What is the meaning of John 9:39? For judgment I have come into this world • Jesus speaks immediately after healing the man born blind (John 9:1-38), tying the sign to its spiritual meaning. • “Judgment” here is the decisive separation His presence brings. He is the light that lays every heart bare (John 3:19-21; John 12:46-48). • Though the Father “has committed all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22), Jesus’ first advent offers salvation; rejection of that offer becomes self-chosen condemnation (John 3:17-18). • His coming forces every person either to move toward the light or shrink deeper into darkness—there is no neutral ground (Matthew 25:31-32). So that the blind may see • The immediate illustration is the formerly blind beggar who now sees both physically and spiritually; he confesses, “Lord, I believe” (John 9:38). • All who admit their need and turn to Christ receive true sight—understanding of God, His Word, and their own condition (Psalm 119:18; 2 Corinthians 4:6). • Jesus fulfills the messianic promise “to open eyes that are blind” (Isaiah 42:6-7; Luke 4:18). • This gift is pure grace: He seeks the lost, enlightens the humble, and leads them out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9; Acts 26:18). And those who see may become blind • Standing nearby, some Pharisees bristle (John 9:40); they presume spiritual insight yet refuse the evidence before them. • Self-reliance turns into spiritual blindness. Repeated rejection of truth hardens the heart, fulfilling Isaiah’s warning: “He has blinded their eyes” (Isaiah 6:9-10; John 12:40). • The gospel is “foolishness” to the wise in their own eyes (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). Claiming vision, they stumble over the very cornerstone meant to save them (Romans 9:30-33). • This blindness is judicial: light rejected becomes darkness embraced (Romans 1:21-22; 2 Corinthians 4:4). summary John 9:39 reveals the double edge of Christ’s coming. He is the light that rescues the humble and exposes the proud. When we confess our blindness, He grants sight; when we insist we already see, we lose what vision we imagined we had. His presence clarifies every choice, drawing a bright line between faith and unbelief, humility and pride, life and judgment. |
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