John 9:39–41

John 9:39-41 - Daily Devotion - 2 May 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 39 Then Jesus declared, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.”40 Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this, and they asked Him, “Are we blind too?”41 “If you were blind,” Jesus replied, “you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”REFLECTIONSWritten by Ness WongToday’s passage concludes the story of John 9 with irony – “that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.” (v 39). Jesus had not just healed a blind man of his physical blindness, but enlightened him spiritually to see and believe in the Son of Man. This healed blind man contrasted starkly with the Pharisees. Although the Pharisees claimed to know God’s law (v 14-16), though they had seen the miraculous evidence of Jesus’ divine power (v 16, 18-20), and though they had heard the blind man’s testimony twice (v 24, 27), they remained blinded to the reality that Jesus indeed was sent from God. And so – Jesus warned them – they remained guilty of their sins and would be judged.At first, I marvelled at the Pharisees’ hard-heartedness. I traced through Jesus’ lengthy dialogue with the Pharisees in John 7–10. He warned them repeatedly that they would die in their sins if they did not repent and believe in Him (John 8:24). While Jesus’ warnings may come across as harsh, each challenge was also a gracious invitation to ask Him for forgiveness and be freed from sin (John 8:34-36). Then I was also struck by my own stubbornness of heart. Although I have sought Jesus’ forgiveness, I often stray back to sinning – particularly in lack of contentment and holding grudges. In this sense I am too much like the Pharisees – I claim to “see”, and I do “see”, but often still act as if I am “blind”. And I heard Jesus calling me to repent.  This passage spurred me to keep praying for people who have had opportunities to hear the gospel and have been encouraged to know Jesus, but have not yet repented and believed – including people in my extended family. I also pray that Jesus will keep opening my eyes to recognise my own sins, and that He will enable me to repent and follow Him. ABOUT THE AUTHORNess is a member of our Fairfield Morning congregation.