In what ways does John 9:17 connect to Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah? A quick look at John 9:17 “So they asked the blind man again, ‘What do you say about Him, since it was your eyes He opened?’ The man replied, ‘He is a prophet.’ ”(BSB) 1. The man calls Jesus “a prophet” — echoes of Deuteronomy 18 • Moses foretold a singular end-time deliverer: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him.” (Deuteronomy 18:15) • First-century Jews linked this passage to the Messiah. By identifying Jesus as “a prophet,” the healed man instinctively ties Him to Moses’ promise. • Jesus later applies the text to Himself (John 12:49-50; Acts 3:22-23 cites the same prophecy). 2. Opening blind eyes — Isaiah’s sign of the Messianic age • Isaiah 35:5-6: “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped… the lame will leap like a deer.” • Isaiah 42:6-7: Messiah is appointed “to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon.” • John 9 records the very first biblical instance of congenital blindness being cured, underscoring that Jesus fulfills what Isaiah said only the Anointed One would do. 3. Works reserved for Yahweh, performed by the Messiah • Psalm 146:8: “The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.” • Isaiah’s prophecies present the Messiah as God’s Servant yet carrying out divine prerogatives. Jesus’ act therefore signals both His anointing and His divine identity. 4. Recognition by the humble, rejection by the powerful — foretold pattern • Psalm 118:22: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” • Isaiah 53:3: “He was despised and rejected by men.” • In John 9 the religious leaders question and belittle the miracle, while the formerly blind man perceives the truth. The scene mirrors the prophetic pattern of Messiah being accepted by the lowly and resisted by the elite. Bringing it together John 9:17 links Jesus to key Old Testament expectations: the coming Prophet like Moses, the Isaianic Redeemer who opens blind eyes, and the divine Worker who performs deeds attributed to Yahweh Himself. The once-blind man’s simple confession foreshadows the fuller revelation that Jesus is not only a prophet but the promised Messiah and Lord of the Scriptures. |
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