Summary: Jesus' claim to be the light of the world doesn't simply put him above it all. Rather it puts him in the midst of it all, even amid people's problems and divisions.
Some key words:
ημαρτεν (aorist form of αμαρτανω, meaning "sin", 9:2 and 9:3) A few comments here
- The Pharisees want to ascribe sin as the cause for problems in this man's life. Jesus says that this problem is really an opportunity for God's glory. There is always a tendency in us to ascribe God's judgement to a situation rather than see things as an opportunity for transformation and God's goodness.
- Afterwards the Pharisee's obsession with sin and the law means they cannot see God's goodness at work. Even after the healing, they shun the man. This is a passage that personally challenges me. I can easily find fault in situations rather the see God's goodness.
του πεμψαντος (from πεμπω, "to send"; substantive participle here meaning "the one who sent", 9:4) The idea of "sending" is crucial in all of the Gospels, but especially in John. After the resurrection, Jesus is the one who sends (πεμπω) the disciples as the Father has sent him (20:21). Jesus also promises that he will send the Spirit (15:26; although in 14:26, it is the Father who will send). That this is not random is reinforced by the use of the word:
Σιλωαμ/απεσταλμενος (Siloam and apostalmenos, Hebrew and Greek for "sent", 9:7) The pool's name is "sent"; John makes sure we catch this by adding the translation. The Father has sent Jesus who sends the man to the pool called "sent" to be healed. A couple of thoughts
- Baptism is a pool called sent for all of us!
- The Christian life is one of being sent in Christ's name to announce (and deliver) God's healing.
- In order to be healed we must be sent, which includes taking a risk at the obedience of God.
επτυσεν /πτυσματος ( "spit" (aorist form) and "saliva", 9:6) In order for Jesus to give man sight -- to be the light of the world -- he must spit. John uses the word as a noun and verb to make sure we picked this up.
οφθαλμος ("eye", 9:6) This word appears 10 times in these verses. I especially like the phrase "open my/your eye." I can't help but think that John wants to draw attention to the physicality of everything. Jesus is literally touching this man's eyes!
νιψαι ("wash", from νιπτω, 9:7) This word comes back into John's Gospel at another interesting juncture: When Jesus washes their feet! Again a reminder that being the light of the world, washing people, is a very humble and earthly task.
Εγω ειμι ("I am" but "It's me!", 9:9) The man emphatically says "I am" when people begin to question whether he was the former blind beggar. This is a reminder that in Greek, one uses the pronoun with conjugated verb for emphasis, because the conjugated verb already contains the subject. In this case though, I cannot help but wonder if there isn't something more playfully subtle going on here, whereby the healed man is now carrying Jesus inside of him -- that Jesus is speaking through the man to say "I am he." It is a stretch, but the artistry of John is so good, I can't help but wonder about such things.
τον ποτε τυφλον (literally the formerly blind one (in accusative case), 9:13) It is interesting how the man is not called "the one who now sees" but the "one formerly blind." He continues to be identified by his disability rather than his capacity.
αποσυνάγωγος (literally apo-synagogos, meaning "banish from synagogues", 9:22) This word appears three times in the Gospel of John (12:42, 16:2) John is the only biblical writer to use the word. It is hard not to imagine that this was becoming an issue for people as John's Gospel was being written -- that claiming Christ was getting people kicked out of their religious communities. It is a reminder that claiming Christ has a cost.
ευρων (from ευρισκω, "find", 9:35) In the very next story, Jesus talks about how he is the good shepherd. Well, in the Gospel of Luke we hear about a shepherd that finds lost sheep. Here Jesus is finding lost sheep.
φος ("light", 9:5) One can go many directions with light. It is interesting to see where the word light appears in John's Gospel. Almost all the time there is a contrast of living in the dark vs living in the light. The Jesus of John's Gospel is a prophet in many ways, who speaks out against the church and culture of his da; he is not afraid to tell the leaders of his culture they are in the dark.
Here are the light passages in John that reference light vs dark
John 1:5: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it
John 3:19: This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.
John 8 Jesus says he is the light of the world, but immediate the pharisees protest against this
John 11:9-10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.
John 12:35-37 Jesus said to them, "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them. Although he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him.
John 12:46
I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness.
ευρων (from ευρισκω, "find", 9:35) In the very next story, Jesus talks about how he is the good shepherd. Well, in the Gospel of Luke we hear about a shepherd that finds lost sheep. Here Jesus is finding lost sheep.
φος ("light", 9:5) One can go many directions with light. It is interesting to see where the word light appears in John's Gospel. Almost all the time there is a contrast of living in the dark vs living in the light. The Jesus of John's Gospel is a prophet in many ways, who speaks out against the church and culture of his da; he is not afraid to tell the leaders of his culture they are in the dark.
Here are the light passages in John that reference light vs dark
John 1:5: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it
John 3:19: This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.
John 8 Jesus says he is the light of the world, but immediate the pharisees protest against this
John 11:9-10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.
John 12:35-37 Jesus said to them, "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them. Although he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him.
John 12:46
I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness.
Does this produce an unfair (and unhelpful in our current environment) dichotomy of who is in the light and who is in the dark? The propositions suggest a light/dark universe. But the narrative suggests that walking in the light is a process in which even the faithful stumble. The man encounters Jesus, is sent to a pool, endures lots of people misunderstanding him, harassment of his family and finally meeting Jesus again in the temple.
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