Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?

 

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my Father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  

 

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

 

- Matthew 8:18-27 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus had come down from the mountain (where He preached the Sermon on the Mount) great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.  Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."   The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses." 

 

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  My study Bible comments that, since the term Son of Man refers to the Messiah (Daniel 7:13), it expresses both His humanity and His divinity.  Here it's a reference to Christ's human condition, but in Matthew 25:31-33 it describes Christ's divine authority.  

 

 Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my Father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  My study Bible tells us that Jesus is not negating the command to honor parents, but rather is teaching us to put the things of the Kingdom as the highest priority.  Those who ignore this priority are spiritually dead.  

 

 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"  Christ's mastery over creation is yet another sign that He is the Messiah and is divine.  My study Bible explains that commands to the sea and waves can only be given by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalms 65:5-6; 107:29).  That He was asleep shows His humanity, for as a human being, he needed rest.  In His Incarnation, He assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, of which sleep is one.  My study Bible adds that this image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is traditionally used to illustrate the Church.  It says that God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  Christ's rebuke of the storm is also an illustration of His calming the tempests in the human soul. 

 

 We would all like to be in that boat with Christ when we are in a storm, or in a tempest of trouble.  When calamity strikes in our lives, it would be wonderful to think of Jesus asleep in the boat, or in our boat, so to speak.  But we have Christ with us through our prayers, and the Holy Spirit who will testify of Christ, not speaking "on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come" and will "take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 15:26; 16:13-15).  So, even though it may feel like Christ is sleeping in terms of His awareness of what we go through, and that we are like the disciples who want to shout, "We are perishing!" He is nevertheless with us.  While Christ's miracles are extraordinary and instantaneous, it seems that often we must have patience in dealing with our own difficulties.  It seems that prayer allows us to call upon help, to shore up strength, but when it accompanies difficulties we are in a place where we can't see the next step ahead of us.  Then is the time we put confidence in God, so to speak.  We do all that we can, explore all the ways we might solve or understand what we're going through, and with forbearance find that we simply await the next step that might come to us.  Often it seems that prayer works through time, that the help we don't see today will unfold without our being in control or even aware of it.  We always have Christ's admonition to the disciples to recall, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Over and over again in the Gospels, Jesus reminds us, "Do not fear."  We have recently finished reading through the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus counsels us not to magnify our anxieties, fears, and worries (see this reading).  Perhaps our greatest anxieties come from the feeling and the knowledge that we are not in control of everything in our lives, and that extends of course to the lives of others whom we care about.  It's possible that modern life gives us much more of a sense of control than our forbears had, with new technologies, medicines, and development that seems to remind us of our power to build solutions to problems.  It may give us a sense that human life can be perfected in material terms.  But when we put our confidence in Christ, we have another kind of assurance, which comes from our orientation and communion with Him.  The Gospels teach us of His love, and of the transcendent reality of God with us.  God does not ask us to choose between the material things that are helpful to us and our faith, but rather asks us to put our faith first and let that define and shape how we live our lives in the world and relate to the world, how we use our resources and for what.  Seek first the kingdom of God, as Christ taught when He preached against excess anxiety and worry, as those don't do a lot to help us when we need it.  It's perhaps ironic that modern developments seek to help control and solve problems in ways that weren't possible in the past, and yet anxieties and stresses may be the most common problems of the developed world.  For whatever era or place we live, let us think of Christ on the boat.  Even led by His presence, He does not lead the disciples away from problems and difficulties.  He leads them through them.  As my study Bible tells us, it is to teach us to call upon God in our own storms, not to promise a life without struggles.  We won't be judged by how "perfect" our lives are, but how we live with imperfection.  For this is what our faith is for.  In the first part of our reading, we learn that even the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.   In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul contrasts the state of the apostles with others, "And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now" (1 Corinthians 4:12-13).  "We live in a world in which we are caught in a type of wilderness where there is good and bad, beauty and heartbreak, difficulties and grace.  Let us pursue God's grace, and rest in our faith, learning more deeply what that means for us and how to live it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me

 

 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.  But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"  And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."  So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing.  Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!  For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?"  But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."  Then Peter said, "See, we have left all and followed you."  So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many ties more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life."

