One of the most compelling accounts in the Bible unfolds in John 9, where Jesus encounters a man blind from birth. The disciples probe, wondering if his blindness is due to sin—his own or his parents’. Jesus debunks this myth of retribution theology, prevalent then and now, explaining that neither the man nor his parents sinned to cause his condition. Instead, this moment serves as an opportunity to display God’s works. Ironically, as the narrative progresses, the religious leaders, clinging to the same erroneous belief, ostracize the man for speaking the truth. This sets the stage for Jesus’ profound riddle at the chapter’s end:
The religious leaders, confronted three times with the undeniable truth of a man born blind now seeing, stood at a crossroads. They faced a choice: acknowledge Jesus as sent from God, thereby accepting His teachings and authority, or reject this miracle, ignore the witness before their eyes, and maintain their status quo. Their rigid beliefs about God’s nature, methods, and expectations had ironically blinded them. In their zeal to uphold tradition, they missed recognizing the very Messiah they professed to await and worship. This moment wasn’t just about a healed blind man; it was a mirror held up to their own spiritual blindness.
John 9:39-40 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
The religious leaders were catching on to the fact that Jesus was directly speaking to their denial and wrong presuppositions about God, faith, the Messiah, and certainly about who Jesus is.
They cry out “What, Are we blind too?”
John 9:41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
This is a profound critique of denial, spiritual blindness, and hard-heartedness. The religious leaders, in a form of gaslighting, denied the undeniable miracle before them, insisting it wasn’t from God, all to avoid the implications of Jesus’ divinity.
Their pride, fear, and refusal to accept truth blinded them.
What about us? When God speaks plainly to us about Himself or what we should change, do we, in our self-assuredness, miss His message? Are we too blind to see, too proud to admit our need for sight? Jesus’ words challenge us: Acknowledge your blindness, and you might gain sight; persist in claiming to see, and remain in sin.
