John 9:40
“And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The Pharisees, overhearing Jesus' words about spiritual blindness, respond with defensive indignation.
Context
Some Pharisees overhear Jesus speaking about judgment and spiritual blindness and react defensively.
What Does John 9:40 Mean?
The question 'Are we blind also?' is meant as a challenge and a denial. The Pharisees hear Jesus' teaching about blindness and take it as an accusation aimed at them. Their response is not reflection but defensiveness. They cannot fathom that the accusation applies to them. They are the teachers, the interpreters of law, the custodians of truth. How could they be blind? They understand the commandments, they know the traditions, they guide others. The very question they ask contains the refusal to see that Jesus is naming. They are so certain of their sight that they cannot even entertain the possibility of their blindness.
Yet in their question lies an unintended honesty. 'Are we blind also?' They use the word 'also,' acknowledging that blindness is a real condition that afflicts some people. They place themselves in the category of the seeing. But Jesus' point, about to be clarified, is that there is a blindness more dangerous than physical darkness: the blindness of those who insist they see when they are actually walking in shadow. The Pharisees' question, asked in scorn, becomes an invitation for Jesus to answer them plainly.
Application
When we hear correction or challenge, our first instinct often mirrors the Pharisees': denial and self-defense. But spiritual growth requires a different response. It calls us to pause and ask honestly whether the critique might contain truth about us. The Pharisees' question, asked in sarcasm, contains the possibility of genuine self-examination. We are invited to do what they refused.