Chapter 9

Chapter IX.

Second, the Son of God shows Himself to be the light and director by a miracle of power.

1. And Jesus, passing by, saw a man blind from birth. The Lord manifested in the two preceding chapters that He is the director by the word of wisdom; here He shows the same thing by a miracle of power. For by illuminating corporally He signifies that He illuminates spiritually, and this indeed He does in the present chapter. Now the present chapter is divided into three parts. For first is set forth the wondrous illumination of the blind man: second, the disputation of the Pharisees or their calumny, at the place: And they said to him: Where is he, etc.; third, occasioned by that disputation, the spiritual illumination of the blind man, at the place: Jesus heard, etc.

In the first part is set forth the wondrous illumination of the blind man.

In the first part, then, two things are described: first, the wondrous illumination of the blind man: second, its publication, at the place: Therefore the neighbors, etc.

The miracle of illumination, then, he describes in this order. First is noted the compassion of divine goodness, second, the dispensation of divine wisdom: third, the wondrous operation of divine power.

(Verse 1.). The compassion of divine kindness is touched upon in this, that the Lord looked upon the blind man with the eye of mercy; whence he says: Jesus, passing by, saw a man blind from birth: He saw him, I say, with the eye of mercy, according to that passage in Lamentations 1: "See, O Lord, for I am in tribulation." Or: He saw him, that is, "He looked attentively, so that He might give the disciples a sense of looking closely," as Chrysostom says; and on account of this the disciples asked.

2. (Verse 2.). And His disciples asked Him. Here the second point is touched upon, namely the dispensation of divine wisdom, which the disciples, wishing to know, asked Him about: Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind? Supposing that divine wisdom does not inflict punishment without fault, they ask wherein the fault lay. This indeed they had learned from the healing of the paralytic, to whom it was said above in chapter five: "Behold, you are made whole; sin no more, lest something worse befall you." They knew that it was written in Exodus 20: "I am a mighty God, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation." And because they intended well but asked poorly, the Lord in His response destroys the question, when He says:

3. (Verse 3.). Jesus answered: Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents; and yet He satisfies those who ask: But that the works of God might be made manifest in him: that is, for this reason he was born blind. The works of God are manifested when God is manifested in His works. These are miraculous works: above in chapter two: "He manifested His glory"; Ecclesiastes 3: "I have learned that the works which God has made endure forever," etc. Therefore for the sake of manifestation he was born blind, because the opportunity of manifesting presents itself; whence He says:

4. (Verse 4.). I must work the works of him who sent me. These are the miraculous works, which he attributes to the Father, because power is appropriated to him: below in the fourteenth chapter: "The Father abiding in me, he himself does the works"; above in the fifth chapter: "The works which the Father gave me to accomplish, the very works which I do, bear witness concerning me that the Father sent me." The opportunity for doing these works lasts while it is day; the night will come, when no one can work: for then the opportunity ceases: Revelation fourteen: "Henceforth now, says the Spirit, let them rest from their labors, for their works follow them"; and Ecclesiastes nine: "Whatever your hand is able to do, work earnestly, because neither work nor reason nor wisdom nor knowledge will be in the netherworld, to which you hasten." But what this day is, he explains here; whence he says:

5. (Verse 5.). As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Just as therefore the day is nothing other than the presence of light on the earth, so this day is nothing other than the presence of Christ in the world: Malachi, the last chapter: "The sun of justice shall rise for you who fear God." Therefore the Lord says below in the twelfth chapter: "Walk while you have the light, lest the darkness overtake you."

6. (Verse 6.). When he had said these things. Here the third point is touched upon, namely the wondrous operation of divine power, in that by spittle and opaque mud he restores light by his command alone. Therefore he says: When he had said these things, namely those things which were said before; he spat on the ground and made clay from the spittle and anointed the clay upon his eyes: he made as it were an eye-salve for healing the eyes; Revelation three: "Anoint your eyes with eye-salve, that you may see."

