John 9

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

1 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been born blind.

2 His followers asked him, “Teacher, whose sin caused this man to be born blind—his own sin or his parents’ sin?”
3 Jesus answered, “It is not this man’s sin or his parents’ sin that made him blind. This man was born blind so that God’s power could be shown in him. 4 While it is daytime, we must continue doing the work of the One who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After Jesus said this, he spit on the ground and made some mud with it and put the mud on the man’s eyes.

7 Then he told the man, “Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.” (Siloam means Sent.) So the man went, washed, and came back seeing.

8 The neighbors and some people who had earlier seen this man begging said, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”

9 Some said, “He is the one,” but others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
The man himself said, “I am the man.”

10 They asked, “How did you get your sight?”

11 He answered, “The man named Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. Then he told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

12 They asked him, “Where is this man?”
“I don’t know,” he answered.

Pharisees Question the Healing

13 Then the people took to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.14 The day Jesus had made mud and healed his eyes was a Sabbath day.

15 So now the Pharisees asked the man, “How did you get your sight?”
He answered, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and now I see.”

16 So some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man does not keep the Sabbath day, so he is not from God.”
But others said, “A man who is a sinner can’t do miracles like these.” So they could not agree with each other.

17 They asked the man again, “What do you say about him since it was your eyes he opened?”
The man answered, “He is a prophet.”
18 These leaders did not believe that he had been blind and could now see again. So they sent for the man’s parents

19 and asked them, “Is this your son who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?”
20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.21 But we don’t know how he can now see. We don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.”22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the elders, who had already decided that anyone who said Jesus was the Christ would be avoided.

23 That is why his parents said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”

24 So for the second time, they called the man who had been blind. They said, “You should give God the glory by telling the truth. We know that this man is a sinner.”

25 He answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I see.”

26 They asked, “What did he do to you? How did he make you see again?”

27 He answered, “I already told you, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his followers, too?”
28 Then they insulted him and said, “You are his follower, but we are followers of Moses.

29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”
30 The man answered, “This is a very strange thing. You don’t know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.31 We all know that God does not listen to sinners, but he listens to anyone who worships and obeys him.32 Nobody has ever heard of anyone giving sight to a man born blind.

33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

34 They answered, “You were born full of sin! Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out.

Spiritual Blindness

35 When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, Jesus found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

36 He asked, “Who is the Son of Man, sir, so that I can believe in him?”

37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him. The Son of Man is the one talking with you.”

38 He said, “Lord, I believe!” Then the man worshiped Jesus.
39 Jesus said, “I came into this world so that the world could be judged. I came so that the blind 

40 Some of the Pharisees who were nearby heard Jesus say this and asked, “Are you saying we are blind, too?”
41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But since you keep saying you see, your guilt remains.”

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