We may share the disciples’ assumption that the difficulties of our lives are punishments
for something that we have done. However, Jesus tells the disciples that the man’s
blindness was “to let God’s works be shown in him” (Jn 9:3). According to St. Thomas
Aquinas, “through the works of God we are led to a knowledge of him” (Commentary on
the Gospel of St. John, 1300).
Our difficulties can furnish an opening to understanding God in a deeper way, as
Thomas adds: “The knowledge of God is man’s greatest good, since his happiness
consists in this: ‘This is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom You have sent’ (17:3)” (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 1300).
The blind man came to experience God through his healing. We may feel left with our
struggles and difficulties. Thomas refers to Augustine that God allows evil for good::
“God is so good that He would never permit any evil to occur, unless He was so
powerful as to draw some good from every evil” (Augustine, Letter CLV).
Thomas recalls the words of the prophet Amos that God’s hand is even present in
difficulties: “If evil befalls a city, has not the Lord caused it?” (Am 3:6). Thomas
comments that such evil: “is never applied except for the good He intends. And among
these goods the best is that the works of God be manifested, and from them that God
be known. Therefore, it is not unfitting if He sends afflictions or allows sins to be
committed in order that some good come from them” (Commentary on the Gospel of St.
John, 1301).
At times, the difficulties of life correct our behavior. Present difficulties preserve us from
the eventual problems we would incur if we continued our way of acting.
God allows difficulties to strengthen our bonds with Him: “Sometimes it is done to
encourage virtue … he is led to a stronger love by knowing the power of the one who
unexpectedly delivered him from some difficulty: ‘Virtue is made perfect in infirmity’ [2
Cor 12:9] (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 1302). We come to a deeper “light”
or understanding through our difficulties.
Jesus says that He must do the works the Father has given Him while it is still day since
no one can work at night. Thomas reflects that Christ Himself is the “sun,” as the
prophet Malachi affirmed: “But for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall
rise” (Mal 4:2).
Thomas states: “Therefore, as long as this Sun is present to us, the works of God can
be done in us, for us, and by us. At one time this Sun was physically present to us; and
then it was day: ‘This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in
it’ (Ps 118:24). Therefore, it was fitting to do the works of God (Commentary on the
Gospel of St. John, 1305).

However, Christ remains our light: “He is also present us by grace; and then it is the day
of grace, when it is fitting to do the works of God, while it is day; ‘The night is far gone,
the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of
light’ (Rom 13:12)” (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 1305).
Thomas compares the physical sun with Christ. The sun is always shining but we do not
always experience it: “For Christ, the Sun of Justice, it is always day and the time for
acting; but not with respect to us, because we are not always able to receive his grace
due to some obstacle on our part (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 1306).
Jesus said: “When the night comes, no one can work” (Jn 9:4). According to Thomas,
the night is our spiritual separation from Christ: “And so night in this passage refers to
that night which comes from the spiritual separation from the Sun of Justice, that is, by
the separation from grace” (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 1307).
Jesus declared: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (Jn 9:5). His bodily
presence continued until His Ascension. However, there is another presence after the
Ascension, as Thomas shows: “… ‘as long as I am in the world’ spiritually by grace – ‘I
am with you until the consummation of the world’ [Mt 28:20] – ‘I am the light of the
world.’ And this day will last until the consummation of the world (Commentary on the
Gospel of St. John, 1308).
Thomas reflects that Jesus used His salvia to heal the man’s eyes in order to show that
the power came from Him, as Luke reports: “Power came forth from him” (Lk 6:19).
Thomas notes that Jesus could have healed people by His word, however, as Thomas
points out, “He frequently used His body in them to show that as an instrument of His
divinity it held a definite healing power” (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 1310).
Thomas calls our attention to the fact that the man was a beggar:
We should note the wonderful compassion of God, because our Lord performs
miracles not only for the powerful, but also for outcasts, since he healed, with
great pity, those who begged. This shows that He who came for our salvation
rejected no one because of their poverty: ‘Has not God chosen those who are
poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom?’ (Jas 2:5). Thus,
they explicitly say, “Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?” (Commentary
on the Gospel of St. John, 1313)
Why are they not sure that this is the same man? Thomas notes that the Church
compares the blind man’s washing in the pool of Siloam to the effects of Baptism: “’As
many of you as were baptized in Christ have put on Christ’ (Gal 3:27). For if Christ had
not been sent, none of us would have been freed from sin” (Commentary on the Gospel
of St. John, 1311).
Thomas sees a wider significance in the healing of the man: “He anointed the eyes of
the blind man, that is, of the human race. And the eyes are the eyes of the heart,