7. (Verse 7.). And he said to him: Go and wash in the pool of Siloam. "Siloam is a spring at the foot of Mount Zion, which does not flow with continuous waters, but bubbles forth at certain hours through the hollows of the earth." And because this was commanded not without mystery, the Evangelist adds the interpretation of the name, saying: Which is interpreted "Sent." Chrysostom: "So that you may learn that there the power of the one who sends is at work." And the power is expressed in its effect; whence he adds: And he went away and washed and came back seeing: in which is noted the effect of the power and the obedience of the blind man. Whence Chrysostom: "See the mind of the blind man, obedient in all things: for he is not troubled in anything, asking, nor scandalized, saying: What need is there of clay? For what reason did you anoint me? For what reason did you command me to wash? But he considered none of these things, but being persuaded, he obeyed in all things."

8. According to the allegory: saliva or spittle, which proceeds from the mouth, which is also salty, signifies the wisdom of God, of which Ecclesiasticus 24: I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, the firstborn, etc.

The earth signifies the flesh of the Virgin: the Psalm: Our earth shall yield its fruit.

Spittle is joined to earth when the Son of God is born from the Virgin, and clay is made, since the Word was made flesh, and this for our restoration, according to Augustine. "Just as God formed man from the slime of the earth, so through the same kind of clay He restored the human race."

With this clay our eyes are anointed, when those believing in Christ are illuminated by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, concerning which, First John 2: The anointing will teach you concerning all things.

And we are washed in the waters of Siloam, that is, of Sacred Scripture, which flow with silence, because they are not painted or colored by the clamor of the words of worldly philosophy, and they rest in the humble and descend from the mountains; Isaiah 8: The waters of Siloam, which flow with silence.

9. According to the moral sense: to spit is to declare outwardly the foulness of sin, lest perhaps it fester; the Psalm: My wounds have putrefied and festered because of my foolishness; and Proverbs 28: He who hides his crimes shall not prosper; but he who confesses and forsakes them shall obtain mercy. To anoint the eyes with clay is to consider one's sins frequently; Jeremiah 31: Set up for yourself a watchtower, lay upon yourself bitternesses; Isaiah 38: I will recount to You all my years in the bitterness of my soul. To be washed, through tears: the Psalm: I will wash my bed every night; I will water my couch with my tears; and Isaiah 1: Wash yourselves, be clean, take away the evil of your thoughts from before My eyes; cease to act perversely.

10. Therefore the neighbors etc. The wondrous illumination has been set forth and described; here its manifestation is described, and in this order: first, doubt is introduced; second, the confirmation of those who doubt; third, the expression of the wondrous illumination.

(Verse 8.). First, then, the doubt of the neighbors is introduced, who out of wonder at the change in his sight are uncertain whether they recognize the illuminated man; therefore he says: Therefore the neighbors, and those who had seen him before, because he was a beggar, as the blind are accustomed to beg — such wretched and contemptible and poor persons the kind and humble Lord especially used to heal; whence, similarly, Luke 18: "A certain blind man sat by the wayside begging"; "standing still, Jesus" — it is said there that He illuminated him. Those, therefore, who were accustomed to seeing him said: Is not this he who sat and begged? They said this in doubt, and in this doubt they disagreed; whence he says: Some said: This is he, considering the figure of his body.

11. (Verse 9.). But others said: By no means, but he is like him, considering the change in his sight, they believe him to be another, but similar.

But he said. Here the second point is touched upon, namely the certification of the doubt, which is made through the blind man who knew himself with certainty: whence he says: But he said: I am he, namely the one who begged as a blind man. Augustine: "A grateful voice, lest the ungrateful one be condemned." The blind man was not ashamed to confess that he had been blind, for the glory of God; whence Ecclesiasticus 4: "There is a shame that brings death," which namely diminishes the glory of God on account of our own; "and there is a shame that brings glory and grace," and which diminishes our glory and manifests disgrace for the manifesting of divine glory.

12. (Verse 10.). They said therefore to him. Here the third point is touched upon, namely the expression of the wondrous illumination, and this in response to the inquiry of those who doubted: whence he says: They said therefore to him: How were your eyes opened ? since you are the one who was blind. And he indicates to them the author and the manner.

