Book of Common Prayer

10 My brothers, with all my heart I want the Jews to be saved. And I ask God to save them.

² I can say this about them, they want very much to obey God. But they do not know the right way.

³ They did not know the way God makes people right with him. They tried to make themselves good people. So they did not obey God's way to become right with him.

⁴ Christ has made an end to the law as a way of getting right with God. Everyone who believes in him is put right with God.

⁵ Moses wrote this: `A man who obeys the law will live by it.'

⁶ But the holy writings also speak about those who are put right by believing: `Do not say in your heart, "Who will go up into heaven?" ' (That means, `Who will go up to heaven to bring Christ down?')

⁷ `Do not say, "Who will go down into the hole that has no bottom?" ' (That means, `Who will go down to bring Christ up from the dead people?')

⁸ But what do the holy writings say? They say, `The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.' That means, the word to believe which we tell people.

⁹ If you say with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and if you believe in your heart that God has raised Christ from death, you will be saved.

¹⁰ A person believes with his heart, and he is made right with God. He speaks with his mouth and so is saved from his wrong ways.

¹¹ The holy writings say, `Anyone who believes in him will not be let down.'

¹² The Jews and other people are alike. The same Lord is Lord of all people. He richly blesses all who call out to him.

¹³ The holy writings say, `Everyone who calls out to the Lord will be saved.'

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.'