In the time of Jesus, Tabernacles was celebrated in the temple with an almost carnival atmosphere: there were processions into the temple with pilgrims carrying bundles of palm, myrtle and willow branches, and etrogim, citrons; the priests walked round the great altar in the courtyard carrying willow branches; huge lampstands each with four golden bowls of oil lit up the temple courts all through the night; there was a procession to bring water from Siloam that was poured out on the great altar (Mishnah Sukkah 3—5). The themes of Tabernacles were central to the teaching of Jesus: in his great temple discourse (John 7—9) he said that he was the true light and that people could drink rivers of living water from him; and his farewell discourse at the last supper (John 15) centred on the great vine and its fruits, another symbol of Tabernacles.
But those who eventually became the Christians remembered the older associations with the enthronement and the king, who was the anointed one, the Messiah. In the temple of Solomon, Tabernacles had been the time when the Davidic king was enthroned and became the presence of the LORD with his people. He became divine when he was anointed (Psalm 110), then he gave them his law and sat in judgement. One of the ancient Hebrew poems linked to this ritual became a key text for Christian claims about Jesus: ‘When [God] brings the firstborn into the world, he says ‘Let all God’s angels worship him’ (Hebrews 1.6 [Heb. 1:2], quoting the original form of Deuteronomy 32.43 found at Qumran, which goes on to describe the LORD bringing judgement). The Christians claimed that Jesus was the divine Son whom God had anointed and sent into the world as Son and judge (John 10.36 [John 6:30]).
Healing the Man Born Blind
A man blind from birth is healed on the Sabbath with clay and spittle, and then spends the rest of the chapter alone in front of the authorities: out-arguing them, getting thrown out of the synagogue for it, and only afterward learning who it was that opened his eyes.
Note. Only John records this healing. The Joseph Smith Translation makes one large change here, to what Jesus says about the time he has left, and three smaller ones in the man’s own testimony.
? How to read this edition
The reading is the Joseph Smith Translation, in the text of the Covenant Christian Edition, carried beside each Gospel and set against the King James baseline. Headers give both numbering systems: the CCE chapter and verse, and the traditional KJV reference.
1And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from his birth. 2And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? 3Jesus answered, Neither has this man sinned nor his parents. But that the works of God should be made manifest in him 4I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. while I am with you. The time comes when I shall have finished my work, then I go unto the Father. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 6When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 7and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam — which is (by interpretation) Sent. He went his way, therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
8The neighbors therefore and they who before had seen him (that he was blind) said, Is not this he that sat and begged? 9Some said, This is he; others said, He is like him. But he said, I am he. 10Therefore said they unto him, How were your eyes opened? 11He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam and wash. And I went and washed, and I received sight. 12Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
13And they brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees. 14And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon my eyes, and I washed and do see. 16Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God because he keeps not the Sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. 17They say unto the blind man again, What do you say of him that he hath who has opened your eyes? He said, He is a prophet.
18But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. 19And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see? 20His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son and that he was born blind, 21but by what means he now sees, we know not, or who has opened his eyes, we know not. He is of age, ask him; he shall speak for himself. 22These words spoke his parents because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. 23Therefore said his parents, He is of age, ask him.
24Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise, we know that this man is a sinner. 25He answered and said, Whether he is a sinner, I know not. One thing I know — that whereas I was blind, now I see. 26Then said they to him again, What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? 27He answered them, I have told you already and you did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also believe. Why would you believe if I should tell you again? And would you be his disciples? 28Then they reviled him, and said, You are his disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. 29We know that God spoke unto Moses. As for this man, we know not from where he is. 30The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvelous thing, that you know not from where he is, and yet he has opened my eyes. 31Now we know that God hears not sinners, but if any man is a worshipper of God and does his will, him he hears. 32Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind, except he be of God. 33If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. 34They answered and said unto him, You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us? And they cast him out.
35Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and when he had found him, he said unto him, Do you believe on the Son of God? 36He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? 37And Jesus said unto him, You have both seen him and it is he that talks with you. 38And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
39And Jesus said, For judgment I have come into this world, that they who see not might see, and that they who see might be made blind. 40And some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these words and said unto him, Are we blind also? 41Jesus said unto them, If you were blind, you should have no sin, but now you say, We see; therefore, your sin remains.
Tabernacles: The Lamps, and the Water from Siloam
Barker reads John 7–9 as a single temple discourse spoken at Tabernacles, which explains why this chapter has the shape it has. The feast filled the temple courts with lampstands burning all night, and carried water up from Siloam in procession to pour on the great altar. The light of the world sends a blind man to wash in that pool.
The chapter ends where her second paragraph does: “For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind” (John 9:39).