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A look at the appointed gospel from the Revised Common Lectionary for the fourth Sunday in Lent, March 22, 2020.
“As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 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, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 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?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 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.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 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.” 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. 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.” 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 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 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.” 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. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 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.” He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 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?” Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out. Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. 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.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.””
My Two Cents….
My favorite kinds of movies are the ones in which there is an ironic twist. The story seems to be going one way, and then it takes an unexpected turn. All of a sudden, things are messy. Exciting!
The healing of the man born blind is one such tale. Jesus encounters a man born blind and heals him. It seems simple enough - Jesus performs another miracle. We might even expect that he follows Jesus, forever grateful for his good fortune.
However, the Gospel of Jesus is rarely straightforward. Throughout the Fourth Gospel, there are layers of meaning, symbol, and story. In addition to the story of the blind man, there is Jesus’s ongoing conflict with the Pharisees, who maintain a strict interpretation of the law of Moses. There is also the symbolic interaction between seeing/knowing and unseeing/unknowing. To see is more than to look at something with the eyes. To see is to know and understand. What is more, seeing, knowing, and understanding all relate to belief.
The twist in this story occurs as the controversy develops. At first, it is the blind man who can not see. He also doesn’t know or believe in Jesus. The Pharisees, as trained practitioners of the law of Moses, supposedly know God and see the truth. After the miraculous cure, which is a sign of God’s presence, the man begins to gradually ‘see’ and know Jesus’s identity. In the end, the ex-blind man ‘gets’ it and believes. Ironically, the Pharisees demonstrate through their questioning and refusal to ‘see’ the healing as a sign that they are the ones who are blind. Spiritually blind, they are unable to believe. How’s about that for a twist?
As we enter this week, I wonder where we have closed our eyes, hearts, and minds to the signs of God’s presence in our midst. What ‘blind eyes’ are we turning? Where do we not see? How might Jesus heal our hearts so that we can be open in new ways?
In Christ's Light,
Walt
Permission granted to share today's content with family and friends. Copyrighted 2020. Walt Lichtenberger
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