Daily Bible Reading (Tuesday, April 18th)

9

John 9 (ESV)

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me 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 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

18 The Jews[a] 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 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus[b] to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He 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?” 28 And 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, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”[c] 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near 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 guilt;[d] but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

Footnotes:

a. John 9:18 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verse 22
b. John 9:22 Greek him
c. John 9:35 Some manuscripts the Son of God
d. John 9:41 Greek you would not have sin

9 Comments

I was blind and now I see. Glory to God!

It is interesting to me how cautious the parents' answers are. It says because they were afraid of the Jews. In contrast the guy who can see answers very boldly, resulting in him being put out, but also, in being saved spiritually by Jesus who found him. I pray never to be like the parents.

This passage reminds me so much of my own salvation. The blind man was sitting outside the temple where many people sat and begged. Jesus stopped for this one man. Likewise, I was was sitting around in an area where there were many other people but the 2 men who were out evangelizing stopped to talk with me. The Lord came after me. Not only did the Lord pick this man out for a miracle but also for salvation. V.35 says the Lord found him. Also, the miracle that the Lord did for the man was not one of restoration (giving the man something he had previously but had lost) but of creation (giving the man something he had never had.) That's what the Lord did in saving me! He gave me new life! This not only reminds me of what the Lord did for me, but it reminds me that He is still doing the same things today - seeking and saving the lost.

He said, "Lord I believe", and he worshiped him. Such is the reaction of everyone who now sees the truth!

Jesus healed this man's physical and spiritual blindness. I love how he boldly speaks truth to the religious leaders. Thank you Lord for healing my blindness.

I am amazed at how blind we can be to the truth. The evidence can be so clear but our foolish hearts are darkened. Praise God for making the blind to see! Praise God for the work he has done in my foolish darkened heart!

How adamantly the Jewish leaders held on to their interpretation of the rules, to the point that they sought to deny this amazing miracle. May I have a teachable heart and focus on what God says and what He is doing, not what I think is right.

Growing up I did a lot of spitting. On occasion, I catch myself still doing it. I'm sure it can be annoying and looks bad. However, I find Christ spitting on the ground and making mud with his saliva fascinating. And then of course what happens next is astonishing. As I kept on reading I was even more astonished. I'm camping on verse 41. Wow!

Thank you Jesus for making me see. Thank you Holy Father for sending Jesus to do your good work to me.

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