“when he found him” – The man was cut off from family, religion, and society in general. It became common knowledge that he had been thrown out of the Temple and Jesus came to hear of it. Notice that it is Jesus who finds the man, not the other way around. When He heard of the man’s need, Jesus went looking for him. This reveals the heart of Christ and thus of God. He loves us and hurts when we suffer pain, but His involvement doesn’t stop there; He actively seeks us out to meet our needs, whatever they may be.

God has always been that way. Time and again His people would go astray and God would seek them out, find them, and restore them. He sought Adam after his sin (Gen 3:9) and then set into motion the beginning of the Promise of redemption for all mankind (Gen 3:15). He never forgets us or our need (Isaiah 49:14-16). In one messianic passage, He expresses the tenderness which He will use in caring for us (Is 40:10-11). God expressed His Promise to seek the lost and save them through Ezekiel in Chapter 34 of his book (Ezek 34:16). Jesus also stated this as His purpose on this planet (Luke 19:10). God was in the seeking and saving business and He still is!

Genesis 3:9  But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

Genesis 3:15  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Isaiah 49:14-16  But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”  “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

Isaiah 40:10-11  See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.  He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

Ezekiel 34:16  I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

Luke 19:10  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

Chrysostom puts it that, “The Jews cast him out of the Temple; the Lord of the Temple found him.” The man’s witness had separated him from others but had drawn him closer to Jesus. This will always be the case. But we should always remember this: “Jesus is always true to the man who is true to Him.” (Barclay)

“you” is emphatic. Jesus is asking how it is with the man personally. It is irrelevant how it is with others, how is the man’s faith? As Morris points out faith is essentially personal.

Son of God (KJV) = many of the Greek manuscripts have “Son of man” (NIV). Following is a comparison of the two.

Son of God 

A son is one who derives their being and their characteristics from their father. Thus a son of God is one who reveres God as their Father and whose character and life resemble that of God. Moreover, it is one whom God recognizes as a son, whom he loves, protects and benefits above all others. When Jesus used this term for himself, it had messianic connotations. It indicated the One in whom all the destiny of Israel was to be fulfilled. But Jesus was not just “a” son of God, He was “the” Son of God, which declared His Deity and His true relationship with His Father, God. Jesus was not just thought by God to be His Son, He really was His Son in all meanings of the term. So the term is a revelation of His Messiahship and a declaration of His close relationship to God.

“Son of God” is Biblically used of:

• One in the fiery furnace who saved the Israelite boys
  Daniel 3:25  He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
• the promise to Mary by the angel
  Luke 1:35  The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
• Satan in reference to Jesus
  Matthew 4:3  The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
• Demons as a title for Jesus  
  Luke 4:41  Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.
• testimony of Jesus by John the Baptist 
  John 1:34  I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”
• the purpose of writing the Gospel of John 
  John 20:31  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
• what we are to preach
  Acts 9:20  At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.

Son of man

A human derivative, exhibiting all of the characteristics of humanity. The term describes man in all of his lowliness, especially denoting his weakness and mortality. (Psalms 144:3-4, 146:3-4) God used the title for Ezekiel to indicate his representativeness — not just for Israel, but for all of mankind, and in (Dan 7:13-14) there is “one like the Son of man” who is a true representative of all men while having heavenly connotations, and is given an everlasting dominion over all nations.

Psalms 144:3-4  O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?  Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.

Psalms 146:3-4  (KJV) Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.  His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

Daniel 7:13-14  “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.  He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Jesus used this term of Himself more than any other. He used it to express His identification with and representation of all men and His humility. But most often He used it in the sense of the One spoken of in Daniel (Mark 14:62).

Mark 14:62  “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Both the term “Son of Man” and the term “Son of God” have messianic connotations and both are used uniquely of Jesus. Whichever term He used in posing the question to the man who had been blind, He was asking if the man had faith, real faith, the kind of faith that involves total commitment, and if this faith was in the Christ sent from God.