 

- Luke 18:15–30 

 

On Saturday, we read that Jesus spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

  Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.  But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  My study Bible comments that infants are the standard of faith by which adults receive the kingdom of God, and not the other way around.  It quotes the commentary of Theophylact:  "A little child is not arrogant, he does not despise anyone, he is innocent and guileless.  He does not inflate himself in the presence of important people, nor withdraw from those in sorrows.  Instead, he lives in complete simplicity." 

Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God."  My study Bible comments that this young ruler comes to Christ not to test Him, but to seek advice from one he considers no more than a good Teacher.  Jesus' response does not deny that He is God, but is rather designed to lead the rich man to this knowledge. 

"You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"  And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."   According to my study Bible, normal observance of commandments doesn't make a person righteous before God.  

So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing.  Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.  To be perfect, my study Bible notes, one must willingly sacrifice all follow Christ.  Nothing is gained, it says, unless this sacrifice is given freely.  Importantly, it notes that the specifics of how one follows Christ will be different for each person.  Because wealth had such a grip on this rich man, his only hope was to sell and give away all his possessions.  St. John Chrysostom says that to give away possessions is the least of Christ's instructions here.  To follow Him in all things is a far greater and more difficult calling. 

 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!  For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?"  But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."   My study Bible tells us that there have been various interpretations suggested for this impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  Some have saig that the word was not camel, but a word that means "rope" in Aramaic; or that the eye of a needle was the name for a city gate so small that a camel might barely squeeze only if it were first unloaded of all its baggage, which symbolizes wealth.  The Talmud uses the expression "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  My study Bible comments that, whatever this phrase refers to, it displays the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.  It says that this is clearly evidenced by the disciples' response, "Who then can be saved?"  Yet by God's grace, even what is impossible to human beings can come to pass.  

 

  Then Peter said, "See, we have left all and fallowed you."  So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many ties more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life."  My study Bible indicates that Christ is not commanding believers to divorce spouses and abandon children.  According to St. John Chrysostom, it notes, this refers to keeping faith under persecution even if it means to lose one's family.  Moreover, it means to accept that unbelieving family members may cut off ties because of the believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  Believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense, but in a spiritual sense -- the fathers and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.  

Jesus gives us an image of the Cross in today's reading.  It is the Cross that leads to life, and in teaching this rich young ruler to sell his great possessions, and distribute them to the poor, Jesus is teaching this man about eternal life, and how to find it.  Even though he is perfect in following the commandments, this alone will not give him the eternal life he asks for.  St. Mark's Gospel tells us that, "Jesus, looking at him, loved him" (Mark 10:21) as He gives this advice to sell what he has and give to the poor.  We have come across this idea already several times in Luke's Gospel, regarding this type of exchange in which the good that we do in this world through charitable help to the poor becomes a currency of wealth in the kingdom of God, a treasure in the heavens.  As such, Jesus teaches this rich man the same principle.  But. St. Chrysostom also has an important contribution to make here in this particular case, when he suggests that to give away his possessions is the least of the commands of Christ; and indeed, this is, in the telling of the story, merely the first stepping stone to following Christ for this young ruler.  There's a popular expression one may have heard, that it's not in having possessions that there is danger, but in those possessions having us.  That is, it's more than likely that this man's possessions are linked to his status in his society and even an inherited wealth, for he is a ruler as described in the Gospel.  This may indicate that he was from one of the priestly landowning classes in Jesus' society of the time, a young member of the ruling Council, with inherited wealth being integral to his identity.  Jesus will know what will be required of His followers when He is persecuted and sent to the Cross, and what will come after His Passion.  Therefore, to be truly free to follow Christ, this young ruler would quite likely have to be free enough to leave behind the same things St. Peter and the apostles have, and will go on to leave after Pentecost when the gospel is spread to all the world.  In this quite tangible sense, this young ruler must allow himself to be freed of his great possessions to truly follow Christ in all things.  My study Bible is wise to suggest that the cross of each one of us is separate; each one will find things that bind us and form a stumbling block to following where Christ leads us to go -- and I would venture to say that each one must make that sacrifice in order to be truly free to do so (see John 8:32).  Finally, let us consider the love we're called to with Christ.  This is a love that asks total trust, and the freedom to truly love.  One sacrifices for what one truly loves, whether that be a spouse, a child, a parent who needs care, a friend, or a loved one of any kind.  Christ calls us to a depth of relationship of this type of reliance and of love.  He will go to the Cross out of love for each one of us; our love in return will be given with our own sacrifices from the heart, and in so doing we find ourselves, that our joy may be full.
 

