John 9:20

"and asked them, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”"

Key Reflection

In John 9:20, the Pharisees question a man and his parents about their son who had been born blind but now could see. This exchange takes place in a cultural context where miracles by divine intervention were often seen as signs of the coming Messiah. The original audience would recognize that such an event was highly significant, potentially pointing to the identity or mission of Jesus himself, given His reputation for performing healings and other miraculous deeds.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verses 20-22. His parents answered, &c. To the first two questions they answered without hesitation. They knew that he was their son, and that he was born blind. The third question they could not positively answer, as they had not witnessed the means of the cure, and were afraid to express their belief. It appears that they had themselves no doubt, but they were not eye-witnesses, and could not be therefore legal evidence. He is of age. He is of sufficient age to give testimony. Among the Jews this age was fixed at thirteen years. If any man did confess that he was Christ. Did acknowledge that he was the Messiah.

More from John 9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42

Go deeper with Bible.talk - your AI Bible study companion