John 9–10

A Man Born Blind Receives Sight

⁹As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. ²His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.^{* 4}Weⁱ must work the works of him who sent me^j while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.^{* 5}As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”^{* 6}When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes,^{* 7}saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.^{* 8}The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am he.” ¹⁰But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” ¹¹He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” ¹²They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. ¹⁴Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.^{* 15}Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” ¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided.^{* 17}So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”^*

¹⁸The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight ¹⁹and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” ²⁰His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind, ²¹but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” ²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus^k to be the Messiah^l would be put out of the synagogue.^{* 23}Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

²⁴So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”^{* 25}He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” ²⁶They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” ²⁷He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” ²⁸Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.^{* 29}We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”^{* 30}The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. ³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will.^{* 32}Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. ³³If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” ³⁴They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.

Spiritual Blindness

³⁵Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”^{m* 36}He answered, “And who is he, sir?ⁿ Tell me, so that I may believe in him.”^{* 37}Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.”^{* 38}He said, “Lord,^o I believe.” And he worshiped him. ³⁹Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind.”^{* 40}Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?”^{* 41}Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.^*

Jesus the Good Shepherd

¹⁰“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. ²The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.^{* 3}The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

⁷So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸All who came before me^p are thieves and bandits, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.^*

¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.^{* 12}The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.^{* 13}The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. ¹⁴I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, ¹⁵just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.^{* 17}For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes^q it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

¹⁹Again the Jews were divided because of these words.^{* 20}Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?”^{* 21}Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”^*

Jesus Is Rejected by the Jews

²²At that time the Festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon.^{* 24}So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah,^r tell us plainly.” ²⁵Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me,^{* 26}but you do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep.^{* 27}My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.^{* 28}I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.^{* 29}My Father, in regard to what he has given me, is greater than all,^s and no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand.^{* 30}The Father and I are one.”

³¹The Jews took up stones again to stone him. ³²Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” ³³The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human, are making yourself God.”^{* 34}Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law,^t ‘I said, you are gods’?^{* 35}If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled—³⁶can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?^{* 37}If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me.^{* 38}But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand^u that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”^{* 39}Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.^*

⁴⁰He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. ⁴¹Many came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.”^{* 42}And many believed in him there.^*