Thomas Aquinas Commentary John 9:35-41

"Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and finding him, he said, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him? Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and he it is that speaketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. And Jesus said, For judgment came I into this world, that they that see not may see; and that they that see may become blind. Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said unto him, Are we also blind? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye would have no sin: but now ye say, We see: your sin remaineth." — John 9:35-41 (ASV)

1. After the Evangelist showed how the Jews cast out the man born blind because he persisted in the truth, he now shows how Jesus received and taught him.

   First, we see Christ teaching him; second, the devotion of the man born blind, who said, I believe, Lord; and third, the approval of his devotion, when Jesus said, For judgment I came into this world.

   Regarding the first point, Christ’s teaching, the Evangelist does three things. First, he shows Christ’s eagerness to teach him; second, we see the man’s desire to believe, when he answered and said, "Who is he, Lord?"; and third, the teaching of the faith is given to perfect him, when Jesus said to him, "You have seen him."

2. Christ’s eagerness to teach is described in three ways. First, by His attentive consideration of what was done to the man. Just as a prince carefully considers what his champion endures for his sake, so Christ attentively considered what the man born blind underwent for the sake of the truth. And so he says that Jesus heard—that is, attentively considered—that they, the Pharisees, had cast him out of the temple. Give heed to me, O Lord, and to the voices of my adversaries (Jeremiah 18:19).

   Second, Christ’s eagerness is seen from His efforts in searching for the man, for the Evangelist says, and when he had found him, he said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" We are said to find what we diligently seek: she seeks diligently, until she finds it (Luke 15:8). It is clear from this that Christ was looking for him alone, because He found more faith in this one man than in all the others. We can see from this that God loves one just person more than ten thousand sinners: I will make men more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir (Isaiah 13:12). And in Genesis, we read that God was willing to spare Sodom for the sake of ten just men (Genesis 17).

   Third, our Lord’s eagerness is seen from the seriousness of His question; he said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" The blind man was a figure of those to be baptized. Thus, the custom arose in the Church of questioning those to be baptized about their faith: Baptism... now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a clean conscience (1 Peter 3:21).

   When asked about his faith, Jesus does not say, "Do you believe in Christ?" but rather, Do you believe in the Son of God? He does this, as Hilary says, to counter the future error of those who would profess Christ yet deny that He is the Son of God and truly God, as Arius did. These words clearly exclude this error, for if Christ were not God, we would not have to believe in Him, since God alone is the object of faith, which rests on the first truth. For I can certainly believe a creature, such as Peter or Paul, yet I do not believe in Peter; I believe in God alone as the object of faith. Thus, it is clear that the Son of God is not a creature: You believe in God, believe also in me (John 14:1).

3. Next, the Evangelist mentions the man’s desire to believe. We must recall that this man had not yet physically seen Christ, for he had not seen Him when Christ anointed his eyes and sent him to the pool of Siloam. When he wanted to return to Jesus, he was detained by the Pharisees and the Jews. However, although he had not physically seen Jesus, he believed that the one who opened his eyes was the Son of God. And so he breaks out in words of desire and intense longing, saying, And who is he, Lord—that is, the Son of God who opened my eyes—that I may believe in him? It is clear from this that he knew some things about Jesus but was ignorant of others. For if he had known nothing, he would not have argued so firmly on His behalf; and if he had not been ignorant of other things, he certainly would not have asked, Who is he, Lord? My soul yearns for you in the night (Isaiah 26:9), that is, in the night of ignorance.

4. Because Wisdom goes about seeking those worthy of her , Christ reveals Himself to the man who desired Him, saying, You have seen him, and it is he who talks with you. Here, Christ gives him a teaching of faith. First, He mentions the gift the man received, saying, You have seen him, meaning, "You, who did not see before, have now seen Him." He is saying, in effect, that the man born blind received the ability to see from Him. As it is written, Blessed are the eyes which see what you see (Luke 10:23), and, Lord, now let your servant depart in peace... for my eyes have seen your salvation (Luke 2:29). Second, the teaching itself is given when He says, it is he who talks with you. In these last days he has spoken to us by a Son (Hebrews 1:2).

   These words refute the error of Nestorius, who said that in Christ the suppositum of the Son of God is different from the suppositum of the Son of Man. They refute it because the one who spoke these words was born from Mary and was the Son of Man, and this very same one is the Son of God, as our Lord says. Therefore, there are not two supposita in Christ, although the natures are not the same.

