John 9:41 - Exposition

The reply of our Lord is not meant to be a crushing and final retort, condemning them to hopeless night, but was obviously intended to show them that they are not yet free from sin , that they are only partially appreciating the light which shines upon them. If ye were blind —incapable of sight; if ye had all along been deprived of the faculty of perceiving the true Light that shineth in the darkness (a condition of things which would have emancipated them from responsibility, and which Christ would not admit to be the case); perhaps more, if ye had been utterly blind to the light which is shining upon you now, which, however, is not true— ye would not have sin . This is akin to the solemn language of John 15:22-24 . They did not themselves admit that there was any congenital blindness about them. They did not pretend or expect to ride off on such a πρόφασις , such an excuse. Could they be, judicially or naturally, blind?

The very idea was an absurdity, and so Jesus added, But now ye say, We see. You even boast that you are "instructors of the ignorant, and leaders of the blind; a light to those who sit in darkness, having the form of knowledge and truth in the Law" ( Romans 2:17-21 ). You are the very opposite of the "not-seeing" ( μὴ βλέποντες ) ; you are self-satisfied; you will not come to the Light. What is the issue? The Lord seems to pause before his answer (the οὖν , "therefore," is rejected by the best manuscripts and critics): Your sin abideth ; or, remaineth . It will remain until you fully admit the great principle and reason, the motive and characteristics, of my mission. The very facility you profess, the intimacy you claim with the Law and its founder, and your partial knowledge of my claim, take away your excuse. The discourse which follows shows how entire must be the submission to Christ, how complete the union with him, of those who say, "We see."