The Gospel according to John, the 9th chapter:

9As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. 4We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes, 7saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.
8The 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?" 9Some were saying, "It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying, "I am the man." 10But they kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" 11He 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." 12They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."
13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15Then 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." 16Some 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. 17So 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." 18The 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 19and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" 20His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21but 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." 22His 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. 23Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." 24So 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." 25He answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." 26They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" 27He 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?" 28Then they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." 30The man answered, "Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." 34They answered him, "You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?" And they drove him out.
35Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him." 37Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he." 38He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him.
39Jesus 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." 40Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not blind, are we?" 41Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains."



Xxx - narrator - Dave T.
Xxx - Jesus - Tom R.
Xxx - neighbors - Ginny R., Barbara L.
Xxx - man born blind - Eli G.
Xxx - Pharisees - Rick G. & Gregg G.
Xxx - parents - Kirk and DanaLee S.


(Man born blind- Eli)

     Did you see all the colors in the sky tonight? I never imagined there was such beauty in the world. For years, my parents have tried to describe the western sky at sunset. They told me all about color, but I never knew how to imagine it. I had no idea what I've been missing all these years. You see, up until this morning, I was blind. Up until this morning, the only color I could see was black. Up until this morning, I was living in total darkness.
I won't lie to you. It's been difficult. Being blind is not easy. Worse than that, though, was how other people treated us - me and my parents. Ever since I can remember, people have told me my blindness was because of something I did, or something my parents did. I never understood that. How can a baby in his mother's womb commit a sin so horrible as to warrant blindness? And my parents - they are good and decent people. What could they have done to deserve having a child born blind? I have spent my life asking these questions. Today, though, everything changed. A man named Jesus came to my town this morning and healed me. I felt him kneel in front of me and heard him spit. The next thing I knew, he was rubbing something gritty and earthy on my eyes. Then he spoke to me and his voice was one of quiet authority. He told me to go wash in the pool of Siloam. I did what he said and my sight came back immediately.
I rushed back to find Jesus - to thank him and find out more about him. But, he wasn't there. That's when all the questions started. It seemed like I wasn't the only one who wanted to know more about the man who healed me. My neighbors came at me first. It's like they couldn't believe their eyes, but I didn't mind their questions. It's not every day that a blind man is given his sight. When they brought the Pharisees to me, I started to get uncomfortable. It was their voices that were the loudest in accusing me and my parents of some great sin. They, too, wanted to know how I had received my sight. The first time they asked me about it, I told them everything Jesus had done - down to every last detail. I told them I thought he was a prophet. They just went on and on about Jesus healing me on the Sabbath. They called him a sinner. I guess that's one of their favorite words.
It was obvious they didn't believe me, so they had someone run home to get my parents. It was the first time I had ever seen them. I recognized them only by their voices when they spoke - claiming me as their son. And I began to be angry with the Pharisees. Angry with them because of the fear I saw in my mother's eyes when they questioned her. Angry with them for being so sure about the sin of other people.
When they came at me again with the same questions and same accusations against Jesus, I got a bit smart with them. I insulted them by asking them if they wanted to become Jesus' disciples. I did try to reason with them, too, by telling them about my experience of being healed. I told them I didn't think Jesus was a sinner at all, but a man sent from God. But they're too proud to learn from me - someone they consider a sinner. They're too high and mighty to listen to any reasoning outside of temple conversations and their scrolls. In the end, I just made them angry and they drove me away. This was fine with me. To be honest, I really needed the time alone to take in everything that had happened to me in just a few short hours.
I wasn't alone for long, though. Jesus found me and he told me who he really is. He's the Son of God. I worshiped him right then and there. I thanked him for the gift of my sight. For the ability to see the sun in the sky, my parents faces and the wind ripple through the fields.

(Jesus - Tom)
     What a fun day! Those Pharisees sure do get rattled, don't they? They're fine if everything is going according to the way they think the world works. But, a single step outside of their rules and they get all out of sorts! Of course, I knew it was the Sabbath when I first saw the blind man. I know our tradition is not to do any work on this day. Still, should this man be blind a single day longer just because it's not lawful for me to create mud by spitting on the ground and mixing it with my hands? Should this man live in darkness a single day longer when God has given me the power to heal him now? No. I knew healing on the Sabbath would upset the Pharisees, but they were not foremost in my mind. I was thinking about the young man. The young man who had never seen the sun set. The young man whose questions about his sin overwhelmed him. The young man who had sat in darkness his whole life. Yes, I was thinking about the young man. And I was thinking about my Father. I have been sent to be the Savior of the world. The time will come for that purpose to be fulfilled. In the meantime, I serve as the world's light. Today, even on the Sabbath, that has meant giving sight to a man in darkness.
     What a gift it is to see! And I don't just mean with your eyes of sight, but with your eyes of faith as well. I'm not sure the man I healed today totally understands this yet. But, today he sees more than just the sun in the sky, his parents' faces and the wind rippling through the fields. He sees me. In a single day, I have gone from being a stranger to his Lord. In a time not too long from now, he will also call me his Savior. The healing I gave him was not just physical, but spiritual as well. His eyes of faith are being opened to the truth. His eyes of faith are allowing him to share his experiences with others. And many others will come to believe because of God's work that I did in him on this Sabbath day.
     As for the Pharisees, I don't know exactly what it will take for their eyes to be opened. Maybe a softer, more humble approach. . .(give a pause here) That time is coming. . .(another pause) that time is coming.