Jesus heard that the Pharisees had thrown the man out who was blind from birth, for he wasn’t going along with what the Pharisees wanted. When He caught up with the man, the man came to believe in Him and worshipped Him. This brings us to verse 39; why doesn’t anyone ever quote it?
Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
John 9:39
I would expect that if my next post was titled “Jesus Came to Judge the World” many, probably most, of you would object, but there you are in His own words! Of course He also said that He had not come to judge, as the atheists like to point out as they search for something to claim is a contradiction.
What shall we say then?
This is an unusual context, isn’t it? Jesus is playing on these words to show that the Pharisees have condemned themselves by their ruthless arrogance, for they claim to know all and see all, and yet when confronted with an amazing manifestation of the power and glory of God, as they were when this poor man received his sight, all they can think of is how to downplay the whole thing so they can keep their influence. So they conjure up their little investigation into the facts of the case, but not before they have already determined its outcome, and in the end, they have kicked the once blind man out of the assembly because he had the audacity to tell the truth.
There were some Pharisees present who overheard this exchange; look at their condescension:
Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” (v. 40)
Can you imagine having that much attitude at that precise moment? Jesus explained:
Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. (v. 41)
In a simple one-liner Jesus smashes any hope they might have of saving the situation. Have you ever noticed that often it is the very person or persons who should know best, who refuse to accept the obvious if it proves a threat to their position and influence? Since they admit they have the knowledge, that they should know better, they cannot claim innocence, no, not ever.
Life Project Blog 
Long ago I came to a conclusion that we are all disabled. Yet we choose to view any “common disability” as a normal ability. That thought came back with the “blindness” of these verses. That we call the blind disabled, yet call our inability “to see” (what to others is perfectly obvious) just another normal/rational/defendable/go to war over-able “ability”. Always found that whole topic very odd.
I hadn’t thought of it that way… interesting 🙂
A observation. Jesus came that those fellows could see and not be blind. He loved them and came to die for them. Today there is still those same folks acting that way. Heck sometimes I get there myself. Because I am so feeble though and He loves me so much usually The Holy Spirit checks me. I listen most of the time eventually . I am a slow learner. Point is so many will stumble over that cornerstone, so many will remain blind and deaf unable to hear. God still loves them and his desire that not one of them would be lost. Jesus’s final words. Forgive them Father they no not what they do.I enjoyed reading this post very much. I have been giving some thought to what Jesus was saying in verse 39.
This passing from darkness to light, and from light to darkness, suggests thoughts which our Lord has already uttered in John 3:17-19, and which will meet us again more fully in John 12:37-50. (See Notes on these passages.) Judgment is not the ultimate end of His coming, for He came to save the world; but it is an end, and therefore a result. The special form of the word rendered “judgment” in this place is used nowhere else by St. John, and indicates that what is here thought of is not the act of judging, but the concrete result—the sentence pronounced after judgment. His coming was a bringing light into the darkness of men’s hearts, a testing of the false and the true, and as men accepted or rejected Him they pronounced a judicial sentence upon themselves. That light judged no man, and yet by it every man was judged.
This passing from darkness to light, and from light to darkness, suggests thoughts which our Lord has already uttered in John 3:17-19, and which will meet us again more fully in John 12:37-50. (See Notes on these passages.) JUDGMENT IS NOT THE ULTIMATE END OF HIS COMING, FOR HE CAME TO SAVE THE WORLD; BUT IT IS AN END, AND THEREFORE A RESULT. THE SPECIAL FORM OF THE WORD RENDERED “JUDGMENT” IN THIS PLACE IS USED NOWHERE ELSE BY ST. JOHN, AND INDICATES THAT WHAT IS HERE THOUGHT OF IS NOT THE ACT OF JUDGING, BUT THE CONCRETE RESULT—THE SENTENCE PRONOUNCED AFTER JUDGMENT. HIS COMING WAS A BRINGING LIGHT INTO THE DARKNESS OF MEN’S HEARTS, A TESTING OF THE FALSE AND THE TRUE, AND AS MEN ACCEPTED OR REJECTED HIM THEY PRONOUNCED A JUDICIAL SENTENCE UPON THEMSELVES. THAT LIGHT JUDGED NO MAN, AND YET BY IT EVERY MAN WAS JUDGED.
That they which see not might see.—The force of these words lies in the fact that the phrases, “they which see not” and “they which see,” are to be interpreted as from their own point of view—“That they which think they see not might really see; and that they which think they see might really be made blind.”
We have choices to make. Its that freewill thing. I have to be careful of the choices I make and words I use. They can bring life or death.
Quite so!
Spiritual blindness: topic of intriguing proportions. vw
It is indeed!