John 9:39

My Notes

What Does John 9:39 Mean?

John 9:39 is Jesus explaining the purpose of His ministry — and the explanation contains a paradox that inverts everything you think you know about sight. "For judgment I am come into this world" — eis krima egō eis ton kosmon touton ēlthon. Jesus came for judgment — krima, a verdict, a separation, a decision that sorts people. Not the final judgment of the last day. The ongoing judgment that His presence creates: a dividing line that people fall on one side of or the other.

"That they which see not might see" — hina hoi mē blepontes blepōsin. The blind — those who know they can't see, who acknowledge their need, who come to Jesus precisely because they recognize their darkness — will receive sight. The man born blind in this chapter is the living illustration: he started the day unable to see and ended it worshiping Jesus.

"And that they which see might be made blind" — kai hoi blepontes tuphloi genōntai. The ones who think they see — the Pharisees, the religious experts, the people confident in their own spiritual vision — will become blind. Their certainty that they already have sight prevents them from receiving it. Their confidence that they can see is the very thing that blinds them.

The Pharisees hear this and ask (v. 40): "Are we blind also?" Jesus answers (v. 41): "If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth." The claim to see is the disease. If they admitted blindness, they could be healed. Because they insist they can see, the blindness is permanent. The diagnosis that could save them is the diagnosis they refuse to accept.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Where are you claiming to 'see' in a way that might be preventing you from receiving real sight?
• 2.How does the man born blind — who knew he couldn't see — model the posture that receives from Jesus?
• 3.What credentials, experiences, or knowledge might be functioning as a blindfold in your spiritual life?
• 4.If admitting blindness is the first step to seeing, what do you need to admit you can't see?

Devotional

The blind see. The seeing go blind. And the mechanism is the same in both cases: Jesus.

His presence creates a dividing line. The people who know they're blind — who admit they can't see, who come to Him precisely because they've run out of their own vision — receive sight. The man born blind is the proof: he started the day in darkness and ended it seeing the Son of God. He didn't earn the sight. He received it — because he knew he needed it.

The people who think they see — the Pharisees, the theologians, the religiously confident — go blind. Not because Jesus imposes blindness punitively. Because their certainty that they already have sight prevents them from receiving it. You can't give sight to someone who insists they're already seeing. The prescription can't work on a patient who doesn't think they're sick.

"We see." That's the sentence that seals the blindness. The Pharisees' claim to spiritual vision is the lock on the door that would have let the light in. If they'd said "we're blind," Jesus says they'd have no sin. The admission of need is the first step of healing. But they won't admit it. They see. They know. They have the theology, the training, the credentials. And their credentials become their blindfold.

The most dangerous spiritual condition isn't blindness. It's blindness that thinks it can see. The person who knows they're in the dark will reach for the light. The person who's convinced they already have the light will never reach for anything — and the darkness they're living in will feel like illumination.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture