Jesus heard that they had cast him out: and when he had found him, he said to him: Dost thou believe in the Son of God?

“(vi. de Trin. circa fin.) If any mere confession whatsoever of Christ were the perfection of faith, it would have been said, Dost thou believe in Christ? But inasmuch as all heretics would have had this name in their mouths, confessing Christ, and yet denying the Son, that which is true of Christ alone, is required of our faith, viz. that we should believe in the Son of God. But what availeth it to believe on the Son of God as being a creature, when we are required to have faith in Christ, not as a creature of God, but as the Son of God.”

“(Hom. lix. 1) Those who suffer for the truth’s sake, and confession of Christ, come to greatest honour; as we see in the instance of the blind man. For the Jews cast him out of the temple, and the Lord of the temple found him; and received him as the judge doth the wrestler after his labours, and crowned him: Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found hint, He saith unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? The Evangelist makes it plain that Jesus came in order to say this to him. He asks him, however, not in ignorance, but wishing to reveal Himself to him, and to shew that He appreciated his faith; as if He said, The people have cast reproaches on Me, but I care not for them; one thing only I care for, that thou mayest believe. Better is he that doeth the will of God, than ten thousand of the wicked.”

“(Tr. xliv. 15) First, He washes the face of his heart. Then, his heart’s face being washed, and his conscience cleansed, he acknowledges Him as not only the Son of man, which he believed before, but as the Son of God, Who had taken flesh upon Him: And he said, Lord, I believe. I believe, is a small thing. Wouldest thou see what he believes of Him? And falling down, he worshipped Him. (Vulgate)”

“After the Evangelist showed how the Jews cast out the blind man who persisted in the truth, here he shows how Jesus received him and instructed him. And first Christ's instruction is set forth; second, the blind man's devotion, at the words "And he said: I believe, Lord"; third, the commendation of his devotion, at the words "Jesus said to him: For judgment I have come into this world." Concerning the first he does three things. First he sets forth Christ's zeal to instruct; second, the blind man's desire to believe, at the words "He answered and said: Who is he, Lord?"; third, the teaching of faith to bring it to completion, at the words "Jesus said to him: You have both seen him." Now Christ's zeal to instruct is described from three things. First, from his diligent consideration of the things that were being done concerning the blind man. For just as a prince diligently considers the things which his athlete suffers on his behalf, so too Christ diligently attended to the things which the blind man was suffering for the truth and for the confession of him. And therefore he says that Jesus heard — that is, diligently attended — that the Pharisees had cast him out, namely, out of the temple; Jeremiah 18:19: "Attend, O Lord, to me, and to the voices of my adversaries." Second, from his diligent seeking; hence he adds: "And when he had found him, he said to him," and so on. For that is said to be found which is diligently sought; Luke 15:8: "She seeks diligently until she finds it." From which it appears that Christ sought him alone, because in him alone he found more of faith than in all the others. Hence it is gathered that one just man is loved more by God than ten thousand sinners; Isaiah 13:12: "A man shall be more precious than gold, and man than the purest gold." And in Genesis 17, the Lord was willing to spare Sodom for the sake of ten just men. Third, from his earnest questioning; hence he said to him: "Do you believe in the Son of God?" This blind man bore the type of those about to be baptized. Hence too the custom grew up in the Church that those about to be baptized are questioned concerning the faith; 1 Peter 3:21: "Baptism... saves us, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the inquiry of a good conscience toward God." Now in questioning about faith he does not say, "Do you believe in Christ?" but "in the Son of God"; because, as Hilary says, it was to come to pass that some would confess Christ, and yet deny that he was the Son of God and God — which Arius afterward devised. Hence by this his error is manifestly excluded. For if Christ were not God, one ought not to believe in him, since God alone is the object of faith, which rests in the first truth. Hence too he says pointedly, "in the Son": for I can indeed believe some creature, for instance Peter and Paul; yet not believe in Peter, but in God alone as the object. Hence it is clear that the Son of God is not a creature; John 14:1: "You believe in God, believe also in me." Here the blind man's desire to believe is set down. Now it must be known concerning this, that this blind man had not yet seen Christ bodily: for when Christ anointed his