13. (Verse 11.). He answered: That man who is called Jesus, because he did not yet believe him to be God, made clay and anointed my eyes: behold, the operation; and he said to me: Go to the pool of Siloam and wash: behold, his command; and I went and washed and saw; behold, the fulfillment of the command and through it, illumination. For by fulfilling the commandment of Christ a man is illuminated, because, as is said in Proverbs 6, "the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light," which when observed illuminates: Psalm: "The commandment of the Lord is bright, enlightening the eyes."

Questions.

14. Question I. But here a question arises first concerning what the disciples say: Who sinned, this man, or his parents?

From this they seem to imply that children are punished for the sins of their parents.

Against this is that passage from Ezekiel 18: The father shall not bear the iniquity of the son, nor the son the iniquity of the father: therefore the son ought not to be punished for the sin of the parents. The contrary of this is stated in Exodus 20: Visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

I respond: It must be said that the punishment of sin is twofold: one temporal, the other eternal. I say that with eternal punishment a son is not punished for the iniquity of the father: whence even if unbaptized infants are deprived of the eternal vision, this is not on account of the sin of the father alone, but their own, because each one has original sin.

Concerning temporal punishment, however, it must be understood that the son bears the iniquity of the father; because frequently a wicked father is punished in his son: therefore he says: Unto the third and fourth generation, because up to that generation parents can see their children.

Others say differently, that this is understood of children who imitate the crime of their father, but the first interpretation is better.

15. Question II. Likewise there is a question concerning what he says: Neither did this man sin, etc.

Against this: No one is pure from filth, not even an infant whose life upon the earth is of one day.

Augustine responds that that text is to be supplied thus: "He did not sin with a sin on account of which this punishment would be inflicted on the blind man." And the disciples were asking indiscriminately, as Chrysostom says, because before he was born, he could not have sinned so as to be born blind.

But then it is objected: 1. Because if every punishment is on account of fault, and this man did not sin nor did his parents: therefore he was born blind unjustly, and the punishment was unjustly inflicted.

2. Likewise, Jerome, on that passage of Jeremiah 4: Your ways and your thoughts have done these things to you, says: "Whatever punishment befalls us is from our own vice."

3. Likewise, if you say that it was for the glory of God: could not the glory of God have been manifested otherwise than thus? And God for his glory does not need our goods, therefore much less our evils.

I respond: It must be said that there is a cause without which not, and in this way every punishment has fault as its cause, because if there had been no fault, there would be no punishment at all. In another way there is a meritorious cause, and thus not every punishment regards fault, and in this way the Lord speaks here. Indeed, as Damascene says, sometimes punishments are inflicted on account of the guilt of fault. Sometimes for the testing and manifestation of virtue, as in Tobit and Job, who said: I have not sinned, and my eye dwells in bitterness, Job 17. Sometimes for the preservation of virtue, as in Paul, who said: There was given to me a thorn of my flesh, an angel of Satan, to buffet me: for which reason I three times besought the Lord, etc., 2 Corinthians 12. Sometimes on account of the dispensation of the divine counsel, as in Christ. Sometimes for the manifestation of the divine power, as in this blind man.

Nor was this done only for God's sake, but for our instruction and for the benefit of the blind man, because by the occasion of bodily illumination he was spiritually illuminated: whence great was his benefit.

16. Question III. It is asked concerning what he says, that it is necessary for him to work while it is day.

But for God it is always day: therefore he never ceases to work.

It must be said that he speaks here of the works which he works for us and in us, according to that passage of Isaiah 26: All our works you have worked in us, O Lord. And with regard to these works night comes, when the last day is closed to us, after which neither will we be able to work, nor God in us nor for us amid evils: whence Matthew 22: Bind his hands and feet and cast him into the outer darkness.

17. Question IV. Here the manner of the cure is asked about: 1. Since the Lord healed others by command alone, why is it that he does this with clay?

