Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

 

 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 

 

On Saturday, we read that many of Christ's disciples, when they heard Jesus' teaching about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And He said, Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

 

 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.  For the mid-Lent week (which has just passed), we were given readings from John chapter 6, a parallel to the Exodus story.  Today's reading begins where we left off before last week, and picks up from the final reading in chapter 8 (see this reading).  In chapters 7 and 8 we read about events at the Feast of Tabernacles, in which Jesus healed a paralytic, and we continue readings from this event in today's lectionary reading.  This first verse of chapter 9 gives us the framework for the sixth sign (of seven) given in John's Gospel.  Out of all the miracle stories in the Bible, my study bible says, this is the only one in which the person was blind from birth.   This blind man, it continues, is symbolic of all humanity:  everyone needs illumination by Christ, who is the Light of the world.  This sign is an illustration of Holy Baptism, which is also called "holy illumination."  

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 to the ancient world, that all troubles and illnesses are necessarily the consequence of personal sin or even the sin of parents (see Exodus 20:5, Deuteronomy 5:9 -- contrast with Ezekiel 18:19-21).  My study bible notes that although suffereing can be the direct result of personal sin, this is not always the case!  In this instance, the man's blindness, as declared by Jesus, provides the occasion for the works of God to be revealed, and was not linked directly to this 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 explains that the work that people do consists of faith (John 6:29), good deeds (John 5:29), and repentance (John 12:40).   The night that comes, it says, refers both to the time after a person's death, and also 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, according to St. John Chrysostom, whether willingly or unwillingly.

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."   My study bible comments that the unprecedented healing of the man born blind is a confirmation of Christ's claim here that He is the light of the world (see this reading from chapter 8).   This is the second time at the Feast of Tabernacles that Jesus has made this statement (see John 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.  In the mixture of clay and saliva, St. Irenaeus sees a type of creation of humanity from the earth (Genesis 2:7).  My study bible adds that 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 and washed, and came back seeing.  The pool of Siloam was on the outskirts of Jerusalem, and it was a considerable distance from the temple.   At the Feast of Tabernacles (which Jesus is presently attending), water was taken for the rites connected with the feast.  Siloam, which the text tells us is translated, Sent, is symbolic of Christ, who is the One sent by the Father (John 5:36, 20:21).  My study bible comments that just as this healing of the blind man confirms Christ's claim to be the light of the world in John 8:12, so also, Christ's making use of the pool of Siloam is a confirmation that He is the true purification of the temple and of 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."   As we have come to observe, John's Gospel gives us the voices of the many varieties of witnesses to the miracles of Christ, and the varied testimonies.  Here the neighbors and others who knew this man was blind speak to one another.  Some answer that he looks like him.   The blind man affirms he is the same.  He testifies to what Jesus has done.  

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 previously ignored the healing of the paralytic (at the Feast of Weeks -- see this reading) and focused only on the perceived violation of the Sabbath (John 5:10-16), here many of them cannot see the glory of God through their own prejudices.   Once again, John's Gospel gives us the varied testimonies midst the questioning and debate of the religious leaders, and the division among them.

It's interesting to observe the witnesses and others who hear about Christ's miracles.  It seems to be given as a truth that people will look for their own explanations.  The healed blind man concludes about Jesus that He is a prophet, when the Pharisees quiz him.  The Pharisees declare that Christ is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.  Others ask how a sinner can do such signs.  Some of the neighbors declare the healed man simply looks like the one who was blind.  Everyone must find a way to explain what they are seeing, what they observe.   But with Christ, as the text indicates, there is nothing that is conventional or expected.  This is a first, this healing of a person who's been blind from birth.  Moreover, Jesus turns conventional expectations upside down.  There is no sin to blame for the blindness.  Neither this man, nor his parents sinned in a way to cause his blindness.  So Jesus also dispels this conventional understanding.  Here is His surprising statement, that this man is blind "that the works of God should be revealed in him."  This turns the conventional thinking of the time truly topsy-turvy:  a condition that one would normally mourn exists so that God's work should be revealed.  It is akin to St. Paul's thinking, when he writes, "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).   The way of the Cross seems to be a way in which times of mourning might be turned into joy or celebration, a sense in which even when we feel we have a loss, there is also a sense of gain -- an opportunity for the Lord to work in our lives.  This is what a sense of grace does when we come to realize that God can create opportunities out of what would conventionally be seen as tragedy or occasion for grief or mourning of some kind.  An unhappy childhood may be the impetus for finding a deep relationship with the Lord, and being blessed with that gift of communion that so many seek.  A time of loneliness can be turned into revelation, as we take time for a deeper search for God with prayer and meditation.  Even the enforced quarantine period we've spent with the COVID-19 virus has proven to be an occasion for many for a deeper time of study and reflection.  Lent is conventionally called a time of "bright sadness" in the Eastern Church, as fasting traditions are understood in the light of preparation for Easter, a time of joy and celebration for the time we are ultimately united with the Bridegroom (Matthew 9:14-17).  By fasting we learn a discipline that helps us to serve and focus upon the Lord, and to share in the expressions of Christ's transcendence.  There are countless stories of saints whose occasions for loss or sadness turn into joy through the work of the Lord.  This is simply one aspect of the power and revelation of Christ:  that He brings the unexpected.  Things which were previously assumed and understood now can't cover the mysterious grace that is at work.  Conventional explanations and reasoning no longer suffice for what is given.  God will always be a step beyond our own boundaries and assumptions, and cannot be confined to barriers we impose.   As the story of this healed blind man continues, so will the revelation Christ offers for our faith, and so that all of us may have our eyes opened to what is possible with God.