Jesus cura um cego de nascença
1Enquanto Jesus caminhava, viu um homem que era cego de nascença. 2“Mestre”, perguntaram-lhe os discípulos, “porque foi que este homem nasceu cego? Por causa dos seus pecados ou por causa dos pecados de seus pais?”
3“Nem uma coisa nem outra”, disse Jesus, “mas para nele se mostrar o poder de Deus. 4Temos todos de fazer as obras daquele que me enviou, enquanto é dia. A noite desce e todo o trabalho cessa. 5Enquanto estiver aqui neste mundo, sou a luz do mundo!”
6Então, cuspiu no chão e, fazendo lama com saliva, espalhou-a sobre os olhos do cego. 7E disse-lhe: “Vai lavar-te ao tanque de Siloé!” (Siloé significa “enviado”.) O homem assim fez e depois de se lavar voltou, vendo.
8Os vizinhos e outros que o tinham conhecido ainda cego perguntavam: “Será o mesmo homem, o tal pedinte?” 9Uns diziam que sim e outros: “Não há dúvida de que se parece com ele!”
O cego dizia: “Sou eu mesmo!”
10Então perguntaram-lhe como fora possível ter sido curado da cegueira. Que acontecera? 11E ele contou: “Um homem, a quem chamam Jesus, fez lama e aplicou-a nos meus olhos. Depois disse-me que fosse ao tanque de Siloé para me lavar. Assim fiz, e fiquei a ver!”
12“Onde está ele agora?”, perguntaram.
“Não sei!”, foi a resposta.
Os fariseus investigam a cura
13Então levaram o homem aos fariseus. 14Ora, tudo isto se passou num dia de sábado. 15Os fariseus interrogaram-no e ele contou-lhes como Jesus lhe espalhara lama sobre os olhos e como, depois de os lavar, já via. 16Alguns dos fariseus disseram: “Esse tal Jesus não pode ser um homem de Deus, porque trabalha num sábado.” Outros diziam: “Mas como pode um pecador vulgar fazer sinais assim?” E havia grandes discussões entre eles por causa disto. 17Os fariseus voltaram-se para o antigo cego e perguntaram-lhe:
“Esse homem que te abriu os olhos, quem achas tu que é?”
O homem respondeu: “É um profeta.”
18Os judeus não queriam crer que tivesse sido cego. Por fim, chamaram os pais: 19“Esse homem é o vosso filho? Nasceu cego? Se nasceu, como é que agora vê?”
20E os pais responderam: “Sabemos que este é o nosso filho, cego de nascença. 21No entanto, ignoramos o que aconteceu para que agora veja, ou quem o teria feito. Já tem idade, perguntem-lhe. Ele que vos explique!” 22Diziam isto com medo dos judeus, que tinham avisado que quem quer que afirmasse que Jesus era o Cristo seria expulso da sinagoga9.22 Esta expulsão não se restringia ao impedimento de frequentar o culto, mas da privação de todos os direitos de vida comunitária que tinha na sinagoga o seu centro.. 23Por isso, os pais disseram: “Ele tem idade suficiente para falar por si. Perguntem-lhe.”
24Pela segunda vez, os fariseus mandaram vir o que tinha sido cego e disseram-lhe: “Dá glória a Deus, porque sabemos que esse homem é um pecador!”
25Ele respondeu: “Se é pecador, não sei; o que sei é que era cego e agora vejo!”
26“Mas que te fez ele? Como é que te curou?”, perguntaram-lhe.
27O homem exclamou: “Já vos expliquei uma vez e não me ouviram! Porque é que querem ouvir outra vez a mesma coisa? Também querem ser seus discípulos?”
28Eles injuriaram-no: “Discípulo dele sejas tu! Nós somos discípulos de Moisés! 29Sabemos que Deus falou a Moisés, mas quanto a este nada sabemos.”
