Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

John 9 As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who had been blind since birth. ²Jesus' disciples asked, "Teacher, why was this man born blind? Was it because he or his parents sinned?"
³"No, it wasn't!" Jesus answered. "But because of his blindness, you will see God work a miracle for him. ⁴As long as it is day, we must do what the one who sent me wants me to do. When night comes, no one can work. ⁵While I am in the world, I am the light for the world."
⁶After Jesus said this, he spit on the ground. He made some mud and smeared it on the man's eyes. ⁷Then he said, "Go and wash off the mud in Siloam Pool." The man went and washed in Siloam, which means "One Who Is Sent." When he had washed off the mud, he could see.
⁸The man's neighbors and the people who had seen him begging wondered if he really could be the same man. ⁹Some of them said he was the same beggar, while others said he only looked like him. But he told them, "I am that man."
¹⁰"Then how can you see?" they asked.
¹¹He answered, "Someone named Jesus made some mud and smeared it on my eyes. He told me to go and wash it off in Siloam Pool. When I did, I could see."
¹²"Where is he now?" they asked.
"I don't know," he answered.

The Pharisees Try To Find Out What Happened

^13-14The day when Jesus made the mud and healed the man was a Sabbath. So the people took the man to the Pharisees. ¹⁵They asked him how he was able to see, and he answered, "Jesus made some mud and smeared it on my eyes. Then after I washed it off, I could see."
¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, "This man Jesus doesn't come from God. If he did, he would not break the law of the Sabbath."
Others asked, "How could someone who is a sinner work such a miracle?"
Since the Pharisees could not agree among themselves, ¹⁷they asked the man, "What do you say about this one who healed your eyes?"
"He is a prophet!" the man told them.
¹⁸But the Jewish leaders would not believe that the man had once been blind. They sent for his parents ¹⁹and asked them, "Is this the son that you said was born blind? How can he now see?"
²⁰The man's parents answered, "We are certain that he is our son, and we know that he was born blind. ²¹But we don't know how he got his sight or who gave it to him. Ask him! He is old enough to speak for himself."
^22-23The man's parents said this because they were afraid of their leaders. The leaders had already agreed that no one was to have anything to do with anyone who said Jesus was the Messiah.

2 Chronicles 6 Solomon prayed:
"Our LORD, you said that you
would live in a dark cloud.
²Now I've built a glorious temple
where you can live forever."

Solomon Speaks to the People
(1 Kings 8.14-21)

³Solomon turned toward the people standing there. Then he blessed them ^4-6and said:

Praise the LORD God of Israel! He brought his people out of Egypt long ago and later kept his promise to make my father David the king of Israel. The LORD also promised him that Jerusalem would be the city where his temple will be built, and now that promise has come true.

⁷When my father wanted to build a temple for the LORD God of Israel, ⁸the LORD said, "It's good that you want to build a temple where I can be worshiped. ⁹But you're not the one to do it. Your son will build the temple to honor me."

¹⁰The LORD has done what he promised. I am now the king of Israel, and I've built a temple for the LORD our God. ¹¹I've also put the sacred chest in the temple. And in that chest are the two flat stones on which is written the solemn agreement the LORD made with our ancestors when he rescued them from Egypt.

Solomon Prays at the Temple
(1 Kings 8.22-53)

^12-13Earlier, Solomon had a bronze platform made that was about eight feet square and five feet high, and he put it in the center of the outer courtyard near the altar. Solomon stood on the platform facing the altar with everyone standing behind him. Then he lifted his arms toward heaven; he knelt down ¹⁴and prayed:

LORD God of Israel, no other god in heaven or on earth is like you!

You never forget the agreement you made with your people, and you are loyal to anyone who faithfully obeys your teachings. ¹⁵My father David was your servant, and today you have kept every promise you made to him.

¹⁶You promised that someone from his family would always be king of Israel, if they do their best to obey you, just as he did. ¹⁷Please keep this promise you made to your servant David. ¹⁸There's not enough room in all of heaven for you, LORD God. How could you possibly live on earth in this temple I have built? ¹⁹But I ask you to answer my prayer. ²⁰This is the temple where you have chosen to be worshiped. Please watch over it day and night and listen when I turn toward it and pray. ²¹I am your servant, and the people of Israel belong to you, and so whenever any of us look toward this temple and pray, answer from your home in heaven and forgive our sins.

²²Suppose someone accuses a person of a crime, and the accused has to stand in front of the altar in your temple and say, "I swear I am innocent!" ²³Listen from heaven and decide who is right. Then punish the guilty person and let the innocent one go free.

