​"The Son of God" (9:35–41)

​"The Son of God" (9:35–41)

The Good Shepherd is always there for His sheep. Jesus knew that the man had been kicked out of the temple, so He went to him and showed Himself to him. Keep in mind that the man had heard our Lord's voice but had never seen His face.

At this point, the man knew the most about Jesus Christ and had the faith in Him. You can't just believe that He is "a man called Jesus," "a prophet," or "a man of God." “Anyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (1 John 5:1). John wrote his gospel to show that Jesus is God's Son and to give his readers the accounts of people who met Jesus and said that He is God's Son. This beggar is one of those witnesses.

Jesus said that He was the Son of God (see John 9:35 and 5:25), and the beggar believed Him and was saved (John 9:38). "My sheep hear my voice" (John 10:27). He did not "see and believe"; he heard and believed. He not only trusted the Savior, but he also worshiped Him. If Jesus Christ is not God, why did He accept worship? Peter, Paul, and Barnabas did not accept worship (see Acts 10:25–26; 14:11–15).

John the Baptist said that Jesus is the Son of God (John 1:34), and so did Nathanael (John 1:49). Jesus said that He is God's Son (John 5:25; 9:35), and Peter agreed (John 6:69). The healed blind beggar is now part of this group of witnesses.

Some Pharisees tried to catch Jesus doing or saying something wrong. When Jesus saw them, He finished this story by giving a short but powerful sermon about spiritual blindness.

John 9:39 and John 3:16–17 do not disagree with each other. Our Lord came to save us, but His coming meant that those who didn't believe would be condemned. The same sun that makes the seeds look good also shows the bugs that are hiding under the rocks. The religious leaders were blind but wouldn't admit it. The light of truth only made them more blind. The beggar confessed his need, and he received both physical and spiritual vision. John 9:28, 34, tells us that the one who refuses to see is the most blind. This means that the person who thinks he knows "all truth" and doesn't need to learn anything else is the most blind.

The Pharisees who were listening to Jesus were upset by what He said. "Are we blind too?" they asked, thinking the answer would be no. They already knew the answer because Jesus had called them "blind leaders of the blind" (Matt. 15:14). Pride, self-righteousness, tradition, and a wrong understanding of the Word of God kept them from seeing.

The answer our Lord gave was a paradox. "You'd be better off if you were blind." But you say you can see.
So you are guilty! If you were blind, you wouldn't have to know what was going on. But they did know what was going on. The religious leaders didn't pay attention to the evidence that Jesus had done many miracles to make a good choice.

Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12; 9:5). Only blind people and those who choose not to look can see the light. The beggar was both physically and spiritually blind, but his heart and eyes were opened. Why? He listened to the Word, believed it, obeyed it, and saw God's grace in action. The Pharisees could see well physically, but they were blind spiritually. If they had heeded the Word and considered the evidence, they would have believed in Jesus Christ and been born again.

What did the Pharisees "see"? They saw that the blind beggar had changed and couldn't deny that he had been healed. They saw the wonderful things that Jesus did. Even Nicodemus, one of them, was impressed by the Lord's miracles (John 3:2). If they had looked at the proof honestly, they would have seen the truth clearly. If anyone wants to do His [God's] will, he will know the doctrine (see John 7:17). "And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life." (John 5:40).

John 10 is really just a continuation of what Jesus was doing with the Pharisees. The story of the blind beggar being healed serves as the background (John 10:21). The word "cast out" in John 9:35 is actually translated as "puts forth" in John 10:4. The Good Shepherd took the beggar out of the synagogue and added him to His flock! In John 10, the focus is on Jesus Christ, the Good and True Shepherd, not the Pharisees, who were false shepherds.

We never see the healed beggar again, but it's likely that he followed Jesus closely and was one of the people who spoke up for Him. We hope that he was able to bring his scared parents to the Lord. He was hurt when he was kicked out of the synagogue, but he found much more spiritual help and encouragement in his relationship with Jesus Christ than he could have ever found in Jewish traditions.

People still have to choose between Christ and their family or their traditional religion. Even though it cost a lot, this blind beggar made the right choice.

"The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." (Prov. 4:18).