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 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 

 

 In our present readings, we are in chapter 9 of John's Gospel.  John 7:1-10:21 covers the events at the Feast of Tabernacles, which takes place during the final year of Jesus' earthly life.  Yesterday we read that, 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."

 

 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had 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."  My study Bible comments on the behavior of the Pharisees here. It notes that with Jesus not present, they still call Him a sinner.  But earlier when He asked them face-to-face, "Which of you convicts Me of sin?" (John 8:46), they evaded that question.  Give God the glory! is an oath formula which was used before giving testimony.  My study Bible points out that he does indeed give God glory (verse 38).  The more he is pressed, the more fervent his faith becomes, while the Pharisees lapse into deeper darkness.  

 

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."   Here the healed man becomes a model of Christian witness.  My study Bible comments that many people do not bear witness to Christ because they fear they will be asked questions they cannot answer.  This man's response to people who are much more educated than he is provides our solution:  he admits what he does not know, but follows with what he does know.  This formula, "That I don't know, but what I do know is this," is foundational to witnessing one's faith to others.  

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.   Here the Gospel gives witness to the transformation of faith taking place in this healed man.  My study Bible points out that he moves from knowing nearly nothing about Christ, through to the conclusion that Jesus cannot possibly be a sinner, to finally confessing that Jesus must be from God.  As the Pharisees once again cannot refute the man's logic, nor the truth of what he reveals, they once again resort to personal insult (see John 8:48).  Additionally, my study Bible comments on this passage that the unprecedented nature of opening the eyes of one who was born blind is a confirmation of Christ's divinity.  This was one of the prophesied signs of the coming Messiah (Isaiah 35:5; 42:7) and a prerogative belonging solely to God (Psalm 146:8). 

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.  Here the man healed of physical blindness is also healed of spiritual blindness:  he comes to see Jesus for who He is:  the divine Son of God whom it is appropriate to worship. 

 

 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."  My study Bible comments here that our Lord's coming brought judgment to the world, not because He came to judge (John 12:47-48), but because of our accountability to Him.  Those who see and hear Christ but do not believe are judged by their own faithlessness.  

It's quite a marvel to observe this man blind from birth who first has sight given to him by Jesus, and then -- even tested by the religious leaders and their questions (which his parents refuse to answer themselves) -- he gradually is "illumined" with faith in Christ.  Clearly we can see the parallels to holy illumination, the light now permeating and taken in by his eyes also parallel to the spiritual light with which he sees as well.  As my study Bible explained in an earlier note at the beginning of this chapter (see yesterday's reading and commentary), baptism is also called "holy illumination," and the focus on light in this chapter teaches us about this process of coming to "see."  But today's reading is also a story about judgment, as Jesus' final notes in this chapter signal.  He has come for judgment.  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."  As is not unusual in the stories of the Gospels, God the Father has revealed something not to the wise and prudent, but to babes (see Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21).  For if it is God the Father who revealed Jesus' identity as Christ, the Son of the living God, to St. Peter and the disciples (see Saturday's reading), then why should we not assume that the Father has also revealed to this "babe," the one whose sight has just been given to him through grace, Jesus' divine identity?  So let us rejoice at the judgment we witness, that the wise and prudent remain stubbornly, deliberately blind, while the mouth of a babe who has just received his sight confesses that Jesus is the Christ.  Who's to say who has sight?  Who sees and knows, who doesn't see, and doesn't know?  These experts in the Scripture (the Pharisees) are the authorities passing judgment on Christ, and will soon successfully bring Him to trial.  But it is the healed who see, even the "babes" with fresh sight.  It is by grace that we have our eyes opened.  St. Paul writes, "Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3).

 

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 our present readings, Jesus is attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  It is an autumn harvest festival, commemorating the time when Israel wandered the wilderness of Sinai, dwelling in tents or "tabernacles."  Jesus has been disputing with the religious leadership, and this is now the final year of His earthly life.  Yesterday we read that 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.  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."   In this chapter Jesus will perform the sixth sign of seven in John's Gospel.  Of all the miracle stories in the Bible, my study Bible says, this is the only one in which the person who is healed was blind from birth.   This man, it says, is symbolic of all of humanity; we all need illumination by Christ, who is the Light of the world.  This sign  is also an illustration of baptism, which is also called "holy illumination."   Here Jesus also rejects the assumption (common in the ancient world) that all troubles and illnesses are necessarily the consequence of personal sin, or even the sins of parents (see Ezekiel 20:5; Deuteronomy 5:9; contrast Ezekiel 18:19-21).  My study Bible adds that although suffering can be the direct result of personal sin, this is certainly not always the case.  As Christ says, in this case this man's blindness provided the occasion for the works of God to be revealed; it is not related directly to the man's personal sins.   Regarding work, as Jesus uses the term here, my study Bible says 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, is a reference both to the time after a person has died 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, but all will submit, whether willingly or unwillingly. 

