Jesus
heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” He answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.” He said, “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him.
John 9:35-38
John 9 [34.] They answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” They threw him out.
John 9 [35.] Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
John 9 [36.] He answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?”
John 9 [37.] Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.”
John 9 [38.] He said, “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him.
John 9 [39.] Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.”
Meaning:
The man born blind has defended Jesus before the leaders and has been thrown out for it (John 9:30-34). He has lost his standing in the synagogue and has not yet even seen the face of the One who healed him. Now Jesus comes to him. In four short exchanges, the man moves from physical sight to the full sight of faith, and the story of his healing reaches its true goal.
- “Finding him”:
“Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him.” Jesus went looking for him. The religious leaders drove the man out; the Good Shepherd sought him out. In the very next chapter Jesus describes himself as the shepherd who “calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out” (John 10:3). This man has been put out of the fold of the synagogue, but he is about to be gathered into the flock of Christ. Jesus had promised, “He who comes to me I will in no way throw out” (John 6:37). He came, as he said elsewhere, “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
- “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
Jesus does not ask the man about his feelings, his healing or his treatment by the Pharisees. He asks about faith in a person. Many ancient manuscripts read “Son of Man” here, the title Jesus often used of himself, drawn from Daniel’s vision of one “like a son of man” who receives an everlasting kingdom (Daniel 7:13). Either way, the question points to Jesus as the one sent from heaven, and it is the question John puts to every reader: his Gospel was written “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
- “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?”
The man’s reply shows a heart that is already open. He does not argue; he wants to know so that he can believe. The word “Lord” here may still be a respectful “sir,” but he is ready to trust whoever the Son turns out to be. He had trusted Jesus’ word once before, when he went to Siloam without seeing (John 9:7); now he is ready to trust again.
- “You have both seen him”:
The man had never seen the one who healed him, for Jesus was gone when he came back from Siloam. Now Jesus reveals himself: “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.” The eyes Jesus opened can now look at Jesus himself. The words recall what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman: “I am he, the one who speaks to you” (John 4:26). Jesus reveals himself to those who are humble and ready to receive him.
- “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him:
The man’s journey of faith is complete. He first spoke of “a man called Jesus” (John 9:11), then called him “a prophet” (John 9:17), then said he must be “from God” (John 9:33). Now he says, “Lord, I believe!” and falls down in worship. In John’s Gospel, worship belongs to God alone, so this act is significant. The disciples in the boat likewise “came and worshiped him” and confessed, “You are truly the Son of God!” (Matthew 14:33).
The Significance of John 9:35-38
- The Shepherd who seeks the outcast:
When people reject us for following Christ, he does not leave us alone. The man lost the synagogue but found the Saviour. Believers who suffer rejection can be sure that Jesus knows and comes near.
- From sight to faith:
Physical healing was only the beginning. The greater miracle was the opening of the man’s heart to believe and worship. Jesus is not content to fix our problems; he wants us to know him.
- Faith that worships:
True faith does not stop at agreeing with facts about Jesus. It bows before him as Lord. Worship is the natural response of a heart that has seen who Jesus is.
Cross-References:
John 10:3: "He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out." The Shepherd who finds his own.
Luke 19:10: "The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost." Jesus seeks the lost.
John 20:31: "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." The purpose of John’s Gospel.
Matthew 14:33: "Those who were in the boat came and worshiped him, saying, “You are truly the Son of God!”" Worship as the response to who Jesus is.
Conclusion: Thrown out by the leaders, the healed man was found by Jesus, who asked whether he believed in the Son of God. When Jesus revealed himself, the man said, “Lord, I believe!” and worshiped him. The Good Shepherd seeks those whom others reject, and he leads us from mere sight to faith that bows before him as Lord.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible