The Sixth Sign: Healing a Man Born Blind

9 As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi,^(A) who sinned, this man^(B) or his parents,^(C) that he was born blind?”

³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works^(D) might be displayed in him. ⁴ We^[a] must do the works^(E) of him who sent me^[b] while it is day.^(F) Night is coming when no one can work. ⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”^(G)

⁶ After he said these things he spit on the ground, made some mud^(H) from the saliva, and spread the mud on his eyes. ⁷ “Go,” he told him, “wash in the pool of Siloam”^(I) (which means “Sent”). So he left, washed, and came back seeing.^(J)

The Healed Man’s Testimony

¹³ They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees.^{(A) 14} The day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath.^{(B) 15} Then the Pharisees asked him again how he received his sight.

“He put mud on my eyes,” he told them. “I washed and I can see.”

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God,^(C) because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man^(D) perform such signs?” And there was a division^(E) among them.

¹⁷ Again they asked the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he opened your eyes?”

“He’s a prophet,”^(F) he said.

¹⁸ The Jews did not believe this about him—that he was blind and received sight—until they summoned the parents of the one who had received his sight.

¹⁹ They asked them, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

²⁰ “We know this is our son and that he was born blind,” his parents answered. ²¹ “But we don’t know how he now sees, and we don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he’s of age. He will speak for himself.” ²² His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews, since the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed him as the Messiah,^(G) he would be banned from the synagogue. ²³ This is why his parents said, “He’s of age; ask him.”

²⁴ So a second time they summoned the man who had been blind and told him, “Give glory^(H) to God.^(I) We know that this man is a sinner.”

²⁵ He answered, “Whether or not he’s a sinner, I don’t know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!”

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

²⁷ “I already told you,” he said, “and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?”

²⁸ They ridiculed him: “You’re that man’s disciple, but we’re Moses’s^(J) disciples. ²⁹ We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man—we don’t know where he’s from.”^(K)

³⁰ “This is an amazing thing!” the man told them. “You don’t know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners,^(L) but if anyone is God-fearing and does his will,^(M) he listens to him.^{(N) 32} Throughout history^[a] no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind.^{(O) 33} If this man were not from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.”^(P)

³⁴ “You were born entirely in sin,”^(Q) they replied, “and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.^(R)

Spiritual Blindness

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, and when he found him, he asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”^[b](S)

³⁶ “Who is he, Sir,^(T) that I may believe in him?” he asked.

³⁷ Jesus answered, “You have seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

³⁸ “I believe, Lord!” he said, and he worshiped him.

³⁹ Jesus said, “I came into this world^(U) for judgment,^(V) in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.”^(W)

⁴⁰ Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things and asked him, “We aren’t blind too, are we?”

⁴¹ “If you were blind,” Jesus told them, “you wouldn’t have sin.^(X) But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

The Damascus Road

9 Now Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples^(A) of the Lord. He went to the high priest^{(B) 2} and requested letters^(C) from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way,^(D) he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As^(E) he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. ⁴ Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul said.

“I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

⁷ The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the sound but seeing no one.^{(F) 8} Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. ⁹ He was unable to see for three days and did not eat or drink.

Saul’s Baptism

¹⁰ There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”

“Here I am, Lord,” he replied.^(G)

¹¹ “Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus^(H) named Saul, since he is praying there. ¹² In a vision^[a] he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight.”^(I)

¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.^{(J) 14} And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”^(K)

¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument^(L) to take my name to Gentiles,^(M) kings, and Israelites.^{(N) 16} I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”^(O)

¹⁷ Ananias went and entered the house. He placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”^(P)

¹⁸ At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. ¹⁹ And after taking some food, he regained his strength.^(Q)

Saul Proclaiming the Messiah

Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. ²⁰ Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”^(R)

Paul’s Account of His Conversion and Commission

¹² “I was traveling to Damascus under^(A) these circumstances with authority and a commission from the chief priests. ¹³ King Agrippa, while on the road at midday, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me. ¹⁴ We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice speaking to me in Aramaic,^[a] ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’^(B)

¹⁵ “I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.^{(C) 17} I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them^{(D) 18} to open their eyes^(E) so that they may turn^[b] from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’^(F)

Prayer for Spiritual Growth

⁹ For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking^(A) that you may be filled with the knowledge^(B) of his will^(C) in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,^{[a] 10} so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work^(D) and growing in the knowledge of God,^{(E) 11} being strengthened^(F) with all power,^(G) according to his glorious^(H) might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you^[b] to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.^{(I) 13} He has rescued^(J) us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom^(K) of the Son^(L) he loves.^{(M) 14} In him we have redemption,^[c] the forgiveness of sins.