As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world

 

 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 yesterday's reading, Jesus said:  "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.  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."  Christ rejects the assumption, which was common in the ancient world, that all troubles and maladies are the consequence of personal sin, or even the sin of parents (see Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 5:9; contrast Ezekiel 18:19-21).  My study bible comments that although suffering could be the direct result of personal sin, it is by no means always the case.  At this time, Jesus makes it clear that the man's blindness is providing an opportunity for the works of God to be revealed.  It is not related directed by 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."  The work that people do, my study bible tells us, consists of faith (6:29), good deeds (5:29), and repentance (12:40).  The night that comes, it says, refers both to the time after a person dies and also to the age to come, when there is no longer an opportunity for the expression of faith.  My study bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who comments that on that day there won't be faith, but all will submit, willingly or unwillingly. 

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  In this section, we will read the sixth of seven signs in John's Gospel, the healing of this man blind from birth.  This unprecedented healing is a confirmation of Jesus' claim that He is the light of the world (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, who sees in this mixture of clay and saliva a type of the creation of humanity from the earth (Genesis 2:7).   Christ's divinity is revealed by restoring part of creation using the same material with which humanity was created in the beginning.

And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent).  The pool of Siloam was on the outskirts of Jerusalem, and a considerable distance from the temple.  From this pool water was taken for the rites connected with the Feast of Tabernacles, which is the setting for our recent readings.  My study bible says that Siloam, which is translated, Sent, is a symbol of Christ, the One who is sent by the Father (5:36; 20:21).  It says that just as the healing of the blind man confirmed Christ's claim to be the light of the world (8:12), so also, Christ's making use of the pool of Siloam confirms that He is the true purification of the temple and all those who worship in it.

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."    This particular healing is the sixth of seven signs in John's Gospel.  Out of all the miracle stories that are in the Bible, only this one involves a person who was blind from birth (verse 32).  The blind man is symbolic of all humanity:  everyone needs illumination by Christ, who is the Light of the world.  My study bible says that this sign is also an illustration of baptism, which is also called "holy illumination."  Easter (or Pascha) is the traditional day to receive catechumens into the Church.  The lessons which follow reflect a baptismal theology.

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 comments 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.  

In tomorrow's reading, this story will continue.  But starting here, we should keep a close eye on the conduct of this healed blind man, and the testimony he gives.  It will be pertinent to our own way of witnessing, teaching us something about how we conduct ourselves.  He is not afraid to answer that he doesn't know, but he is also not afraid to say what he does know.   While we must understand the stupendous nature of the healing of  man who was blind from birth in terms of tradition in the Scripture (and Jewish spiritual history), and also in the context of Christ as the Light of the world, there is something that is couched in this story -- and as it will continue in tomorrow's reading -- that is very important and is not to be missed.  It is a thread that runs throughout John's Gospel.  What we find "hidden in plain sight" in today's reading are notions of justice and witnessing.  How do we judge?  How do we know what is what?  What evidence do we take to mean something?  How are we fair?  The religious leadership is already understood to have it in for Jesus, so to speak.  They want to get rid of Him.  They have called Him a blasphemer.  They have tried and failed to have Him arrested.  They have already accused Him in the past of violation of the Sabbath by healing on the Sabbath.  We begin with what is already "not fair."  This man has been blind since birth.  It is no one's "fault."  Jesus says it is not because his parents had sinned, but rather it is an occasion for the glory of God, "that the works of God should be revealed in him."  This is a reversal of what is unjust; it is also a kind of prefiguring of the Cross, where the occasion of the greatest injustice is turned into liberation for all of humankind.  The rest of the text also delves into justice in the questioning of the healed blind man:  how we decide, how we condemn or exonerate.  The division among the Pharisees in debating whether Jesus is simply violating the Law or if He is good because He does good things makes us think about how we see things, and how we judge a person.  Caught in the middle, as it seems we so often are in John's Gospel, is the witness, the blind man himself.  He can simply answer honestly to some questions, "I don't know."  And on the other hand, he can simply say what he knows.  This will continue in tomorrow's reading.  As we read through John, the notions of judgment and judging will continually be raised.  "Witnessing" and "testimony" are significant in this orientation toward language of the courtroom, just as accusations are.  John's Gospel places us in the context of an unjust world, in which Jesus is the One sent to heal and to liberate, and to bring the Father to the world for our communion with God.  Judgment becomes a deeply profound piece of this story when we understand that for true judgment, there is only one place we can go, and that we must look beyond ourselves and our world for the truth that will take us to that place.  Let us keep all of this in mind as we look toward tomorrow's reading, and think about how we witness in life, what we know and don't know, what our experience can reveal, and how we seek a path to righteousness.  In this context Jesus tells us that He is the light of the world.