2. And why does he command him to wash?

I respond: It must be said that the reason was allegorical and moral, as was said above, for the instruction of our knowledge and action; there was also a literal reason. For since by just judgment at his coming both the blind were to be enlightened and the Pharisees were to be blinded, he made clay, by which he would seem to violate the Sabbath, and through this the filthy one would become more filthy, and from this the blind man himself would be enlightened and purified.

2. He sent him to the pool so that the miracle would be public, as Chrysostom says; because all gathered for so great a spectacle, that by clay, from which others are blinded, the blind man is enlightened.

In the second part, the dispute of the Pharisees is described.

18. And they said to him: Where is he? After the wondrous enlightenment of the blind man has been set forth, here follows the second part, in which the calumny of the Jews arising from this is described. And this part is divided into three. In the first, it is shown how the Pharisees strive to censure Christ. Second, how they strive to deny the miracle, at: They therefore said again to the blind man: What do you say, etc. Third, how, failing in these, they strive to conceal it, at: They therefore called the man again.

First, therefore, it is described how they strive to censure the miracle with authority in this manner. For first, the anxiety of those censuring is intimated; second, the occasion for censuring; third, the censure itself .

(Verse 12.). The anxiety of those censuring is noted in this, that they seek the healer, and not finding him, they do not release the one healed; therefore he says: And they said to him: Where is he?— namely, the healer. He said: I do not know. And because they cannot find the healer, they bring the one healed to the Pharisees; therefore he says:

19. (Verse 13.). They brought him to the Pharisees, who had been blind, because they were anxious to censure; Luke 6: "The scribes and Pharisees watched whether he would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against him."

20. (Verse 14.). Now it was the Sabbath. Here the second point is touched upon, namely the occasion for censuring, which was from the feast day and the manner of healing. By reason of the day he says: Now it was the Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes: above in chapter 5: "For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did this"—namely, the work of healing—"on the Sabbath," as if despising the Law. The other occasion was from the manner of healing, which they therefore inquire about, because they cannot know it except through the confession of the blind man. They inquire about the manner so that, because they are unable to censure the deed, they might calumniate the manner; therefore he says:

21. (Verse 15.). And again the Pharisees asked him how he had received his sight; and they seek the manner and they hear the manner: whence: But he said to them: He put clay upon my eyes, and I washed, and now I see: he repeats briefly, because they had already heard from others, but they required greater certainty from his own mouth. And here the constancy of the blind man is apparent, who did not fear to confess the truth, keeping that saying of Ecclesiasticus 4: "For your soul be not ashamed to speak the truth."

22. (Verse 16.). Therefore some of the Pharisees said. Here the third point is touched upon, namely dissension in reproving: whence he says: Therefore some of the Pharisees said, foolish zealots of the Law: Romans 10: "They have indeed a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge." They said: This man is not from God, by conformity and accordance: who does not keep the Sabbath, which God commanded to be kept, Exodus 20 and in many other places. But others said: How can a sinful man do such signs? And these were more enlightened: whence these had some light, but the others were darkened; therefore it follows that there was a schism among them, that is, a division, by the just judgment of God dividing light from darkness and the good from the wicked: on account of which he said, Matthew 10: "I came not to send peace, but a sword."

23. Therefore they say to the blind man. The Pharisees attempted above to reprove Christ: and because in reproving they could not agree, they attempt and strive to deny the miracle. And this indeed is described in this order: first is noted the cunning of the Pharisees in testing the blind man: second, their hardness in believing: third, their diligence in inquiring: fourth, the timidity of the blind man's parents in responding.

(Verse 17.). Therefore the cunning of the Pharisees in testing is first noted: for they test the blind man as to what he thinks of Christ, so that, if ill, they might make him deny the miracle of Christ; if well, they might not believe his words. Therefore it is said: Therefore they say again to the blind man, namely the Pharisees: What do you say of him who opened your eyes? namely whether he is good or evil: and they inquire maliciously, but the blind man answered simply. But he said: He is a Prophet: the Gloss: "He firmly expresses what he feels," as the crowds, Luke 7: "A great Prophet has risen among us."