eyes and sent him to the pool of Siloam, he had not yet seen him; and before he could return to him, after he had washed and seen, he was detained by the Pharisees and the Jews. But although he had not seen him bodily, he nevertheless believed that the one who had opened his eyes was the Son of God. And therefore he breaks out into the words of a soul desiring and earnestly inquiring, saying: "Who is he, Lord?" — namely, the Son of God who opened my eyes — "that I may believe in him?" From which it appears here that he knew him in part, and was ignorant of him in part. For if he had not known him, he would not have argued so constantly on his behalf; and if he had not been ignorant, he certainly would not have said, "Who is he, Lord?" Isaiah 26:9: "My soul has desired you in the night" — namely, of ignorance. But because, as is said in Wisdom 6:14: "she" — that is, wisdom — "anticipates those who desire her," therefore she shows herself to the blind man who desires her, when he says: "You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you" — in which is set down the teaching of faith, by which Christ instructs him. And first he reminds him of the benefit he has received, saying "and you have seen him" — namely, bodily, you who before saw nothing. As if to say: from him you have received the power of seeing; Luke 10:23: "Blessed are the eyes that see the things which you see"; and Luke 2:29-30: "Now you dismiss your servant, Lord... for my eyes have seen your salvation." Second, the teaching is set down when he says: "and he who speaks with you, it is he"; Hebrews 1:2: "In these last days he has spoken to us in his Son." From these words, therefore, the error of Nestorius is refuted, who said that there is one supposit in Christ of the Son of God, and another of the son of man. For the one who was speaking was born of Mary, and was the son of man; and that very same one who speaks is the Son of God, as the Lord says. There is not, therefore, one and another, although the nature of each is not the same. Consequently, when he says "And he said: I believe, Lord," the devotion of faith in the blind man is set down. And first, the faith which he believes with the heart, he confesses with the mouth, saying "I believe, Lord"; Romans 10:10: "With the heart one believes unto righteousness, but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Second, he professes it in deed; hence, falling down, he worshiped him — by which he shows that he believes in his divine nature, because with conscience cleansed he recognizes him to be not only the son of man, which appeared outwardly, but the Son of God, who had taken on flesh: for worship is owed to God alone; Deuteronomy 6:13: "You shall worship the Lord your God." Consequently, when he says "And Jesus said to him," etc., the blind man's devotion is commended; and first the commendation of the blind man's devotion is set down; second, the murmuring of the Jews, at the words "Some of the Pharisees heard"; third, the refutation of those murmuring, at the words "Jesus said to them: If you were blind, you would not have sin." Now the blind man is commended from the illumination of faith; hence he says: "For judgment I have come into this world." An objection: above, 3:17: "For God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world," and so on. I respond: there he speaks of the judgment of condemnation, of which it is said above, 5:29: "Those who have done evil shall go into the resurrection of judgment" — that is, of condemnation; unto which God did not send his Son in his first coming, but rather to save. But here he speaks of the judgment of discernment, of which it is said in Psalm 42:1: "Judge me, O God, and discern my cause," and so on. For he came for this, that he might discern the good from the evil; and the following words show this, namely: "that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind." For according to Augustine, those do not see who think themselves to see, while those who think themselves not to see, do see. Now men are called blind spiritually insofar as they have sins; Wisdom 2:21: "Their own malice has blinded them." He, therefore, thinks himself to see, who does not recognize his own sins; but he thinks himself not to see, who recognizes himself a sinner. The first is proper to the proud; the second, to the humble. The sense, therefore, is: "I have come for judgment, that those who do not see may see" — that I may discern the humble from the proud. For he was a day discerning between light and darkness, namely so that the humble — who do not see, that is, who think themselves sinners — may see, illumined through faith; and those who see, that is, the proud, may become blind, that is, may remain in darkness. According to Chrysostom, it is expounded of the judgment of condemnation, yet in such a way that what he says, "For judgment I have come into this world," is not to be taken causally, but consequentially; as if he were to say: by my coming into the world, it has followed in certain persons that judgment of condemnation, insofar