John 9-10

Christian Standard Bible

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)

⁸ His neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit begging?” ⁹ 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.

The Good Shepherd

10 “Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber.^{(AK) 2} The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd^(AL) of the sheep.^{(AM) 3} The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand^(AN) what he was telling them.

⁷ Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am^(AO) the gate for the sheep.^{(AP) 8} All who came before me^[e] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. ⁹ I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰ A thief comes only to steal^(AQ) and kill and destroy.^(AR) I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd.^(AS) The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.^{(AT) 12} The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them^[f] and runs away when he sees a wolf^(AU) coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. ¹³ This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep.

¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father.^(AV) I lay down my life^(AW) for the sheep. ¹⁶ But I have other sheep^(AX) that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.^{(AY) 17} This is why the Father loves me,^(AZ) because I lay down my life^(BA) so that I may take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”^(BB)

¹⁹ Again the Jews were divided^(BC) because of these words. ²⁰ Many of them were saying, “He has a demon^(BD) and he’s crazy. Why do you listen to him?” ²¹ Others were saying, “These aren’t the words of someone who is demon-possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” ^(BE)

Jesus at the Festival of Dedication

²² Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem, and it was winter. ²³ Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon’s Colonnade.^{(BF) 24} The Jews surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense?^[g] If you are the Messiah,^(BG) tell us plainly.”^[h](BH)

²⁵ “I did tell you and you don’t believe,” Jesus answered them. “The works^(BI) that I do in my Father’s name testify about me. ²⁶ But you don’t believe because you are not of my sheep.^{[i](BJ) 27} My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life,^(BK) and they will never perish.^(BL) No one will snatch^(BM) them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father,^(BN) who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”^(BO)

Renewed Efforts to Stone Jesus

³¹ Again the Jews picked up rocks to stone him.^(BP)

³² Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works^(BQ) from the Father. For which of these works are you stoning me?”

³³ “We aren’t stoning^(BR) you for a good work,” the Jews answered, “but for blasphemy, because you—being a man—make yourself God.”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law,^[j] I said, you are gods?^{[k](BS) 35} If he called those to whom the word^(BT) of God came ‘gods’—and the Scripture^(BU) cannot be broken— ³⁶ do you say, ‘You are blaspheming’ to the one the Father set apart and sent into the world, because I said: I am the Son of God?^{(BV) 37} If I am not doing my Father’s works,^(BW) don’t believe me. ³⁸ But if I am doing them and you don’t believe me, believe the works. This way you will know and understand^[l] that the Father is in me and I in the Father.”^{(BX) 39} Then they were trying again to seize him,^(BY) but he escaped their grasp.^(BZ)

Many beyond the Jordan Believe in Jesus

⁴⁰ So he departed again across the Jordan^(CA) to the place where John^(CB) had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. ⁴¹ Many came to him^(CC) and said, “John never did a sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” ⁴² And many believed in him there.