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."   This unprecedented healing of a man who was born blind is a confirmation of Christ's claim that He is the light of the world.  See also John 8:12, in this reading.  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).  Jesus reveals His divinity by restoring part of creation using the same material with which He created humanity in the beginning.  The pool of Siloam was on the outskirts of Jerusalem, my study Bible notes, a considerable distance from the temple.  From this pool water was taken for the rites connected with the Feast of Tabernacles, such as for purification of the altar, and to commemorate the water that flowed from the rock struck by Moses (Numbers 20:10-11).  Siloam, translated, Sent, is symbolic of Christ, the One sent by the Father (John 5:36; 20:21).  Just as the healing of the blind man confirmed Christ's claim to be the light of the world, 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. 

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 here that just as the Pharisees had ignored the healing of the paralytic and focused only on the perceived violation of the Sabbath (John 5:10-16), so here many of them cannot see the glory of God through their own prejudices.  

There is an interesting tie in today's reading between water and light.  Both are symbols of the Holy Spirit, but in some sense, it's almost as if these things of the world that are so necessary for all life also combine to represent elements of divinity, even the Persons of the Trinity working together to heal and restore life to us in the deepest sense, even of soul and spirit, leading to healing of the whole human person.  Light is, of course, associated with God.  John's Gospel begins by speaking to us of the Father as light (John 1:4-9) and also John's first Epistle does the same (1 John 1:5).  As my study Bible commented, baptism is also called "holy illumination," for we are led to sight through Christ's light and the light of the Holy Spirit; and, of course, Christ speaks of Himself as the light of the world in today's reading.  He shows us the way, lights the path for us, so that we may walk through world which also will show us darkness and confusion.  Of course, the tie with the blind man who now sees is clear; eyes that cannot see are those that cannot perceive the light of the world as it reflects all things and surfaces, giving us color and perception.  To wash in the pool of Siloam, meaning Sent, is to be cleansed of the things that take away our focus, blind us to what we need, just as this water is used to purify the altar, and symbolizes the water flowing from the rock which Moses struck -- necessary and saving water in the desert, provided through the guidance of God and holy power bestowed by God upon the prophet Moses.  But we also know water as the "living water" that flows as rivers from the heart of a person receiving the grace of God, the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus and through our faith made possible by grace (John 7:38).  Every single living thing we know needs light and water for life, but of these two elements we are given in a kind of surpassing abundance by Christ, with spiritual power that touches more than what we understand as our flesh.  Our very lives are magnified through these elements in the spiritual sense which we can receive through Christ, in the ways that God can work within us to heal on all levels.  God can give us spiritual sight, and our hearts may be filled with rivers of the living water that is life itself.  Let us consider these images of light and water, how they provide us with life in the world and life in ourselves, giving in abundance.  Both are necessary for us in a worldly sense, and spiritually both are necessary to true life as well.  In the fullness of life God bestows, the life of the Kingdom which is everlasting, both are also necessary and give us a substance to life that will not die which can become a part of ourselves.  To be a slave of sin is also to dwell in darkness, without light that shows us the way out of this slavery, into the truth that makes us free (John 8:32).   If our sight is cleansed by the One who washes away the things that distract us from the truth we need, then we are illumined indeed.  Let us follow Him, the light of the world, so that our works may also reflect His light.

Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him

 

 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 

 

Over the course of last week, we were reading John's chapter 6.  On Saturday we read that, after Christ taught about His Body and Blood, many of His disciples, when they heard this, 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.  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."  In today's reading, the lectionary once more skips forward, and the events pick up from where we left off before last week, taking place following this reading, which completed chapter 8.  We recall that Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, an eight day autumn festival which commemorates the time Israel wandered seeking the Promised Land.  Many elements of that festival, including the lighting of the great torches at night (recalling the pillar of fire that led Israel by night), form the background to Christ's teaching.  These events take place in the final year of Christ's earthly life.  Here Jesus rejects the assumption, which was common in the ancient world, that all troubles and maladies are necessarily the consequence of personal sin, or even, as my study Bible notes, the sins of one's parents (see Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 5:9; contrast Ezekiel 18:19-21).  Although suffering can be the direct result of personal sin, my study Bible notes that this is certainly not always the case.  In this instance, Jesus teaches that this man's blindness provided the occasion for the works of God to be revealed, and was not directly related to the man's personal sins, nor those of his parents.

