John 9:39

And Jesus said, 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 JESUS SAID - perhaps at the same time, but after a crowd, including some of the sceptical and scornful rulers, had, on seeing Jesus talking with the healed youth, hastened to the spot. FOR JUDGMENT I AM COME [OR 'CAME I' eelthon (G2064 )] THAT THEY WHICH SEE NOT MIGHT SEE - rising to that sight of which the natural vision communicated to the youth was but the symbol (see the note at John 9:5, and compare Luke 4:18). AND THAT THEY WHICH SEE MIGHT BE MADE BLIND - judicially inc...

39._For judgment am I come into this world. _The word _judgment _cannot be understood, in this passage, to denote simply the punishment which is inflicted on unbelievers, (276) and on those who despise God; for it is made to include the grace of illumination. Christ, therefore, calls it _judgment_, because he restores to proper order what was disordered and confused; but he means that this is done by a wonderful purpose of God, and contrary to the ordinary opinion of men. And, indeed, human reason considers nothing to be more unreasonable than to say, that _they who see are made blind _by the light of the world. This then is one of the secret judgments of God, by which he casts down the pride of men. It ought to be observed, that the _blindness _which is here mentioned, does not proceed so much from Christ as from the fault of men. For by its own nature, it does not strictly _blind _a

39-41 Christ came into the world to give sight to those who were spiritually blind. Also, that those who see might be made blind; that those who have a high conceit of their own wisdom, might be sealed up in ignorance. The preaching of the cross was thought to be folly by such as by carnal wisdom knew not God. Nothing fortifies men's corrupt hearts against the convictions of the word, more than the high opinion which others have of them; as if all that gained applause with men, must obtain acceptance with God. Christ silenced them. But the sin of the self-conceited and self-confident remains; they reject the gospel of grace, therefore the guilt of their sin remains unpardoned, and the power of their sin remains unbroken....

Verse 39. _FOR JUDGMENT I AM COME_] I am come to manifest and execute the just judgment of God: 1. By giving _sight_ to the _blind_, and _light_ to the _Gentiles_ who sit in darkness. 2. By removing the true light from those who, pretending to make a proper use of it, only abuse the mercy of God. In a word, _salvation_ shall be taken away from the _Jews_, because they _reject_ it; and the _kingdom of God_ shall be given to the _Gentiles_....

FOR JUDGMENT - The word “judgment,” here, has been by some understood in the sense of condemnation - “The effect of my coming is to condemn the world. But this meaning does not agree with those places where Jesus says that he came not to condemn the world, John 3:17; John 12:47; John 5:45. To judge is to express an opinion in a judicial manner, and also to express any sentiment about any person or thing, John 7:24; John 5:30; Luke 8:43. The meaning here may be thus expressed: “I

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

AND JESUS SAID, FOR JUDGMENT I AM COME INTO THIS WORLD,.... The Syriac version reads, "for the judgment of this world I am come"; and with which agrees the Ethiopic version, "for the judgment of the world I am come into the world"; and the Arabic and Persic versions still more expressly, "to judge this world", or "the world, am I come"; which seems contrary to what Christ elsewhere says, John 3:17. Nor is the sense of the words that Christ came by the judgment of God, or the order of divine providence, or to administer justice in the government of the world, in a providential way, or to distinguish his own people from others, though all these are true; but either to fulfil the purpose and decree of God in revealing truth to some, and hiding it from others; or in a way of judgment to inflict judicial blindness on some, whilst in a way of mercy he illuminated others. So Nonnus interprets i...

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? Jesus answered Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him._ We are not to look upon such afflictions as any indication of special sin on the part either of the person or the parent. Of course, sin lies at the root of all our suffering as a grit generic fact, but not so that we may attribute such an affliction to any one sin. The disciples, you see, dear friends, are thinking about difficult problems. Their Master is thinking about how, practically, to meet the difficulty, and to this day there are a large number of Christians, professors, and even ministers, who occupy their time about questions which really are to no profit. If they could be...

WORLD Greek, "kosmos", means "mankind". (_ See Scofield) - (Matthew 4:8). _...

JOHN 9:38-39 o` de. e;fh … kai. ei=pen o` VIhsou/j {B} Several witnesses lack the words o` de. e;fh( Pisteu,w ku,rie\ kai. proseku,nhsen auvtw|/) kai. ei=pen o` VIhsou/j (î75 a* W itb, (1) copach; Diatessaronv lacks verses John 9:38 and John 9:39 entirely 13). Since e;fh is rare in John (only at...