as in some the cause of condemnation grew greater. A like thing is said in Luke 2:34: "Behold, he is set for the fall and for the rising of many" — not that he himself is the cause of the fall, but because this follows from his coming. And it is added: "that those who do not see" — namely, the Gentiles, lacking the light of divine knowledge — "may see," that is, may be admitted to the knowledge of God; Isaiah 9:2: "The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light"; "and those who see" — namely, the Jews, having the knowledge of God, Psalm 75:2: "God is known in Judea" — "may become blind," that is, may fall away from that very knowledge of God. And this the Apostle expressly touches on, Romans 9:30: "The Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have laid hold of righteousness." Here the murmuring of the Jews is set down: for since they understood the Lord's words in a carnal manner, seeing the blind man bodily illumined, and understanding that the Lord was commending in him only the light of the face and not of the mind, they believed likewise that he was threatening them with bodily blindness, and reproaching them, when he said "may become blind"; and therefore he says that certain of the Pharisees who were with him heard the aforesaid words. Now he says "who were with him" in order to show their instability: because at times they are with him on account of certain miracles which they see, yet nevertheless they withdraw from him when the truth is opened to them; Luke 8:13: "They believe for a while, and in time of temptation they fall away." And they said to him: "Are we also blind?" — namely, bodily; although they were blind spiritually; Matthew 15:14: "Let them be: they are blind, and leaders of the blind." Here the refutation of the Jews is set down; where, according to the exposition of Augustine, the intention of the preceding words is made manifest, namely so that it may be shown of which blindness the Lord speaks — that it is of the spiritual. He says, therefore: "If you were blind" — that is, if you accounted yourselves blind, recognizing through humility your sin — "you would not have sin," because you would run to the remedy. For sin is remitted through grace, which is given only to the humble; James 4:6: "But to the humble he gives grace." "But now you say, We see" — that is, proudly thinking yourselves to see, you do not recognize yourselves as sinners. "Your sin remains" — that is, is not remitted; James 4:6: "God resists the proud." According to Chrysostom, it is expounded of bodily blindness, so that the sense is: "If you were blind" bodily, "you would not have sin" on account of your being blind, because, since it is a bodily defect, it does not have the character of sin. "But now, because you say, We see," your sin is the more convicted; because, seeing with your bodily eyes the miracles which I do, you do not believe me; Isaiah 6:10: "Blind the heart of this people." Or otherwise: "if you were blind," that is, ignorant of the judgments of God and of the sacraments of the law, "you would not have sin" — supply: to such a degree. As if to say: if you sinned out of ignorance, your sin would not be so grave. "But now, because you say, We see" — that is, you arrogate to yourselves the knowledge of the law and the knowledge of God, and yet you sin — therefore "your sin remains," that is, is aggravated; Luke 12:47: "The servant who knew the will of his lord, and did not act according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes."”

“Jesus heard that they had cast him out , &c Christ received him kindly, and rewards his constancy. Having given sight to his body, He now enlightens his mind. In giving him bodily sight, He had cast in some scattered seeds of faith, which He now particularly forms into perfect shape: so as to make him believe, that He whom he looked upon as a mere prophet, for having given him sight, was God also, and the Son of God. The Gloss says, “ The blind man had already a heart prepared to believe, but knew not in whom he had to believe.” This, in answer to his question, he learns from Christ Christ took trouble to find him in the place, where He knew he was. It is the part of a good shepherd to seek fora wandering Digitized by V^rOOQie 352 sheep, who cannot by itself come back into the right way. “ They expel,” says & Augustine (in loc .), “ the Lord receives, and he becomes a Christian, even the more because he was expelled.” Believest thou t Christ did not demand faith from the blind man for the healing of his body, but He does for the healing of his soul : for, as S. Augustine says (Serm. xv. de Verb. Apost .), “ He who made thee without thyself, doth not justify thee without thyself: He made thee without thy knowledge, He justifies thee through thy will””