anointed by faith in the incarnation of Christ” (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John,
1311).
Since Christ brings us the revelation of God, Christ mixes what belongs to Him and
what belongs to us in order to heal us: “He anointed the eyes of the blind man, that is, of
the human race. And the eyes are the eyes of the heart, anointed by faith in the
incarnation of Christ” (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 1311).
Thomas recalls Augustine’s description of the courage of the man born blind: “Look at
him! He became a preacher of grace. See him! He preaches and testifies to the Jews….
This blind man testified, and the hearts of the wicked were vexed, because they did not
have the light in their hearts which he had in his face.”” (Tractate on John, 44, 8).
Augustine also affirms that the one who had received his sight gladly offered to give
them light (Tractate on John, 44, 11).
The reason for their confusion, as Augustine says, is that the man’s appearance
changed when he regained his sight, for nothing is so characteristic as the expression a
person gets from his eyes: “A sensible man is known by his face” (Sir 19:29). [
“’I am the man, the one who was blind and begged; and now I see: He said to me, Go to
Siloam and wash.’ This was also necessary for us, for if we wish to be cleansed from
our blindness of heart, it is necessary that we be spiritually washed; “Wash yourselves;
make yourselves clean” (Is 1:16).
“He mentions the good effect, saying, and I received my sight. It was fitting that he be
enlightened after obeying, because as it says in Acts (5:32): “It is the Holy Spirit whom
God has given to those who obey him.”
Thomas explains the significance of what happened:
“The anointing represents the beginning of his physical health, and the washing
leads to complete health. In particular, an anointing produces a catechumen; and
the washing, that is, baptism, perfects and enlightens him. Thus, we have a
representation of the difference in faith found at different stages. For when he
says, I do not know, this represents the imperfect faith of catechumens: ‘You
worship what you do not know’ (Jn 4:22). This can also signify our faith: ‘For our
knowledge is imperfect and our prophesying is imperfect’ (1 Cor 13:9).
(Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 1319)
Thomas affirms the perseverance of the man:
We must, first, admire the perseverance of this blind man, for although it may not
seem such a great thing to have spoken the truth when he, without danger, was
questioned by the crowd, he showed remarkable perseverance when in greater
danger before the Pharisees he neither denied what he had said before nor
changed his account: (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 1324)

Thomas credits the man’s “truth” as being decisive: “The truth always conquers what is
false, as we read in the apocryphal 3 Esdras (3:13): ‘Truth conquers all.’” (Commentary
on the Gospel of St. John, 1333).
Thomas asserts that God does listen to sinners:
“For God does hear sinners, otherwise it would have been futile for the tax
collector to have prayed: “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Accordingly, if we
wish to save the statement of the blind man we must say that God does not hear
those sinners who persist in their sinning; but he does hear those sinners who
are sorry for their sins, and who should be regarded more as repentant than as
sinners” (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 1347)
Thomas maintains that every miracle gives witness:
“It should be mentioned that every miracle is a sort of testimony. Sometimes, a
miracle is accomplished as a testimony to the truth that is being preached; at
other times, it is a testimony to the person performing it. We must also realize
that no true miracle happens except by the divine power, and that God is never a
witness to a lie. I say, therefore, that whenever a miracle is performed in
testimony to a doctrine that is being preached, that doctrine must be true, even if
the person who is preaching it is not good. And when it is performed in testimony
to the person, it is also necessary that the person be good. Now it is evident that
the miracles of Christ were performed in testimony to his person: ‘The works
which the Father has granted me to accomplish…bear me witness that the
Father has sent me’ (Jn 5:36) (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 1349)
St. Thomas explains miracles give witness: “The reason for this is that miracles are
accomplished by the omnipotence of God, on which faith relies. Therefore, whoever
wishes to obtain something from God has to have faith: ‘Let him ask in faith’ (Jas 1:6).
However, if he wishes to obtain it through merit, he must do God’s will.”
Thomas believes that the miracle runs contrary to Jewish expectations:
Jews were of the opinion that all infirmities and temporal adversities beset us on
account of our previous sins. This was the opinion given by Eliphaz: “Think now,
who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off? As I
have seen those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. By the breath
of God, they perish” (Job 4:7). The reason for this opinion is that in the Old Law
temporal goods were promised to the good, and temporal punishment to the evil:
“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land” (Is 1:19).
(Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 1353)
According to Thomas, this event demonstrates Jesus’ desire to teach:

Christ’s eagerness to teach is described in three ways. First, by his attentive
consideration to what was done to the man born blind. For just as a trainer
carefully considers what his athlete undergoes for his sake, so Christ attentively
considered what the man born blind underwent for the sake of the truth and
because of his assertions. And so he says that Jesus heard, attentively
considered, that the Pharisees had cast him (Commentary on the Gospel of St.
John, 1355).
Thomas points out that, after the man had been put out of the synagogue, Jesus went
to find him:
Christ’s eagerness to teach is described … First, by his attentive consideration to
what was done to the man born blind. For just as a trainer carefully considers
what his athlete undergoes for his sake, so Christ attentively considered what the
man born blind underwent for the sake of the truth and because of his
assertions… Secondly, we see Christ’s eagerness from his efforts in searching
for him, for the Evangelist says, and having found him; for we are said to find
what we diligently seek (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 1355).
The man is moved to faith in Jesus:
Then when the Evangelist says, he said, Lord, I believe, we see the devout faith
of the man born blind. And first, he professes with his lips the faith in his heart,
saying, Lord, I believe: ‘Man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he
confesses with his lips and so is saved’ (Rom 10:10). Secondly, he shows it in
his conduct, and he worshipped him. This shows that he believes in the divine
nature of Christ, because those whose consciences have been cleansed know
Christ not only as the son of man, which was externally obvious, but as the Son
of God, who had taken flesh: for adoration is due to God alone: ‘You will adore
the Lord, your God [Dt 6:13] (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 1358).
Denis Vincent Wiseman, O.P.
The quotations are from St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Gospel of St.
John, trans. James A. Weisheipl, O.P. and Larcher, O.P. (Albany, NY: Magi
Books, 1980