Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the Gospel
of John, chapters 9 and 10. Chapter 9 Now as
Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from
birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi,
who sinned, this man or his parents, that he
was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither this
man nor his parents sinned. but that the works
of God should be revealed in him. I must work
the works of him who sent me while it is day.
The night is coming when no one can work. As
long as I am in the world, I am the light of
the world. When he said these things, he spat
on the ground and made clay with the saliva,
and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with
the clay. And he said to him, Go wash in the
pool of Siloam, which is translated, sent. So
he went and washed and came back seeing. Therefore
the neighbors and those who previously had seen
that he was blind said, Is not this he who sat
and begged? Some said, This is he. Others said,
He is like him. He said, I am he. Therefore they
said to him, How were your eyes opened? He answered
and said, A man called Jesus made clay and anointed
my eyes and said to me, Go to the pool of Siloam
and wash. So I went and washed, and I received
sight. Then they said to him, Where is he? He
said, I do not know. They brought him who formerly
was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was the Sabbath
when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he
had received his sight. He said to them, He put
clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see. Therefore
some of the Pharisees said, This man is not from
God, because he does not keep the Sabbath. Others
said, How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?
And there was a division among them. They said
to the blind man again, What do you say about
him because he opened your eyes? He said, He
is a prophet. But the Jews did not believe concerning
him that he had been blind and received his sight,
until they called the parents of him who had
received his sight. And they asked them, saying,
Is this your son, who you say was born blind?
How then does he now see? His parents answered
them and said, We know that this is our son and
that he was born blind. But by what means he
now sees, we do not know. Or who opened his eyes,
we do not know. He is of age, ask him, he will
speak for himself. His parents said these things
because they feared the Jews. For the Jews had
agreed already that if anyone confessed that
he was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.
Therefore his parents said, He is of age, ask
him. So they again called the man who was blind
and said to him, Give God the glory. We know
that this man is a sinner. He answered and said,
Whether he is a sinner or not, I do not know.
One thing I know, that though I was blind, now
I see. Then they said to him again, What did
he do to you? How did he open your eyes? He answered
them, I told you already and you did not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also
want to become his disciples? Then they reviled
him and said, You are his disciples, but we are
Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses.
As for this fellow, we do not know where he is
from. The man answered and said to them, Why,
this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know
where he is from, yet he has opened my eyes.
Now we know that God does not hear sinners, but
if anyone is a worshipper of God and does his
will, he hears him. Since the world began, it
has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes
of one who was born blind. If this man were not
from God, he could do nothing. They answered
and said to him, You were completely born in
sins, and are you teaching us? And they cast
him out. 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? He answered and
said, Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in
him? And Jesus said to him, You have both seen
him. And it is he who is talking with you. Then
he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
And Jesus said, For judgment I have come into
this world, that those who do not see may see,
and that those who see may be made blind. Then
some of the Pharisees who were with him heard
these words and said to him, Are we blind also?
Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would
have no sin. But now you say, We see. Therefore
your sin remains. Chapter 10 Most assuredly I
say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold
by the door, but climbs up some other way, the
same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters
by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To
him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear
his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name
and leads them out. And when he brings out his
own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep
follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they
will by no means follow a stranger, but will
flee from him, for they do not know the voice
of strangers. Jesus used this illustration, but
they did not understand the things which he spoke
to them. Then Jesus said to them again, Most
assuredly I say to you, I am the door of the
sheep. All who ever came before me are thieves
and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will
be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
The thief does not come except to steal and to
kill and to destroy. I have come that they may
have life and that they may have it more abundantly.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives
his life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who
is not the shepherd, one who does not own the
sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep
and flees, and the wolf catches the sheep and
scatters them. The hireling flees because he
is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep,
and am known by my own. As the Father knows me,
even so I know the Father, and I lay down my
life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which
are not of this fold. Them also I must bring,
and they will hear my voice, and there will be
one flock and one shepherd. Therefore my father
loves me, because I lay down my life that I may
take it again. No one takes it from me, but I
lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again. This
command I have received from my father. Therefore
there was a division again among the Jews because
of these sayings. And many of them said he has
a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to him?
Others said, These are not the words of one who
has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the
blind? Now it was the feast of dedication in
Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked
in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews
surrounded him and said to him, How long do you
keep us in doubt? If you are the Christ, tell
us plainly. Jesus answered, I told you and you
do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's
name. They bear witness of me, but you do not
believe, because you are not of my sheep. As
I said to you, my sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me. And I give them
eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither
shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father,
who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's
hand. I and my Father are one. Then the Jews
took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered
them, Many good works I have shown you from my
Father. For which of those works do you stone
me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good
work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy.
And because you, being a man, make yourself God.
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your
law, I said, You are God? If he called them gods,
to whom the word of God came. And the scripture
cannot be broken. Do you say of him whom the
Father sanctified and sent into the world, you
are blaspheming, because I said, I am the Son
of God? If I do not do the works of my Father,
do not believe me. But if I do, though you do
not believe me, believe the works, that you may
know and believe that the Father is in me and
I in him. Therefore they sought him again to
seize him, but he escaped out of their hands.
And he went away again beyond the Jordan to the
place where John was baptizing at first, and
there he stayed. Then many came to him and said,
John performed no sign, but all the things that
John spoke about this man were true, and many
believed in him there. I hope you enjoyed today's
reading as much as I did, and I look forward
to seeing you again tomorrow to continue on our
journey. God bless you and have a great day.