The Healing of the Blind Man in John

Abstract

John's healing narratives are all presented as semeia or spiritual signs in the Gospel. It therefore always has two levels of meaning: the one level narrates a biological and socio-cultural healing act, and at the same time the narrative functions as a vehicle to illustrate ‘divine’ truths in John's Gospel—revealing the true identity of Jesus, with the purpose that those who read these signs, will eventually believe that Jesus is the son of God and thereby receive eternal life (John 20: 30–31). In this article we will discuss the healing narrative in John 9 where Jesus heals not only the physical blindness of the blind man, but also his spiritual blindness. It will also be illustrated how this narrative functions as a semeion or Johannine sign, designed to lead readers to spiritual healing in John's narrative world. Finally the implications of Jesus' engagement with those on the fringes of society will be discussed against the background of the rise of Christianity in Africa.1

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