THE HEALING
OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN BLIND.
ONE day, as Jesus and his disciples were passing along, they saw a man who was born blind; and the disciples said, "Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? But Jesus told them that the man had not been born blind for any such reason as they supposed, but rather to give opportunity for showing the power of God. Then, after saying something about the importance of working while there is opportunity, he mixed clay with spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man, telling him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. The man obeyed, and when he came back from the pool, he could see, like other men.
When the man who had always been blind, came among his friends and neighbors, they hardly knew him. When the question was asked, "Is not this he that sat and begged?" some said, "It is he"; others said, "He is like him"; but the man himself said,
"I am he." Then they said, "How were thine eyes opened?" and when he had told them, they asked where Jesus was, but he could not tell them.
Then they brought him before the Pharisees, who wanted him to tell how he had received his sight.
Referring to Jesus, the man said, "He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see." Now it was the Sabbath-day, when the man was healed, so the Pharisees said of Jesus, "This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath-day." But others said, "How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles?"
And so there was a division among them.
Then the Pharisees questioned the man again, saying, "What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes?" And the man answered, "He is a prophet."
But the Jews would not believe that he had been born blind. So they called the parents of the man, and questioned them, saying, "Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? How then doth he now see?"
His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: but by what means he now seeth we know not: or who hath opened his eyes, we know not; he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself." The parents spoke in this way because they were afraid of the Jews, who had agreed already that if any man should confess that Jesus was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
Then the Pharisees again called the man that was blind, and told him to give God the glory, since they knew Jesus to be a sinner. But the man said, "Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not; one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see."
Then they said, "What did he do to thee? How opened he thine eyes?" Then he answered them, "I have told you already, and ye did not hear; wherefore would ye hear it again? Will ye also be his disciples?"
Then they were angry, and "reviled him," saying, "Thou art his disciple, but we are the disciples of Moses. We know that God spake unto Moses; as for this fellow, we know not whence he is." Upon this, the man said, "Why, herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners; but if any man be a worshiper of God, and do his will, him he heareth. Since the world began, it was never heard that any one opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing." Then said they unto him, "Thou wart altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us?" And they cast him out of the synagogue.
When Jesus heard that the man was cast out, he came to him, and said, "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" He said, "Who is he, Lord, that I
might believe on him?" And Jesus said, "Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee."
Then he said, "Lord, I believe," and worshiped him.