I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work

 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 back 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 our recent readings, Jesus has been at the Feast of Tabernacles, which is an eight-day autumn harvest feast, which commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the desert following Moses toward the Promised Land.  At that time, they lived in temporary dwellings, tents or "tabernacles."  On the last day of the feast, Jesus preached to the crowds and sparred with the leaderships.  In yesterday's reading, He replied to them, "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, My honor 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.  Today's reading incorporates the healing of a blind man; it is the sixth of seven signs reported in John's Gospel.  Of all miracle stories in the Bible, this is the only one, my study bible says, in which the person was blind from birth.  The blind is a symbol of all humanity; we all need illumination by Christ, who is the Light of the world.  This sign is an illustration of baptism, my study bible adds, which is called "holy illumination."  Traditionally, the lessons which follow Easter, the traditional day to receive catechumens into the the Church reflect a baptismal theology; therefore in the Eastern Church this passage is read on the Sixth Sunday of Pascha (Easter).

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."  It was a common assumption in the ancient world that all troubles and maladies are the consequence of personal sin, or even the sins of one's parents (see Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 5:9; contrast Ezekiel 18:29-21).   Although suffering could indeed be the direct result of personal sin, of course this is not always the case.  In this instance, as per Jesus' words, the man's blindness provides the occasion for the works of God to be revealed, and it is not directly related to the man's personal sins.  This is a kind of marvel, for it reveals that sad occasions, those things associated with hardship, may be occasions -- through faith -- for God's revelation to us.  It is an important part of our understanding of theology; the Cross is the archetypal proof of such work of God.  In this light, this occasion points to the Cross.

"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 tells us that the work that people do (as revealed in John's Gospel) 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.  According to St. John Chrysostom, on that day there will not be faith; rather, all will submit, whether willingly or unwillingly.

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  This unprecedented healing of a man born blind confirms Christ's claim that He is the light of the world (see also 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.  My study bible cites St. Irenaeus here, who sees in this mixture of clay and saliva a type of the creation of humanity from the earth (Genesis 2:7).  Christ reveals His divinity by restoring 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 back and washed, and came back seeing.  The pool of Siloam was then on the outskirts of Jerusalem, and a considerable distance from the temple.   Water was taken from this pool for the rites connected with the Feast of Tabernacles.  Siloam, translated, Sent, is a symbol of Christ, the One sent by the Father (5:36; 20:21).  As the healing of the blind man confirmed Christ's claim to be the light of the world (8:12), my study bible says that 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."  John's Gospel frequently illustrates through particular examples the varied responses of people to Christ.  Here is the debate, the witness, and the viewpoints of the crowds.

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."   The Pharisees are the experts, the authorities, and the people bring the formerly blind man to them.  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), so here many of them can't see the glory of God through their own prejudices. 

As this man blind from birth is an image of humanity (as my study bible states), so we can see, also, his gradual growth in an understanding of Christ.  Here, when He is questioned about Jesus, He states, "He is a prophet."  This is not exactly true about Christ, He is much more than a prophet.  But this man has only begun the journey of His healing.  His sight is restored, but he only knows what he has experienced.  He will need further contact and experience of Christ to understand Him better and to know Him.  And so it is also with our own journeys of faith, and even the perspective of the Church.  So much depends upon experience when it comes to spiritual insight and understanding.  Once again, in the final paragraph above, John gives us the debate that surrounds Jesus.  Some of the authorities insist upon condemnation of the Sabbath violation, while still others ask the obvious, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?"  Again, it is further experience that gives understanding and illumination.  We accept that we are to be in communion with Christ to truly come to know Him.  Prayer is an expression of such communion, and all the varied forms of worship in the Church are designed to help us to participate in such communion, particularly as exemplified in the Eucharist.  In prayer we seek not simply to talk to God, but to have a dialogue with God, also listening and at times in silence.  All of this is meant to give us experience as we may receive it, communion with Creator.  We are blind like the man born blind, and we seek the spiritual sight that is a gift of God, the wisdom that can come through participation in the life of God.  If prayer is encounter and dialogue, then how do you approach your time alone, in your room, with the Father who is in the secret place and who sees in secret (Matthew 6:6)?  We are like this man who has been given his sight, and we grow in illumination through our encounter with Creator, whose constant renewal of creation may be also at work in us.