The Gospel of John, conceived 34

In those days, as Jesus passed, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi! Who sinned, he or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents have sinned, but this is so that the works of God may be manifested in him." I must do the works of Him who sent Me while there is a day; the night comes when no one can do. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. And when he had said this, he spat on the ground, and made clay out of spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with it, and said to him, Go and wash in the pool of Siloam, which is to say, he who was sent. He went and washed, and came seeing. Then the neighbors, and those who had seen before that he was blind, said, "Is this not the one who sat and begged? Some said, "This is he," and others, "He resembles him." And he said, "It is I." Then they asked him, "How did your eyes open?" He answered and said, "The man called Jesus has made clay, anointed my eyes, and said to me, Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself." I went, washed my face, and regained my sight. Then they said to him, "Where is he?" He answered, "I don't know." They took this former blind man to the Pharisees. And there was a sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. The Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He has put clay in my eyes, and I have washed, and I see." Then some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not of God, because he does not keep the Sabbath." Others said: how can a sinful man work such miracles? And there was strife between them. Again they said to the blind man, What wilt thou say of Him, because He hath opened thy eyes? He said, "He's a prophet." Then the Jews did not believe that he was blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of this man who had received his sight and asked them, "Is this your son, of whom you say that he was born blind?" How does he see now? His parents answered and said to them, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind, but how he sees now, we do not know, or who opened his eyes, we do not know." He himself is of perfect age; ask yourself; Let him talk about himself. Thus answered his parents, because they feared the Jews; for the Jews have already conspired that whoever acknowledges Him to be Christ should be excommunicated from the synagogue. Wherefore his parents said, He is of perfect age; Ask yourself. So they called a man who was blind a second time, and said to him, Give glory to God; we know that That Man is a sinner. He answered and said to them, "Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; One thing I know is that I was blind, and now I see. And they asked him again, What has he done to thee? How did He open Thy eyes? He answered them, "I have already told you, and you have not listened; What else do you want to hear? or do you also want to become His disciples? And they rebuked him, and said, Thou art His disciple, and we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; But we do not know whence He comes. The man who had received his sight answered and said to them, "This is not surprising, that you do not know where He comes from, but He has opened my eyes." But we know that God does not listen to sinners; but whoever honors God and does His will listens to him. From eternity it has not been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If He were not of God, He could not do anything. They answered and said to him, "Thou art all born in sins, and dost thou teach us?" And they threw him out. When Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and found him, he said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" He answered and said, "But who is He, Lord, that I should believe in Him?" Jesus said to him, "And you have seen him, and he speaks to you." And he said, I believe, O Lord! And he worshipped Him.

John 9:1–38

Sunday 6 of Pascha, of the Blind Man.

The Gospel of John, conceived 35a

The Lord said to the Jews who came to Him, "I have come into this world for judgment, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind." And when some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this, they said to him, "Are we also blind? Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin on you; but as you say that you see, the sin remains upon you. Verily, verily, I say to you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs over by another way, is a thief and a robber; but he who enters by the door is a shepherd to the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep obey his voice, and he calls his sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings forth his sheep, he goes before them; but the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. But they do not follow a stranger, but flee from him, because they do not know the voice of another. This parable Jesus told them; But they did not understand what he was saying to them, so Jesus said to them again, "Verily, truly, I say to you, that I am the door of the sheep." All of them, however many have come before Me, are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door: whoever enters in by Me will be saved, and will enter in and go out, and will find pasture.

John 9:39–10:9

Thursday of the 5th week of Pascha.

The Gospel of John, conceived 35b

The Lord said to the Jews who came to Him, "Verily, verily, I say to you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs over by another way, is a thief and a robber; but he who enters by the door is a shepherd to the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep obey his voice, and he calls his sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings forth his sheep, he goes before them; but the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. But they do not follow a stranger, but flee from him, because they do not know the voice of another. This parable Jesus told them; But they did not understand what he was saying to them, so Jesus said to them again, "Verily, truly, I say to you, that I am the door of the sheep." All of them, however many have come before Me, are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door: whoever enters in by Me will be saved, and will enter in and go out, and will find pasture.

John 10:1–9

To the saints, at matins.

The Gospel of John, conceived 36

The Lord said to the Jews who came to Him, "I am the door: whoever enters in by Me will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture." A thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they might have life, and have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. But the hireling, not a shepherd, to whom the sheep are not his own, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees; and the wolf plunders the sheep, and scatters them. But the hireling flees because he is a hireling, and does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know mine, and mine know me. As the Father knows Me, so I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold, and these I must bring: and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd.