a8 | the bible times - the bible in newsprint o news local beggar sees for the first time “jesus put mud on my eyes, i washed, and i see” john zebedee staff reporter as he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. his disciples asked him, “rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” jesus answered, “neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of god might 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. while i am in the world, i am the light of the world.” when he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the sa- liva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud, and said to him, “go, wash in the pool of siloam” (which means “sent”). so he went away, washed, and came back seeing. the neigh- bors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind before, said, “isn’t this he who sat and begged?” others were saying, “it is he.” still others were say- ing, “he looks like him.” he said, “i am he.” they there- fore were asking him, “how were your eyes opened?” he answered, “a man called jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘go to the pool of siloam, and wash.’ so i was born blind? how then does he now see?” his parents answered them, “we know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we don’t know; or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. he is of age. ask him. he will speak for himself.” his par- ents said these things because they feared the jews; for the jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. therefore his parents said, “he is of age. ask him.” so they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “give glory to god. we know that this man is a sinner.” he therefore answered, “i don’t know if he is a sinner. one thing i do know: that though i was blind, now i see.” 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 didn’t listen. why do you want to hear it again? you don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?” they insulted him and said, “you are his disciple, but we are disciples of moses. we know that god has spoken to moses. but as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.” the man answered them, “how amazing! you don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. we know that god doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of god, and does his will, he lis- tens to him. since the world be- gan it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. if this man were not from god, he could do nothing.” they answered him, “you were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” they threw him out. jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “do you believe in the son of god?” he answered, “who is he, lord, that i may believe in him?” jesus said to him, “you have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.” he said, “lord, i believe!” and he worshiped him. jesus said, “i came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.” those of the pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, “are we also blind?” jesus said to them, “if you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘we see.’ therefore your sin remains. since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. adobe stock went away and washed, and i re- ceived sight.” then they asked him, “where is he?” he said, “i don’t know.” they brought him who had been blind to the pharisees. it was a sabbath when jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. again therefore the pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. he said to them, “he put mud on my eyes, i washed, and i see.” some therefore of the phari- sees said, “this man is not from god, because he doesn’t keep the sabbath.” others said, “how can a man who is a sin- ner do such signs?” there was division among them. therefore they asked the blind man again, “what do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?” he said, “he is a prophet.” the jews therefore did not be- lieve concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight, and asked them, “is this your son, whom you say the essence of spring poem about a bride and groom having an intimate dialogue with each other solomon david king of israel as the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my be- loved among the sons. i sat down under his shadow with great delight, his fruit was sweet to my taste. he brought me to the banquet hall. his banner over me is love. strengthen me with raisins, re- fresh me with apples; for i am faint with love. his left hand is under my head. his right hand embraces me. i adjure you, daughters of je- rusalem, by the roes, or by the hinds of the field, that you not stir up, nor awaken love, until it so desires. the voice of my beloved! be- hold, he comes, leaping on the mountains, skipping on the hills. my beloved is like a roe or a young deer. behold, he stands behind our wall! he looks in at the windows. he glances through the lattice. my beloved spoke, and said to me, “rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away. for, behold, the winter is past. the rain is over and gone. the flowers appear on the earth. the time of the singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. the fig tree ripens her green figs. the vines are in blossom. they give out their fragrance. arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.” my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places of the mountainside, let me see your face. let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that plunder the vineyards; for our vineyards are in blossom. jesus gives glory to the father way to heaven from a1 than these, because i am going to my father. whatever you will ask in my name, that will i do, that the father may be glorified in the son. if you will ask any- thing in my name, i will do it. if you love me, keep my com- mandments. i will pray to the father, and he will give you an- other counselor, that he may be with you forever,— the spirit of truth, whom the world can’t re- ceive; for it doesn’t see him, nei- ther knows him. you know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you. i will not leave you or- phans. i will come to you. yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. because i live, you will live also. in that day you will know that i am in my father, and you in me, and i in you. one who has my commandments, and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. one who loves me will be loved by my father, and i will love him, and will reveal myself to him.” judas (not iscariot) said to him, “lord, what has happened that you are about to reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?” jesus answered him, “if a man loves me, he will keep my word. my father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him. he who doesn’t love me doesn’t keep my words. the word which you hear isn’t mine, but the father’s who sent me. i have said these things to you, while still living with you. but the counselor, the holy spirit, whom the father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that i said to you. peace i leave with you. my peace i give to his fruit was sweet to my taste. he brought me to the banquet hall. his banner over me is love. graphic stock world comes, and he has noth- ing in me. but that the world may know that i love the father, and as the father commanded me, even so i do. arise, let us go from here. “i am the true vine, and my fa- ther is the farmer. every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. you are al- ready pruned clean because of the word which i have spoken to you. remain in me, and i in you. as the branch can’t bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. i am the vine. you are the branches. he who remains in me, and i in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. if a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. if you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you. “in this is my father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples. even as the father has loved me, i also have loved you. remain in my love. if you keep my com- mandments, you will remain in my love; even as i have kept my father’s commandments, and remain in his love. i have spo- ken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your jo y may be made full. “this is my commandment, that you love one another, even as i have loved you. greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. you are my friends, if you do whatever i command you. no longer do i call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. but i have called you friends, for everything that i heard from my father, i have made known to you. you didn’t choose me, but i chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that what- ever you will ask of the father in my name, he may give it to you. way to heaven continued on a9 jesus said, “whatever you will ask in my name, that will i do, that the father may be glorified in the son.” you; not as the world gives, give i to you. don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fear- ful. you heard how i told you, ‘i go away, and i come to you.’ if you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because i said ‘i am go- ing to my father;’ for the father is greater than i. now i have told you before it happens so that, when it happens, you may be- lieve. i will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the