John 9:3 — Community Reflections

JOHN 9:3 — KING JAMES VERSION 0

“Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him — Jesus rejects both possible sources of sin ('neither this man sinned, nor his parents') and reframes the blindness entirely. It is not a punishment but an occasion: 'that the works of God should be made manifest in him.' The blindness exists so that God's works (erga, deeds, particularly miraculous works) might be revealed. This is a radical reorientation: physical affliction becomes a canvas for divine action. The man's suffering serves a greater purpose—the revelation of God's power and Jesus's identity.

Church Fathers on John 9:3

The Jews having rejected Christ’s words, because of their depth, He went out of the temple, and healed the blind man; that His absence might appease their fury, and the miracle soften their hard hearts, and convince their unbelief. And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man which was blind from his birth. It is to be remarked here that, on going out of the temple, He betook Himself intently to this manifestation of His power. He first saw the blind man, not the blind man Him: and…
Chrysostom · 4th century

Mystically, our Lord, after being banished from the minds of the Jews, passed over to the Gentiles. The passage or journey here is His descent from heaven to earth, where He saw the blind man, i.e. looked with compassion on the human race.
Bede · 8th century

For the blind man here is the human race. Blindness came upon the first man by reason of sin: and from him we all derive it: i.e. man is blind from his birth.
Augustine · 4th century

Read all 18 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain

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