John 9:16

Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. THEREFORE SAID SOME OF THE PHARISEES, THIS MAN IS NOT OF GOD, BECAUSE HE KEEPETH NOT THE SABBATH DAY. OTHERS - as Nicodemus and Joseph, "said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was division among them....

16._How can a man who is a sinner do these things? _The word _sinner _is employed here, as in many other passages, to denote a person of immoral conduct and a despiser of God. Why doth your Master eat with publicans and sinners? (Mark 2:16.) That is, “Why doth your Master eat with men of ungodly and wicked lives, whose baseness is stamped with universal infamy?” For from the violation of the Sabbath the enemies of Christ inferred that he was a profane person, and destitute of all religion. Those who stand neutral and judge more candidly, on the other hand, conclude that he is a good and religious man, because God has endued him with remarkable power to work miracles. And yet the argument does not appear to be quite conclusive; for God sometimes permits false prophets to perform some miracles, and we know that Satan

13-17 Christ not only worked miracles on the sabbath, but in such a manner as would give offence to the Jews, for he would not seem to yield to the scribes and Pharisees. Their zeal for mere rites consumed the substantial matters of religion; therefore Christ would not give place to them. Also, works of necessity and mercy are allowed, and the sabbath rest is to be kept, in order to the sabbath work. How many blind eyes have been opened by the preaching of the gospel on the Lord's day! how many impotent souls cured on that day! Much unrighteous and uncharitable judging comes from men's adding their own fancies to God's appointments. How perfect in wisdom and holiness was our Redeemer, when his enemies could find nothing against him, but the oft-refuted charge of breaking the sabbath! May we be enabled, by well-doing, to silence the ignorance of foolish men....

Verse John 9:16. _THIS MAN IS NOT OF GOD_] He can neither be the _Messiah_, nor a _prophet_, for he has broken the Sabbath. The Jews always argued falsely on this principle. The law relative to the observation of the Sabbath never forbade any work but what was of the _servile_ and _unnecessary_ kind. Works of _necessity_ and _mercy_ never could be forbidden on that day by him whose _name_ is _mercy_, and whose _nature_ is _love_; for the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath; were it _otherwise_, the Sabbath would be rather a _curse_ than a _blessing_. _HOW CAN A MAN THAT IS A SINNER_, c.] They knew very well that though magicians and impostors might do things apparently miraculous, yet nothing _really good_ could be performed by them. We might have safely defied all the magicia

THIS MAN IS NOT OF GOD - Is not sent by God, or cannot be a friend of God. BECAUSE HE KEEPETH NOT THE SABBATH-DAY - They assumed that their views of the Sabbath were correct, and by those views they judged others. It did not occur to them to inquire whether the interpretation which they put on the law might not be erroneous. Men often assume their own interpretations of the Scriptures to be infallible, and then judge and condemn all others by those interpretations. A SINNER - A deceiver; an impostor. They reasoned conclusively that God would not give the power of working such miracles to an impostor. The miracles were such as could not be denied, nor did even the enemies of Jesus attempt to deny them or to explain them away. They were open, public, frequent. And this shows that they could not deny their reality. Had it been possible, they would have done it; b

EXPOSITION These chapters (9. and 10.) bring the conflict with the Jews to a climax before the commencement of the Peraean ministry. They are doubtless closely connected with what has preceded; but the note of time (John 10:22) implies an interval of some months of intense activity elsewhere—to have carried on the ministry of Christ from the Feast of Tabernacles to the winter. If John 10:22 points back, as Westcott argues by alteration of the Received Text and by special translation, to the preceding discourse, we are compelled to dissociate the cure of the blind man from the teaching of John 8:1., and to regard the opening verse of John 9:1. a

WHEREFORE SAID SOME OF THE PHARISEES,.... Or sanhedrim, for they were not all of one mind, as appears by what follows: THIS MAN IS NOT OF GOD; meaning not the blind man, but Jesus; and their sense is, he is not sent of God, he does not come from him to do his will and work, nor does he seek his glory, nor is he on his side, or for his interest; BECAUSE HE KEEPETH NOT THE SABBATH DAY: this they concluded from his making clay of spittle, and spreading it on the blind man's eyes, which was contrary to the traditions of their elders: one of whose rules and canons is n, that "it is forbidden to put fasting spittle even on the eyelid on a sabbath day.'' An eye salve, or a plaster for the eye, if it was put on for pleasure, was lawful, but not for healing o: but if it was put on, on the evening of the sabbath, it might continue on the sabbath day p. OTHERS SAID, HOW CAN A MAN THAT IS A SIN...

John 9:1. _And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind_ Christ's disciples were often inquisitive even when their Master was bent upon giving proofs of his practical benevolence. Fools may sometimes ask questions which wise men may not think it proper to answer; but on this occasion, our Saviour gave an answer to the enquiry which his disciples had put to him. John 9:3. _Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents : but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work._ Think of our Lord being under the necessity of working: «I mus

SINNER SIN (_ See Scofield) - (Romans 3:23). _...

CHAPTER 9 _ 1. The Man Born Blind, Healed. (John 9:1 .)_ 2. The Healed Man Questioned. (John 9:8 .) 3. Reviled and Cast Out. (John 9:27 .) 4. Jesus Reveals Himself to Him. (John 9:35 .) The healing of the man born blind is a type and an illustration of how Christ, the Light, communicates light and how he who follows the Light walks no more in darkness, but has the light of life. (John 8:12 .) And before He healed the man He testified that His day of activity on earth as Man was rapidly drawing to its close. ...