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 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 is in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles.  The current events in our reading began with chapter 7.  Throughout the subsequent readings, Jesus has had extensive dialogue and confrontation with the leadership.  As they finally took up stones to throw at Him for blasphemy, He passed out of the temple unharmed.  In yesterday's reading, we learned 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."   Again, John's Gospel gives us degrees of witnessing, and particularly disagreements among the leadership and the people.  Here "the Jews" (we remember once again) is the title John gives to the religious leadership.  We know their attitude toward Jesus, they've just taken up stones to attack Him after He told them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, after Abraham was, I AM," a statement clearly indicating equality with God.   They are after witnesses, too, and question the parents of the man who was blind since birth, but had been healed and His sight restored by Christ.  The parents are poor witnesses; afraid of the leadership who want to put Christ to death, they say it is their son who should be asked.  They don't want to give the "good news" to those who don't want to hear it.

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 says that with Jesus not present, the Pharisees call Him a sinner in front of this man who's been restored to sight.  But face-to-face, Jesus has already asked them, "Which if you convicts Me of sin?" (8:46), and at that time they evaded the question.  Give God the glory! is an oath formula, and it was used before giving testimony.  This healed man will indeed give God glory a little farther along in the reading (verse 38).  The more this man is pressed, the more fervent his faith becomes.  At the same time, 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." The formerly blind man becomes 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 that they cannot answer.  But this man's answer, and to people far more educated than he was, provides the great solution to this dilemma, and the true way to state one's faith honestly. He admits what he does not know, but follows up with what he does know.   The formula, "That I don't know, but what I do know is this," is foundational to witnessing one's faith to others, says my study bible.  For all who read the Gospel, this healed man becomes the model of witnessing.

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.  We witness the progression of this healed man's faith and witness.  My study bible says that having opened the blind man's eyes, Christ also opens his heart and illumines his spirit.  The man moves from knowing almost nothing about Christ, through the conclusion here that Jesus could not possibly be a sinner, through confessing that Jesus must be from God.  As the Pharisees cannot refute his logic nor the truth of his witnessing reveals, they once more resort to personal insult (see also 8:48).  We observe their frustration.  Finally, they cast him out.  "Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind" -- this kind of healing is unprecedented, and thus confirms Christ's divinity.  It was one of the signs foretold about the coming Messiah (Isaiah 35:5, 42:7), and a prerogative belonging to God (Psalm 146:8).

Jesus heard that they 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."   We observe once more the pattern of growth of faith in the formerly blind man.  Here he moves to the conviction that Jesus is the divine Son of God, and worshiping Him.  We can see the basis of real faith, and that is trust.  He trusts the word of Christ, as Christ has entrusted faith and healing to this man.  My study bible comments on this section that our Lord's coming brought judgment into the world, not because He came to judge (see 12:47-48), but because of our accountability to Him.  Those who see and hear Him but do not believe are judged by their own faithlessness.

How does faith work?  Faith, in some sense, is based on a kind of judgment.  If we understand faith as trust, then we must see the discernment involved.  Do we have the capacity to discern who truly loves us?  Do we discern who gives us the truth?  Can we manage to put our trust in the right Person or Persons?  The formerly blind man has confidence in Christ, and it is the leadership that presses him for a false statement.  As the pressure and demands mount, we can see two opposite things happening in the different parties in the story.  The healed blind man comes more deeply to faith and trust in Christ.  At the same time, the leadership, feeling only that their position is threatened, pressure the man to disavow Jesus, and become more stubborn and harsh in their own response.  It tells us an important story about our own capacity for discernment or good judgment, and the necessity of humility as a quality that precludes such a state in ourselves.  There are too many obstacles in the way for the leadership.  Their desire to please God comes second to their other concerns about their places in the social and religious life of the people, their positions of authority and the "praise of men," as the Gospel puts it.  They become more desperate as the truth takes root, as this formerly blind man's witness challenges what they would rather like to hear.  They are ready to put Christ to death for violating the statutes that are more important to them and which they guard zealously as their prerogative in the scheme of things.  The formerly blind man's parents also give no witness at all, out of fear of the religious authorities in the temple.  But the blind man only moves more deeply into faith, even as he is cast out of the temple.  He relies on what he knows, what has happened -- and ultimately his trust in Christ.  And that's an important thing.  Who we give our trust to can make all the difference in life.  What is perhaps most important is that we have the capacity to know love.  This is of course, something natural, but it is also learned.  There are ways in which life can take a human capacity and change it, put obstacles in its way -- and healing comes through relationship with the One who truly loves us and thereby teaches us love.  This is where true "good judgment" comes from.  This is where real trust and confidence take root, even when all else fails, even the human institutions we most rely upon.  Christ is there for us.  He is the One in whom we can place our trust.  Prayer becomes dialogue of mutual confidence, and a mutual vehicle for love and the true learning of love.  This is the Way of Christ, His Way.  It's a path of growth that we observe in this healed man who was blind from birth, and it's a path we can observe in our own lives as we, also, may experience this kind of growth in faith through time.  It's important to understand faith as a journey of growth in relationship, and that this relationship nurtures our own understanding of discernment, of love, and of trust.  It builds who we are.  A disciple is a "learner," and we are meant to grow and heal as we abide in Him, and He in us.