24. (Verse 18.). The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, etc. Here the second point is touched upon, namely the hardness of the Jews in believing: for they were unwilling to believe, on this account namely, because he praised Christ; therefore they held him suspect. They did not believe, namely until they called the parents of him who had received his sight: for they hoped through them to invalidate the miracle; whence Chrysostom: "They thought to make the miracle abortive through the parents"; whence they always strove to rebel, according to that saying of Job 24: "They were rebels against the light and knew not its ways."

25. (Verse 19.). And they asked them, saying. Here the third point is touched upon, namely the diligence of the Jews in inquiring: for they ask the parents three things: the person, the condition, and the wondrous change. For this reason it is said: Is this your son? They ask about the person. Whom you say was born blind? That is, about whom you say that he was born blind; they ask interrogatively about the condition. How then does he now see? They ask about the change: they inquire prudently and diligently, because, as it is said in Luke sixteen, "the children of this age are more prudent than the children of light in their generation."

26. (Verse 20.). His parents answered. Here the fourth point is touched upon, namely the timidity of the parents in responding. And although three things had been asked, they answer two, but do not dare to answer the third. As to whether he is their son and was born blind: his parents answered them, that is, the father and mother, and said: We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. And in this the Pharisees are refuted by the most certain testimony of the parents: whence Chrysostom says: "Who would believe that parents would tell such lies about their son?" And although they spoke the truth, nevertheless not the whole truth: whence:

27. (Verse 21.). But how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know: because, namely, we were not present, nor do we know more than you, nor is it necessary to ask us, but rather him: whence they say: Ask him, because he can answer; he is of age, let him speak for himself: because he is more certain than we are. The Evangelist assigns the reason for this response. The reason for that response was fear of the Jewish conspiracy, whence the Evangelist says:

28. (Verse 22.). Now his parents said these things because they feared the Jews; Isaiah fifty-one: "Who are you, that you should fear a mortal man and the son of man, who will wither like grass?" And First Maccabees two: "Do not fear the words of a sinful man, because his glory is dung and worms." And the reason for their fear is given: For the Jews had already conspired that if anyone confessed him to be the Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. A conspiracy is a binding together for evil, just as in Jeremiah eleven, "a conspiracy was found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem." They returned to the iniquities of their fathers and conspired to destroy the name of Christ; Jeremiah eleven: "Let us destroy him from the land of the living, and let his name be remembered no more."

29. (Verse 23.). Therefore his parents said: He is of age; ask him: for they were still among those about whom it is said below in chapter twelve, that "many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they be cast out of the synagogue."

30. They therefore called again the man. Now that the attempt of the Pharisees to censure and deny has been frustrated, here they endeavor to overshadow the miracle, so that it may not be attributed to Christ the Lord, but that his name may be silenced. Therefore they endeavor here to draw the blind man back from confessing the name of Christ in this order: first, namely, by flatteries; second, by cunning; third, by reproaches; fourth, by injuries.

(Verse 24.). First, therefore, they endeavor to draw him back by flatteries. For they gently admonish the blind man himself not to believe that Christ, as a good man, performed this miracle and not to confess it. Therefore he says: They therefore called again the man who had been blind and said to him: Give glory to God, namely, by confessing the truth. For to give glory to God is to confess the truth about something, as if in God's presence; Joshua 7: "My son, confess and give glory to God." And that truth was that he should not attribute this miracle to Christ; on account of which they say: We know that this man is a sinner; confess therefore that you were not healed by this man, but by God. Chrysostom: "They were attempting to do this under the appearance of religion"; and yet they were leading him to evil. Whence Augustine: "To deny what you have received is not to give glory to God, but rather to blaspheme God." And although they flatter, they do not prevail, because the blind man spurns their admonition and speaks the truth. Whence:

31. (Verse 25.). That man says: Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see. As if to say: I do not judge the author, but I acknowledge the benefit. Augustine: "He neither favors calumny nor conceals the truth." The blind man responded wisely, according to that saying of Ecclesiasticus 5: "If you have understanding, answer your neighbor; but if not, let your hand be upon your mouth, lest you be caught in an undisciplined word and be confounded."

