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 

 

Last week, the lectionary gave us readings from chapter 6 of John's Gospel.  In Friday's reading, we read that Jesus taught, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him."   On Saturday, we read that therefore 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 to 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 had 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.  Today's reading consists of a healing which comprises the sixth sign (of seven) given in John's Gospel.  Of all the miracle stories in the Bible, my study Bible teaches, this is the only one in which the person was blind from birth.  This man, it says, is symbolic of all humanity.  We all need illumination by Christ, who is the Light of the world.  Today the lectionary picks up in chapter 9 which follows the readings from chapter 8 the week before last.  (Last week the lectionary gave us John's chapter 6, centered on the second Passover given in John's gospel, and focused on Christ as the bread from heaven, featuring a eucharistic message preparing us for His sacrifice on the Cross, and the Communion which would follow in the Church.)  Chapter 8 focused on elements of Himself as light in Christ's preaching, and events at the Feast of Tabernacles, which began in chapter 7.  This setting is now the autumn of Christ's final year of His earthly life, and continues at the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

 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."  Our Savior rejects the assumption -- which my study Bible says 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 Ezekiel 18:19-21).  Although suffering can be the direct result of personal sin, it notes, this is most certainly not always the case.  In this instance, this man's blindness provides the occasion for the works of God to be revealed.  It was not related directly 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."  The work that people do consists of faith (John 6:29), good deeds (John 5:29), and repentance (John 12:40), my study Bible says.  The night which follows is a reference both to the time after a person dies and also to the age to come, when there will no longer be an opportunity to express faith.  On that day, my study Bible notes, citing the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, there will not be faith, but all will submit, either willingly or unwillingly. 

 

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." The unprecedented healing of a man born blind is  confirmation of Christ's claim that He is the light of the world.  At the Feast of Tabernacles, which is now in its final, eighth day, the great lamps were lit in the courtyard of the temple.  They towered over Jerusalem, and were so bright that they lit up the city.   Jesus made this same claim at John 8:12, declaring Himself to be the fulfillment and the divine object of all celebrations of light.  God the Father, in the Scriptures, is Himself light (John 1:4-9; 1 John 1:5), which is an attribute bestowed on followers (Matthew 5:14; Philippians 2:15).  

When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.  My study Bible cites St. Irenaeus, who sees in this mixture of clay and saliva a type of the creation of humanity from the earth (Genesis 2:7).  Christ's reveals His divinity here 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 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."   My study Bible explains that the pool of Siloam was on the outskirts of Jerusalem, a considerable distance from the temple.  It notes that water was taken from this pool for the rites connected with the Feast of Tabernacles.  Siloam, translated, Sent, is symbolic of Christ, who is the One sent by the Father (John 5:36; 20:21).  As the healing of this blind man confirmed Jesus' claim to be the light of the world (see above), so also, His making use of this 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."   Earlier, in chapter 5 (John 5:10-16), the Pharisees had ignored the healing of the paralytic, and focused only on the perceived violation of the Sabbath.  So, here, also, many of them cannot see the glory of God through their own prejudices.  

As my study Bible noted (see above), this blind man is symbolic of all humanity -- we all need illumination by Christ, who is the Light of the world.  It further notes that this sixth sign of seven given in John's Gospel is an illustration of baptism, which is also called "holy illumination."  We might note how Baptism also corresponds to the use of this pool, named Siloam meaning "Sent."  So, in some sense, Christ "recreates" this man's eyes using His saliva and earth, and then the eyes of creation are washed in the waters called "Sent."  This mirrors our own "recreation," and "washing" in the waters of Holy Baptism, which do not simply cleanse but also give us a rebirth "from above" (the literal meaning of the words translated as "born again" in John 3:3).  Perhaps in this context it is highly important to take in Jesus' words regarding sin and this man born blind.  As my study Bible explained the ancient assumption that such an affliction from birth was caused by a sin of either the man himself or his parents, so Jesus dispels this notion, and gives us instead a joyful cause even for his affliction:  so "that the works of God should be revealed in him."  This is a marvel, somewhat akin to the Crucifixion, a means of death given as penalty to the worst of criminals, but used by God to instead destroy death for all of us, giving Resurrection and our capacity to participate as well in Christ's Resurrection.  This marvelous sense given to us of how God works is another sort of revelation of God's love, and stands on its head the notion of affliction merely as means of punishment for some transgression.  It also is mirrored in St. Paul's understanding of his own affliction, for which he earnestly prayed several times for relief.  St. Paul writes of the response to his prayer, "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Suppose we each were to observe that our Baptism functions as a chance for God's grace to shine for us through our own afflictions in life?  Or that even God's love is present for us through all things?  We know through His life and especially through the Cross that Christ suffers with us, has chosen to be one of us in His life as incarnate Jesus.  But what if we were to understand from today's reading, and others like it (such as those we cite here) that our own occasions of suffering are meant to be occasions for inviting in the grace of God so that our own suffering is transfigured into something which has deeper meanings?  How many unfortunate circumstances may also turn into opportunities in which God's grace is sufficient for us?  If we know that God is love (1 John 4:8), that through Baptism and through our faithfulness we are adopted as God's children and "born again" in this sense, then what are the limits of healing our unfortunate and hurtful circumstances of life?  It is very important to consider that reliance upon God is much more than a simple formula for strength, but also found within a communion of love and healing, the creativity of the Creator (as expressed in the healing of the man blind from birth in today's reading), and that this is included in the Body of the Church and the communion of saints as well.  How many can testify to the power of God to heal a soul, release a burden, give renewed hope and life to those whose lives have been harmed by abuse and unfortunate choices, whether those choices are theirs or others?  Let us consider that grace works in God's way (see for example John 3:8; Isaiah 55:8-9) and not to our demands or expectations.  In fact, we might not really know what our own healing will look like. But nevertheless, we know God is always present, and grace belongs within our lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.