John 9

—He that entereth not by the door] He says to the Pharisees, who opposed His doctrines and blasphemed His miracles, Whosoever sets himself up for the Messiah, or without regular commission presumes to govern and teach the people, comes to do mischief among the sheep, not to feed and do them good. Dean Stanhope. Whoever pretends to feed and guide the flock of God, to teach and instruct His people, and yet does not come to them in that way which God has appointed, and following the method which He thinks fit to reveal, but proceeds in a way of his own inventing, and according to his own fancy or corrupt inclination, is certainly, notwithstanding any pretences of zeal or authority, an enemy and a hinderer of men’s salvation. For, undoubtedly, every one that sincerely, and without worldly designs, intends to teach and instruct men in the way of salvation, will only proceed by that method which God shall think fit to appoint, and will submit entirely to His directions. Dr. S. Clarke. —the sheepfold.] He alludes to the sheepfolds which were hired by those who brought sheep to sell for ascrifice; and which the porter or keeper of the fold (ver. 3.) would not open to any but the right owner of the sheep, when they were to be led out. Bp. Mann.

John 9:2

2.— who did sin, this man, or his parents.] It is inferred from this question, that the opinion, propagated by the Grecian philosopher Pythagoras, that the souls of men migrate from one body to another after death, was at this time current among the Jews; since the sins committed by this man, for which he was born blind, could only have been committed by him in some pre-existent state. Thus the meaning of the question seems to be, Was it for some sin of his own when his soul was in another body, or was it some sin of his parents at the time of his conception, which caused this blindness in him? Drs. Hammond and Whitby.

John 9:3

3.— Neither hath this man sinned; &c.] His blindness that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

John 9:4

4, 5. I must work the works &c.] Alluding to the cure which He was about to effect on the blind man, our Saviour says, For this purpose came I down from heaven, that I should be the Light of the world, to give sight to the blind, and to enlighten those that walk in darkness: and, so long as I continue here on earth, I must take all opportunities of benefiting mankind. The period will shortly come when I shall be taken away from them, and then they can have no more the advantage of My personal presence. The time therefore, which I have left, I must wholly employ in this work, on purpose to perform which I was sent into the world. Dr. S. Clarke.

4.— the night cometh.] When I shall be taken away from the world.

John 9:5

5.— I am the light of the world.] Giving spiritual instruction and knowledge to the ignorant. Dr. Wells.

John 9:7

7. And said unto him, Go, wash &c.] When outward means were employed by our Lord, in performing His mighty works, they were not designed to have any operation of themselves; being wholly inadequate to the effect which followed. In the present instance, He probably had a view to try the man’s faith, as Elisha did that of Naaman, 2 Kings v. 10. Abp. Newcome. See notes at Mark vii. 33.

— (which is by interpretation, Sent.)] The name Siloam or Siloa signifies the same as Shiloh, the name by which our Saviour was spoken of in the prophecies. The meaning is, Which by its name may put you in mind of the Messiah, (who is styled Shiloh, the Sent,) by whom the miracle is wrought. Dr. Hammond, Grotius.

— He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.] This account of the cure is remarkable for its energetick brevity. Dr. Hales.

T 2 Anno DOMINI 82. a Chap. 1. 9. Or, spread the clay upon the eyes of the blind man. The Pharisees question the miracle.

Anne DOMINI 23. me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.

John 9:13

13. — to the Pharisees] To the council of the Jews, which consisted chiefly of that sect, and is therefore frequently by this Evangelist called by the name of the Pharisees, chap. i. 24; iv. 1; viii. 3; xi. 46. The providence of God so ordered on this occasion the course of things, that the members of it might hear from the mouth of the blind man a testimony which would either produce conviction in them, or would render their unbelief without excuse. Dr. Whitby.

John 9:14

14. — it was the sabbath day] We should observe how frequently our Saviour performed His miracles on the sabbath day, in order to cure the Jews of the false and superstitious notions they had respecting it. See chap. v. 17. Bp. Mann.

John 9:16

16. — is not of God.] Is not a Prophet sent from God. Dr. Whitby.

— How can—a sinner do such miracles?] How can one who is an impostor perform such miracles, which can be wrought only by the hand of God? Dr. Hammond. The word “sinner” occurs in the same sense at ver. 24, 25, &c.

John 9:22

22. — should be put out of the synagogue.] Should be placed under a sentence of excommunication. Dr. Whitby.

