Matthew Henry Commentary John 9:1-7

"And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. When I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed his eyes with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went away therefore, and washed, and came seeing." — John 9:1-7 (ASV)

Christ cured many who were blind by disease or accident; here He cured one born blind. Thus He showed His power to help in the most desperate cases, and the work of His grace upon the souls of sinners, which gives sight to those blind by nature. This poor man could not see Christ, but Christ saw him. And if we know or apprehend anything of Christ, it is because we were first known by Him.

Christ says of uncommon calamities that they are not always to be regarded as special punishments of sin; sometimes they are for the glory of God and to manifest His works. Our life is our day, in which it is important for us to do the work of the day. We must be busy and not waste daytime; it will be time to rest when our day is done, for it is but a day.

The approach of death should urge us to make the most of all our opportunities for doing and receiving good. Whatever good we have an opportunity to do, we should do quickly. And he who will never do a good work until there is nothing to object to will leave many a good work forever undone (Ecclesiastes 11:4). Christ magnified His power in making a blind man see, doing that which one would think more likely to make a seeing man blind. Human reason cannot judge the Lord's methods; He uses means and instruments that men despise.

Those who would be healed by Christ must be ruled by Him. He came back from the pool wondering and wondered at; he came seeing. This represents the benefits of attending the ordinances of Christ's appointment: souls go weak and come away strengthened; go doubting and come away satisfied; go mourning and come away rejoicing; go blind and come away seeing.