5. Then, when the Evangelist says, He said, "I believe, Lord," we see the devout faith of the man born blind. First, he professes with his lips the faith in his heart, saying, I believe, Lord. Man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved (Romans 10:10). Second, he shows it in his conduct: and falling down, he worshiped him. This shows that he believes in the divine nature of Christ, because those whose consciences have been cleansed know Christ not only as the Son of Man, which was externally obvious, but as the Son of God, who had taken on flesh. For worship is due to God alone: You will adore the Lord, your God (Deuteronomy 6:13).

6. Next, with the words, And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world," the devotion of the man born blind is commended. First, his devotion is commended; second, we see the grumbling of the Jews, at and some of the Pharisees; and then they are answered, at Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin."

7. The man born blind is commended for his faith. We read, For judgment I came into this world.

   Against this, we also read, For God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him (John 3:17).

   I answer that the second statement speaks of the judgment of condemnation, about which we read that they who have done evil will go to the resurrection of judgment (John 5:29), that is, to a judgment of condemnation. God did not send His Son for this purpose at His first coming; He was sent to save us. But here, in the present statement, He is speaking of the judgment of distinction, about which we read, Vindicate me, O Lord, and distinguish my cause (Psalms 43:1). For Jesus came to distinguish the good from the evil.

   The words that follow show this: that they who do not see, may see, and that they who see, may become blind. According to Augustine, those who think they see do not see, and those who do not think they see, do see. We are said to be spiritually blind insofar as we sin: Their wickedness blinded them . Thus, one who does not recognize his own sins regards himself as seeing, while one who recognizes himself as a sinner regards himself as not seeing. The first is characteristic of the proud; the second, of the humble.

   So the meaning is this: I have come to distinguish the humble from the proud, so that the humble, who do not see—that is, who regard themselves as sinners—may see, having been illuminated by faith, and that they who see—that is, the proud—may become blind, that is, may remain in the darkness.

8. Chrysostom understands this passage in terms of the judgment of condemnation, so that the statement, For judgment I came into this world, is not understood in a causal sense but indicates a sequence of events. This is like saying that after my coming into the world, the judgment of condemnation increases for some. Elsewhere, we find something similar: This child is set for the falling and rising of many in Israel (Luke 2:34), not because Christ is the cause of their fall, but because their fall is a consequence of His coming. He adds, that they who do not see—that is, the Gentiles, who lacked the light of divine knowledge—may see, that is, be admitted to the knowledge of God. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light (Isaiah 9:2). And that they who see—namely, the Jews, who did have a knowledge of God, for in Judah God is known (Psalms 76:1)—may become blind, that is, fall away from the knowledge of God. The Apostle explicitly mentions this: The Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it (Romans 9:30).

9. Now we see the grumbling of the Jews. They had understood our Lord’s words in a physical sense because they had seen the man born blind physically restored to sight and had thought that our Lord was concerned only with the light in his eyes rather than in his mind. And so they believed He was warning and threatening them with physical blindness when He said, may become blind. Therefore, the Evangelist says, And some of the Pharisees, who were with him, heard him say the words above.

   He says, who were with him, to show their vacillation, for sometimes they were with Him because of the miracles they saw, and then would leave when the truth was made known to them: They believe for a while, and in time of tribulation fall away (Luke 8:13). And they said to him, "Are we also blind?"—that is, physically? Yet they were spiritually blind: Let them alone; they are blind guides (Matthew 15:14).

10. Next, we see the Jews silenced. According to Augustine, this shows the meaning of the previous passage—that our Lord was referring to spiritual blindness. He says, If you were blind—that is, if you thought you were blind, recognizing your sin out of humility—you would not have sin, because you would be running to the remedy. For sin is taken away by grace, which is given only to the humble: God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). But now you say, "We see"—that is, proudly thinking that you do see, you do not recognize that you are sinners—so your sin remains, that is, it is not taken away. God opposes the proud (James 4:6).

    Chrysostom understands this passage as referring to physical blindness. The meaning is then: If you were blind, physically, you would not have sin, because since blindness is a physical defect, it does not have the nature of sin. But now you say, "We see," so your sin is clear, because while seeing the miracles that I perform, you do not believe me. Blind the heart of this people (Isaiah 6:10).

    Here is another explanation. If you were blind—that is, ignorant of the judgments of God and of the sacraments of the law—you would not have sin, or at least, your sin would not be as great. It is as if to say, "If you were sinning out of ignorance, your sin would not be so serious." But now you say, "We see"—that is, you arrogate to yourselves an understanding of the law and a knowledge of God, and still you sin—then your sin remains, that is, it becomes greater. That servant who knew his master’s will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating (Luke 12:47).