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John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - John 9:37

Verse 37 37.Thou hast both seen him. By these words of Christ the blind man could not be carried higher than to a very small and cold portion of faith. For Christ does not mention his power, or the reason why he was sent by the Father, or what he has brought to men. But what principally belongs to faith is, to know that, by the sacrifice of his death, atonement has been made for our sins, and we are reconciled to God; that his resurrection was a triumph over vanquished death; that we are... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 9:1-41

The removal of the closing words of John 8:59 from the text as a gloss, favors a pause between the attempt to stone Jesus and the miracle. Lange has the inconsistent remark that the παράγων is "the participle of the preceding though doubtful παρῆγεν ." If it were a gloss, the παρῆγεν had been introduced by some copyist from the παράγων , and therefore the latter can derive no meaning from the former. Admitting the spuriousness of the gloss, the connection between the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 9:1-41

The passage of a soul from darkness into light. This graphic and dramatic narrative begins with the healing of a bodily privation by the exercise el Christ's miraculous power. But its chief interest lies in the spiritual process which it unfolds. It relates how a young man, poor and blind, but intelligent, candid, and brave, received spiritual as well as bodily illumination, and how he displayed insight in apprehending Christ's character, courage in resisting Christ's adversaries, and ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 9:35

Jesus heard that they had east him out ; or, thrust him forth . Jesus is represented as "hearing," not from the man's own lips, but from the current report. He is not said to have become acquainted with the circumstance by intuition, but to have heard by the ordinary processes of knowledge. This simple touch shows how consistent the writer is throughout with the main thesis of his Gospel touching the perfect humanity of the Son of God, that he "was made flesh." and had "come in the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 9:35-38

(a) The vision of those who see not . These verses narrate the sequel so far as the man was concerned. Westcott and others rather exaggerate the bearing of it when they say here was "the beginning of the new society." "The universal society is based on the confession of a new truth" (Westcott). Even in this Gospel the first chapter shows that Jesus gathered disciples about him who from that time onward were to "see angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man." In the second... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 9:35-38

The moral result of the miracle. The bodily cure is to lead to spiritual enlightenment. I. JESUS SEEKS OUT THE OUTCAST BEGGAR FOR BLESSING . "And when he had found him, he said, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" 1. It is the office of the good Shepherd to seek out the sheep cast away , as if to fulfill the psalmist's words, "When my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord taketh me up." 2. Something more than miracle is needed to impart faith . He... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 9:35-38

A heart made ready for faith. In this interview the purposes of Christ's love with regard to this poor man were fully accomplished. The opening of his bodily eyes, the trials to which he was afterwards subjected , led up to the consummation desired by his Benefactor. By gradual stages he had come to that point, at which only a fuller revelation of the Lord was required, in order that his faith might be perfected. I. A MOMENTOUS QUESTION ROUSES INTEREST AND HOPE .... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 9:35-38

A happy meeting. We have in this passage— I. JESUS IN SEARCH FOR THE OUTCAST . 1. He had lost sight of him for a while . He had not seen him since he went on the path of duty and obedience to the pool of Siloam. It was well that they should be apart for some time. Important purposes were thus answered. But neither Jesus nor the man was idle. Jesus was about his Father's business; and the man that had been blind, according to Christ's statement, was busily... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 9:36

He answered and said, £ And who is he, that ( ἵνα ) I may believe on him? The conjunction adds much to the eagerness of the reply. His faith was ready for full expression. He half suspected, as the Samaritan woman ( John 4:25 ) did, that Jesus was pointing to himself. The τίς ; rather than τί ; ("who?" rather than "what?") shows the intensity of the man's desire to find and hail and trust "the Son of God." The disposition, the posture, of his mind is that of faith. The... read more

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