John 9

9 ¹As Jesus passed by, he saw a man who had been 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,' Jesus answered, 'but this happened so the works of our Father might be revealed in him. ^a a v3 Jesus refuses to read the man's blindness as punishment for sin. He points instead to our Father, whose redemptive work will be displayed in the very place the world saw only failure. ⁴We must do the works of the one who sent me while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.'"

⁶Saying this, he spat on the ground, made mud from the saliva, and smeared it on the man's eyes.

⁷He told him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (meaning Sent). So the man went, washed, and returned able to see.

⁸Neighbors and those who'd seen him begging before said, "Isn't this the one who used to sit and beg?" ⁹Some said, "That's him." Others said, "No, he just looks like him." He kept saying, "I'm the one."

¹⁰So they asked him, "Then how were your eyes opened?"

¹¹He replied, "The man called Jesus made mud, smeared it on my eyes, and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went, washed, and could see."

¹²They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."

¹³They brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. ¹⁴Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. ¹⁵So the Pharisees also asked him again how he had gained sight. He told them, "He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see."

¹⁶Some Pharisees said, "This man isn't from God—he doesn't keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a sinful man do such signs?" So they were divided among them.

¹⁷Again they asked the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

¹⁸The Jews did not believe he had been blind and gained sight, until they summoned the parents of the man who had gained sight. ¹⁹They asked them, "Is this your son you say was born blind? How then does he now see?"

²⁰His parents answered, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. ²¹But how he now sees, we don't know; or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him—he's an adult; he'll speak for himself." ²²His parents said this, fearing the Jews, since the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Jesus as the Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue. ^b b v22 Being expelled from the synagogue meant total social and religious exclusion from the Jewish community. ²³That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

²⁴So they called the once-blind man again and said, "Give God the glory. We know this man is a sinner."

²⁵He replied, "Whether he's a sinner, I don't know. I know one thing: I was blind, now I see."

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

²⁷He answered them, "I already told you, and you didn't listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?"

²⁸And they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. ²⁹We know God spoke to Moses, but we don't know where this man is from."

³⁰The man answered them, "Here's the amazing thing: you don't know where he's from, yet he opened my eyes. ³¹We know God doesn't listen to sinners, but if anyone reveres God and does his will, God listens to him. ³²Never since the world began has anyone heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind. ³³If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

³⁴They answered him, "You were born entirely in sin, yet you teach us?" and threw him out.

Do You Believe?

³⁵Jesus heard they had thrown him out, and finding him, said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

³⁶He answered, "And who is he, sir, so I can believe in him?"

³⁷Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking with you."

³⁸He said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

³⁹Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, so those who don't see may see, and those who see may become blind."

⁴⁰Some Pharisees with him heard this and said, "Are we blind too?"

⁴¹Jesus told them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, 'We see,' your sin remains."