"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 comments that the work people do consists of faith (John 6:29), good deeds (John 5:29), and repentance (John 12:40).  It notes that the night that comes is a reference 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, according to St. John Chrysostom, there will not be faith, but all will submit, whether willingly or unwillingly.

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  Jesus makes this statement in preparation for the sign which He is about to reveal, and also against the backdrop of the Feast, in which the illumination of the great torches (four 75-foot menorah oil lamps) would light up the city of Jerusalem at night.  To heal a man blind from birth was unprecedented, and it confirms Christ's claim here that He is the light of the world.  Note that He is repeating His words spoken earlier at the Feast (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.  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).  Jesus effectively 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.  My study Bible explains that the pool of Siloam was on the outskirts of Jerusalem, a considerable distance from the temple.  From this pool there was water taken for the rites which were connected with the Feast of Tabernacles, particularly a commemoration of the water flowing from the rock struck by Moses (Exodus 17:1-7), but also for a purification of the altar.   Siloam, translated, Sent, is a symbol of Christ, the One who was sent by the Father (John 5:36; 20:21).  My study Bible says that just as the healing of the blind man confirmed Christ's claim to be the light of the world (John 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 comments here that just as the Pharisees had ignored the healing of the paralytic and focused only on the perceived violation of the Sabbath (John 5:10-16), so here many of them cannot see the glory of God through their own prejudices.  Thus, the seemingly astonished response, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?"

 In many places in John's Gospel, the property of light is emphasized.  In Scripture, God the Father is described as light (John 1:4-9; 1 John 1:5), an attribute also bestowed on believers (Matthew 5:14; Philippians 2:15).  In this great sign given in today's reading, which is the sixth of seven signs in John's Gospel, Jesus opens the eyes of a man born blind.  That is, He gives "light" to the man's eyes, which were previously in darkness, thus fulfilling the promise that He is Son, couched in the words of the Creed, that He is "Light of Light and true God of true God."  My study Bible comments that of all the miracle stories in the Bible, this is the only one in which the person was blind from birth.  It adds that the blind man is symbolic of all humanity:  all need illumination by Christ, who is the Light of the world.  This sign, it adds, is an illustration of baptism, which is also called "holy illumination."  So, as Jesus manifests the quality of light, or we could say, Light-Giver, through the opening of the eyes of the blind man, if we look at the full text, we have an additional quality of His light or illumination that might be easy to miss, but is nevertheless extremely important.   When the disciples assume there must be some sinful reason why this man was afflicted with blindness since birth, Jesus tells them, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  This gives us a hidden reality of all of the works of Christ, and the effects of grace -- and thus the light of God.  When we ourselves may be afflicted or burdened with something that is hard to bear, or seemingly unfortunate, the light of Christ may reveal the possibility of a "good work" even through a difficult circumstance.  The care for an older parent, or a child who cannot care for themselves, might be an occasion for an illuminating work of God -- even revealing the power of prayer in a difficult situation.  To help another in need, or one afflicted by sudden trauma or accident, is an important charitable action often prompted by faith.  Very often in my own life, seemingly hard circumstances or problems that are impossible to solve by drawing on past experience or ideas from the past, become resolved through inspiration in prayer.  Frequently that means a different objective than resolving the problem by evading it or erasing it, but rather approaching it differently, or even learning to live with it and cope with it.  Such problems have the additional benefit of teaching us resilience and persistence.  Speaking just from personal experience, prayer and Christ's illuminating light have taught me to navigate sadly broken relationships, a workplace ordeal of shunning and harassment, and seeking ways forward in dealing with a loved one's end-of-life care and dementia before that.  It has been a path dotted with revelations that taught me what resources I had available, character traits I could develop, and patience in Christ that I did not think was possible for me.  This "illumination" has brought me through what were devastating circumstances for me, and into a good place.  He is the light of life indeed; the One who turned the Cross into an instrument of salvation can do the same with our bad circumstances, in so many ways we absolutely cannot predict.  So let us go forward and remember this light.  Let us give gratitude, for without being grateful, how will we ever realize what we have, and go on for more?  For we are each made for the works of God to be revealed in some sense or another, even -- and especially -- through our own prayers and those who pray with us.

 

 

 

 

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 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 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been at the Feast of Tabernacles, an autumn harvest festival, and it is the final year of His earthly life.  He has been disputing with the religious leaders, and given many teachings.  Because of His declaration of equality with the Father, they tried to stone Him, but Jesus went out of the temple.  Yesterday we read that, as Jesus passed by, He saw a man 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 this 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."

