John 9

True Blindness

1-2 Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?"3-5 Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world's Light."

6-7 He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man's eyes, and said, "Go, wash at the Pool of Siloam" (Siloam means "Sent"). The man went and washed—and saw.

8 Soon the town was buzzing. His relatives and those who year after year had seen him as a blind man begging were saying, "Why, isn't this the man we knew, who sat here and begged?"

9 Others said, "It's him all right!"
But others objected, "It's not the same man at all. It just looks like him."
He said, "It's me, the very one."

10 They said, "How did your eyes get opened?"

11 "A man named Jesus made a paste and rubbed it on my eyes and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' I did what he said. When I washed, I saw."

12 "So where is he?"
"I don't know."

13-15 They marched the man to the Pharisees. This day when Jesus made the paste and healed his blindness was the Sabbath. The Pharisees grilled him again on how he had come to see. He said, "He put a clay paste on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see."

16 Some of the Pharisees said, "Obviously, this man can't be from God. He doesn't keep the Sabbath."
Others countered, "How can a bad man do miraculous, God-revealing things like this?" There was a split in their ranks.

17 They came back at the blind man, "You're the expert. He opened your eyes. What do you say about him?"
He said, "He is a prophet."

18-19 The Jews didn't believe it, didn't believe the man was blind to begin with. So they called the parents of the man now bright-eyed with sight. They asked them, "Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? So how is it that he now sees?"

20-23 His parents said, "We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind. But we don't know how he came to see—haven't a clue about who opened his eyes. Why don't you ask him? He's a grown man and can speak for himself." (His parents were talking like this because they were intimidated by the Jewish leaders, who had already decided that anyone who took a stand that this was the Messiah would be kicked out of the meeting place. That's why his parents said, "Ask him. He's a grown man.")

24 They called the man back a second time—the man who had been blind— and told him, "Give credit to God. We know this man is an impostor."

25 He replied, "I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see."

26 They said, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"

27 "I've told you over and over and you haven't listened. Why do you want to hear it again? Are you so eager to become his disciples?"

28-29 With that they jumped all over him. "You might be a disciple of that man, but we're disciples of Moses. We know for sure that God spoke to Moses, but we have no idea where this man even comes from."

30-33 The man replied, "This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is, he opened my eyes! It's well known that God isn't at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will. That someone opened the eyes of a man born blind has never been heard of—ever. If this man didn't come from God, he wouldn't be able to do anything."

34 They said, "You're nothing but dirt! How dare you take that tone with us!" Then they threw him out in the street.

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and went and found him. He asked him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

36 The man said, "Point him out to me, sir, so that I can believe in him."

37 Jesus said, "You're looking right at him. Don't you recognize my voice?"

38 "Master, I believe," the man said, and worshiped him.

39 Jesus then said, "I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind."

40 Some Pharisees overheard him and said, "Does that mean you're calling us blind?"

41 Jesus said, "If you were really blind, you would be blameless, but since you claim to see everything so well, you're accountable for every fault and failure."

John 9

Healing a Man Born Blind

1 Now as Jesus was passing by,ts he saw a man who had been blind from birth.2 His disciples asked him,t “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this mant or his parents?”ts3 Jesus answered, “Neither this mant nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so thatt the actst of God may be revealedt through what happens to him.t4 We must perform the deedst of the one who sent met as long ast it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work.5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”s6 Having said this,t he spat on the ground and made some mudt with the saliva. Het smeared the mud on the blind man’st eyes

7 and said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam”t (which is translated “sent”).s So the blind mant went away and washed, and came back seeing.
8 Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previouslyt as a beggar began saying,t “Is this not the mant who used to sit and beg?”9 Some people said,t “This is the man!”t while others said, “No, but he looks like him.”t The man himselft kept insisting, “I am the one!”t10 So they asked him,t “How then were you made to see?”t11 He replied,t “The man called Jesus made mud,t smeared itt on my eyes and told me,t ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and was able to see.”t

12 They saidt to him, “Where is that man?”t He replied,t “I don’t know.”

The Pharisees’ Reaction to the Healing

13 They brought the man who used to be blindt to the Pharisees.s14 (Now the day on which Jesus made the mudt and caused him to seet was a Sabbath.)s

15 So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight.ts He replied,t “He put mudt on my eyes and I washed, and nowt I am able to see.”
16 Then some of the Pharisees began to say,t “This man is not from God, because he does not observet the Sabbath.”s But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner performt such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a divisiont among them.

17 So again they asked the man who used to be blind,t “What do you say about him, since he caused you to see?”t “He is a prophet,” the man replied.ts
18 Now the Jewish religious leaderst refused to believet that he had really been blind and had gained his sight until at last they summonedt the parents of the man who had become able to see.t19 They asked the parents,t “Is this your son, whom you sayt was born blind? Then how does he now see?”20 So his parents replied,t “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.21 But we do not know how he is now able to see, nor do we know who caused him to see.t Ask him, he is a mature adult.t He will speak for himself.”22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders.t For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesust to be the Christts would be put outt of the synagogue.s

23 For this reason his parents said, “He is a mature adult,t ask him.”)s
24 Then they summonedt the man who used to be blindt a second time and said to him, “Promise before God to tell the truth.t We know that this mant is a sinner.”25 He replied,t “I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing – that although I was blind, now I can see.”26 Then they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he cause you to see?”t

27 He answered,t “I told you already and you didn’t listen.t Why do you want to hear itt again? You peoplet don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?”
28 Theyt heaped insultst on him, saying,t “You are his disciple!t We are disciples of Moses!29 We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this mant comes from!”30 The man replied,t “This is a remarkable thing,t that you don’t know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see!t31 We know that God doesn’t listen tot sinners, but if anyone is devoutt and does his will, Godt listens tot him.t32 Never beforet has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see.t33 If this mant were not from God, he could do nothing.”

34 They replied,t “You were born completely in sinfulness,t and yet you presume to teach us?”t So they threw him out.

The Man’s Response to Jesus

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, so he found the mant and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”s36 The mant replied,t “And who is he, sir, thatt I may believe in him?”37 Jesus told him, “You have seen him; het is the one speaking with you.”t [38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.ss

39 Jesust said,]s “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight,t and the ones who see may become blind.”
40 Some of the Phariseess who were with him heard thist and asked him,t “We are not blind too, are we?”t

41 Jesus replied,t “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin,t but now because you claim that you can see,t your guiltt remains.”s