30Tornou o homem: “Que estranho! Ele curou-me e vocês nada sabem acerca dele. 31Deus não escuta os pecadores, mas sim os que o honram e fazem a sua vontade. 32Desde que o mundo é mundo, ninguém conseguiu abrir os olhos a um cego de nascença. 33Se este homem não viesse de Deus não conseguiria fazê-lo!”
34“Tu nasceste em pecado”, responderam, “e queres ensinar-nos?” E expulsaram-no da sinagoga.
A cegueira espiritual
35Quando Jesus soube do sucedido, e tendo encontrado o homem, perguntou-lhe: “Crês no Filho do Homem?”
36“Quem é ele, Senhor, para que creia nele?”
37“Já o viste”, disse Jesus. “É aquele que fala contigo!”
38O homem disse: “Sim, Senhor, creio!” E adorou-o.
39Jesus explicou: “Vim para julgar o mundo. Vim para dar vista aos cegos e para mostrar àqueles que julgam ver que, afinal, são eles os cegos.”
40Os fariseus que ali estavam perguntaram: “Queres dizer com isso que somos cegos?”
41“Se fossem realmente cegos, não teriam culpa”, respondeu Jesus. “Mas a vossa culpa mantém-se, pois afirmam que podem ver.”
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
1As Jesus went along, he saw a man who was blind. He had been blind since he was born. 2Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned? Was this man born blind because he sinned? Or did his parents sin?”
3“It isn’t because this man sinned,” said Jesus. “It isn’t because his parents sinned. He was born blind so that God’s power could be shown by what’s going to happen. 4While it is still day, we must do the works of the one who sent me. Night is coming. Then no one can work. 5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6After he said this, he spit on the ground. He made some mud with the spit. Then he put the mud on the man’s eyes. 7“Go,” he told him. “Wash in the Pool of Siloam.” Siloam means Sent. So the man went and washed. And he came home able to see.
8His neighbors and people who had seen him earlier begging asked questions. “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” they asked. 9Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No. He only looks like him.”
But the man who had been blind kept saying, “I am the man.”
10“Then how were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed. Then I could see.”
12“Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
The Pharisees Want to Know How the Blind Man Was Healed
13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14The day Jesus made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath day. 15So the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied. “Then I washed. And now I can see.”
16Some of the Pharisees said, “Jesus has not come from God. He does not keep the Sabbath day.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner do such signs?” So the Pharisees did not agree with one another.
17Then they turned again to the blind man. “What do you have to say about him?” they asked. “It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
18They still did not believe that the man had been blind and now could see. So they sent for his parents. 19“Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
20“We know he is our son,” the parents answered. “And we know he was born blind. 21But we don’t know how he can now see. And we don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him. He is an adult. He can speak for himself.” 22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. The leaders had already made this decision about Jesus. Anyone who said Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23That was why the man’s parents said, “He is an adult. Ask him.”
24Again the Pharisees called the man who had been blind to come to them. “Give glory to God by telling the truth!” they said. “We know that the man who healed you is a sinner.”
25He replied, “I don’t know if he is a sinner or not. I do know one thing. I was blind, but now I can see!”
26Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27He answered, “I have already told you. But you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”
28Then they began to attack him with their words. “You are this fellow’s disciple!” they said. “We are disciples of Moses! 29We know that God spoke to Moses. But we don’t even know where this fellow comes from.”
30The man answered, “That is really surprising! You don’t know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does what he wants them to do. 32Nobody has ever heard of anyone opening the eyes of a person born blind. 33If this man had not come from God, he could do nothing.”
34Then the Pharisees replied, “When you were born, you were already deep in sin. How dare you talk like that to us!” And they threw him out of the synagogue.
People Who Can’t See the Truth
35Jesus heard that the Pharisees had thrown the man out of the synagogue. When Jesus found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me, so I can believe in him.”
37Jesus said, “You have now seen him. In fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
38Then the man said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him.
39Jesus said, “I have come into this world to judge it. I have come so that people who are blind will see. I have come so that people who can see will become blind.”
40Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this. They asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
41Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, you remain guilty.
