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

But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had ever 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 has 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 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 9:18-41

From the Friday before last, the readings have concerned themselves with the events in John's Gospel that surround the Feast of Tabernacles, at the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus has just engaged in an extensive dialogue with the leadership at the temple, in which He told them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." For this, making Himself equal with God, they sought to stone Him. But, hiding Himself, He went out of the temple, and passing through the crowds, He eluded them. In yesterday's reading, Jesus met a blind man as He passed through the crowds. Jesus' disciples asked, ""Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Jesus spat on the ground, made a clay with His spittle and put it on the man's eyes, and told him to go wash in the pool called Siloam, used for temple rites at the Festival. When he returned, seeing, the neighbors wondered how this was possible; the seeing man told them that "a Man called Jesus" had done these things, but he did not know where Jesus was. The neighbors took the formerly blind man to the Pharisees. They asked how he gained 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 ever 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 leadership (referred to as "the Jews") want to discredit the miracle by claiming the man could not have been blind since birth. As we noted in yesterday's commentary, this is the only miracle in all of the Bible that concerns a man blind from birth. We noted at the beginning of the story, with the question from the disciples, that it was common belief in the ancient world that personal sin was the cause of affliction. The parents are sought out, as additional witnesses, in order to prove that he has been blind since birth. But his parents are not going to be of much use because of their own fear of the leadership. My study bible notes that the age of legal responsibility was 13.

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." "Give God the glory" is an "oath formula," says my study bible, "used before giving testimony or before confessing guilt." With Jesus not present, the leadership call Him a sinner, although previously they could not answer when He asked, "Which of you convicts Me of sin?" Clearly, they are trying to intimidate the healed blind man.

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?" The formerly blind man has been told to "Give God the glory." My study bible notes that, "Ironically, the formerly blind man will indeed give glory to God. The more he is pressed, the more tenacious he becomes in his belief." This is a kind of hilarious question asked in all innocence ("Do you also want to become His disciples?"), and one can imagine the outrage of the leadership, and perhaps the hidden laughter of the crowd watching this encounter.

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 has 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 who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." In Matthew's Gospel, an outraged leadership asks Jesus, "Do you hear what these [children] are saying?" And Jesus replies, quoting from Psalm 8, "Have you never read, 'Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise'?" Here, the babe, left by his parents to fend for himself, testifies to what they all know as experts in the Law and the Scriptures. Over and over again, Jesus has already replied to their questions about where He is "from" and from Whom He has been "sent" ("Sent" is the meaning of the name of the pool in which the man was told by Jesus to wash, "Siloam.") These questions truly center upon His authority. The miracle of sight is a sign (the sixth of seven in John's Gospel) which points to that authority, to the place where He is from, and God the Father from whom He is sent.

They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out. Now the formerly blind must become a target of accusation, so that his testimony is denied. He becomes an outcast by affirming himself as Christ's disciple, His "witness," telling the truth of his experience.

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?" In some ways, this reminds us of something early in John's Gospel, the encounter of Jesus with Nathanael. Nathanael must come and see Jesus for himself. So the blind man asked, "Who is He, that I may believe?" He already knows Jesus, and trusts Him through the experience. But now there is more "illumination" to come.

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. By experience, his faith is true. Let us regard this story carefully: first came experience, then faith, then deeper illumination as faith grows and Christ reveals Himself more deeply to the one with the capability for such faith. My study bible puts it like this, poetically: "Having opened the blind man's eyes, Jesus also opens the eyes of his heart." The light that was physical now becomes spiritual. He can "see" the divinity of Jesus.

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." Here we have the power of judgment in the revelation of the divine, in the grace that comes into the world. How do we respond? My study bible notes, "Jesus' coming brought judgment by increasing the accountability of those who saw and heard Him, but did not believe. The brilliance of Christ's light becomes an illumination to some, but a blinding glare to others." Let us consider what it is to encounter grace; here again is the sword, two-edged, which cuts both ways. How do we choose in our encounter with Christ? There may be many, many such moments throughout our lives.

There are many elements to today's story to look at. First of all, there is the point of choosing. The formerly blind man has this complete divine healing experience. He cannot deny it for all the social pressure put upon him to do so. He is a witness, he bears witness to his "simple" truth: that before he was blind, and now he sees, and it was Jesus who made him see. But this casts him out, and even his parents will not enthusiastically support him, leaving him on his own to witness for himself. Often, we may find that faith does this in our lives, taking us out of one community, but placing us in another, which is the Body of Christ, the community of faith. Separation is also indicated in the responses to both the witness and to Christ Himself. The illumination, the "showing forth" of grace in any form becomes an occasion for such a choice. Of course, here is a story about an encounter with Christ Himself as Son of Man, incarnate in the flesh. But in my experience, my study bible's note about accountability holds true. When I feel I have an answer in prayer, it becomes for me a matter of greater weight than it was before. How will I respond? Do I have faith? What do I do with that faith, and to whom do I take it if I need help with discernment? For the believer, these things become important questions. Faith, and especially grace, will confer a kind of accountability that wasn't there before. So let us consider today the intermingling in the story of responsibility, of truth, of just judgment and righteousness, and of illumination. In recent passages, Christ has both said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" and "I am the light of the world." So much depends on how we encounter this light, and embrace this truth, even if it separates us from the familiar and those who may wish to reject us for it. What is your encounter? Your truth? How does this light illumine you? It may just teach you and give you God's strength, to stand in that place of truth and light.