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BACKGROUND FOR THIS EPISODE

(In Order of Appearance)

NEW TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:
  • John 9:22 – ” (The man’s parents said these things, because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. The Jewish leaders had already agreed that if anyone said that Jesus was the Messiah, then that person would be thrown out of the synagogue. 
  • John  11:48-50 – If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come and take us away—our holy place and our nation.” 49One of them was Caiaphas. He was the high priest that year. He said to them, “You know nothing! 50Don’t you think it would be better for one man to die for the people, than for the whole nation to be destroyed?” 
  • John 9:1-2 – As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been born blind. 2Jesus’ followers asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this person or his parents, to cause him to be born blind?”
  • An inscription at the site of the pool of Siloam discovered in 1880 says, “While the tunnelers were working with their picks, each toward the other, and while there was still three cubits [five feet] of rock to go through, the rock split to the south and to the north, and the voices of each were heard calling one to another.  At that moment the laborers broke through striking pick against pick.  Then the water began to flow from the spring to the pool for a distance of 1200 cubits [1900 feet].  And the height of the tunnel above the heads of the laborers was one hundred cubits [160 feet].
  • Revelation 12:10 – I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now the salvation, the power, the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ have come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out. He always accuses them in front of our God day and night. 
  • John 9:3-18 – Jesus answered, “This person did not sin; his parents did not sin. No, this occurred, so that God’s deeds might be shown in this man´s life. 4We must do the tasks of the One who sent me while it is still daytime. Night is coming. No one can work then. 5I am light for the people of the world, while I am in the world.” 6After Jesus said these things, he spit on the ground and made some mud with it. Then he rubbed it on the blind man’s eyes. 7Jesus said to him, “Go, wash yourself in the pool of Siloam.” (This word means “Sent.”) Then the blind man went away and washed himself and came back with sight! 8Then the people who used to see him before (when he was a beggar) and his neighbors were saying, “This is the man who used to sit and beg!” 9Other people were saying, “It’s him!” Still others were saying, “No, but he looks like him.” But the man himself continued to say, “I am the one!” 10They asked again and again, “How come you can see?” 11The man answered, “A man called Jesus made some mud and rubbed it on my eyes. Then he told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went there and washed myself, and now I can see!” 12They asked him, “Where is Jesus?” The blind man answered, “I don’t know.” 13They brought the man who was once blind to the Pharisees. 14(Jesus had made the mud and opened the blind man’s eyes on the sabbath day.) 15Again, the Pharisees kept asking the blind man how he could see. The man said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed myself, and I can see!” 16Some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man Jesus is not from God because he does not keep the sabbath day!” But others were asking, “How could a sinful man perform such miracles?” They were divided among themselves. 17They asked the blind man again, “What do you say about Jesus? Do you believe he opened your eyes?” The man answered, “He is a prophet!” 18The Jewish leaders didn’t believe that the man had really been blind and could now see, until they called the man’s parents.
  • John 9:24-39 – Then, a second time, the Jewish leaders told the man (who had been blind), “Give glory to God! We know that this man Jesus is a sinner!” 25The man answered, “Maybe he is a sinner. I don’t know. But one thing I do know—I was blind and now I can see!” 26They asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27The man answered, “I have already told you and you didn’t listen! Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become his followers, do you?” 28Then they insulted the man saying, “You are Jesus’ follower. We are Moses’ followers! 29We know that God has spoken to Moses. But we don’t know where this Jesus comes from.” 30The man answered them, “That is amazing! You don’t know where Jesus comes from, and yet he opened my eyes! 31We know that God does not listen to sinners, but God will listen to anyone who respects Him and obeys His will. 32Since time began, no one has ever heard of anyone opening the eyes of a man born blind! 33If Jesus did not come from God, he could not do anything.” 34They answered him, “You were totally born in sin; you cannot teach us!” And they threw him out. 35Jesus heard that the Jewish leaders had thrown the man out. Jesus found him and asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”a 36The man answered, “Sir, who is he, so that I may believe in him?” 37Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and he is speaking to you right now!” 38The man said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Jesus. 39Jesus said, “I came into this world, so that there can be a Judgment Day, so that the people who cannot see may see, and those who think they can see may become blind.”
  • Luke 13:31-32 – At that time, some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Go away from here and hide! Herod Antipas wants to kill you!” 32Jesus said to them, “Go tell that fox:f ‘Listen, today and tomorrow, I am throwing out demons and finishing my work of healing. Then, the next day, my tasks will be finished. 
  • Matthew 20:18 – Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem. Someone will betray me to the most important priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn me to death. 
  • Mark 10:46-52 – They went into Jericho. Jesus, his followers, and a large crowd left Jericho later. There was a blind man named Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus). He was sitting beside the road. He was a beggar. 47When he heard: “It’s Jesus from Nazareth!” he began to shout, “Jesus! Son of David! Please help me!” 48Many of the people told him to be quiet, but he began shouting even louder, “Son of David! Please help me!”49Jesus stopped there and said, “Call him.” So they called for the blind man. They said to him, “Be strong! Get up, Jesus is calling for you!” 50The blind man threw his robe aside and jumped to his feet. He went toward Jesus. 51Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to Jesus, “Rabboni,c I want to see again!” 52Jesus said to him, “Go. You are made well, because you believed.” Immediately the man was able to see again. He began to follow Jesus on the road.
OLD TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:
  • Exodus 4:11 – But the Always-Present One said to Moses, “Who made man’s mouth? Who makes him speechless, deaf, sighted, or blind? Am I, Yahweh, not the One? 
  • Psalm  146:8 – Yahweh gives sight to the blind people.g Yahweh lifts up people who are in trouble. Yahweh loves those who do right.
  • II Kings 20:29 – 

OTHER JESUS QUOTES IN THIS EPISODE