“What did he to thee? How opened he thine eyes?”
The full verse · John 9:26 · KJV
said to , did to ? opened ?
Asked by
Pharisees: the religious leaders questioning the healed man a second time (John 9:24)
The Scene
Called back a second time, the healed man has refused to judge whether Jesus is a sinner and has said, "One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:24-25).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe Pharisees had already heard this account (John 9:15). They asked again because they could not deny the miracle and wanted another way in. Gill writes, "Finding they could not bring him to deny the fact," they questioned him "in hope he would vary in the account." Barnes says they meant "to attempt to draw him into a contradiction." Gill adds that they may have hoped to show "Christ made use of some unlawful means, as magic art." The first question asks what Jesus did; the second, how He did it.
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe man would not tell it again: "I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?" (John 9:27). Barnes says "God gave to this poor man grace and strength to make a bold confession," enough "completely to confound his proud and subtle examiners." The Pharisees answered by reviling him (John 9:28).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsBefore this question, the leaders told the man, "Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner" (John 9:24). Gill calls this "a phrase used when confession of sin was required" and points to Joshua 7:19, where Joshua urged Achan to "give... glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him." Gill says this "may be the meaning of it here," though he also reports other readings. Barnes, who also cites Joshua 7:19, takes the meaning as a call to confess "that there is imposture in the case." In other words, they were pressing the man to confess a fraud. His account had already been given twice: "He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see" (John 9:15; see John 9:11).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThe man's simple testimony held firm under pressure. He could not settle every question about Jesus (John 9:25), but he would not deny what Jesus had done. Matthew Henry writes, "All who have felt the power and grace of the Lord Jesus, wonder at the wilfulness of others who reject him."
The Pharisees kept asking "how" and never asked "who" with an open heart. The man who answered honestly would soon hear "who" from Jesus Himself: "it is he that talketh with thee" (John 9:37).
Look Closer
What was the one thing the man said he knew, just before this question?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, when others question what You have done in my life, how can I hold on to the one thing I know?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The man stuck to what he knew. What helps you stay steady when people doubt your experience of God?
- Tell about a time someone kept questioning your faith. How did you respond?
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
You don't have to win every debate to stand firm. The man could not answer every question about Jesus (John 9:25), but he would not deny what Jesus had done. Barnes says God gave him "grace and strength to make a bold confession."
This doesn't mean honest questions are attacks. The man told his story freely when he was first asked (John 9:11, 15). When questions become a trap, you can do what he did: name it honestly and keep telling the truth (John 9:27).
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“How were thine eyes opened?”
“What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes?”
“Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? How then doth he now see?”
“Wherefore would ye hear it again? Will ye also be his disciples?”