“In these verses we may observe, I. The tender care which our Lord Jesus took of this poor man (Joh 9:35): When Jesus heard that they had cast him out (for it is likely the town rang of it, and everybody cried out shame upon them for it), then he found him, which implies his seeking him and looking after him, that he might encourage and comfort him, 1. Because he had, to the best of his knowledge, spoken so very well, so bravely, so boldly, in defence of the Lord Jesus. Note, Jesus Christ will be sure to stand by his witnesses, and own those that own him and his truth and ways. Earthly princes neither do, nor can, take cognizance of all that vindicate them and their government and administration; but our Lord Jesus knows and observes all the faithful testimonies we bear to him at any time, and a book of remembrance is written, and it shall redound not only to our credit hereafter, but our comfort now. 2. Because the Pharisees had cast him out and abused him. Besides the common regard which the righteous Judge of the world has to those who suffer wrongfully (Psa 103:6), there is a particular notice taken of those that suffer in the cause of Christ and for the testimony of a good conscience. Here was one poor man suffering for Christ, and he took care that as his afflictions abounded his consolations should much more abound. Note, (1.) Though persecutors may exclude good men from their communion, yet they cannot exclude them from communion with Christ, nor put them out of the way of his visits. Happy are they who have a friend from whom men cannot debar them. (2.) Jesus Christ will graciously find and receive those who for his sake are unjustly rejected and cast out by men. He will be a hiding place to his outcasts, and appear, to the joy of those whom their brethren hated and cast out. II. The comfortable converse Christ had with him, wherein he brings him acquainted with the consolation of Israel. He had well improved the knowledge he had, and now Christ gives him further instruction; for he that is faithful in a little shall be entrusted with more, Mat 13:12. 1. Our Lord Jesus examines his faith: "Dost thou believe on the Son of God? Dost thou give credit to the promises of the Messiah? Dost thou expect his coming, and art thou ready to receive and embrace him when he is manifested to thee?" This was that faith of the Son of God by which the saints lived before his manifestation. Observe, (1.) The Messiah is here called the Son of God, and so the Jews had learned to call him from the prophecies, Psa 2:7; Psa 89:27. See Joh 1:49, Thou art the Son of God, that is, the true Messiah. Those that expected the temporal kingdom of the Messiah delighted rather in calling him the Son of David, which gave more countenance to that expectation, Mat 22:42. But Christ, that he might give us an idea of his kingdom, as purely spiritual and divine, calls himself the Son of God, and rather Son of man in general than of David in particular. (2.) The desires and expectations of the Messiah, which the Old Testament saints had, guided by and grounded upon the promise, were graciously interpreted and accepted as their believing on the Son of God. This faith Christ here enquires after: Dost thou believe? Note, The great thing which is now required of us (Jo1 3:23), and which will shortly be enquired after concerning us, is our believing on the Son of God, and by this we must stand or fall for ever. 2. The poor man solicitously enquires concerning the Messiah he was to believe in, professing his readiness to embrace him and close with him (Joh 9:36): Who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him? (1.) Some think he did know that Jesus, who cured him, was the Son of God, but did not know which was Jesus, and therefore, supposing this person that talked with him to be a follower of Jesus, desired him to do him the favour to direct him to his master; not that he might satisfy his curiosity with the sight of him, but that he might the more firmly believe in him, and profess his faith, and know whom he had believed. See Sol 5:6, Sol 5:7; Sol 3:2, Sol 3:3. It is Christ only that can direct us to himself. (2.) Others think he did know that this person who talked with him was Jesus, the same that cured him, whom he believed a great and good man and a prophet, but did not yet know that he was the Son of God and the true Messiah. "Lord, I believe there is a Christ to come; thou who hast given me bodily sight, tell me, O tell me, who and where this Son of God is." Christ's question intimated that the Messiah was come, and was now among them, which he presently takes the hint of, and asks, Where is he, Lord? The question was rational and just: Who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him? For how could he believe in one of whom he had not heard; the work of ministers is to tell us who the Son of God is, that we may believe on him, Joh 20:31. 