John 9:13-34 - The Reaction Of The Pharisees To The Healing

¹³ They took the man, who had been blind, to the Pharisees. ¹⁴ Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and gave him his sight. ¹⁵ So the Pharisees also questioned the man as to how he had gained his sight. "He put clay on my eyes," he answered, "and I washed them, and I can see."

¹⁶ "The man cannot be from God," said some of the Pharisees, "for he does not keep the Sabbath." "How is it possible," retorted others, "for a bad man to give signs like this?"

¹⁷ So there was a difference of opinion among them, and they again questioned the man; "What do you yourself say about him, for it is to you that he has given sight?"

¹⁸ The Jews, however, refused to believe that he had been blind and had gained his sight, until they had called his parents and questioned them.

¹⁹ "Is this your son," they asked, "who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he can see now?"

²⁰ "We know that this is our son," answered the parents, "and that he was born blind; ²¹ But how it is that he can see now we do not know; nor do we know who it was that gave him his sight. Ask him--he is old enough- -he will tell you about himself." ²² His parents spoke in this way because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that, if any one should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, he should be expelled from their synagogues. ²³ This was why his parents said 'He is old enough; ask him.'

²⁴ So the Jews again called the man who had been blind, and said to him: "Give God the praise; we know that this is a bad man."

²⁵ "I know nothing about his being a bad man," he replied; "one thing I do know, that although I was blind, now I can see."

²⁶ "What did he do to you?" they asked. "How did he give you your sight?"

²⁷ "I told you just now," he answered, "and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Surely you also do not want to become his disciples?"

²⁸ "You are his disciple," they retorted scornfully; "but we are disciples of Moses. ²⁹ We know that God spoke to Moses; but, as for this man, we do not know where he comes from."

³⁰ "Well," the man replied, "this is very strange; you do not know where he comes from, and yet he has given me my sight! ³¹ We know that God never listens to bad men, but, when a man is god-fearing and does God's will, God listens to him. ³² Since the world began, such a thing was never heard of as any one's giving sight to a person born blind. ³³ If this man had not been from God, he could not have done anything at all."

³⁴ "You," they retorted, "were born totally depraved; and are you trying to teach us?" So they expelled him.