Controversy over the Man

13 They *brought [a]the man who was previously blind to the Pharisees. 14 (A)Now it was a Sabbath on the day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 (B)Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied mud to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He (C)does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such [b](D)signs?” And (E)there was dissension among them. 17 So they *said (F)again to the man who was blind, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a (G)prophet.”

18 (H)The Jews then did not believe it about him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, 19 and they questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” 20 His parents then answered and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they (I)were afraid of the [c]Jews; for the Jews (J)had already reached the decision that if anyone confessed Him to be [d]Christ, (K)he was to be excommunicated from the synagogue. 23 It was for this reason that his parents said, “(L)He is of age; ask him.”

24 So for a second time they summoned the man who had been blind, and said to him, “(M)Give glory to God; we know that (N)this man is a sinner.” 25 He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 So they said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “(O)I told you already and you did not (P)listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?” 28 They spoke abusively to him and said, “You are His disciple, but (Q)we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, (R)we do not know where He is from.” 30 The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is the amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes! 31 We know that (S)God does not listen to sinners; but if someone is [e]God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him. 32 [f]Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 (T)If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “(U)You were born entirely in sins, and yet you are teaching us?” So they [g](V)put him out.

Jesus Affirms His Deity

35 Jesus heard that they had [h](W)put him out, and upon finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the (X)Son of Man?” 36 He answered [i]by saying, “And (Y)who is He, [j]Sir, that I may believe in Him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and (Z)He is the one who is talking with you.” 38 And he said, “I believe, Lord.” And he (AA)worshiped Him. 39 And Jesus said, (AB)For judgment I came into this world, so that (AC)those who do not see may see, and (AD)those who see may become blind.” 40 Those who were with Him from the Pharisees heard these things and said to Him, “(AE)We are not blind too, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, (AF)If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you maintain, ‘(AG)We see,’ your sin remains.

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Footnotes

  1. John 9:13 Lit him who
  2. John 9:16 I.e., confirming miracles
  3. John 9:22 I.e., the Jewish leaders
  4. John 9:22 I.e., the Messiah
  5. John 9:31 Or devout
  6. John 9:32 Lit From the age it was not heard
  7. John 9:34 I.e., prob. excommunication from the synagogue
  8. John 9:35 See note v 34
  9. John 9:36 Lit and said
  10. John 9:36 Or Lord

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.(A) 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight.(B) “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”(C)

But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?”(D) So they were divided.(E)

17 Then 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.”(F)

18 They(G) 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. 21 But 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.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders,(H) who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out(I) of the synagogue.(J) 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”(K)

24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,”(L) they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”(M)

25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

27 He answered, “I have told you already(N) and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses!(O) 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”(P)

30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will.(Q) 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God,(R) he could do nothing.”

34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth;(S) how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.(T)

Spiritual Blindness

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe(U) in the Son of Man?”(V)

36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”(W)

37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”(X)

38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.(Y)

39 Jesus said,[a] “For judgment(Z) I have come into this world,(AA) so that the blind will see(AB) and those who see will become blind.”(AC)

40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”(AD)

41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.(AE)

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Footnotes

  1. John 9:39 Some early manuscripts do not have Then the man said … 39 Jesus said.