Book of Common Prayer

2 My children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not do wrong things. But if anyone does something wrong, we have a Friend to help us. He speaks to God for us. He is Jesus Christ who does what is right.

² He himself is the sacrifice God offered to pay for the wrong we have done. And he pays for the wrong things all people in all the world have done.

³ We can be sure that we know him when we obey his laws.

⁴ If any man says, `I know him' and does not obey his laws, he is telling a lie. He does not know what is true.

⁵ But if any man obeys his word, he really loves God. Here is the way that we may be sure that we belong to him.

⁶ If any man says he belongs to him, he must live in the same way Christ lived.

⁷ My dear brothers, I am not writing you a new law. This is an old law. You had it from the beginning. The old law is the word which you have heard.

⁸ But in a way, I am writing you a new law. The darkness is going away and the true light is shining already.

⁹ Does anyone say he is in the light, and hates his brother? Then he is still in the dark.

¹⁰ The man who loves his brother lives in the light. There is nothing in him to make him do wrong.

¹¹ But the man who hates his brother is in the dark. He lives in the dark. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has made him blind.

¹⁸ But the leaders of the Jews did not really believe what they heard about the man. They did not believe that first he had been blind and now was able to see. So they called the parents of the man who could now see.

¹⁹ `Tell us,' they said. `Is this your son who you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?'

²⁰ The parents answered, `We know that this is our son. And we know that he was born blind.

²¹ But we do not know how it is that he can now see. We do not know who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to talk for himself.'

²² The parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. They knew that the leaders of the Jews had already agreed that if anyone said Jesus is the Christ, they would be put out of the meeting place.

²³ That is why the parents said, `He is old enough to talk for himself. Ask him.'

²⁴ Then again they called the man who had been blind. They said to him, `You must praise God for this. We know that the man who healed you is a bad man.'

²⁵ He answered them, `I do not know if he is a bad man or not. But one thing I do know. I know that first I was blind, but now I can see.'

²⁶ Then they said to him again, `What did he do to you? How did he heal you?'

²⁷ He answered them, `I told you already. You did not listen. Why do you want me to tell you again? Do you also want to be his disciples?'

²⁸ This made them angry. They said, `You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.

²⁹ We know that God talked to Moses. But this man, we do not know where he comes from.'

³⁰ The man who had been blind said, `This surprises me! He healed me and yet you do not know where he comes from!

³¹ We know that God does not listen to bad people. But God listens to the person who shows him respect and who obeys him.

³² Before this, no one has ever healed a man who was born blind. Such a thing has not been heard of since the world was made.

³³ If this man did not come from God, he could not do anything like this.'

³⁴ They answered, `You have been a bad man ever since you were born! Now are you trying to teach us?' And with that they put him out of the meeting place.

³⁵ Jesus heard that the people had put him out. When he found him, he said, `Do you believe in the Son of God?'

³⁶ He answered, `Sir, who is the Son of God? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.'

³⁷ Jesus said, `You have already seen him. The person who is talking to you now, he is the Son of God.'

³⁸ The man said, `Sir, I do believe.' He kneeled down in front of Jesus and worshipped him.

³⁹ Jesus said, `I came into the world so that people may be judged. I came so that those who are blind may see. And I came so that those who see may become blind.'

⁴⁰ Some of the Pharisees were with Jesus and heard him say this. They asked him, `You mean to say that we are blind also?'

⁴¹ Jesus answered them, `If you agreed that you were blind, you would not be bad people. But you say, "We can see." So then you are still bad people.'