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Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, "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." When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?" Some said, "This is he." Others said, "He is like him." He said, "I am he." Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight." Then they said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."
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."
- John 9:1-17
In the present readings, Jesus is in the temple in Jerusalem. It is the last, great day of the Feast of Tabernacles, and He's been in dialogue with the leadership. There are many who listen who believe because of what He's been saying. Yesterday, we read that Jesus taught, "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.' Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make yourself out to be?" Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, it is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. My study bible points out that the story we enter into constitutes the sixth of seven signs in John's Gospel. Of all the miracle stories in the Bible, this is the only one in which the person healed was blind from birth. My study bible says, "The blind man is symbolic of all humanity: all need illumination by Christ, the Light of the world. This sign is an illustration of baptism, which is also called 'holy illumination.'"
Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." A note here tells us: "The Savior rejects the assumption (common in the ancient world) that all troubles and maladies are necessarily the consequence of personal sin or even the sins of one's parents (see Exodus 20:5; Deut. 5:9; contrast Ezekiel 18:19-21). Though suffering can be the direct result of personal sin, this is certainly not always the case. In this instance, the man's blindness provided the occasion for the works of God to be revealed; it was not related directly to the man's personal sins."
"I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work." My study bible says that "the work that people do consists of faith (6:29), good deeds (5:29), and repentance (12:40). The night that comes refers both to the time after a person's death and to the age to come, when there is no longer an opportunity to express faith. On that day there will not be faith, but all will submit, whether willingly or unwillingly (John Chrysostom)."
"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." My study bible notes, "The unprecedented healing of the man born blind confirms Christ's claim that He is the light of the world (see 8:12)."
When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. According to St. Irenaeus, we can see in this mixture of clay and saliva a type of creation of humanity from the earth (Genesis 2:7). Christ reveals His divine identity by restoring a part of creation using the same material with which He created humanity in the beginning.
And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. A note reads, "The pool of Siloam was on the outskirts of Jersualem, a considerable distance from the temple. From this pool water was taken for the rites connected with the Feast of Tabenacles. Siloam, translated, Sent, symbolizes Christ, the One sent by the Father. Just as the healing of the blind man confirmed Christ's claim to be the light of the world (8:12), so also, His making use of the pool of Siloam confirms that He is the true purification of the temple and those who worship in it."
Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?" Some said, "This is he." Others said, "He is like him." He said, "I am he." Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight." Then they said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know." 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." My study bible says that, "just as the Pharisees had ignored the healing of the paralytic and focused only on the perceived violation of the Sabbath (5:10-16), here many of them cannot see the glory of God through their own prejudices."
What do we make of Jesus' healing for today, and the idea that He is the light of the world? Elsewhere, as my study bible quotes, He's said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." As we see such a vivid illustration of bringing someone's eyes to light, let's think about what this means for us. To walk in darkness is to walk in a kind of ignorance, unaware, "un-enlightened." One stumbles in the dark. Christ is a light for all of us to aim toward and to call upon as we walk the walk of faith through life. This illumination is shown as a sign in this man blind from birth, but His illumination, His light, is always available to us when we wish to turn to it. It's an inner light, something we can find through prayer or other practices of our faith. When we pray for others to find their way we are also practicing intercession; so this light can also be shared, and there are many ways to do that. But sometimes, we need to realize our own darkness, or even that darkness -- or ignorance -- is present. Sometimes we can see ourselves as having been "blind since birth," since there are so many things we seem not to know. Having a great hunger or thirst for some sort of illumination also means coming to terms with the fact that we're not "all there yet." We're not perfect in some absolute sense of ourselves, where we're headed, what choices we're making, and so, we always need this light. Recognizing our own imperfections is a great relief, a burden lifted, because we come to see ourselves as we truly are. In His light, we can recognize who and what we are, and understand also what we need of Him, and this is a great comfort. It's time in life to recognize we don't have all the answers when we spiritually mature, and come to terms with the idea that we can do but our best -- but there is more to the story. The light of Christ takes us beyond our best, helping us to be taken forward into something we don't know, into faith that may move mountains, or enlighten the blind -- however we may be blind to so many things. Let us consider this blind man, who concludes for now that Jesus is a prophet. He's still got more to learn; there's more for his eyes to be opened to. We're all there with Him, but we do have an Illuminator, someone who brings us light, even the light of the world.