²⁴Suppose your people Israel sin against you, and then an enemy defeats them. If they come to this temple and beg for forgiveness, ²⁵listen from your home in heaven. Forgive them and bring them back to the land you gave their ancestors.

²⁶Suppose your people sin against you, and you punish them by holding back the rain. If they stop sinning and turn toward this temple to pray in your name, ²⁷listen from your home in heaven and forgive them. The people of Israel are your servants, so teach them to live right. And send rain on the land you promised them forever.

²⁸Sometimes the crops may dry up or rot or be eaten by locusts or grasshoppers, and your people will be starving. Sometimes enemies may surround their towns, or your people will become sick with deadly diseases. ²⁹Please listen when anyone in Israel truly feels sorry and sincerely prays with arms lifted toward your temple. ³⁰You know what is in everyone's heart. So from your home in heaven answer their prayers, according to what they do and what is in their hearts. ³¹Then your people will worship you and obey you for as long as they live in the land you gave their ancestors.

³²Foreigners will hear about you and your mighty power, and some of them will come to live among your people Israel. If any of them pray toward this temple, ³³listen from your home in heaven and answer their prayers. Then everyone on earth will worship you, just as your own people Israel do, and they will know that I have built this temple in your honor.

³⁴Sometimes you will order your people to attack their enemies. Then your people will turn toward this temple I have built for you in your chosen city, and they will pray to you. ³⁵Answer their prayers from heaven and give them victory.

³⁶Everyone sins. But when your people sin against you, suppose you get angry enough to let their enemies drag them away to foreign countries. ^37-39Later, they may feel sorry for what they did and ask your forgiveness. Answer them when they pray toward this temple I have built for you in your chosen city, here in this land you gave their ancestors. From your home in heaven, listen to their sincere prayers and forgive your people who have sinned against you.

⁴⁰LORD God, hear us when we pray in this temple. ⁴¹Come to your new home, where we have already placed the sacred chest, which is the symbol of your strength. I pray that when the priests announce your power to save people, those who are faithful to you will celebrate what you've done for them. ⁴²Always remember the love you had for your servant David, so that you will not reject your chosen kings.

The Promised Messenger

Malachi 3 I, the LORD All-Powerful,
will send my messenger to prepare the way for me.
Then suddenly the Lord you are looking for
will appear in his temple.
The messenger you desire is coming with my promise,
and he is on his way.

A Day of Change

²On the day the Lord comes, he will be like a furnace that purifies silver or like strong soap in a washbasin. No one will be able to stand up to him. ³The LORD will purify the descendants of Levi, as though they were gold or silver. Then they will bring the proper offerings to the LORD, ⁴and the offerings of the people of Judah and Jerusalem will please him, just as they did in the past.

Don't Cheat God

⁵The LORD All-Powerful said:

I'm now on my way to judge you. And I will quickly condemn all who practice witchcraft or cheat in marriage or tell lies in court or rob workers of their pay or mistreat widows and orphans or steal the property of foreigners or refuse to respect me.

⁶Descendants of Jacob, I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I never change. That's why you haven't been wiped out, ⁷even though you have ignored and disobeyed my laws ever since the time of your ancestors. But if you return to me, I will return to you.

And yet you ask, "How can we return?"

⁸You people are robbing me, your God. And, here you are, asking, "How are we robbing you?"

You are robbing me of the offerings and of the ten percent that belongs to me. ⁹That's why your whole nation is under a curse. ¹⁰I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I challenge you to put me to the test. Bring the entire ten percent into the storehouse, so there will be food in my house. Then I will open the windows of heaven and flood you with blessing after blessing. ¹¹I will also stop locusts from destroying your crops and keeping your vineyards from producing. ¹²Everyone of every nation will talk about how I have blessed you and about your wonderful land. I, the LORD All-Powerful, have spoken!

¹³You have said horrible things about me, and yet you ask, "What have we said?"

¹⁴Here is what you have said: "It's foolish to serve the LORD God All-Powerful. What do we get for obeying him and from going around looking sad? ¹⁵See how happy those arrogant people are. Everyone who does wrong is successful, and when they put God to the test, they always get away with it."

Faithfulness Is Rewarded

¹⁶All those who truly respected the LORD and honored his name started discussing these things, and when God saw what was happening, he had their names written as a reminder in his book.
¹⁷Then the LORD All-Powerful said:

You people are precious to me, and when I come to bring justice, I will protect you, just as parents protect an obedient child. ¹⁸Then everyone will once again see the difference between those who obey me by doing right and those who reject me by doing wrong.