 

  But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had 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."  My study Bible comments that with Jesus not present, the Pharisees call Him a sinner, but earlier when He asked them face-to-face, "Which of you convicts Me of sin?" (John 8:46), they evaded the question.  Give God the glory! was an oath formula used before giving testimony.  Nonetheless, the healed man will truly give God glory in his dialogue with Jesus further on in our reading ("Lord, I believe!").  The more he is pressed, my study Bible notes, the more fervent his faith becomes, while the Pharisees lapse into deeper darkness.  To get an idea about their use of power, note how the parents of the formerly blind man fear to say anything to them, referring them only to their son, who will understandably come to rely on Christ,  "He is of age; ask him."

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."  My study Bible says that this healed man becomes a model of Christian witness.  Many people do not bear witness to Christ because they fear they will be asked questions they cannot answer.  This man's answer to people who are much more educated than himself provides our solution:  he admits what he does not know, but follows up with what he does know.  My study Bible tells us that this formula, "That I don't know but what I do know is this," is foundational to witnessing one's faith to others. 

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.  My study Bible asks us to see the evolution of the faith of this man.  Having his eyes opened by Christ begins a process of healing whereby his heart and spirit also become illumined.  Here he moves from knowing almost nothing about Jesus, through the conclusion that He could not possibly be a sinner, to confessing that Jesus must be from God -- and in dialogue with Jesus a little farther on in today's passage, to seeing Him as the divine Son of God and worshiping Him.  As the man says, it was unprecedented that the eyes of one who born blind would be opened.  This is a confirmation of Christ's divinity, and also a prophesied sign of the coming Messiah (Isaiah 35:5; 42:7), a prerogative belonging solely to God (Psalm 146:8).  Note the process of the man's logic which the Pharisees cannot refute, neither can they dispute the truth of what he reveals to them -- therefore, characteristically, they again resort to personal insult (see John 8:48). 

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.  My study Bible says that Christ's Incarnation brought judgment to the world, not because He came to judge (John 12:47-48), but because of humankind's accountability to Him.  Those who see and hear Him but do not believe are judged by their own faithlessness.  

What does it mean to truly hear and see Christ, and yet reject any faith in Him, to reject belief?  What is it about being exposed to the deity in the expression and works of Christ which is potent enough to render judgment in those who cannot accept them?  It tells us something not only about Christ, but also about our own capacities for knowing God.  For, unless we were capable of communing with God, of recognizing spiritual truth within ourselves, how could our rejection be that powerfully condemning?  What we receive from this understanding is not simply the depth of our freedom (for how deep must our freedom be to be capable of such potent rejection?), but also the nature of truth itself, and our own internal capacity to participate in it, and the dynamic internal call to faith.  We might think it a no-brainer to accept Christ should we be standing in the shoes of any witnesses to this stupendous healing of a man who was blind from birth.  But if so, then we fail to understand our own capacity for rejection and selfishness.  For clearly, the religious authorities do not want to relinquish any of their own authority which they would have to do if they recognized Jesus as the Christ.  This capacity for self-delusion which is ultimately self-serving is something that perhaps should never surprise us, if we but look around in our world.  But the figure of Christ adds an extra dimension to this question.  His presence tells us at once about the compelling nature of spiritual truth, and also of our own capacities for rejection of it, for fooling ourselves, and for our own blindness to anything but our own immediate gratification.  For we should consider what it might mean for the Pharisees, like Nicodemus who is one of them, to accept Christ among them.  At this time in history, Israel was suffering and on its way to terrible defeat and dispersion, even the horrific destruction of the temple and the Siege of Jerusalem that would come in a generation.  Who knows what path was possible should these men have recognized and accepted Christ?  The same is true for our lives as well.  It is hard for us to see beyond our immediate grasp of circumstances; we are blind to the future.  So often we fail to calculate where our path is taking us.  This happens because we fail to acknowledge our own ignorance and blindness.  It happens because we think we know more than we really do.  And it happens because we have our own course we'd rather pursue than face where a spiritual truth will take us, and there is the real crux of the matter.  Like these Pharisees, we fail to see and note our own blindness and limited capacity for understanding the powerful forces that surround us spiritually and are invisible to us.  We fail to see where our own misguided selfishness and even corruption is leading.  But most importantly, a rejection of Christ (that is, of the spiritual truth He offers) has its own capacity for disastrous consequences, for plans that go awry, for the wrong-headed pursuit of a dead end or one that leads to destruction.  In today's reading, a man blind from birth receives his sight.  But as my study Bible pointed out, this "sight" isn't merely physical; it also, of necessity, becomes a healing of soul and spirit, a granting of sight also on these levels of personal life for this man.  Let us consider this man a stand-in for ourselves; perhaps he has the great advantage of knowing he is blind, when we do not -- and we are capable of fooling ourselves enough to believe that we know more than we really do.  For today, let us consider what we miss when we fail to sit up and take note, to find the truth in Christ standing before us, even within us and among us (Luke 17:20-21).  What we fail to see might be the very thing we need, the one thing necessary, without which we might be among the blind led by the blind.  But it is the deliberate blindness of those who should know better which should give us all pause, for it is something of which we are each capable.

