The Sixth Sign: Healing a Man Born Blind

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

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works(D) might be displayed in him. 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. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”(G)

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

His neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit begging?” Some said, “He’s the one.” Others were saying, “No, but he looks like him.”

He kept saying, “I’m the one.”

10 So they asked him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”

11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me, ‘Go to Siloam(K) and wash.’ So when I went and washed I received my sight.”(L)

12 “Where is he?” they asked.

“I don’t know,” he said.

The Healed Man’s Testimony

13 They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees.(M) 14 The day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath.(N) 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,(O) because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man(P) perform such signs?” And there was a division(Q) among them.

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

“He’s a prophet,”(R) 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,(S) 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(T) to God.(U) 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(V) disciples. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man—we don’t know where he’s from.”(W)

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,(X) but if anyone is God-fearing and does his will,(Y) he listens to him.(Z) 32 Throughout history[c] no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind.(AA) 33 If this man were not from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.”(AB)

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

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?”[d](AE)

36 “Who is he, Sir,(AF) 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(AG) for judgment,(AH) in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.”(AI)

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.(AJ) But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

Footnotes

  1. 9:4 Other mss read I
  2. 9:4 Other mss read us
  3. 9:32 Lit From the age
  4. 9:35 Other mss read the Son of God

And passing along, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach saw a man ivver (blind) from birth.

The talmidim of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach asked him, Rebbe, who committed averos, this man or the horim (parents) of him, that he was born ivver? [YECHEZKEL 18:20; SHEMOT 20:5; IYOV 21;19]

In reply, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, Neither this man sinned nor the horim of him, but that the pe’ulot of Hashem may be manifested in him.

It is necessary for us to work the pe’ulot of the One having sent me while it is Yom. Lailah comes when no one is able to work.[Jer 13:16] ]

As long as I am in the Olam Hazeh, I am the Ohr HaOlam.

Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva and he anointed the clay upon the man’s eyes,

And said to him, Go wash in the pool of Shiloach! [MELACHIM BAIS 5:10].‖The name means sent‖He went therefore and washed and came seeing. [YESHAYAH 35:5]

Therefore, the shchenim and the ones seeing the man who was formerly a betler, came, saying, Is this not the man who was sitting and begging?

Some were saying, This is the one! Others were saying, No, but it is a man like him. But the man was saying, I am the one!

10 Therefore, the people were saying to him, How, then, were your eyes opened?

11 In reply, the man said, The one called Yehoshua took clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, Go to Shiloach [MELACHIM BAIS 5:10] and wash. Therefore, having gone, and having washed, I saw!

12 And they said to him, Where is that one? The man says to them, I do not have da’as of that.

13 The people lead the man to the Perushim…the man who had formerly been ivver (blind).

14 Now the time period Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach took the clay and opened his eyes was a Shabbos.

15 Then again also the Perushim were asking him how his eyes were opened, and the man said to them, The man placed clay on my eyes and I washed, and I see.

16 Therefore some of the Perushim were saying, This man is not from Hashem, because he is a Mechallel Shabbos (desecrator of Shabbos). But others were saying, How is a man who is a choteh (sinner) able to do such otot? There was a machloket (division of dissension) among them.

17 Therefore, they say to the ivver (blind man) again, What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes? And the man said, He is a Navi.

18 Therefore, those of Yehudah did not believe that the man had been ivver (blind) until they called the horim of the man whose eyes were opened.

19 And they asked the horim, saying, Is this the ben of you, whom you say was born ivver? How, therefore, does he now have sight?

20 In reply, therefore, his horim said, We have da’as that this man is the ben of us and that he was born ivver,

21 But how he sees now we do not have da’as nor do we have da’as of who opened his eyes. Interrogate him. He’s had his Bar Mitzvah (T.N. i.e., he is of age). He will speak for himself.

22 His horim said these things, because they were fearing those of Yehudah, for already those of Yehudah had agreed that if any person made hoda’ah (confession) of him to be the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, that person would be put under cherem ban from the shul.

23 Therefore, his horim said, He has reached his religious majority and is of age. Interrogate him.

24 They called a second time, therefore, the man who had been ivver (blind) and said to him, V’ten lo todah. (Give glory to G-d) [YEHOSHUA 7:19] We have da’as that this man is a choteh (sinner). [TEHILLIM 68:35; YEHOSHUA 7:19]

25 In reply, therefore, he said, If he is a choteh (sinner), of that I don’t have da’as. Of one thing I do have da’as, that though I was ivver, now I see.

26 They said, therefore, to him, What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?

27 The man answered them, I told you already, and you do not listen. Why again do you want to hear? Surely you do not want to become his talmidim also?

28 And they reviled him and said, You are a talmid of that man, but we are talmidim of Moshe Rabbeinu. [BAMIDBAR 12:2,8]

29 We have da’as that Hashem has spoken to Moshe Rabbeinu, but this man, we do not have da’as from where he comes.

30 In reply, the man said to them, Here is a real cheftza! That you do not have da’as from where he comes, and he opened my eyes!

31 We have da’as that G-d does not listen to chote’'im (sinners), but if anyone has chassidus and yirat shomayim and does the ratzon (will) of Him, this one G-d hears. [TEHILLIM 18:23-32; 34:15 16; 66:18; 145:19-20; 51:7(5); MISHLE 15:8,29; YESHAYAH 1:15; 59:1-2]

32 Never vi-bahlt the Bri’at HaOlam (the Creation of the World) it was heard of that anyone opened the eyes of an ivver (blind man) having been born thus.

33 If this man was not from Hashem, he would not be able to do anything.

34 They answered and said to him, You were born totally B’AVON (in sin) and you teach us? And they threw him out. [TEHILLIM 51:5(7)]

35 Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach heard that they threw him out, and, having found him, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, Do you have emunah (faith) in the Ben HaAdam?

36 In reply, the man said, And who is he, Adoni, that I may have emunah in him?

37 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.

38 And the man said, Ani ma’amin, Adoni. And he fell down prostrate before him.

39 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, For the sake of Mishpat, I came into the Olam Hazeh, that the ones who are ivrim (blind ones) may see, and the ones seeing may become ivrim.

40 Some of the Perushim heard these things, the ones being with him, and they said to him, Surely we are not ivrim, are we?

41 Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, If you were ivrim (blind men), you would not have chet, but now vi-bahlt (since) you say, We see, the chet of you remains.