Key Thought

Today's Prayer

Holy God, please help your people as we seek to care for the abandoned and helpless. We are horrified at some of the horrible things done to children in our world. We pray for courage to step forward and help protect them and for compassion to personally care for them. In Jesus name, and to Jesus' glory. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context

Then the people brought the man to the Pharisees. This was the man that had been blind. Jesus had made mud and healed the man's eyes. The day Jesus did this was a Sabbath day. So now the Pharisees asked the man, "How did you get your sight?" The man answered, "He put mud on my eyes. I washed, and now I can see." Some of the Pharisees said, "This man (Jesus) does not obey the law about the Sabbath day. So he is not from God." Other men said, "But a person that is a sinner cannot do miracles like these." These Jews could not agree with each other. The Jewish leaders asked the man again, "This man (Jesus) healed you, and you can see. What do you say about him?" The man answered, "He is a prophet. " The Jews still did not believe that this really happened to the man. They did not believe that this man was blind and was now healed. But later they sent for the man's parents. They asked his parents, "Is this your son? You say that he was born blind. So why can he see now?" The parents answered, "We know that this man is our son. And we know that he was born blind. But we don't know why he can see now. We don't know who healed his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough to answer for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. The Jewish leaders had already decided that they would punish any person that said Jesus was the Christ. They would put those people out of the synagogue. That is why his parents said, "He is old enough. Ask him." So the Jewish leaders called the man that had been blind. They told the man to come in again. They said, "You should give God the glory {by telling the truth}. We know that this man (Jesus) is a sinner." The man answered, "I don't know if he is a sinner. But I do know this: I was blind, and now I can see." The Jewish leaders asked, "What did he (Jesus) do to you? How did he heal your eyes?" The man answered, "I have already told you that. But you would not listen to me. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you wantto become his followers too?" The Jewish leaders {became angry and} said some very bad things to the man. Then they said, "You are a follower of that man (Jesus). We are followers of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses. But we don't even know where this man (Jesus) comes from!" The man answered, "This is a very strange thing. You don't know where Jesus comes from. But he healed my eyes. We all know that God does not listen to sinners. But God will listen to a person that worships and obeys him. This is the first time that any person ever healed a man that was born blind. This man (Jesus) must be from God. If he were not from God, he could not do anything {like this}." The Jewish leaders answered, "You were born full of sin! Are you trying to teach us?" And the Jewish leaders forced the man to leave.

Related Scripture Readings

Fathers, don't make your children angry. But raise your children with the training and teaching of the Lord.

But good people are happy. Good people have a happy time together with God. Good people enjoy themselves and are very happy! Sing to God. Sing praises to his name. Prepare the way for God. He rides his chariot over the desert. His name is YAH. Praise his name! In his holy temple, God is like a father to orphans. God takes care of widows. God gives lonely people a home. God takes his people out of prison. They are very happy. But people who turn against God, will stay in their hot prison.