 

 

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

 

 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man 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 this 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 is attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, and it is the final year of His earthly life.  He has been disputing with the Pharisees and others among the religious leaders.  In yesterday's reading, He told 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 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."  Today's reading gives us the sixth sign of seven recorded in the Gospel of John.  Let us note first that this man was blind from birth.  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.  Here Jesus also rejects the assumption, which was 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, Deuteronomy 5:9; contrast with Ezekiel 18:19-21).  Although suffering can be the direct result of personal sin, my study Bible reminds us, this is most certainly not always the case.  In this particular instance, the man's blindness provides the occasion for the works of God to be revealed, and was not related directly to the man's (nor his parents') 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 comments that the work that people do consists of faith (John 6:29), good deeds (John 5:29), and repentance (John 12:40).   It says that the night that comes 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, according to St. John Chrysostom, there will not be faith, but all will submit, whether willingly or unwillingly.  

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  We should recall that, as Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, this is the last, eighth day of that feast.  On this day the great lamps were illumined at night in an outer courtyard of the temple, a commemoration of the pillar of fire which guided the Israelites at night as they followed Moses.  These huge oil lamp menorahs burned so brightly and with so much fire that they illumined great sections of Jerusalem at night.  In this context, Jesus makes this claim, and will go on to bring "light" and sight in an unprecedented way to the eyes of one who was born blind as a manifestation of what is true for all of us. 

 

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 notes the commentary of St. Irenaeus, who sees in this mixture of clay and saliva a type of the creation of humanity from the earth (Genesis 2:7).  It says 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.  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 this 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."  The pool of Siloam was on the outskirts of Jerusalem, so Jesus has directed this man to go a considerable distance from the temple.  Water was taken from this pool for the rites which were connected to the Feast of Tabernacles, to purify the altar and as remembrance of the water flowing from the rock struck by Moses (Exodus 17:1-7).  Siloam, translated Sent, is a symbol of Christ, the One sent by the Father (John 5:36, 20:21).  As the healing of this blind man confirms Christ's claim to be the light of the world (John 8:12), so also, my study Bible comments, His making use of the pool of Siloam confirms that He is the true purification of the temple and those who worship in it. 

 

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 notes that just as the Pharisees had ignored the healing of the paralytic and focused only the perceived violation of the Sabbath (in John 5:10-16), here many of them cannot see the glory of God through their own prejudices. 

Today's reading gives us the sixth sign of seven in John's Gospel, the restoration of sight to a man born blind.  My study Bible says that this man is symbolic of all of humanity:  all need illumination by Christ, who is the Light of the world.  It says that this sign is an illustration of baptism, which is also called "holy illumination."   We get other suggestions of baptism in the reading as well, as the man is told to go wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam (meaning "Sent"), the waters of which were also used in the temple ceremony at the Feast of Tabernacles for purification of the altar.  There are ties between baptism and this pool also in addition to its aspects of purification, in the context of restoration and rebirth.  The pool was used for ceremonies commemorating the water flowing from the rock struck by Moses.  But Christ has already taught that, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).  This living water is the Holy Spirit, which grants a rebirth in baptism, and ongoing regeneration.   Therefore in the granting of sight to the man blind from birth, we see a kind of baptism, of illumination as well as the Lord's gift of the Holy Spirit to the faithful.  Christ as Lord is also clear in the symbolism of the clay made from earth and His saliva.  We know that figures of clay were made into false idols, supposedly given life in pagan ceremonies, but dead and lifeless.  It is only the Lord who can give life, and it is He who through the clay gives life more abundantly to the blind man, illumination in the restoration of his sight.  The magnificent lamps of the temple courtyard illumine Jerusalem in commemoration of the pillar of fire that went before the Israelites as they followed Moses.  Here, the healed blind man grasps for an understanding of who Jesus is, and tells the people who question him that Jesus must be a prophet.  But He is more than a prophet, and this we know, and the blind man, in his ongoing illumination on a number of levels, will also come to know.  Christ is the Lord who sent the pillar of fire to illumine the way for Israel through the darkness, and He is the light who shines in the darkness for us (John 1:5).  In all of these ways, we can come to understand the symbolism present, which, particularly to ancient eyes, and throughout the understanding of the Church, is a means whereby we perceive the poetry of God, the meanings and substance that echoes and manifest through these images.  Let us consider their powerful message, and seek Christ's light for ourselves -- and to live out the promise of our baptism.  We should note how Christ leads the disciples with His light shed on the man's blindness from birth.  Moreover, as the Cross will be transfigured by His Passion, so this man's blindness becomes occasion for the works of God.  Let us seek that same light that transfigures our lives and our own circumstances, and gives us insight into things we are otherwise blind to.