The Jews had three different sorts of excommunication. The first is that which is here meant by putting

out of the synagogue, and which our Saviour expresses by “separation,” Luke vi. 22. The effect of this excommunication was to exclude men from the communion of the church and people of God, and from His service, after which no Jews would hold intercourse with them. The second sort included the first, but extended farther, to the confiscation of goods into the sacred treasury, and devoting them to God. In the third, the person was anathemaitised, and devoted; and, as some conceive, according to the law, Lev. xxvii. 29, was to be put to death, although others think it amounted to no more than a final sentence, by which he was left to the judgment of God, to be by Him cut off from the congregation of Israel. Abp. Tilkston.

John 9:24

24. — Give God the praise:] Ascribe the praise of your cure to God, and look not on Jesus with any veneration. Dr. Hammond. Otherwise, Give glory to God, shew your reverence for God, and confess the whole to be an imposture. “We know that this man is a sinner.” They pretend to know, from other circumstances, that He was a false pretender to the character of a Divine teacher. Rosemüller.

John 9:27

27. — ye did not hear:] Ye did not attend.

John 9:29

29. — we know not from whence he is.] We know not of any commission He has from God, nor can we give any account of Him. Dr. Hammond.

Christ reesiveth the man born blind. The Pharisees’ spiritual blindness. Anno DOMINI 32. whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.

John 9:30

30. — yet he hath opened mine eyes.] Which is a demonstration, that He acts by a power derived from God. Dr. Whitby.

John 9:31

31. — God heareth not sinners: &c.] God doth not enable impostors or false teachers to work such miracles as these; but only those pious and faithful servants who come to do His will. Dr. Hammond.

John 9:32

32. — of one that was born blind.] This was esteemed by the Jews a peculiar sign of the Messiah, and was never known to be wrought by Moses or any other Prophet. Grotina.

John 9:33

33. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.] Thus, upon the mind of the poor man himself, who was not under the same bias with the rest of the Jews, the miracle had its natural operation, and induced him to own that our Saviour came from God. Archdeacon Paley.

John 9:34

34. — born in sins.] As we know sufficiently from thy being born blind. Dr. Wells.

— and dost thou teach us? Such is the reply which authority is sometimes apt to make to argument; the only reply which the Jews were able to make in this instance. Archdeacon Paley. It should be well observed how severe and strict a scrutiny the miracle described in this chapter, of the cure of the blind man, underwent from the enemies of our Lord. This whole passage, indeed, is deserving of particular attention; the striking simplicity of the narrative, the natural conduct of all the parties, and the close scrutiny which the miracle sustained, cannot fail of making a deep impression on every candid mind. Dr. Graves. The miracle is submitted to all the examination which a sceptick could propose. If a modern unbeliever had drawn up the interrogatories, they could scarcely have been more critical or searching. Archdeacon Paley.

— cast him out.] Ordered him to be excommunicated and declared an apostate. Dr. S. Clarke.

35. — on the Son of God? On the Messiah sent into the world to be the Saviour of it? Dr. Whitby.

John 9:39

39. — For judgment I am come &c.] For “judgment” in the sense of discrimination; to distinguish between

John 9:41

41. — If ye were blind, ye should &c.] If ye were unable to discern who I am, if you had neither the Law nor the Prophets to direct you, nor the light of clear and evident miracles, ye would have no sin of infidelity; but now ye say ye see, and arrogate to yourselves the knowledge of the Law and the Prophets, and are confident ye are guides to the blind, Rom. ii. 19, and yet ye will not receive the light which shineth in your eyes; therefore your sin remaineth inexcusable. Dr. Whitby.

It is worthy of observation in what manner the Jews resisted the force of the miracle related in this chapter, and the conclusion to which it led, after they had failed in discrediting its evidence. If it should be enquired how a turn of thought, so different from what prevails at present, should obtain currency with the ancient Jews, the answer is found in two opinions, which then prevailed. The one was, their expectation of a Messiah, of a kind totally contrary to what the appearance of Jesus bespoke Him to be; the other, their persuasion of the agency of demons in the production of supernatural effects. See Matt. xii. 24. The first put them upon seeking out some excuse to themselves for not receiving Jesus in the character in which He claimed to be received; and the second supplied them with just such an excuse as they wanted. Archdeacon Paley.

Chap. X. ver. 1. Verily, verily, I say unto you,] Jesus observing how much the chief priests and Pharisees grew every day more and more enraged at seeing so many of the people follow Him and embrace His doctrine; and knowing, on the contrary, how ready they would be to encourage the people to follow any such false teachers as would flatter them in their vices, and spread doctrines fitted to promote the worldly designs and temporal grandeur of their rabbies and elders; and how these men themselves, without any regard to the true design of their office, did, with only covetous and

Anno DOMINI 32. Christ is the door, and the good shepherd. Anno DOMINI 32. the door into the sheepfold, but dimbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.