The Word Am I

The Gospel According to St. John

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- Chapter 9 -

1
And Jesus, while passing by, saw a man blind from birth.
2
And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”
3
Jesus responded: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but it was so that the works of God would be made manifest in him.
4
I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day: the night is coming, when no one is able to work.
5
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6
When he had said these things, he spat on the ground, and he made clay from the spittle, and he smeared the clay over his eyes.
7
And he said to him: “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated as: one who has been sent). Therefore, he went away and washed, and he returned, seeing.
8
And so the bystanders and those who had seen him before, when he was a beggar, said, “Is this not the one who was sitting and begging?” Some said, “This is he.”(a)
9
But others said, “Certainly not, but he is similar to him.” Yet truly, he himself said, “I am he.”
10
Therefore, they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
11
He responded: “That man who is called Jesus made clay, and he anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ And I went, and I washed, and I see.”(b)
12
And they said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

13
They brought the one who had been blind to the Pharisees.
14
Now it was the Sabbath, when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
15
Therefore, again the Pharisees questioned him as to how he had seen. And he said to them, “He placed clay over my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
16
And so certain Pharisees said: “This man, who does not keep the Sabbath, is not from God.” But others said, “How could a sinful man accomplish these signs?” And there was a schism among them.
17
Therefore, they spoke again to the blind man, “What do you say about him who opened your eyes?” Then he said, “He is a Prophet.”
18
Therefore, the Jews did not believe, about him, that he had been blind and had seen, until they called the parents of him who had seen.
19
And they questioned them, saying: “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? Then how is it that he now sees?”
20
His parents responded to them and said: “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
21
But how it is that he now sees, we do not know. And who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him. He is old enough. Let him speak for himself.”
22
His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews had already conspired, so that if anyone were to confess him to be the Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue.
23
It was for this reason that his parents said: “He is old enough. Ask him.”
24
Therefore, they again 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
And so he said to them: “If he is a sinner, I do not know it. One thing I do know, that although I was blind, now I see.”
26
Then they said to him: “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27
He answered them: “I have already told you, and you heard it. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?”
28
Therefore, they cursed him and said: “You be his disciple. But we are disciples of Moses.
29
We know that God spoke to Moses. But this man, we do not know where he is from.”
30
The man responded and said to them: “Now in this is a wonder: that you do not know where he is from, and yet he has opened my eyes.
31
And we know that God does not hear sinners. But if anyone is a worshipper of God and does his will, then he heeds him.
32
From ancient times, it has not been heard that anyone has opened the eyes of someone born blind.
33
Unless this man were of God, he would not be able to do any such thing.”
34
They responded and said to him, “You were born entirely in sins, and you would teach us?” And they cast him out.

Spiritual Blindness

35
Jesus heard that they had cast him out. And when he had found him, he said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
36
He responded and said, “Who is he, Lord, so that I may believe in him?”
37
And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and he is the one who is speaking with you.”
38
And he said, “I believe, Lord.” And falling prostrate, he worshipped him.
39
And Jesus said, “I came into this world in judgment, so that those who do not see, may see; and so that those who see, may become blind.”(c)
40
And certain Pharisees, who were with him, heard this, and they said to him, “Are we also blind?”
41
Jesus said to them: “If you were blind, you would not have sin. Yet now you say, ‘We see.’ So your sin persists.”(d)

Footnotes

(a)9:8 In this context, ‘vicini’ is not ‘neighbors’ but ‘those standing near,’ or ‘bystanders.’(Conte)
(b)9:11 The phrasing of this last part, ‘Et abii, et lavi, et video,’ sounds as if it might have been originally spoken in Latin. Perhaps this man spoke Latin, rather than the more common Aramaic. As a blind man, he would have been considered to be blind as a punishment for sin, and would therefore be excluded from being taught by the Jewish priests. So he would not have learned much Hebrew. Being excluded, to some extent, from Jewish society, he may have favored Latin as his spoken language. His other quoted words also sound very natural in Latin.(Conte)
(c)9:39 I am come, etc:Not that Christ came for that end, that any one should be made blind: but that the Jews, by the abuse of his coming, and by their not receiving him, brought upon themselves this judgment of blindness.(Challoner)
(d)9:41 If you were blind, etc:If you were invincibly ignorant, and had neither read the scriptures, nor seen my miracles, you would not be guilty of the sin of infidelity: but now, as you boast of your knowledge of the scriptures, you are inexcusable.(Challoner)
1
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
2
His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3
Jesus answered, “This man didn’t sin, nor did his parents, but that the works of God might be revealed in him.
4
I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work.
5
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6
When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud,
7
and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing.
8
Therefore the neighbors and those who saw that he was blind before said, “Isn’t this he who sat and begged?”
9
Others were saying, “It is he.” Still others were saying, “He looks like him.” He said, “I am he.”
10
They therefore were asking him, “How were your eyes opened?”
11
He answered, “A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.”
12
Then they asked him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.”

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

13
They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees.
14
It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
15
Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see.”
16
Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” So there was division among them.
17
Therefore they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18
The Jews therefore didn’t believe concerning him, that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight,
19
and asked them, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
20
His parents answered them, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;
21
but how he now sees, we don’t know; or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself.”
22
His parents said these things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.
23
Therefore his parents said, “He is of age. Ask him.”
24
So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
25
He therefore answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
26
They said to him again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27
He answered them, “I told you already, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?”
28
They insulted him and said, “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 don’t know where he comes from.”
30
The man answered them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.
31
We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, he listens to him.(a)
32
Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind.
33
If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34
They answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” Then they threw him out.

Spiritual Blindness

35
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
36
He answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?”
37
Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.”
38
He said, “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him.
39
Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.”
40
Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”
41
Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

Footnotes

(a)9:31 ℘ Psalms 66:18; Proverbs 15:29; 28:9
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