John 9
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth
2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this
man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus,
“but this happened so that the work of God might
be displayed in his life. 4As long as it is day, we must do
the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no
one can work. 5While I am in the world, I am the light of
the world.”
6Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some
mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7“Go,”
he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word
means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came
home seeing.
8His neighbors and those who had formerly seen
him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used
to sit and beg?” 9Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10“How then were your eyes opened?” they demanded.
11He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some
mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam
and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
12“Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had
been blind. 14Now the day on which Jesus had made the
mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.
15Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had
received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man
replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
16Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from
God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous
signs?” So they were divided.
17Finally they turned again to the blind man, “What
have you to say about him? It was your eyes he
opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
18The Jews still did not believe that he had been
blind and had received his sight until they sent for the
man’s parents. 19“Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this
the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he
can see?”
20“We know he is our son,” the parents answered,
“and we know he was born blind. 21But how he can see
now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him.
He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22His parents
said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already
the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged
that Jesus was the Christ a would be put out of
the synagogue. 23That was why his parents said, “He is
of age; ask him.”
24A second time they summoned the man who had
been blind. “Give glory to God, b” they said. “We know
this man is a sinner.”
25He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t
know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
26Then they asked him, “What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?”
27He answered, “I have told you already and you did
not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you
want to become his disciples, too?”
28Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are
this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29We
know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow,
we don’t even know where he comes from.”
30The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You
don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my
eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners. He
listens to the godly man who does his will. 32Nobody
has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.
33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at
birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him
out.
Spiritual Blindness
35Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and
when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son
of Man?”
36“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I
may believe in him.”
37Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is
the one speaking with you.”
38Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped
him.
39Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this
world, so that the blind will see and those who see will
become blind.”
40Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say
this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
41Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be
guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your
guilt remains.