 

Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. 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 

 

We are currently reading about the events which occurred at the Feast of Tabernacles, 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."  In yesterday's reading (above), we read of the opening of the eyes of this man who was born blind, the sixth of seven signs in John's Gospel.  This "illumination" of the man's sight is an expression and manifestation of Christ's quality of light (John 1:4-5), as "Light of Light, and true God of true God" (Creed).  Here the religious leaders turn to the healed man's parents, to question them.  "The Jews" is used in John's Gospel as a type of political label, meant to indicate the leadership and not the people; all the people in this story are Jews.  Note the fear of the religious establishment, who  threaten "that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue," and have the power to do so.  That the people fear them is a testimony to their power, and how they wield it.  By now, they clearly consider Jesus to be an enemy and a threat, and conspire against Him.  So much so, that these parents will not speak on behalf of their son.

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 now, 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! it says, was an oath formula used before giving testimony.  Nonetheless, this healed man will give God glory a little further on, toward the end of today's reading (verse 38).  My study Bible makes an important observation, that the more the healed man is pressed, the more fervent his faith becomes -- but 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."  My study Bible remarks that this formerly blind man now becomes a model of Christian witness.  It 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 education than he is provides the right solution:  he admits what he does not know, but he follows up with what he does know.  My study Bible cites the formula, "That I don't know, but what I do know is this."  It 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." My study Bible notes 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 signs of the coming Messiah (Isaiah 35:5; 42:7) and a prerogative belonging solely to God (Psalm 146:8).

 

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.  My study Bible comments that, having opened the blind man's eyes, here Christ also opens his heart and illumines his spirit.  The healed man moves from knowing nearly nothing about Christ ("Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see"), through the conclusion that Jesus could not possibly be a sinner ("Now we know that God does not hear sinners. . ."), through confessing that Jesus must be from God, and to finally seeing Him as the divine Son of God and worshiping Him.  Again, the Pharisees can't refute the man's logic nor the truth of what he reveals; therefore, they resort yet again to personal insult ("You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?").  See also John 8:48.

 

 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 states that Christ's coming brought judgment to the world, not because He came to judge (John 12:47-48), but rather because of humankind's accountability to Him.  Those who see and hear Him but do not believe are judged by their own faithlessness.  This is a repeated theme in John's Gospel (see also John 3:16-21).  

The formerly blind man has something to teach us all, which my study Bible points out.  He knows how to testify.  Although he does not have the education, qualifications, and social position or power of the religious rulers to whom he speaks, he makes a good testimony for himself.  He also frustrates them in the process, because what he says cannot be counterattacked, except through the fallacy of personal insult.  He uses the formula my study Bible clearly names:  "That I don't know, but what I do know is this."  In so doing, he also displays a characteristic which is has historically been deemed essential to our faith, and the real door to all the virtues, and that is humility.  It takes a kind of grounded humility to be able to speak in this straightforward and honest way.  Perhaps it is because he has spent his life as a person blind from birth, and so has never had any capacity for pretense at being something he is not.  Possibly -- as even the disciples indicate in their beliefs -- because he was surrounded by a culture that presumed that either he or his parents sinned, and so his blindness was a result, he never experienced social distinction of any kind, but rather dismissal.  Possibly such a person has retained the capacity for the type of straightforward honesty, embedded in humility, that he expresses here.  This is another factor related to hidden beauty and goodness that the light of Christ may bring out of a bad circumstance.  When Jesus teaches, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3), we should stop to think about this formerly blind man, if we are to understand what it is to be poor in spirit.  For this man embodies these qualities of honesty, humility, and being without guile that are hallmarks of what it is to be "poor in spirit," and those things in turn make him the perfect witness for Christ.  Effectively, from a life of affliction and hardship, is produced, through Christ, the beauty that blossoms in this man.  That is, not only his movement toward faith and what that means for him, and not only the opening of his eyes and the sixth great sign given us in John's Gospel of "God with us," but also that he serves as a kind of monument to witnessing for all the rest of us.  For in saying, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know:  that though I was blind, now I see," this man gives to us a model, and the perfect image for how we present ourselves to the world.  It might be helpful to remember that Christianity and its theology is filled with mystery; we actually have a need to say there are things we don't know.  This man reminds us that there is never a need to pretend we know what we don't know, nor contrarily to behave in a way that is simply servile to those whom we would consider above us in some sense.  What is needful is to be "poor in spirit" -- humble, truthful, and without guile.  This serves for anyone, anywhere -- and maybe especially for those who would be in leadership positions.  Let us give thanks for Christ's illumination, bringing this man to such a place, and revealing the work of God in him.

