What is the meaning of John 9:34? They replied • The speakers are the Pharisees who have just finished grilling the man whom Jesus healed of lifelong blindness (John 9:15–18). • Their “reply” is a defensive reaction after the man boldly testified, “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing” (John 9:33). The light of truth exposes their hypocrisy, much like Jesus’ earlier words in John 3:19–20. • Religious leaders often responded to Jesus and His followers with hostility when confronted (John 8:13; Luke 11:53-54). This shows that mere religious status does not guarantee spiritual sight. You were born in utter sin • They assume his former blindness proved God’s judgment on him from birth (John 9:2). This echoes the mistaken notion of Job’s friends who linked suffering to personal sin (Job 4:7-8). • Scripture teaches that all are born with a sinful nature (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12), yet the Pharisees single him out to dodge their own guilt. • Their statement contradicts Jesus’ earlier clarification: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him” (John 9:3). God’s purposes, not karma-like retribution, lay behind the man’s former blindness. and you are instructing us? • Pride surfaces. They dismiss him because he lacks formal rabbinic training, mirroring their scorn for the crowd in John 7:48-49. • Proverbs 16:18 warns that pride precedes a fall. God still chooses “the foolish things of the world to shame the wise” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). • By refusing correction, they reveal their own spiritual blindness (John 9:41). The healed man sees physically and spiritually; they remain blind in both senses. And they threw him out • This expulsion likely fulfills the threat in John 9:22 that anyone confessing Jesus as Messiah would be “put out of the synagogue.” • Being cast out meant social, religious, and economic isolation, yet Jesus later seeks him out (John 9:35), fulfilling promises such as Isaiah 66:5 and Luke 6:22—God honors those rejected for His name. • The man loses earthly approval but gains eternal fellowship with Christ, illustrating the cost and reward of discipleship (Matthew 10:32-33). summary John 9:34 exposes hard-hearted pride. The Pharisees, confronted with undeniable evidence of Jesus’ power, cling to status and tradition. They label the healed man a sinner, dismiss his testimony, and expel him to maintain control. Their reaction underscores these truths: • Religious privilege cannot replace humble faith. • Misjudging others’ suffering blinds us to God’s purposes. • Pride rejects correction, while humility receives sight. In the end, the one cast out by men is welcomed by the Son of God, confirming that true sight comes only through Him. |
    |