32. (Verse 26.). They therefore said to him. Here the second point is touched upon, namely, how they attempt to draw him back by cunning; therefore they maliciously inquire, so that they might raise some objection against the miracle; on account of which he says: What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? Chrysostom: "They scrutinize the manner of the cure, like dogs investigating on every side." But in this cunning they are rebuked by the blind man; therefore he refuses to respond, but reproves them; whence he adds:

33. (Verse 27.). He answered them: I have already told you, and you heard; why do you wish to hear it again? As if to say: if you inquire maliciously, I will not respond; but if earnestly, I will respond; whence he says: Do you also wish to become his disciples? As if to say: I believe that you do not wish it; but if you did wish it, I would tell you again; heeding that saying of Proverbs 9: "He who instructs a mocker brings injury upon himself."

34. (Verse 28.). They reviled him therefore etc. Here the third point is touched upon, namely that they attempt to draw him back by reproaches: Hence they proceed gradually: They reviled him therefore and said: Be you his disciple, that is, by cursing and reviling they said to him that he was Christ's disciple. Augustine: "Let this curse be upon me: let such a curse be upon us and upon our children." They despised the discipleship of Christ and preferred to it the discipleship of Moses; hence they say: We are Moses' disciples, not of this man; and they add the reason:

35. (Verse 29.). We know that God spoke to Moses, as is said in Exodus and Leviticus almost throughout: Exodus thirty-three: "The Lord spoke to Moses face to face." But as for this man, we know not whence he is: therefore we are disciples of the one whom the Lord approves. But nevertheless they spoke falsely, because, as is said above in chapter five, "if you believed Moses, you would perhaps believe me also." And in this cursing they do not prevail against the blind man; rather he refutes the reasoning of their curse in this, that they said they did not know Christ; on account of which he says:

36. (Verse 30.). The man answered and said to them: In this indeed is a marvelous thing, that you know not whence he is, and he opened my eyes. He did not say impious, lest he provoke them, but marvelous, because he himself marveled at their hardness; and he gives the reason, because they see a most evident sign and do not believe. Therefore that saying of Isaiah six is verified: "That seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand."

37. (Verse 31.). We know that God does not hear sinners: whence Isaiah one, the Lord to sinners: "When you multiply prayer, I will not hear"; Job eight: "God will not cast away the simple, nor extend his hand to the wicked." But if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, him he hears: below in chapter fifteen: "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you"; First John three: "We have confidence toward God, that whatever we ask, we receive, because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing before him." But this one he especially hears; and he proves this:

38. (Verse 32.). From the beginning of the world it has not been heard that anyone opened the eyes of one born blind; but this man opened them: therefore he is from God, because from the destruction of the consequent:

39. (Verse 33.). Unless this man were from God, he could do nothing: below in chapter fifteen: "Without me you can do nothing."

40. (Verse 34.). They answered and said. Here the fourth point is touched upon: because, unable to draw him back by flatteries, nor by cunning, nor by reproaches, they resort to injuries: whence, moved by indignation, they answered and said to him: You were wholly born in sins, and do you teach us? — us, who are reputed to be righteous. Truly these were Pharisees similar to the one who praised himself in prayer, Luke eighteen. And they cast him out, for the truth they inflicted injury upon him. Chrysostom: "You see how much the herald of truth suffered. These things were written so that we too might imitate him in like manner." Similarly concerning Stephen, Acts seven: "And casting him out of the city, they stoned him."

Questions.

41. Question I. But the first inquiry here concerns what the blind man said: Whether he is a sinner, I do not know.

It seems that he lied, because below he shows that he was not a sinner.

The response is twofold: first, from Chrysostom, that I do not know means: I do not pronounce on this now; or I do not know, because I am ignorant of his life — inasmuch as I was a blind man who had never seen him nor followed him.

42. Question II. Likewise there is an inquiry concerning what he says: We know that God does not hear sinners.

On the contrary: Did he not hear the publican?

