God’s Sense of
Glory
John 9:1-41
As he walked along, he saw a man
blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus
answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so
that God's works might be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works
of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6
When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and
spread the mud on the man's eyes, 7 saying to him, "Go, wash in
the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came
back able to see. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before
as a beggar began to ask, "Is this not the man who used to sit and
beg?" 9 Some were saying, "It is he." Others were
saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying, "I am
the man." 10 But they kept asking him, "Then how were your
eyes opened?" 11 He answered, "The man called Jesus made
mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' Then I went
and washed and received my sight." 12 They said to him,
"Where is he?" He said, "I do not know." 13 They
brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now
it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15
Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said
to them, "He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see."
16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he
does not observe the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is
a sinner perform such signs?" And they were divided. 17 So they
said again to the blind man, "What do you say about him? It was your eyes
he opened." He said, "He is a prophet." 18 The Jews
did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they
called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and
asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does
he now see?" 20 His parents answered, "We know that this
is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but we do not know how it
is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age.
He will speak for himself." 22 His parents said this because
they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who
confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23
Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." 24 So
for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to
him, "Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner." 25
He answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know,
that though I was blind, now I see." 26 They said to him,
"What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" 27 He
answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do
you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?"
28 Then they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are
disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as
for this man, we do not know where he comes from." 30 The man
answered, "Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes
from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen
to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will.
32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the
eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he
could do nothing." 34 They answered him, "You were born
entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?" And they drove him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he
said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36 He answered,
"And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him." 37
Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is
he." 38 He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped
him. 39 Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment so
that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind."
40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him,
"Surely we are not blind, are we?" 41 Jesus said to them,
"If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We
see,' your sin remains.
1 Corinthians 1:25-31
For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's
weakness is stronger than human strength.
26 Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of
you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of
noble birth. 27 But God
chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in
the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised
in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, 29 so that no one might boast in
the presence of God. 30 He
is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God,
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 in order
that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." [1]