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

 

 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"  Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.  I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.  And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent).  So he went and washed, and came back seeing.  Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?"  Some said, "This is he."  Others said, "He is like him."  He said, "I am he."  Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?"  He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.'  So I went and washed and I received sight."  Then they said to him, "Where is He?"  He said, "I do not know."

They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees.  Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.  Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight.  He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see."  Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath."  Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?"  And there was a division among them. They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?"  He said, "He is a prophet."

 

- John 9:1-17 

 

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

 

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

And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"  Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  Christ rejects the assumption, which was common to the ancient world, that all troubles and illnesses are necessarily the consequence of personal sin or even the sin of parents (see Exodus 20:5, Deuteronomy 5:9 -- contrast with Ezekiel 18:19-21).  My study bible notes that although suffereing can be the direct result of personal sin, this is not always the case!  In this instance, the man's blindness, as declared by Jesus, provides the occasion for the works of God to be revealed, and was not linked directly to this man's personal sins.  

"I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work."  My study bible explains that the work that people do consists of faith (John 6:29), good deeds (John 5:29), and repentance (John 12:40).   The night that comes, it says, refers both to the time after a person's death, and also to the age to come -- when there is no longer an opportunity to express faith.  On that day there will not be faith, but all will submit, according to St. John Chrysostom, whether willingly or unwillingly.

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."   My study bible comments that the unprecedented healing of the man born blind is a confirmation of Christ's claim here that He is the light of the world (see this reading from chapter 8).   This is the second time at the Feast of Tabernacles that Jesus has made this statement (see John 8:12).  

When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.  In the mixture of clay and saliva, St. Irenaeus sees a type of creation of humanity from the earth (Genesis 2:7).  My study bible adds that Christ reveals His divinity by restoring part of creation using the same material with which He created humanity in the beginning. 

And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent).  So he went and washed, and came back seeing.  The pool of Siloam was on the outskirts of Jerusalem, and it was a considerable distance from the temple.   At the Feast of Tabernacles (which Jesus is presently attending), water was taken for the rites connected with the feast.  Siloam, which the text tells us is translated, Sent, is symbolic of Christ, who is the One sent by the Father (John 5:36, 20:21).  My study bible comments that just as this healing of the blind man confirms Christ's claim to be the light of the world in John 8:12, so also, Christ's making use of the pool of Siloam is a confirmation that He is the true purification of the temple and of those who worship in it. 

So he went and washed, and came back seeing.  Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?"  Some said, "This is he."  Others said, "He is like him."  He said, "I am he."  Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?"  He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.'  So I went and washed and I received sight."  Then they said to him, "Where is He?"  He said, "I do not know."   As we have come to observe, John's Gospel gives us the voices of the many varieties of witnesses to the miracles of Christ, and the varied testimonies.  Here the neighbors and others who knew this man was blind speak to one another.  Some answer that he looks like him.   The blind man affirms he is the same.  He testifies to what Jesus has done.  

They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees.  Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.  Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight.  He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see."  Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath."  Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?"  And there was a division among them. They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?"  He said, "He is a prophet."   My study bible comments that just as the Pharisees had previously ignored the healing of the paralytic (at the Feast of Weeks -- see this reading) and focused only on the perceived violation of the Sabbath (John 5:10-16), here many of them cannot see the glory of God through their own prejudices.   Once again, John's Gospel gives us the varied testimonies midst the questioning and debate of the religious leaders, and the division among them.

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

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves

Detail, apse mosaic, 12th cent., Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome, Italy

 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a  father his child; and the children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end will be saved.  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.  For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

- Matthew 10:16-23

Yesterday we read about Jesus sending out the twelve.  He commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.  Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it.  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whosoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."  My study bible says that Jesus instructs the disciples to be wise as serpents so that they might not be unnecessarily wounded, and also so that they can take all advantage of the spread of the gospel.  He also tells them that they must be as harmless as doves, so that they shouldn't retaliate against those who do them wrong, and remain blameless in their witness of the gospel.

