26 Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?” 28 Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.”
Having failed in their interrogation of the parents and their interview with the man healed, the Pharisees were in a quandary.
9:26
Then they said to him again,
Having listened to the incontestable testimony of the blind man, the Pharisees attempted to recount his healing again to catch him in a contradiction.
“What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”
These questions had already been asked by the Pharisees. They hoped to find an inconsistent statement. They tried to trip him in a contradiction.
9:27
He answered them,
The man recognized that his inquisitors were not seeking the truth. He now showed disgust with his interrogators.
“I told you already,
Now the blind man was exasperated. He had already told the Pharisees all the facts of his case (Jn 9:15).
and you did not listen.
The religious leaders rejected the blind man’s previous testimony about his healing. He now lost his patience with his interrogators.
Why do you want to hear it again?
The man said, “Do you want me to rehash the details again?”
Do you also want to become His disciples?”
The Greek indicates that the expected answer to the beggar’s question was “no.” He did not expect that they would change their minds. He in effect baited them.
This may have been a sarcastic statement. The blind man asked the Pharisees if they wanted to be disciples of Jesus, as though maybe they had a secret desire to become disciples of Jesus.
The word “also” implies that the man considered himself to be a disciple of Jesus.
9:28
Then they [the Pharisees] reviled him and said,
The Pharisees “reviled” the formerly blind man because of his sarcastic statement about them becoming Jesus’ disciples. They now attempted to vilify the man. Deeply insulted, they proclaimed their superior discipleship by comparing the formerly blind man’s following Jesus with their following Moses.
“You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples.
The Pharisees hurled an insult at the man because he followed Jesus. They accused him of blindness in following a “sinner.” They would rather follow Moses than Jesus.
9:29
We know that God spoke to Moses;
The Pharisees declared God gave revelation through Moses.
as for this fellow,
They would not even assert Jesus’ name. This was a derogatory and contemptuous statement.
we do not know where He is from.”
From their viewpoint, Jesus came from an insignificant village and irrelevant family. Moses was a proven entity but Jesus was not. They knew nothing that would justify His prophetic office.
PRINCIPLE:
Jesus established His authority by miracles.
APPLICATION:
The ultimate issue regarding what is true is an authority question. Did God reveal Himself only through Moses or did He do it through Jesus as well (John 1:17-18)? The stark reality of Jesus healing a congenitally blind man is only one of many miracles of His.