 

 

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

 

 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 our present cycle of readings, Jesus is attending the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), which commemorates the time that Israel wandered in the desert of Sinai.  It is an eight-day autumn festival with many different ceremonies; it is the last, great day of the Festival, and it is also the final year of Christ's earthly life.  On Saturday, we read that 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.  In today's reading occurs the healing which is the sixth sign of seven in John's Gospel.   In order to understand the significance properly within the context of the Scriptures, we should note that of all the miracle stories in the Bible, this is the only one in which the person was blind from birth (see verse 32).  In other words, and particularly in the context of the ancient world, his blindness was not due to illness or accident, something which had a potential for natural healing.  My study Bible says that the blind man is symbolic of all humanity:  all people need illumination by Christ, the Light of the world.  This sign is traditionally seen as an illustration of baptism, which is also called "holy illumination" in the Orthodox tradition.  As Easter (or Pascha) is the traditional day to receive catechumens into the Church, the lessons which follow Pascha reflect a baptismal theology; this passage concerning this sixth sign (John 9:1-38) are read on the sixth Sunday of Pascha, which is also called the Sunday of the Blind Man.

 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 necessary the consequence of personal sin or even the sins of one's parents (see Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 5:9; contrast Ezekiel 18:19-21).  My study Bible comments that although suffering can be the direct result of personal sin, this is most certainly not always the case.  In this particular instance, this man's blindness provides the occasion for the works of God to be revealed -- it was not directly related 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.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  My study Bible writes 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 is a reference 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, but all will submit, whether willingly or unwillingly.  The unprecedented healing of the man born blind is a confirmation of Christ's claim that He is the light of the world (see also 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."  Here 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 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.   My study Bible explains to us that the pool of Siloam was on the outskirts of Jerusalem,  which was a considerable distance from the temple.  From this pool water was taken for the rites which are connected with the Feast of Tabernacles which Jesus is attending.  On this final day of the Feast, water drawn from the pool of Siloam was taken to be mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, both as purification and also in remembrance of the water which flowed from the rock struck by Moses (Exodus 17:1-7).  Siloam, translated, Sent, is a symbol of Christ, my study Bible says, the One who is sent by the Father (John 5:36, 20:21).  The healing of the blind man confirms Christ's claim to be the light of the world, and is a manifestation of that "light" which "illumined" his sight (John 8:12).  So also, making use of the pool of Siloam confirms and manifests that Christ is One sent to offer the true purification of the temple and those who worship in it, as well as "rivers of living water" (John 7:38), the gift of the Holy Spirit and the new life accompanying this gift.

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 comments that just as the Pharisees had ignored the healing of the paralytic and focused only on the perceived violation of the Sabbath (John 5:10-16), so here many of them cannot see the glory of God through their own prejudices.  Note that Christ's word and actions create a division among them (see Matthew 10:35, Luke 12:53, Hebrews 4:12).

