Chapter 27
A Man Born Blind Receives Sight
Verse 1: Now as Jesus was passing by with his disciples, they came upon a man blind from birth. | John 9:1
2 And his disciples asked him, “Teacher, who committed sin, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?” | John 9:2
3 Jesus answered them, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; as he was born blind through no fault of his own or anyone else. | John 9:3
4 We must do the work of the one who sent me while it is day; for the night is coming, when no one is able to work. | John 9:4
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” | John 9:5
6 As he was saying this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and smeared the mud on the man’s eyes, | John 9:6
7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed himself and returned back seeing. | John 9:7
8 The man's neighbours and those who had seen him prior as a beggar began to discuss with themselves, “Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?” | John 9:8
9 Some asked, “It is him?” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone who looks like him.” He kept exclaiming, “It is me.” | John 9:9
10 “How then, were your eyes opened?”, they kept asking him. | John 9:10
11 He answered, “The man called Jesus smeared mud on my eyes and told me to wash. Then I received my sight.” | John 9:11
12 “Where is he?” they asked. “I do not know”, he answered. | John 9:12
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
13 They brought the man to the Pharisees who had previously been blind. | John 9:13
14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus opened his eyes. | John 9:14
15 So the Pharisees begin to question him about how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes and then I washed. Now I can see.” | John 9:15
16 Some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man cannot be from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But many others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such miracles?” And they were divided. | John 9:16
17 So they said to the blind man again, “What do you say about him? For he opened your eyes” He said, “He is a prophet.” | John 9:17
18 The religious leaders refused to believe that he had been blind since birth and had received his sight until they summoned the parents of him who had received his sight | John 9:18
19 and they kept asking the parents, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How is it that he can now see?” | John 9:19
20 His parents were insistent and answered them repeatedly, “We know that this is our son and that he blind from birth, | John 9:20
21 but how it is that he now sees, we do not know nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is old enough. He can speak for himself.” | John 9:21
22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the temple leaders, for they had already decided that anyone who acknowledged Jesus to be the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. | John 9:22
23 Therefore his parents said, “He is old enough; ask him yourselves.” | John 9:23
24 And so again, for a second time they called the man who was blind from birth. Then they demanded from him, “Give glory to God! For we know that this man is a sinner.” | John 9:24
25 He replied, “Whether this man is a sinner or not. I do not know. One thing I do know, that before I was blind and now I see.” | John 9:25
26 They asked him again, “Look! What did he do to you? Tell us! How did he open your eyes?” | John 9:26
27 He answered them, “I already told you, and you will not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Surely you don't want to become his disciples as well, do you?” | John 9:27
28 Then they erupted and poured scorn on him, shouting, “Apostate! You are his disciple, but we are proud disciples of Moses! | John 9:28
29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, this sinner, we do not know where he comes from.” | John 9:29
30 The man answered, “This is remarkable indeed! You do not know where he comes from and yet he opened my eyes. | John 9:30
31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but anyone who worships God and does his will, then he will be listened to. | John 9:31
32 Since the world began has it not been said that anyone has opened the eyes of a person who was born blind. | John 9:32
33 If this man were not from God then he would not be able to do any such thing.” | John 9:33
34 The Pharisees answered him, “You were born completely in sin and now you are trying to teach us?” And they drove him out of the temple. | John 9:34
Spiritual Blindness
35 When Jesus heard that the man who had been born blind was driven out of the temple; when he found him again, Jesus asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” | John 9:35
36 He answered and said, “And where is he and who is he, Lord? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” | John 9:36
37 “Not only have you seen him”, Jesus answered, ”but it is he who is now speaking to you.” | John 9:37
38 He said, “Then my Lord, I believe.” And he thanked him. | John 9:38
39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.” | John 9:39
40 Some of the Pharisees who nearby overheard this and said to him, “Then are we blind too?” | John 9:40
41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would have no sin. But now that you proclaim, ‘We see,’ and so your sin remains. | John 9:41