born blind. Thank You for giving us hope You can heal us, You can touch our lives, You can intervene in our lives any time and in any way You want.

Thank You for reminding us, “We must work the works of him who sent me (us) while it is day; because the night comes when no one can work” (v. 4). Let us be about Your business while we are here on earth.

And thank You for intervening in my own life back in 2013 when I was preparing to give that keynote message. You put the word of my message title right in Your Scriptures that morning. That is who You are. That is why we love You. Thank You for being with us each and every day of our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.