In tomorrow's reading, the Gospel will delve further into the response of the healed blind man (and his parents) to the questioning of the religious leaders.  But for now, let us observe Jesus' work in the midst of this last, great day of the Feast of Tabernacles.  It is on this day that water was drawn from the pool of Siloam to commemorate the water flowing from the rock struck by Moses, and also as purification for the temple.  Jesus chooses this day to manifest these truths from the Old Testament through His own ministry as Incarnate Jesus.  It is yet one more way in which Christ came not to destroy, but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17); that is, the fullness of the promise of the God of the Old Testament Scriptures, the I AM (Exodus 3:14; John 8:58).  This sixth sign of the presence of the Kingdom (and the presence of the I AM) is a stupendous sign given of illumination, the sight given to a person who was born blind.  It is also a symbol of cleansing from the evil that permeates the world through no fault of our own, the "sins" into which we're born and the effects of which we inherit as children born into this world.  But more than that -- since Christ declared the blindness of this man is not the fault of any sin on the part of his parents or himself -- this healing is the occasion of revelation of the doctrine of Christ, the transformation and transfiguration promised through the Cross.  That is, it is a sign of the power of God not simply to separate good and evil, and to teach us to do good, but of the power of the ministry of this New Covenant in Christ to transform even what is "evil" for the salvation of the world.  If we but think for a moment about the Crucifixion itself, we can see the absolute and starkly startling idea that the horrors of Roman crucifixion, meted out to the most lowly among the criminals, could be transformed and transfigured in Christ to become a symbol of His saving power "for the life of the world" (see John 3:14-17, 6:51).  Christ, as manifestation and fulfillment of the promises of the Old Covenant, now does one better in this healing of the man blind from birth.  He takes the occasion of affliction, of evil, and uses is -- and proclaims it -- as an occasion for which the works of God should be revealed.  In this sense, an affliction or evil is transformed, transfigured through the healing power of Christ, into a manifestation of the glory of God.  Through his affliction, the sadness of his blindness from birth, this man becomes not only healed and saved in Christ, but an occasion for the world to know the glory of God and the ways that Christ has come to work in the world, not simply to battle against evil, but to transfigure its very effects among us.  He will transfigure death to Resurrection in the greatest healing power ever conceived and made manifest; that power of God not only rebukes death, but is capable of using even death to defeat death and to offer us eternal life.  This is a far greater power than the world has conceived or considered, and His power to transform and transfigure the evil in our own lives continue to work for us when we put our faith in Him and in His road for our lives.  In this perspective, even the occasions which cause us sorrow and give us loss can be transfigured into occasions for the glory of God.  They may not seem like occasions for rejoicing, such as the affliction of blindness on this man from birth.  But when we follow our faith, we may find, as countless others have done as well, a kind of rebirth into a life we didn't expect, in which there are precious things of value to be found despite our losses and disappointments and plans and desires for life.  An unfortunate illness may be turned into an occasion for heroism and love, of finding strengths or saving help from others we could not have expected, maybe even from ourselves in learning to care for another.  The poverty of one person may be turned into an occasion for charity and love on the part of another, extending themselves through faith in God's goodness and the light that Christ has brought for us.  One injustice may open our eyes to help others; when coupled and worked through the love of God this becomes a transfiguring love in us, and one that expands our capacity for charity, strength, and giving gifts to others.  Saints are born from such opportunities and such faith applied so that occasions of affliction become opportunities for the glory of God, that the works of God should be revealed in them.  St. Philothei of Athens gave her money and her love to women enslaved and put into harems, establishing monasteries where women could be trained for other work or sell their own goods; she ransomed and hid those who were former slaves, and was martyred by being beaten for doing so.  Maria Skoptsova, known as Mother Maria, or St. Maria of Paris, took in Jewish refugees during the Nazi Occupation as part of her ministry to the poor, for which she was eventually killed on Holy Saturday in Ravensbrook Concentration Camp.  One may be tempted to say that one doesn't need Christ for such works, but I would reply that to do so is to vastly underestimate our need for the power of love and faith, and the strength, resilience, and creativity found in that road of faith in Christ.   Moreover, true discernment is needed for such works in those circumstances, and the humility of our calling.  These are just two examples out of a world and a history of those acting of love for Christ, even among circumstances that are evil.   A world afflicted and permeated by evil needed a Savior who would not merely proclaim the good, but One who could transfigure and transform and work even through what is evil.  We needed a Savior who offers us His light so that we might follow Him in reflecting that light and doing the same works of faith.  We might not be able to effect miraculous healings, but our whole lives can be transformed and transfigured by His love, so that by His light we see where love can shine in a dark world, where tragedy can be occasion for the triumph of love.

 

 

One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see

 

 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had 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 

 

In our current reading, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem (a section of John's Gospel which began with chapter 7).  Yesterday we read that as Jesus passed by, going out of the temple, 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."

 

  But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had 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."   In John's Gospel, we already understand that the terms the Jews is most frequently used as a political one, to designate the religious rulers in the temple, and not the people.  Unless specifically indicated otherwise, all the people in John's Gospel are Jews, including Jesus and the man that was born blind, as well as the author of the Gospel.  Here the religious rulers quiz the parents of the man who had received his sight from Christ's healing (see yesterday's reading, above).  The Gospel notes the fear of the parents, who simply reply, "He is of age; ask him.  he will speak for himself."   In a sense, the healed man is on his own, and must testify for himself.

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."  My study bible comments that with Jesus not present, the Pharisees call Him a sinner, but earlier when He asked them face-to-face, "Which if you convicts Me of sin?" (John 8:46), they evaded the question.  Give God the glory! was an oath formula which was used before giving testimony.  But this healed man will indeed give God the glory -- the more he is pressed, the stronger his faith seems to become, while the Pharisees dig deeper into their own self-deception. 