The response is twofold, from the Gloss: in the first way, so that emphasis falls on what he says: he does not hear sinners, because he does not hear those persisting in sin — unto salvation, that is. The Gloss responds in another way, that the blind man had not yet been anointed nor inwardly illuminated, and therefore he spoke falsely, although he believed he was speaking the truth.

43. Question III. Likewise there is an inquiry concerning what he says: Unless this man were from God, he could do nothing. On the contrary: Many wicked men perform numerous miracles, as the Lord himself says, Matthew seven: Lord, did we not cast out demons in your name and perform many mighty works in your name?

The response is that the blind man understood that he acted by his own authority; or it can be answered as with the preceding question.

44. Question IV. But then the question arises: since the Lord healed inwardly at the same time everyone whom he healed outwardly, why was this blind man not inwardly illuminated?

A twofold response can be given: either that this blind man was a believer, but did not yet have explicit faith, like catechumens, and therefore he is instructed below; or that it was not necessary for him to be healed inwardly at the same time, because his outward infirmity was not due to his own fault, as the Lord attests.

45. Question V. Likewise there is an inquiry as to why the Pharisees say to him: You were wholly born in sins.

The response can be that they speak not from reason but from indignation. Or because he had not withdrawn from the sins in which he had been born through religious observance, as the Pharisees had; or on account of his blindness, which was a punishment for sin, they called him born in sins.

In the third part, the spiritual illumination of the blind man is described.

46. Jesus heard. This is the third part of the chapter in which, now that the wondrous illumination of the blind man and the disputation of the Jews have been described, there is introduced thirdly his spiritual illumination. The Evangelist describes this in the following order: for first is noted the benign calling of the despised blind man: second, the internal illumination of the one consenting: and third is intimated the just blinding of the proud Jews themselves.

(Verse 35.). First, therefore, the benign calling of the rejected blind man is conveyed. For the Pharisees cast him out, and the Lord received him: on account of which he says: Jesus heard that they had cast him out: He knew of Himself, but nonetheless it was reported to Him. And when Jesus had found him, not by chance, but with the purpose of receiving him: Luke 15: "She lights a lamp and searches diligently until she finds it"; He said to him: Do you believe in the Son of God? By seeking He arouses and by arousing He calls, so that He might receive the rejected one, according to that verse of the Psalm: "My father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord has taken me up"; Jeremiah 49: "Leave your orphans, and I will make you live".

47. (Verse 36.). He answered and said. Here the second point is touched upon, namely the instruction or internal illumination of the one consenting. For the blind man consented to faith: whence he said: Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him? As if to say: I am ready to believe: whence Chrysostom: "This is the word of one who inquires and desires"; therefore he is instructed. For this reason:

48. (Verse 37.). Jesus said to him: You have both seen Him, and it is He who speaks with you. You have seen Him, through the miraculous work: He speaks with you, through wondrous instruction: above in chapter eight, "I am the Beginning, who also speak to you." In a similar manner the Lord instructed the Samaritan woman above in chapter four: "I am He, who speaks with you." And because "with the heart one believes unto justice, but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation"; therefore there follows the true confession of the enlightened blind man: and he confessed his faith in word, saying:

49. (Verse 38.). I believe, Lord; and by the service of devotion, whence: And falling down he adored Him, as God, who alone is to be adored with latria: whence the Lord answered the devil in Matthew 4: "You shall adore the Lord your God and Him alone shall you serve"; Deuteronomy 6: "You shall fear the Lord your God and Him alone shall you serve".

