GodsWord - John - 9

9:1  As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who had been born blind.

9:2  His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, why was this man born blind? Did he or his parents sin?"

9:3  Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned. Instead, he was born blind so that God could show what he can do for him.

9:4  We must do what the one who sent me wants us to do while it is day. The night when no one can do anything is coming.

9:5  As long as I'm in the world, I'm light for the world."

9:6  After Jesus said this, he spit on the ground and mixed the spit with dirt. Then he smeared it on the man's eyes

9:7  and told him, "Wash it off in the pool of Siloam." (Siloam means "sent.") The blind man washed it off and returned. He was able to see.

9:8  His neighbors and those who had previously seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?"

9:9  Some of them said, "He's the one." Others said, "No, he isn't, but he looks like him." But the man himself said, "I am the one."

9:10  So they asked him, "How did you receive your sight?"

9:11  He replied, "The man people call Jesus mixed some spit with dirt, smeared it on my eyes, and told me, 'Go to Siloam, and wash it off.' So I went there, washed it off, and received my sight."

9:12  They asked him, "Where is that man?" The man answered, "I don't know."

9:13  Some people brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees.

9:14  The day when Jesus mixed the spit and dirt and gave the man sight was a day of worship.

9:15  So the Pharisees asked the man again how he received his sight. The man told the Pharisees, "He put a mixture of spit and dirt on my eyes. I washed it off, and now I can see."

9:16  Some of the Pharisees said, "The man who did this is not from God because he doesn't follow the traditions for the day of worship." Other Pharisees asked, "How can a man who is a sinner perform miracles like these?" So the Pharisees were divided in their opinions.

9:17  They asked the man who had been born blind another question: "What do you say about the man who gave you sight?" The man answered, "He's a prophet."

9:18  Until they talked to the man's parents, the Jews didn't believe that the man had been blind and had been given sight.

9:19  They asked his parents, "Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? Why can he see now?"

9:20  His parents replied, "We know that he's our son and that he was born blind.

9:21  But we don't know how he got his sight or who gave it to him. You'll have to ask him. He's old enough to answer for himself."

9:22  (His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. The Jews had already agreed to put anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ out of the synagogue.

9:23  That's why his parents said, "You'll have to ask him. He's old enough.")

9:24  So once again the Jews called the man who had been blind. They told him, "Give glory to God. We know that this man who gave you sight is a sinner."

9:25  The man responded, "I don't know if he's a sinner or not. But I do know one thing. I used to be blind, but now I can see."

9:26  The Jews asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he give you sight?"

9:27  The man replied, "I've already told you, but you didn't listen. Why do you want to hear the story again? Do you want to become his disciples too?"

9:28  The Jews yelled at him, "You're his disciple, but we're Moses' disciples.

9:29  We know that God spoke to Moses, but we don't know where this man came from."

9:30  The man replied to them, "That's amazing! You don't know where he's from. Yet, he gave me sight.

9:31  We know that God doesn't listen to sinners. Instead, he listens to people who are devout and who do what he wants.

9:32  Since the beginning of time, no one has ever heard of anyone giving sight to a person born blind.

9:33  If this man were not from God, he couldn't do anything like that."

9:34  The Jews answered him, "You were born full of sin. Do you think you can teach us?" Then they threw him out of the synagogue.

9:35  Jesus heard that the Jews had thrown the man out of the synagogue. So when Jesus found the man, he asked him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

9:36  The man replied, "Sir, tell me who he is so that I can believe in him."

9:37  Jesus told him, "You've seen him. He is the person who is now talking with you."

9:38  The man bowed in front of Jesus and said, "I believe, Lord."

9:39  Then Jesus said, "I have come into this world to judge: Blind people will be given sight, and those who can see will become blind."

9:40  Some Pharisees who were with Jesus heard this. So they asked him, "Do you think we're blind?"

9:41  Jesus told them, "If you were blind, you wouldn't be sinners. But now you say, 'We see,' so you continue to be sinners.