Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 9:16

"Some therefore of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, because he keepeth not the sabbath. But others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such signs? And there was division among them." — John 9:16 (ASV)

The response of the Pharisees revealed reasoning from prejudice: “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” For the Pharisees there could be no other conclusion. Others, however, were hesitant and asked how a sinner could have the power to perform such miracles. The use of the plural “miraculous signs” suggests that they knew other miracles of Jesus comparable to this one. The contrast between these responses brings into focus an important principle of interpretation: Should Jesus be judged by an a priori application of the law or by an a posteriori consideration of his works?

The division among the Pharisees shows that there must have been at least a small minority who were not hostile to Jesus (perhaps including Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea). Their question, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” sounds much like Nicodemus’s opening words to Jesus in 3:2.