THE EIGHT SIGNS OF JOHN'S GOSPEL
109
Before Rejection.
After Rejection.
No Wine.
Caught and had nothing.
At the point of death.
Dead and buried.
Impotent for thirty-eight
Blind from birth.
years.
While the Lord tells His disciples that the cause of the man's blindness was neither his own sin nor that of his
parents, the dispensational application is found in the closing words of the chapter:
`For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be
made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with Him heard these words, and said unto Him, Are we
blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye would have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your
sin remaineth' (John 9:39-41).
We observed in our consideration of the corresponding sign that John is careful to tell us what the name of the
pool (Bethesda) was in the Hebrew tongue. Something similar occurs again in this sign. `Go, wash in the Pool of
Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing' (verse 7). The
narrative of this remarkable cure is held up half way for the sake of the meaning of a name. That name therefore
must have a bearing upon the meaning of the sign, otherwise the parenthesis is unwarranted.
SENT. Is the reader aware that around this word the whole of the Gospel of John is written? that the sin of Israel
was the rejection of the Sent One, just as their salvation will be found in His reception. As the two words rendered
`sent' occur some sixty times, we can only give an indication of their usage:
`He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God' (John 3:34).
`He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me' (John 5:24).
`The works ... bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me' (John 5:36).
`I came ... to do ... the will of Him that sent Me' (John 6:38-40).
`My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent Me' (John 7:16).
In chapters 8 to 17 the word recurs. In that impressive chapter 17 the word comes seven times:
`And this is aionion life, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent'
(John 17:3).
No one but the Sent One can give life to the dead, or sight to the blind. We find in the next sign that the Lord,
beside the tomb, audibly addressed the Father because of the people that stood by, saying `that they may believe that
Thou has sent Me' (11:42). There was much division among the people over this miracle. Wilful rejection is now
evident. `If any man did confess that He was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue' (9:22).
The questions which were put to the man born blind were used to lead him on in the truth. First he says, `The
man that is called Jesus, etc.' (verse 11). Then upon being more directly questioned he answered, `He is a prophet'
(17). Upon the third interrogation the man waxes warm, `I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore
would ye hear it again? Will ye also be his disciples? ... if this man were not of God, He could do nothing' (27-33).
This could not be tolerated. `Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out'
(34). As in the parallel sign, the Lord finds the man a second time, and the great revelation is made. `And when He
had found him, He said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? ... Lord I believe. And he worshipped Him'
(35-38). This is immediately followed by the reference to judgment, sin, and blindness, already quoted.
There is significance in the fact that the blind man was cast out before he believed that Jesus was the Son of God.
The nation as such denied this truth. Only a few and an outcast few saw this light of life. It is also highly suggestive