As Jesus was passing along the
road he saw a man who was born blind, and the disciples asked him,
"Master, for whose sin, his own or his parents', was this man born
blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither for his own sin nor his parents',
but that God's power to heal may be shown in him. We must do the
work of him who sent me while day lasts; night is coming when no man
can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the
saliva, put the clay on the eyes of the blind man, and said to him,
"Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam." So he went off and washed, and
returned able to see.
Then the neighbors and those who before had seen him begging said,
"Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "It is
he." Others said, "No, but he is like him." He said, "I am the man."
So they said to him, "How then were your eyes opened?" He answered,
"The man who is called Jesus made clay and put it upon my eyes, and
said to me, 'Go to the Pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went away and
washed, and I received my sight." They asked him, "Where is he?" He
answered, "I do not know."
Then they brought the man who had once been blind to the Pharisees.
Now it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the clay and opened
his eyes. Therefore the Pharisees asked him again how he had
received his sight, and he told them, "Jesus put clay on my eyes and
I washed them and can see." Then some of the Pharisees said, "This
man does not come from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath."
Others said, "How can a sinner do such wonderful deeds of healing?"
And they could not agree among themselves. So they asked the blind
man once more, "What have you to say about him, for it was your eyes
that he opened?" The man replied, "He is a prophet."
Now the Jews would not believe that he had been born blind and had
received his sight until they called his parents and asked them, "Is
this your son who you say was born blind? How is it that he now can
see?" His parents answered them, "We know that this is our son and
that he was born blind, but we do not know why he can now see nor
who opened his eyes. He is of age; ask him, he can speak for
himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the
Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that any one who said that
Jesus was the Christ should be put out of the synagogue. That was
why his parents said, "He is of age, ask him."
So the Jews again called the man who had been born blind, and said
to him, "Give God the praise; we know that this man Jesus is a
sinner." He answered and said, "I do not know whether he is a
sinner; one thing I do know, that, although I was blind, I now see."
So they said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he give you
your sight?" He replied, "I have told you already, but you would not
listen to me. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also wish to
become his disciples?" Then they reviled him and said, "You are his
disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to
Moses, but we do not know where this man came from." The man
answered, "This is strange! You do not know where he comes from, and
yet he gave me my sight! We know that God does not listen to sinners
but that he does listen to him who worships him and does his will.
Since the world began no one has ever heard of sight being given to
a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do
nothing." They answered, "You were born wholly bad, and yet you
would teach us?" Then they put him out of the synagogue.
Jesus heard that they had put him out, and meeting him said, "Do you
believe in the Son of God?" He answered, "Who is he, sir? Tell me
that I may believe." Jesus said to him, "Not only have you seen him
but he is now talking to you." The man said, "Then I do believe,
Master," and he worshipped him, and Jesus said to him, "It is to
right wrongs that I have come to this world, that the blind may see
and that those who see may become blind." Hearing this, some of the
Pharisees who were with him said, "And are we blind?" Jesus replied,
"If you were blind you would not be guilty; but you say, 'We can
see,' and so your sin remains."