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

We've been reading passages in John's Gospel which take place during the events of the Feast of Tabernacles, at the temple in Jerusalem. These readings began over a week ago, with the one of Friday before last. In the most recent of these readings, Jesus has been in dialogue with the leadership, after they tried to trap Him with the woman caught in adultery. In the most recent reading, on Saturday, Jesus continued this dialogue, emphasizing even more clearly His relationship to the Father. He said, "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." Then they answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?" Jesus replied, "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." They replied to Him, "Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the Prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?" Jesus told them, "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." They tried to stone Him then, but He eluded them through the crowds, and passed through the temple.

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?" My study bible tells us that "of all the miracle stories in the Bible, this is the only one in which the person was blind from birth." The assumption, common in the ancient world, is that affliction is always a consequence of personal sin. Of course, we understand all kinds of afflictions and troubles to be a result of sin in one form or another, but Jesus will open up for us a different perspective, and doesn't share the view that it necessarily must be the result of personal sin.

Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." What a powerful perspective this is! And how it will have an impact on our understanding of our faith. Affliction, in the work of Christ, may become an occasion for the revelation of God!

"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." Repeatedly, John's Gospel has spoken of Jesus as the light of the world, and that His disciples should reflect that light in their lives. Here, my study bible notes, "Jesus speaks of the urgency of bringing light into the darkened world, for the duration of His time upon the earth is limited."

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. Siloam, we remember, is the pool from which water was brought as a libation to the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. My study bible points out that this pool was on the outskirts of Jerusalem, a considerable distance from the temple. So this man, going from the temple to the pool, would make a strange sort of contrast, with the clay upon his eyes, to the formal procession. But in another sense, He is as Israel being led through the darkness, in faith. The Feast's procession commemorates the time the Israelites were given water from the rock. In connection, Jesus has taught that with His water, one will never thirst, and He taught of the living water that He will give, the Spirit. The blind man's seeing return to the temple has been historically viewed in the Church as an allegory to baptism, the need of a darkened world for the light of life in the baptism of water and the Spirit. It is the sense of a new Deliverance for all, especially from the darkness of sin and affliction in the world.

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." Here John's Gospel interestingly draws out the story for us. We see the witnesses to this transformation, and in their curiosity is revealed a little about how others may view those who become changed, transformed in faith. There are some things we know, and some things we don't, but we may grow in that faith and understanding. Blindness, and gradual sight, become an allegory for us all. We may not understand how faith works, nor know how to explain what has happened, before we feel, know and see its effects.

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." Again we read the controversy of healing on the Sabbath. This tremendous miracle, the sixth of seven in John's Gospel, isn't the focus of those who are truly blind. My study bible puts it this way: "That the Lord opened the eyes of the blind man recalls Isaiah 35:5, with its messianic significance. As the story progresses [here and through several readings to come], the once-blind man gradually comes to an awareness of who Jesus is, while the Pharisees lapse into deeper darkness." It is another illustration of the power of His truth, which has been compared to a sword (especially by St. Paul). Our response to this light of grace determines how and what and to what extent we see. This sword of light will open up divisions that cut through all things we think we know, all bodies and unities we may understand. Here it opens up more controversy among the Pharisees. It invites all to think, to respond, to reflect, to accept or to reject.

My study bible points out for us that this passage (which will extend through tomorrow's reading), along with chapters 3 and 5 of John's Gospel, was read on the Saturday night of Easter in the ancient Church, when Christian catechumens were baptized. It notes, "It reiterates the paschal themes of washing, illumination, healing, faith, conversion, and salvation." But what we can see here is the gradual illumination of the blind man, through faith. In today's passage, it ends with his assumption that Jesus must be a prophet. He is going by the effects of grace, accepted with faith (expressed by his stumbling walk through Jerusalem to the pool whose name means "Sent"). So our faith can be the same. Life is a journey, just as it was for ancient Israel as they walked in faith into what they did not know. We walk into our own darkness, with the light of Christ and its gradual illumination, the living water that quenches a thirst and continues for us as we continue in faith. I'm sure each person can unfold that story for others, and one's own story of faith continues to unfold in one's own life. Does that light for you gradually dawn brighter and brighter? Are there "laws" and "theories" you may have set for yourself that would set limits on its power to surprise and illumine what you didn't know, to open up new places for your own understanding? Let us not forget that sword, that it may cut through all things, and also create division: your past and your future, even old associations and new. We walk into that light with faith, we seek the water He promises for our thirst. How do you go into that journey today? Let us ask again, what is the Sabbath for? In Christ, the darkness of the world becomes an occasion for the illumination of the light of life. How can we participate in this?

