SECT. VII. 8 CH. 9. Then the neighbours, and they who had before seen him blind, said, Is not this he who sat and 9 begged? Some said, It is he; others, He is like 10 him. He said, I am he. They asked him then, 11 How didst thou receive thy sight? He answered, A man called Jesus, made clay and anointed mine eyes, and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam, ' and wash thine eyes.' I went accordingly, and 12 washed them, and saw. Then they asked him, Where is he? He answered, I know not. 13 Then they brought him who had been blind to 14 the Pharisees: (now it was on a Sabbath that Je15 sus made the clay and gave him his sight.) The Pharisees likewise, therefore, asked him, how he had received his sight. He answered, He put clay on mine eyes, and I washed them, and now see. 16 Upon this some of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, for he observeth not the Sabbath. Others said, How can one that is a sinner perform 17 such miracles? And they were divided among themselves. Again they asked the man who had been blind, What sayest thou of him for giving thee sight? He answered, He is a Prophet. 18 But the Jews believed not that the man had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called 19 his parents and asked them, Do ye say that this is your son who was born blind? How then doth he 20 now see? His parents answered, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but 21 how he now seeth we know not. He is of age, 22 ask him; he will answer for himself. His parents CH. 9. SECT. VII. spoke thus, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had already determined that whosoever acknowledged Jesus to be the Messiah should be ex23 pelled the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, "He is of age, ask him." 24 A second time, therefore, they called the man who had been born blind, and said to him, Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner. 25 He replied, Whether he be a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that I was blind, and now see. 26 They said to him again, What did he to thee? How did he make thee see? He answered, I told 27 you before, did ye not hear? Why would ye hear 28 it repeated? Will ye also be his disciples? Then they reviled him and said, Thou art his disciple. 29 As for us, we are disciples of Moses. We know that God spake to Moses; as for this man, we 30 know not whence he is. The man replied, This is surprising, that ye know not whence he is, alPs. 66; 18. 31 though he hath given me sight. We know that God heareth not sinners; but if any man worship 32 God, and obey him, that man he heareth. Never was it heard before, that any man gave sight to one 33 born blind. If this man were not from God, he 34 could do nothing. They replied, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having met him, said to him, Dost thou believe on 36 the Son of God? He answered, Who is he, Sir, 37 that I may believe on him? Jesus said to him, Not SECT. VII. CH. 10. only hast thou seen him; but it is he who talketh 38 with thee. And he cried, Master, I believe, and 39 threw himself prostrate before him. And Jesus said, For judgment am I come into this world, that they who see not, may see; and they who 40 see, may become blind. Some Pharisees, who were present, hearing this, said to him, Are we also 41 blind? Jesus answered, If ye were blind, ye would not have sin; but ye say, 'We see,' therefore your sin remaineth. X. Verily verily I say unto you, he who entereth not by the door into the sheep-fold, but climbeth 2 over the fence, is a thief and a robber. The shep3 herd always entereth by the door. To him the door-keeper openeth, and the sheep obey his voice. His own sheep he calleth by name and leadeth out. 4 And having put out his sheep, he walketh before them, and they follow him, because they know 5 his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but flee from him, because they know not the voice of 6 strangers. Jesus addressed this similitude to them, 7 but they did not comprehend what he said. He therefore added, Verily verily I say unto you, I am 8 the door of the fold. All who have entered [in another manner] are thieves and robbers, but the 9 sheep obeyed them not. I am the door: such as enter by me shall be safe: they shall go in and 10 out, and find pasture. The thief cometh only to steal, to slay, and to destroy. I am come that they may have life, and more than life. Is. 40; 11. Eze 34; 23. & 37; 24. CH. 10. 11 SECT. VIl. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd 12 giveth his life for the sheep. The hireling, who is not the shepherd, and to whom the sheep do not belong, when he seeth the wolf coming, abandoneth the sheep and fleeth: and the wolf teareth 13 some and disperseth the flock. The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the 14 sheep. I am the good shepherd. I both know my Mat. 11; 27. 15 own, and am known by them; (even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father ;) and I give 16 my life for the sheep. I have other sheep besides, Lu. 10; 22. Is. 53; 7. Acts, 2; 24. which are not of this fold. Them I must also bring; and they will obey my voice; and there 17 shall be one flock, one shepherd. For this the Fa ther loveth me, because I give my life, to be after18 wards resumed. No one forceth it from me ; but 19 I give it of myself. I have power to give it, and I have power to resume it. This commission I have received from my Father. Again there was a division among the Jews, oc20 casioned by this discourse. Many of them said, He hath a demon and is mad, why do ye hear him? 21 Others said, These are not the words of a demoniac. Can a demon give sight to the blind? 1 Mac. 4; 59. 22 ONCE, when they were celebrating the feast of 23 the dedication at Jerusalem, it being winter; as Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's portico, the 24 Jews surrounding him, said to him, How long wilt thou keep us in suspense? If thou be the Messiah, 25 tell us plainly. Jesus answered, I said to you, but ye believed not; the works which I do in my SECT. VII. CH. 10. 26 Father's name testify of me.' As for you, ye 27 believe not, because ye are not of my sheep. 'My 'sheep,' as I told you, obey my voice;' I know 28 them, and they follow me. Besides, I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither 29 shall any one wrest them out of my hands. My Father, who gave them me, is greater than all; and none can wrest them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one. 31 Then the Jews again took up stones to stone 32 him. Jesus said to them, Many good works I have shown you from my Father; for which of 33 these works do ye stone me? The Jews answered, For a good work we do not stone thee; but for blasphemy, because thou, being a man, makest 34 thyself God. Jesus replied, Is it not written in 35 your law, "I said, Ye are gods?" If the law styled Ps. 82; 6. them gods to whom the word of God was addressed, and if the language of Scripture is unex36 ceptionable; do ye charge him with blasphemy, whom the Father hath consecrated his Apostle to 37 the world, for calling himself his Son? If I do 38 not the works of my Father, believe me not. But 39 if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the Thereupon, they attempted again to seize him; 40 but he escaped out of their hands, and retired again towards the Jordan, and abode in the place where 41 John first baptized. And many resorted to him, |