50. (Verse 39.). And Jesus said to him. Here the third point is touched upon, namely the just blinding of the Jews, which the Lord manifests to the blind man, and for the manifestation of which He also corporally illuminated him. Therefore He says: For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind. For judgment, namely of discernment, that those who see, that is, who consider themselves to see, as the Jews did, may become blind. Concerning this judgment it is said in Romans 11: "I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, lest you be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part has happened in Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles should enter in"; and again in Romans 9: "The Gentiles, who did not pursue justice, have attained justice; but Israel, pursuing the law of justice, has not arrived at the law of justice." And that this judgment is just is evident from the inquiry of the Pharisees and the response of the Lord, in which the malice and obstinacy of the Jews is intimated; because, although they saw, they were unwilling to believe and understand: and therefore by the judgment of God and by their own sin they have been blinded; therefore He says:

51. (Verse 40.). Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this, that is, they were present; and they said: Are we also blind? They were indignant at the word of the Lord, because they believed it had been said on their account, since they considered themselves wise: and from this very fact the Lord shows the divine judgment, that they have been justly blinded; on account of which:

52. (Verse 41.). Jesus said to them: If you were blind, you would not have sin; because then the Lord would illuminate you: whence 1 Corinthians 3: "If anyone among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise." But now you say: We see, and you consider yourselves wise: your sin remains, namely of unbelief, according to that passage in Romans 1: "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." Whence the Lord addresses them in Jeremiah 5: "Hear, O foolish people, without understanding, who have eyes and do not see, and ears, and do not hear." And because they, though seeing, were unwilling to believe, therefore they have been blinded; the Psalm: "Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see," etc.

Questions.

53. Question I. But it is asked here first concerning the fact that the Lord asks whether he believes in the Son of God.

1. It is certain that this stands there for the divine nature: but afterward He adds: You have seen Him: Him is a relative pronoun, therefore it refers according to the divine nature: therefore the blind man saw the divine nature.

2. Likewise, if faith is about things that are not seen, how does the Lord exhort him to believe in Him whom he sees?

I respond: It must be said that there is a communication of idioms on account of the union in one hypostasis. Whence just as the same one is said to be both dead and eternal, so the same one is He in whom one must believe, because He is equal to the Father: the same one who speaks and is seen, but in the form of a servant.

54. Question II. Likewise, there is a question about what he says: I came into the world for judgment; because above in the third chapter it is said: God did not send his Son to judge the world.

The response is that he came for a judgment of discernment, but not of condemnation.

However, it can be said otherwise that there is a difference between saying I came into judgment and for judgment: to come for judgment indicates the final intention of judging—thus he did not come in the first advent. But to come into judgment means that from his coming some judgment is made upon the proud, because they are blinded by his coming, even though he does not come for this purpose.

55. Question III. Likewise, there is a question about what he says: That those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind. It seems, therefore, that blinding is from the Lord Jesus Christ. And indeed this seems to be what must be said by reason: because if blinding is a punishment, and every punishment is just, and what is just is good, and what is good is from God, then blinding is from God.

But against this: 1. God is light, just as he is also heat: therefore if it does not belong to heat to make cold, nor does it belong to light to darken, then neither does it belong to God to blind.

2. Likewise, God always desires that his image be conformed to himself: therefore if blinding deforms, it does not belong to God to blind.

The response is that blinding can be considered either according to what it is: and thus it is a privation and does not have an efficient cause, but a deficient one. But God is the deficient cause of nothing: and thus its cause is our malice, whence Wisdom 2: Their own malice blinded them. However, because blinding and hardening are punishments, they posit being according to what they are: and punishment according to what it is, is just, and thus, according to what it is, it can be from God. Further, it seems that one should say that in two ways some punishment is from God: in one way, as from the one who orders; and thus sin, which is the punishment of sin, insofar as it is punishment, is from God, and thus it is not from God according to what it is, but insofar as it is punishment.

In another way, some punishment is said to be from God according to what it is, and this either from God inflicting it: and in this way death and other punishments, through which it is possible to merit.

In another way, from God withdrawing something by our merit: and thus the tinder of sin is from God. For God ceased to give the soul grace, by which it might govern the flesh, and this by our merit: and when this grace was withdrawn, the flesh declined toward lower things.

In a third way, as from one who does not bestow according to our merits: and thus blinding and hardening. For someone is hardened in evil because he is not visited by the Lord, by just judgment; someone is blinded because he is not illuminated interiorly: so Augustine says.