John 9
New Testament for Everyone
The man born blind
9 As Jesus was going along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.
2 “Teacher,” his disciples asked him, “whose sin was it that caused this man to be born blind? Did he sin, or did his parents?”
3 “He didn’t sin,” replied Jesus, “nor did his parents. It happened so that God’s works could be seen in him. 4 We must work the works of the one who sent me as long as it’s still daytime. The night is coming, and nobody can work then! 5 As long as I’m in the world, I’m the light of the world.”
6 With these words, he spat on the ground, and made some mud out of his spittle. He spread the mud on the man’s eyes.
7 “Off you go,” he said to him, “and wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “sent”). So he went off and washed. When he came back, he could see.
8 His neighbors, and the people who used to see him begging, remarked on this.
“Isn’t this the man,” they said, “who used to sit here and beg?”
9 “Yes, it’s him!” said some of them.
“No, it isn’t!” said some others. “It’s somebody like him.”
But the man himself spoke.
“Yes, it’s me,” he said.
10 “Well, then,” they said to him, “how did your eyes get opened?”
11 “It was the man called Jesus!” he replied. “He made some mud, then he spread it on my eyes, and told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went, and washed, and I could see!”
12 “Where is he?” they asked.
“I don’t know,” he replied.
The blind man’s parents
13 They took the man who had been blind and brought him to the Pharisees. 14 (The day Jesus had made the mud, and opened his eyes, was a sabbath.) 15 So the Pharisees began to ask him again how he had come to see.
“He put some mud on my eyes,” he said, “and I washed, and now I can see!”
16 “The man can’t be from God,” some of the Pharisees began to say. “He doesn’t keep the sabbath!”
“Well, but,” replied some of the others, “how can a man who is a sinner do signs like these?”
And they were divided.
17 So they spoke to the blind man again.
“What have you got to say about him?” they asked. “He opened your eyes, after all.”
“He’s a prophet,” he replied.
18 The Judaeans didn’t believe that he really had been blind and now could see. So they called the parents of the newly sighted man, 19 and put the question to them.
“Is this man really your son,” they asked, “the one you say was born blind? How is it that he can now see?”
20 “Well,” replied his parents, “we know that he is indeed our son, and that he was born blind. 21 But we don’t know how it is that he can now see, and we don’t know who it was that opened his eyes. Ask him! He’s grown up. He can speak for himself.”
22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Judaeans. The Judaeans, you see, had already decided that if anyone declared that Jesus was the Messiah, they should be put out of the synagogue. 23 That’s why his parents said, “He’s grown up, so you should ask him.”
Is Jesus from God?
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind.
“Give God the glory!” they said. “We know that this man is a sinner.”
25 “I don’t know whether he’s a sinner or not,” replied the man. “All I know is this: I used to be blind, and now I can see.”
26 “What did he do to you?” they asked. “How did he open your eyes?”
27 “I told you already,” replied the man, “and you didn’t listen. Why d’you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?”
28 “You’re his disciple,” they scoffed, “but we are Moses’s disciples. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but we don’t know where this man comes from.”
30 “Well, here’s a fine thing!” replied the man. “You don’t know where he’s from, and he opened my eyes! 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners; but if anyone is devout, and does his will, he listens to them. 32 It’s never, ever been heard of before that someone should open the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man wasn’t from God, he couldn’t do anything.”
34 “You were born in sin from top to toe,” they replied, “and are you going to start teaching us?” And they threw him out.
Seeing and not seeing
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out. He found him and spoke to him.
“Do you believe in the son of man?” he asked.
36 “Who is he, sir,” asked the man, “so that I can believe in him?”
37 “You have seen him,” replied Jesus. “In fact, it’s the person who’s talking to you.”
38 “Yes, sir,” said the man; “I do believe.” And he worshiped him.
39 “I came into the world for judgment,” said Jesus, “so that those who can’t see would see, and so that those who can see would become blind.”
40 Some of the Pharisees were nearby, and they heard this.
“So!” they said. “We’re blind too, are we?”
41 “If you were blind,” replied Jesus, “you wouldn’t be guilty of sin. But now, because you say, ‘We can see,’ your sin remains.”
John 9
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition
A Man Born Blind Receives Sight
9 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ 3 Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4 We[a] must work the works of him who sent me[b] while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7 saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8 The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, ‘Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?’ 9 Some were saying, ‘It is he.’ Others were saying, ‘No, but it is someone like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am the man.’ 10 But they kept asking him, ‘Then how were your eyes opened?’ 11 He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, “Go to Siloam and wash.” Then I went and washed and received my sight.’ 12 They said to him, ‘Where is he?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, ‘He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.’ 16 Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?’ And they were divided. 17 So they said again to the blind man, ‘What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.’ He said, ‘He is a prophet.’
18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?’ 20 His parents answered, ‘We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.’ 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus[c] to be the Messiah[d] would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, ‘Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.’ 25 He answered, ‘I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’ 26 They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ 27 He answered them, ‘I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?’ 28 Then they reviled him, saying, ‘You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ 30 The man answered, ‘Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’ 34 They answered him, ‘You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?’ And they drove him out.
Spiritual Blindness
35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’[e] 36 He answered, ‘And who is he, sir?[f] Tell me, so that I may believe in him.’ 37 Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.’ 38 He said, ‘Lord,[g] I believe.’ And he worshipped him. 39 Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgement so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.’ 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, ‘Surely we are not blind, are we?’ 41 Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, “We see”, your sin remains.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.