In 1546 the English playwright John Heywood coined the phrase ‘There’s none so blind as those who will not see’ and although it is believed to be in reference to Jeremiah 5:21, his words could easily be applied to the story of the blind man in John 9.[1] John is telling a story of physical and spiritual blindness, on one side there is healing combined with recognition and discipleship, and on the other a blind refusal to acknowledge the obvious truth compounded by an entrenched theological and social position.
John’s story of the blind man is almost theatrical in its composition. Tasker describes it as an ‘acted parable of faith and unbelief.’[2] There is a growing sense of drama and a comic juxtaposition of characters as heroes, villains and bystanders play their parts and respond to the challenge to see and recognise Jesus. The words spoken have multi-layered meaning and include farcical questioning and satirical response as the story moves towards its climax. For Wright it is a story that ‘crackles with irony.’[3]
Investigating the background to both the story and its original audience using the questions, who, when, where, what and why reveal detail that gives insight into Jesus’ intent in healing the blind man, and how the story plays out in its wider context. It also elucidates John’s purpose in recording the story and helps to discern how the text can be interpreted and applied today.
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NOTES:
[1] Jennifer Speake, ed., The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008),
http://www.english.a222.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/oxford-dic.pdf. (07 April 2016), 61.
[2] R. V. G. Tasker, John (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1983), 126.
[3] Tom Wright, John for Everyone: Part 1, Chapters 1-10 (London: SPCK, 2004), 141.
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