Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                 Chapter Nine

                                                                                                                                              Verses 39-41

Jesus then spoke up loud so that some Pharisees near Him could hear Him. The Pharisees always seemed to be near Jesus throughout much of His ministry. Jesus gave the Pharisees a spiritually symbolic message. Jesus told the Pharisees that His judgment in the world was to open the eyes of the blind so that they, like the healed man, could see only Him and become blind to the sinful world.

Jesus' symbolic message to them was that those who saw themselves as being so important to God and to their overbearing authority should be made blind to their excessive pride so that they could see only their need for a Savior. The Pharisees who heard Jesus seemed to at least partly understand His symbolic meaning because they asked Jesus if they were blind.

Jesus replied that if they would only blind themselves to their excessive pride and their oppressive rule over others and see themselves as being in need of a Savior, then He could take away their sins and make them see only their Savior and the new life that He could give them.