“Wherefore would ye hear it again? Will ye also be his disciples?”
The full verse · John 9:27 · KJV
He , I have , ye : ye it ? ?
The Scene
The Pharisees have asked the healed man, for the second time, what Jesus did to him and how He opened his eyes (John 9:26).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe man saw that the questioning was going nowhere. He had answered, but "ye did not hear," that is, they had not received what he said. His first question asks what good another telling would do. His second turns the tables on his examiners. Gill says he might have said it "either in an ironical and sarcastic way; or else seriously," suggesting that if they honestly examined the miracle, they would become followers of Jesus. Either way, the word "also" placed the man on Jesus' side, and the Pharisees heard it that way (John 9:28).
The Response
What Scripture records"Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples" (John 9:28). They added, "We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is" (John 9:29). They did not answer his questions. The man answered them with greater boldness (John 9:30-33), and they cast him out (John 9:34).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsIn Greek, "would ye" and "will ye" are the same verb, thelete, "do you want," which is why the ESV reads, "Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?" To be a disciple meant to be a learner and follower of a teacher. The leaders claimed Moses as their teacher. Gill says they "chose to be the disciples of Moses the servant" rather than of Christ.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyJesus said He came "that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind" (John 9:39). This question shows it happening. The blind beggar now sees more clearly than the men who examine him.
The leaders set Moses against Jesus, but Jesus had already told them, "had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me" (John 5:46). Being Moses' disciples, rightly understood, would have led them to the very One they rejected.
Look Closer
Why did the man refuse to repeat his story?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord Jesus, am I truly listening to what You have already shown me, or am I asking the same questions to keep from following You?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The Pharisees kept asking but would not hear. Are there questions you keep asking God when part of you already knows the answer?
- Tell about a time someone's simple, honest testimony made you think again about Jesus.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Questions are good when they come from a desire to hear. The man saw that his examiners were asking without listening (John 9:27). It's worth asking whether your own questions about God are open or closed.
His boldness also shows that a new follower of Jesus can speak with courage. He had been a beggar (John 9:8), yet he stood his ground before the leaders. This doesn't mean you should be harsh with people who disagree. It means you don't need permission from the powerful to tell what Jesus has done.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources