Blind but Now I See

The Point of the Gospel

I Was Blind but Now I See {John}

On the Sabbath, Jesus came upon a man born blind. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, was this man born blind because he sinned or because his parents sinned?”

“Neither,” Jesus said. “It happened so God’s work could be seen. During the day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night will arrive and no one will work. I am the light of the world.” He spat on the ground to make mud and dabbed it on the blind man’s eyes. “Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.” Siloam meant Sent.

The man did as Jesus told him and gained his sight. Those who knew him and others who had seen him begging argued whether this sighted man could be the same one. He assured them he was. They demanded to know how he’d been healed.

“The one called Jesus.” But the man didn’t know where he had gone. The people brought the man to the Pharisees. Some of them said Jesus couldn’t be from God since he didn’t follow the laws of the Sabbath. Others wondered how a sinner could do miracles. They asked the former blind man what he had to say about Jesus. “He is a prophet.”

The Jews still questioned if the man had been blind at all and brought his parents to them. “Is this your son who you say was born blind? How can he now see?”

“He is our son, born blind. We don’t know how he was healed.” Afraid of the Jews who had threatened to throw out anyone praising Jesus from the synagogue, they added, “Our son is an adult. Ask him.”

The Jews said to their son, “Give the praise to God. Jesus is a sinner.”

“Sinner or not, I cannot say. I can say I was blind, but now I see.” They asked again how he had been healed. “I’ve told you. You want to hear it again so you can follow him?”

They insulted the man and said, “You are his disciple. We are disciples of Moses. God spoke to him. We don’t know where this Jesus comes from.”

The man said, “God doesn’t hear sinners, only godly men who follow him. If not from God, Jesus could not have healed a blind man.”

“You were filled with sin at birth and you dare instruct us?” They threw him out.

The Blind Aren’t Blamed for Their Sin

Jesus heard of all this and found the man. “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

“I want to believe in him. Tell me who he is.”

“I am he.”

The man said, “Lord, I believe” and worshipped him.

Jesus said, “The blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

Some Pharisees with him asked, “Are we blind then?”

Jesus said, “The blind are not blamed for their sin but those who claim they can see are guilty.”