Book of Common Prayer
2 My children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone does sin, we have one who pleads our cause before the father—namely, the Righteous One, Jesus the Messiah! 2 He is the sacrifice which atones for our sins—and not ours only, either, but those of the whole world.
God’s new commandment
3 This is how we are sure that we have known him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Anyone who says, “I know him,” but doesn’t keep his commandments, is a liar. People like that have no truth in them. 5 But if anyone keeps his word, God’s love is truly made complete in such a person. This is how we are sure that we are in him: 6 anyone who says, “I abide in him,” ought to behave in the same way that he behaved.
7 My beloved ones, I am not writing a new command to you, but an old command which you have had from the very beginning. The old command is the word which you heard. 8 Again, however, I am writing a new command to you: it is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Anyone who says, “I am in the light,” while hating another family member, is still in darkness up to this very moment. 10 Anyone who loves another family member abides in the light, and there is no cause of offense in such a person. 11 Anyone who hates another family member is in the darkness, and walks about in the darkness. Such people have no idea where they are going, because the darkness has blinded their eyes.
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.”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.