John 9:1-41 GW

[1] As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who had been born blind. [2] His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, why was this man born blind? Did he or his parents sin?" [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. [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. [5] As long as I'm in the world, I'm light for the world." [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 [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. [8] His neighbors and those who had previously seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?" [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." [10] So they asked him, "How did you receive your sight?" [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." [12] They asked him, "Where is that man?" The man answered, "I don't know." [13] Some people brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. [14] The day when Jesus mixed the spit and dirt and gave the man sight was a day of worship. [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." [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. [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." [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. [19] They asked his parents, "Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? Why can he see now?" [20] His parents replied, "We know that he's our son and that he was born blind. [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." [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. [23] That's why his parents said, "You'll have to ask him. He's old enough.") [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." [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." [26] The Jews asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he give you sight?" [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?" [28] The Jews yelled at him, "You're his disciple, but we're Moses' disciples. [29] We know that God spoke to Moses, but we don't know where this man came from." [30] The man replied to them, "That's amazing! You don't know where he's from. Yet, he gave me sight. [31] We know that God doesn't listen to sinners. Instead, he listens to people who are devout and who do what he wants. [32] Since the beginning of time, no one has ever heard of anyone giving sight to a person born blind. [33] If this man were not from God, he couldn't do anything like that." [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. [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?" [36] The man replied, "Sir, tell me who he is so that I can believe in him." [37] Jesus told him, "You've seen him. He is the person who is now talking with you." [38] The man bowed in front of Jesus and said, "I believe, Lord." [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." [40] Some Pharisees who were with Jesus heard this. So they asked him, "Do you think we're blind?" [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.