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.  The formerly blind man who is now healed become a model of Christian witness.  My study bible says that many people do not bear witness to Christ because they fear they will be asked questions they cannot answer.  This man's answer to people who are far more educated than he is provides us with the correct solution:  he admits what he does not know, but follows up with what he does know.  My study bible says that this formula:  "That I don't know, but what I do know is this," is foundational to witnessing one's faith to others.   Note that for his honest testimony, he has been cast out of the temple.   My study bible also adds that the unprecedented nature of opening the eyes of one who was born blind is a confirmation of Christ's divinity.   This was understood as one of the signs of the coming Messiah (Isaiah 35:5, 42:7), and a prerogative which was considered to belong solely to God (Psalm 146:8). 

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.    My study bible comments that, having opened the blind man's eyes, Christ also opens his heart and illumines his spirit to the truth of Jesus' identity.  This healed man has moved from knowing nearly nothing about Jesus to the conclusion that He could not possibly be a sinner, and then through confessing that He must be from God (see the verses immediately preceding these), to finally seeing Him as the divine Son of God and worshiping 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."   The transformation the formerly blind man has gone through, subsequent to Christ's healing him, is also a process of illumination.  But here Christ shows the Pharisees have lapsed into a deeper and stubborn darkness; they are therefore deliberately spiritually blind.   Christ says, "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."  In this passage, we have observed how this happens.  Christ's coming into the world brought judgment to the world, not because He came to judge, my study bible says (see John 12:47-48), but because of our own human accountability to Him.  Those who see and hear Him but who do not believe are judged by their own faithlessness, their response to Christ and His word.

The presence of Christ Himself acts as a kind of pivot point.  The man who has been healed of his blindness gravitates toward faith, which we can observe through the events of this chapter, and especially in today's reading.  Gradually, as things progress, and as he's pressed to find his own answers, he comes to a deeper and deeper faith.  He does this specifically by relying upon his own experience.  That is, upon what he knows to be true.  The religious leaders also come with their own assumed truths to this discussion.  Jesus is already their enemy; they already seek to take Him and prosecute Him (see, for example, this reading, in which the temple officers have been told to arrest Jesus and they fail to do so).  Moreover, the religious leaders must protect their positions, which they think Jesus, with His growing following of disciples, threatens.  The divisions among them, and among the people, which John has documented throughout his Gospel and especially in the scenes from the religious festivals in Jerusalem, also add to the unease of the religious leaders.  So they are already inclined to seek ways to dispute that anything good can come from Jesus, or that He could be truly a Man from God.  As we observe their responses to Jesus, in contrast to the healed blind man, we can see them digging more deeply and firmly into their own blindness to Christ and what He does.  We must make the observation that this is how judgment works.  It is not about Christ coming into the world to declare who is who.  It is all about our responses to Christ, His teachings, His word, His work in the world -- all of which is given by the Father (see, for example, Jesus' testimony to this in John 5:19-30).  It is not therefore a question of Christ imposing judgment, but rather of our response to the truth of what Jesus does and teaches, and in the word He gives -- all of which is from the Father, the fount of all that is.  As Jesus indicates in today's reading, "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."   And in His word to the Pharisees and their deliberate and chosen blindness:  "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.'  Therefore your sin remains."   A true blindness is one thing, but one chosen despite greater awareness is another.  These religious leaders know full well the Scriptural truths and spiritual history of Judaism which Christ fulfills, but they choose, in their knowledge, to find ways to deny it, and to deny the witness of what is before them.  Let us note the contrast with the healed blind man, who sticks to the truth of his own experience and the reality of what has happened to him.   The presence of that experience is important, its immediacy informs the healed man what is true, and to what it is that he testifies.  Let us notice, also, how this experience has pulled him out of his environment.  He is brought into a place in which his identity as an individual is shaped and formed, and inadvertently brought out of a collective identity, as he is cast out of the temple by the religious leaders.  This is a form of martyrdom, in which his testimony to his experience of Christ gives his life shape and distinction; he is no longer simply of the world or of his time and place, but has been drawn, in a sense, out of the world (John 15:19).  His own testimony, his experience of being grilled by the religious leaders, further hones that process, as he sticks to the truth of his experience, and the humility to admit what he doesn't know.  Another important aspect of this testimony is simply how the healed man is riveted in the here and the now, so to speak.  To get down to the brass tacks of experience requires us to truly connect with the presence of what exactly we know, what has happened, and to focus on the present without distraction.  In the face-to-face encounter with Christ, and our retained experience of it, we find ourselves.  At the same time, we observe the religious leaders shrinking from that acknowledgement of what is immediately in front of them.  Let us witness this healed man's witnessing and consider our own lives.  What is your experience of Christ?  Could you testify to God's love in your life?  How does that bring you completely "present" right now?  How does that take you out of "the world"?