For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may be made blind

They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them.

They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about him because he opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself." His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this man is a sinner." He answered and said, "Whether he is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see." Then they said to him again, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples? Then they reviled him and said, "you are his disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where he is from."

The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where he is from; yet he opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one man who was born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" He answered and said, "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?" And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen him and it is he who is talking with you." Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped him.

And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." Then some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these words, and said to him, "Are we blind also?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains."

- John 9:13-41

In the cycle of the Lectionary, today's reading should be much further along in John's gospel. The Lectionary contains passages from later in John and from Luke this week as Lent begins, and then starts the gospel of Mark next week. But I prefer continuity, and the flow of the gospels as they teach through the narrative. So, I will continue with readings in sequence from John, at least until we begin Mark's gospel.

Today's passage continues with the story of the healing of the blind man from yesterday. We recall the powerful significance of this sixth sign in John's gospel. In today's passage, we read the response of the leadership to this sign. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them. Once again, we note, Jesus is criticized for healing on the Sabbath, as with the healing of the paralytic. This is not a new claim against Jesus. It is interesting to me to note the division among the Pharisees: not all immediately condemn him, he has stirred them up as he continues to stir us today.

They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about him because he opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself." His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." The blind man himself believes that Jesus is a prophet. But his parents will say nothing, for fear of what will happen to them. We recall this man has stumbled through Jerusalem on his way to the pool of Siloam to wash off the mud. Everyone knows him, and he must have been quite a sight. As he walked alone, in his healing that resembled humanity's creation (see yesterday's commentary), so he is alone still. His parents will not stand up as witnesses.

So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this man is a sinner." He answered and said, "Whether he is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see." Then they said to him again, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples? Then they reviled him and said, "you are his disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where he is from." "One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see." Our witness can but testify to what he knows, and what has happened to him. Although Jesus has preached repeatedly about himself in the temple, there is no acceptance among the leadership. They want more proofs than the witness can offer.

The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where he is from; yet he opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one man who was born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out. The witness becomes the teacher, teaching the leadership what it knows, and the spiritual heritage for which they are responsible. But the leadership, in addition to condemning Jesus, condemns the formerly blind man. For them, his blindness from birth serves only as proof of sinfulness - of his parents or someone else. We recall from yesterday's passage that the disciples themselves asked such a question, and Jesus taught them that his blindness was for grace - so that the healing could take place - not because of sin. But both his parents and the leadership continue in this shadow of condemnation, and not the light of grace. So, the break, and the division, is clear: the witness is cast out of the temple on his own.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" He answered and said, "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?" And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen him and it is he who is talking with you." Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped him. Jesus finds the formerly blind man, his witness, after he has been cast out of the temple. "Do you believe in the Son of God?" The newly-sighted man does not know who this is. So, Jesus reveals himself to the one who can now see, and the faith relationship is sealed with an emphatic, "Lord, I believe!" So we have a process that has happened here, a clear conversion. The blind man receives grace, and becomes, as it were, a new creation - born of the earth as at the first Creation, and washed in the waters that mean "Sent" (the pool of Siloam). He stands as sole witness to this act of great grace, this conversion from blindness since birth, to full sight. It is a stumbling block to those who cannot accept the authority of grace, and the witness - the healed and sighted - is cast out of the temple, on his own. Even his parents will not stand with him. And those behind remain outside of grace, unbelieving, convinced of sinfulness and condemnation for both the healed man and Jesus. The one cast out comes to the one who has loved him and healed him, and the pact is sealed - as his eyes were sealed with the mud of new creation. "Lord, I believe!" The cast out is a part of a new family, new relatedness, new relationship.

And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind." Then some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these words, and said to him, "Are we blind also?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains. Those who claim to see cannot plead ignorance. The ones who remain condemning are themselves here condemned. It's like the cast of darkness, and those who choose to remain in it. If we see, it carries the responsibility for what we know. I think this is an important distinction: those who are blind need sight, Jesus is here to open their eyes. But those who claim to see stand in responsibility for what they know. Those who condemn do themselves remain by volition, as they claim, in the darkness. The stumbling block is power - who gives the glory to God here? Who hangs onto power, while there is a greater power of grace at work? Who is the cast out? Who is it that does not see? Jesus will take those who are cast out, the outsiders, and they are his own. The relationship is sealed by grace and by faith. It is by sight that we see and know, by holding on to that which keeps us from grace that we remain in our chosen darkness. To what do we owe this tremendous power, this grace that provides us with stumbling blocks that divide and ask us to choose from darkness to light? Hidden under these words is the image and power of relationship - of love, because there is love in grace. But it asks us to step up to it, and meet it in faith.