John ix. 1; 2

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?

[1.] And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man which was blind from his birth. Being full of love for man, and caring for our salvation, and desiring to stop the mouths of the foolish, He omitteth nothing of His own part, though there be none to give heed. And the Prophet knowing this saith, That Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou art judged. ( Ps. li. 4 .)  Wherefore here, when they would not receive His sublime sayings, but said that He had a devil, and attempted to kill Him, He went forth from the Temple, and healed the blind, mitigating their rage by His absence, and by working the miracle softening their hardness and cruelty, and establishing His assertions. And He worketh a miracle which was no common one, but one which took place then for the first time. Since the world began, saith he who was healed, was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. ( Ver. 32 .) Some have, perhaps, opened the eyes of the blind, but of one born blind never. And that on going out of the Temple, He proceeded intentionally to the work, is clear from this; it was He who saw the blind man, not the blind man who came to Him; and so earnestly did He look upon him, that even His disciples perceived it. From this, at least, they came to question Him; for when they saw Him earnestly regarding the man, they asked Him, saying, Who did sin, this man, or his parents? A mistaken question, for how could he sin before he was born? and how, if his parents had sinned, would he have been punished? Whence then came they to put this question? Before, when He healed the paralytic, He said, Behold, thou art made whole, sin no more. ( c. v. 14 .) They therefore, having understood that he was palsied on account of sin, said, Well, that other was palsied because of his sins; but concerning this man, what wouldest Thou say? hath he sinned? It is not possible to say so, for he is blind from his birth. Have his parents sinned? Neither can one say this, for the child suffers not punishment for the father. As therefore when we see a child evil entreated, we exclaim, What can one say of this? what has the child done? not as asking a question, but as being perplexed, so the disciples spake here, not so much asking for information, as being in perplexity. What then saith Christ?

Ver. 3 . Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents.

This He saith not as acquitting them of sins, for He saith not simply, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents, but addeth, that he should have been born blind ¹⁵⁰⁵

1505 not in N.T.

1506 Amaziah, 2 Kings xiv. 6

1507 i.e. show not the children.

That the glory ¹⁵⁰⁸

1508 the works, N.T.

1509 in Him, N.T.

Lo, here again is another difficulty, if without this man's punishment, it was not possible that the glory of God should be shown. Certainly it is not said that it was impossible, for it was possible, but, that it might be manifested even in this man. What, saith some one, did he suffer wrong for the glory of God? What wrong, tell me? For what if God had never willed to produce him at all? But I assert that he even received benefit from his blindness: since he recovered the sight of the eyes within. What were the Jews profited by their eyes? They incurred the heavier punishment, being blinded even while they saw. And what injury had this man by his blindness? For by means of it he recovered sight. As then the evils of the present life are not evils, so neither are the good things good; sin alone is an evil, but blindness is not an evil. And He who had brought this man from not being into being, had also power to leave him as he was.

[2.] But some say, that this conjunction ¹⁵¹⁰

1510 i.e. that the glory, &c.

1511 πηρώματα

But when He said, That the glory of God might be manifested, He spake of Himself, not of the Father; His ¹⁵¹²

1512 i.e. The Father's.

And after this the rest also followed; from the part, the whole was proved, since the belief of the greater also confirmed the less. For man is more honorable than any created thing, and of our members the most honorable is the eye. This is the cause that He fashioned the eyes, not in a common manner, but in the way that He did. For though that member be small in size, yet it is more necessary than any part of the body. And this Paul showed when he said, If the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? ( 1 Cor. xii. 16 .) For all indeed that is in us is a manifestation of the wisdom of God, but much more the eye; this it is that guides the whole body, this gives beauty to it all, this adorns the countenance, this is the light of all the limbs. What the sun is in the world, that the eye is in the body; quench the sun, and you destroy and confound all things; quench the eyes, and the feet, the hands, the soul, are useless. When these are disabled, even knowledge is gone, since by means of these we know God. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. ( Rom. i. 20 .) Wherefore the eye is not only a light to the body, but beyond the body to the soul also. On which account it is established as in a royal fortress, obtaining the higher condition, and presiding over the other senses. This then Christ forms.

And that thou mayest not deem that He needeth matter when He worketh, and that thou mayest learn that He had not need at all of clay, (for He who brought into being the greater existences when as yet they were not, would much more have made this without matter,) that I say thou mayest learn that He did not this through necessity, but to show that He was the Creator at the beginning, when He had spread on the clay He saith, Go, wash, that thou mayest know that I need not clay to create eyes, but that My glory may be manifested hereby. For to show that He spake of Himself when He said, That the glory of God may be manifested, He added,

Ver. 4 . I must work the works of Him that sent Me.

That is, I must manifest Myself, and do the things which may show that I do the same things with the Father; not things similar, but, the same, an expression which marks greater unvaryingness, and which is used of those who do not differ ever so little. Who then after this will face Him, when he seeth that He hath the same power with the Father? For not only did He form or open eyes, but gave also the gift of sight, which is a proof that He also breathed in the soul. Since if that did not work, the eye, though perfected, could never see anything; so that He gave both the energy ¹⁵¹³

1513 al. noble birth.

I must work while it is day.

What mean these words? To what conclusion do they lead? To an important one. For what He saith is of this kind. While it is day, while men may believe on Me, while this life lasteth, I must work.

The night cometh, that is, futurity, when no man can work.

He said not, when I cannot work, but, when no man can work: that is, when there is no longer faith, nor labors, nor repentance. For to show that He calleth faith, a work, when they say unto Him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? ( c. vi. 28 ), He replieth, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent. How then can no man work this work in the future world? ¹⁵¹⁴

1514 τότε

The night cometh. Next He showeth, that even after the Crucifixion He would care for the ungodly, and bring many to Himself. For it is yet day. But after that, He entirely cutteth them off, and declaring this, He saith,

Ver. 5 . As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.

[3.] As also He said to others, Believe while the light is with you. ¹⁵¹⁵

1515 not verbally quoted.

1516 διὰ τὸ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀνενέργητον . Meaning, perhaps, Because there is no place for the ‘ work ' of repentance, faith, and obedience in the next world, when any through sin have neglected it in this.

If now in order to have here well-lighted and airy houses, we expend immense sums, building and toiling, consider how we ought to spend our very bodies themselves, that glorious houses may be built for us in the heavens where is that Light ineffable. Here there are strifes and contentions about boundaries and walls, but there will be nothing of the kind there, no envy, no malice, no one will dispute with us about settling boundaries. This dwelling too we assuredly needs must leave, but that abideth with us forever; this must decay by time, and be exposed to innumerable injuries, but that must remain without growing old perpetually; this a poor man cannot build, but that other one may build with two mites, as did the widow. Wherefore I choke with grief, that when so many blessings are laid before us, we are slothful, and despise them; we use every exertion to have splendid houses here, but how to gain in heaven so much as a little resting-place, we care not, we think not. For tell me, where wouldest thou have thy dwelling here? In the wilderness, or in one of the smaller cities? I think not; but in some of the most royal and grand cities, where the traffic is more, where the splendor is greater. But I will lead thee into such a City, whose Builder and Maker is God; there I exhort thee to found and build, at less cost [with less labor ¹⁵¹⁷

1517 om. in some mss.

1518 δῆμον

1519 or, for all these reasons.

1520 al. those [things].

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