João 9

¹ AndSin is even the beginning of all bodily diseases, and yet it does not follow that in punishing, even very severely, that God is punishing because of sin.as [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man which was blind from [his] birth.

² And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sinne, this man, or his parents, that he was borne blinde?

³ Jesus answered,Christ reasons here as his disciples thought, who presupposed that no diseases came except for the reason of sins: as a result of this he answers that there was another cause of this man's blindness, and that was in order that God's work might be seen.Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

⁴ The works of Christ are is it were a light, which enlighten the darkness of the world.I must work the works of him that sent me, while it isBy «day» is meant the light, that is, the enlightening doctrine of the heavenly truth: and by night is meant the darkness which comes by the obscurity of the same doctrine.day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

⁶ Christ healing the man born blind by taking the symbol of clay, and afterward the symbol of the fountain of Siloam (which signifies «sent») shows that as he at the beginning made man, so does he again restore both his body and soul: and yet in such a way that he himself comes first of his own accord to heal us.When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,

⁷ And sayd vnto him, Go wash in the poole of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came againe seeing.

⁸ A true image of all men, who as they are naturally blind do not themselves receive the light that is offered unto them, nor endure it in another, and yet make a great fuss among themselves.The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?

⁹ Some said, This is he: and other sayd, He is like him: but he himselfe sayd, I am he.

¹⁰ Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyesThis is a Hebrew idiom, for they call a man's eyes shut when they cannot receive any light: and therefore blind men who are made to see are said to have their eyes opened.opened?

¹¹ He answered, and sayd, The man that is called Iesus, made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and sayde vnto me, Goe to the poole of Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and receiued sight.

¹² Then they sayd vnto him, Where is he? He sayd, I can not tell.

¹³ They brought to the Pharises him that was once blinde.

¹⁴ And it was the Sabbath day, when Iesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

¹⁵ Then againe the Pharises also asked him, how he had receiued sight; hee sayd vnto them, He layd clay vpon mine eyes, & I washed, and doe see.

¹⁶ Religion is assaulted most by the pretence of religion: but the more it is pressed down, the more it rises up.Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

¹⁷ Then spake they vnto the blinde againe, What sayest thou of him, because he hath opened thine eyes? And he sayd, He is a Prophet.

¹⁸ Then the Iewes did not beleeue him (that he had bene blinde, and receiued his sight) vntill they had called the parents of him that had receiued sight.

¹⁹ And they asked them, saying, Is this your sonne, whom ye say was borne blinde? How doeth he nowe see then?

²⁰ His parents answered them, and sayd, We know that this is our sonne, & that he was borne blinde:

²¹ But by what meanes hee nowe seeth, we know not: or who hath opened his eyes, can we not tell: he is olde ynough: aske him: hee shall answere for himselfe.

²² These wordes spake his parents, because they feared the Iewes: for the Iewes had ordeined already, that if any man did confesse that he was Christ, he should be excommunicate out of the Synagogue.

²³ Therefore sayde his parents, Hee is olde ynough: aske him.

²⁴ Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him,A solemn order, by which men were put under oath in ancient time to acknowledge their fault before God, as if it was said to them, «Consider that you are before God, who knows the entire matter, and therefore be sure that you revere his majesty, and do him this honour and confess the whole matter openly rather than to lie before him»; (Jos_7:19; 1Sa_6:5).Give God the praise: we know that this man is aHe is called a sinner in the Hebrew language, who is a wicked man, and someone who makes an art of sinning.sinner.

²⁵ Then he answered, and sayd, Whether hee be a sinner or no, I can not tell: one thing I know, that I was blinde, and nowe I see.

²⁶ Then sayd they to him againe, What did he to thee? howe opened he thine eyes?

²⁷ Hee answered them, I haue tolde you already, and yee haue not heard it: wherefore would yee heare it againe? will yee also be his disciples?

²⁸ Eventually, proud wickedness must necessarily break forth, which lies vainly hidden under a zeal of godliness.Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples.

²⁹ We know that God spake with Moses: but this man we know not from whence he is.

³⁰ The man answered, and sayde vnto them, Doutlesse, this is a marueilous thing, that ye know not whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.

³¹ Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him heareth he.

³² Since the world began, was it not heard, that any man opened the eyes of one that was borne blinde.

³³ If this man were not of God, hee could haue done nothing.

³⁴ They answered and said unto him,You are wicked even from your cradle, and as we used to say, there is nothing in you but sin.Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

³⁵ Most happy is their state who are cast furthest out of the Church of the wicked (who themselves proudly boast to be of the Church) so that Christ may come nearer to them.Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?

³⁶ He answered, and sayd, Who is he, Lord, that I might beleeue in him?

³⁷ And Iesus sayd vnto him, Both thou hast seene him, and he it is that talketh with thee.

³⁸ Then he sayd, Lord, I beleeue, and worshipped him.

³⁹ Christ enlightens all those by the preaching of the Gospel who acknowledge their own darkness, but those who seem to themselves to see clearly enough, those he altogether blinds: and these latter ones are often those who have the highest place in the Church.And Jesus said, ForWith great power and authority, to do what is righteous and just: as if he said, «These men take upon themselves to govern the people of God after their own desire, as though they saw all things, and no one else did: but I will rule much differently than these men do: for those whom they consider as blind men, them will I enlighten, and those who take themselves to be wisest, them will I drown in most abundant darkness of ignorance.judgment I am come into this world, that theyIn these words of seeing and not seeing there is a secret taunting and rebuff to the Pharisees: for they thought all men to be blind but themselves.which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

⁴⁰ And some of the Pharises which were with him, heard these things, & sayd vnto him, Are we blinde also?

⁴¹ Iesus sayd vnto them, If ye were blinde, ye should not haue sinne: but nowe ye say, We see: therefore your sinne remaineth.