3. Our Lord Jesus graciously reveals himself to him as that Son of God on whom he must believe: Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee, Joh 9:37. Thou needest not go far to find out the Son of God, Behold the Word is nigh thee. We do not find that Christ did thus expressly, and in so many words, reveal himself to any other as to this man here and to the woman of Samaria: I that speak unto thee am he. He left others to find out by arguments who he was, but to these weak and foolish things of the world he chose to manifest himself, so as not to the wise and prudent. Christ here describes himself to this man by two things, which express his great favour to him: - (1.) Thou hast seen him; and he was much indebted to the Lord Jesus for opening his eyes, that he might see him. Now he was made sensible, more than ever, what an unspeakable mercy it was to be cured of his blindness, that he might see the Son of God, a sight which rejoiced his heart more than that of the light of this world. Note, The Greatest comfort of bodily eyesight is its serviceableness to our faith and the interests of our souls. How contentedly might this man have returned to his former blindness, like old Simeon, now that his eyes had seen God's salvation! If we apply this to the opening of the eyes of the mind, it intimates that spiritual sight is given principally for this end, that we may see Christ, Co2 4:6. Can we say that by faith we have seen Christ, seen him in his beauty and glory, in his ability and willingness to save, so seen him as to be satisfied concerning him, to be satisfied in him? Let us give him the praise, who opened our eyes. (2.) It is he that talketh with thee; and he was indebted to Christ for condescending to do this. He was not only favoured with a sight of Christ, but was admitted into fellowship and communion with him. Great princes are willing to be seen by those whom yet they will not vouchsafe to talk with. But Christ, by his word and Spirit, talks with those whose desires are towards him, and in talking with them manifests himself to them, as he did to the two disciples, when he talked their hearts warm, Luk 24:32. Observe, This poor man was solicitously enquiring after the Saviour, when at the same time he saw him, and was talking with him. Note, Jesus Christ is often nearer the souls that seek him than they themselves are aware of. Doubting Christians are sometimes saying, Where is the Lord? and fearing that they are cast out from his sight when at the same time it is he that talks with them, and puts strength into them. 4. The poor man readily entertains this surprising revelation, and, in a transport of joy and wonder, he said, Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him. (1.) He professed his faith in Christ: Lord, I believe thee to be the Son of God. He would not dispute any thing that he said who had shown such mercy to him, and wrought such a miracle for him, nor doubt of the truth of a doctrine which was confirmed by such signs. Believing with the heart, he thus confesses with the mouth; and now the bruised reed was become a cedar. (2.) He paid his homage to him: He worshipped him, not only gave him the civil respect due to a great man, and the acknowledgments owing to a kind benefactor, but herein gave him divine honour, and worshipped him as the Son of God manifested in the flesh. None but God is to be worshipped; so that in worshipping Jesus he owned him to be God. Note, True faith will show itself in a humble adoration of the Lord Jesus. Those who believe in him will see all the reason in the world to worship him. We never read any more of this man; but, it is very likely, from henceforth he became a constant follower of Christ.”

“He answered and said,.... That is, "he that was healed", as the Syriac version reads: who is the Lord that I might believe in him? which shows, that though he knew there was a Messiah expected, and he believed in him as to come, yet he knew not that he was already come, nor the particular person in human nature, who was the Messiah, and the Son of God; even though he had been cured of his blindness by him, and had vindicated him, and pleaded for him before the sanhedrim, and had also suffered for him; which makes it appear, that Christ does many and great things for his people before they know him: nor does their interest in him, in his favour, and in the blessings of his grace, depend upon their knowledge of him, and faith in him; as likewise, that a man may plead for Christ, and suffer much for him, and yet be ignorant of him: however, there were in this man desires of knowing Christ; he was not like those in Job 21:14; and there was a readiness in him to believe on him, as soon as he was pointed out to him; not that there is any natural disposition in men to believe, or any readiness in themselves to it, or that it is of themselves; nothing of this nature was in this man; but he having, by the power and grace of Christ, the principle of faith implanted in his heart, what he wanted was to be directed to the proper object of it, as he is in Joh 9:37.”

“Jesus heard--that is, by intelligence brought Him. that they had cast him out; and when he had found him--by accident? Not very likely. Sympathy in that breast could not long keep aloof from its object. he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?--A question stretching purposely beyond his present attainments, in order the more quickly to lead him--in his present teachable frame--into the highest truth.”