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John 9:25
ESV He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
NIV He replied, 'Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!'
NASB He then answered, 'Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.'
CSB He answered, "Whether or not he's a sinner, I don't know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see! "
NLT 'I don't know whether he is a sinner,' the man replied. 'But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!'
KJV He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

What does John 9:25 mean?

When Jesus first approached him, this man had been blind from birth (John 9:1–1). After applying mud to his eyes, Jesus' instructions were for the man to go elsewhere to wash off (John 9:6–7). As a result, to this point, the formerly-blind man has still not physically seen the One who healed him. There is no indication that this man sought Jesus out, or knew anything about Him prior to this incident. Local religious leaders cannot accept that Jesus has performed a miracle, so they have been interrogating the man and his parents, insisting that Jesus must be a sinner.

The man's response here is an excellent summary of how saving faith operates. Scripture often uses sight—or light—as a metaphor for faith. This man is not a trained scholar, or wealthy, or well-read. He knows nothing about Jesus' prior ministry, or the details of Jesus ministry. But what he does know, he knows for sure: he had been blind, and now he can see! The profound, inexplicable change brought by an encounter with Christ was beyond debate. For Christians, this is the cornerstone of our testimony: the influence of Christ in our own lives. This is what opens our conversation with others about the reality of the gospel (Mark 5:19), and which leads into all of our other evidence and arguments (1 Peter 3:15–16).
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