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 yesterday's reading, we read of a man blind since birth, whom Jesus has healed and whose sight was restored. Jesus made clay from His own spittle and the dust on the ground, put it on the man's eyes, and told him to wash in the pool called Siloam (which means "Sent"). Answering to the common belief that some personal sin must have produced the man's misfortune, Jesus told His disciples, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." Once again, a great sign or healing is cause for dispute, as the authorities in the temple dispute cause of the healing and its righteousness or goodness, and begin to question the formerly blind man. They once again criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. Today, the story continues.

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." And so, the dispute escalates and the conflict continues. First, Jesus was attacked as a person who cannot be holy or righteous, because the healing occurred on the Sabbath. Next, the blind man himself must be discredited. So they call in the parents as witnesses to prove that this man was blind from birth. We have testimony over and over again, first of the blind man and now from his parents. The parents give their own version of testimony -- they will only go so far as to confirm he was blind since birth. But for any more, the authorities must ask their son. They are afraid of the temple authorities and their hostility toward Jesus and anyone who professes belief in Him. In some sense, the young man is on his own now. Christ's acts convey occasions of choice - for discipleship, or not. And, as such, they establish and create family and relationship through the action of the Spirit. As before, "the Jews" (as used in John's Gospel) refers to the religious authorities. All others in this story (including the blind man whose sight has been restored) are Jewish.

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." They call the healed man to testify, and - similarly to his parents - he sticks to what he knows. But what he knows will lead him further onto the path of faith. His truth and honesty serve his faith - something we should always remember about our own paths to faith. My study bible says that "Give God the glory" is an oath formula, used before giving testimony or before confessing guilt.

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 healed man sticks to what he knows! The temple authorities are outraged that the conclusions the man keeps drawing toward are those that vindicate Jesus, and the sign of healing that has been performed. Finally, in their outrage, they cast the healed man out of the synagogue. So, the circle of family or community in some sense becomes fully drawn: his parents insist he must speak for himself, and the authorities also cast him out of the temple. We must remember that it is his honesty that has gotten him to this point. So it may be with faith in our own lives.

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." After the man has been cast out, and lost his community, so to speak, Jesus finds Him. And this is indeed the story of our salvation and inclusion in the Body of Christ. "Do you believe?" is the question that is posed when the man is alone and in front of Jesus. And the healed man comes to faith. This occasion of choice -- so apparent in the face of the action of Spirit or God in the world -- becomes the occasion of judgment, for which Jesus says He has come into this world. "For judgment I have come into this world," says Jesus -- and judgment splits us down the middle, to whatever side upon which we come down in how we respond to the actions of the holy in our midst. My study bible says, "Jesus' coming brought judgment by increasing the accountability of those who saw and heard Him, but did not believe. The brilliance of Christ's light becomes an illumination to some, but a blinding glare to others." The light itself, a burning fire of holiness, becomes a test. Can we stand in the light or are we blinded to it by our own insistence that it cannot be so? But if we do indeed stand in that light, and allow it to pervade and illuminate us, it draws us out of the past and into community of its own.

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 greater accountability of which my study bible speaks is here illustrated by Jesus' words to the Pharisees. Sin remains for those who claim they see and know better. Rejection is a powerful choice of separation.

As with the man called Legion, we have another illustration here of community, how it is shaped and reformed around the power of Christ. Those who are rejected for the power of holiness at work in their lives become a part of a different community, the Body of Christ, drawn to and created by Christ. At the point at which He asks, "Do you believe?" we are drawn into community or not. We may find we are cast out of the old and familiar, as with the ancient Israelites drawn out of the old and into the new land. Isaiah writes, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. In our conventional, worldly ways of thinking, the action of the holy doesn't make sense, doesn't fit. We must approach it with the eyes of faith, of spirit, of salvation. John's Gospel will always draw us to the Lord whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways. Can we live with that holiness, and that family and community it creates? Will we remain blind to its light, or learn to approach it and let it illumine our hearts? Do we let our own conventions stand in the way of its action, or do we make way for the light when it calls us to that choice?