"But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a  father his child; and the children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end will be saved.  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another."  This is a warning about the "wolves," and the conditions they will meet in the world, the hostility of those who cannot accept word of this Kingdom among them.  It is the first time in the Gospel (aside from the promise of John the Baptist, 3:11) that we have heard about the Holy Spirit and the Spirit's work in the world and among us.  The Spirit of your Father will speak in you, and what to speak will be given by the Spirit,  Christ promises, when they are delivered up and challenged.  Let us note the persecutions.  The alliance and affiliation with the Kingdom cuts so deep that not only are family relationships split up, they are murderous, betrayal of the most extreme kind:  brother will deliver up brother to death, a father his child; children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And they, His disciples, will be hated by all for My name's sake.   This is the depth of response of rage among those who reject the Kingdom.   And here is the watchword for those who would follow Christ:  he who endures to the end will be saved.

"When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.  For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."  Let us note Christ's commanded response to rejection:  when they persecute you in this city, flee to another.   He does not command retaliation and endless fighting, but rather a search for more fertile ground, a better harvest among others among the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" who will want what they offer.   My study bible says that persecution must not cause the disciple to quit, but simply to move forward in one's mission.  According to commentary of St. John Chrysostom, before the Son of Man comes is not a reference to the Second Coming.  It means that before the disciples could visit all the cities in Palestine, Christ would rejoin them -- thereby more quickly ending the hostility they would encounter.

Jesus sends out His apostles, knowing that they are like sheep in the midst of wolves.  What kind of ministry is this?  What kind of risks are they taking?  Moreover, long before the persecutions of the Roman Empire would start -- with which we associate the early Church of the following centuries -- He teaches them that they will be delivered up by their own closest relations in this world.  We also have to understand the notions of justice that prevailed at this time in the world.  While the Romans certainly had courts, laws, and proceedings, and while the Mosaic Law held sway among the Jews, for the most part -- generally speaking -- one had to rely on relations and clan for help in times of trouble.  Frequently justice depended upon it when one was wronged or wrongfully charged.  (Even today, with all the safeguards that centuries of concern built into modern justice systems, we know that worldly justice is not perfect.)  Therefore, the kind of betrayal and deathly hostility that Jesus outlines here is truly frightening, almost unthinkable.  And yet, the power of the Kingdom cuts so deeply into the core of who we are that this is the level at which split and division will happen.  Those who respond with anger and hostility will do so in ways that will shock and reveal what hasn't been seen before.  Although Jesus teaches them to offer their peace to all, a little further along in this chapter Jesus will teach that He didn't come to bring peace on earth; rather He's come not to bring peace, but a sword (10:34), and He will emphasize the family divisions that will ensue.  And yet, we're not to think of any of this in material military terms.  If we're "soldiers for the Lord," and if we are engaged in a particular kind of battle in this world (even one that is unseen), there are particular rules of engagement involved here.  They're to simply move on to another town when they are rejected anyplace.  They're not to fear if they're betrayed to councils and judges, institutions and courts, even governors and kings, where they can face terrible penalties.  Rather, they are to trust that the Spirit of their Father will give them something to say, a testimony, a truth to utter -- as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  Now that is indeed interesting, because Christ is sending out the Twelve on their first mission only to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel."  And yet, their mission -- their testimony, even under persecution -- will have its impact among the Gentiles and the "great ones" of the world.  As sheep in the midst of wolves, we rely on the protection of God, the power of God, the holiness of God to guide our way.  These Twelve are asked to go out into a world in which Jesus testifies that "you will be hated by all for My name's sake."  But what's the real key here to discipleship?  Jesus teaches, "But he who endures to the end will be saved."   As disciples, we are soldiers engaged in a particular kind of battle, one that is to a great extent totally unseen, regardless of persecutions and hostility, injustice and cruelties, unreasonable hatred, rage, and envy.  In this battle, we struggle not for material gain or with conventional weapons, but in a test of endurance in His truth and in His word, wearing the badge only of His name.  We seek reliance upon His truth and His word, and the work of the Spirit within us and among us.  Today, we might not face the same persecutions of the past (although in some parts of the world, our sisters and brothers surely do.)  In our own lives, even the most comfortable of material lives, we may find our own challenges if we are truly His sheep.  We might be shocked to discover that we are among wolves when issues of choice and conscience rise up for us in our lives of discipleship.  As His disciples, we, like the Twelve, are faced with the choice to grow increasingly dependent upon God, rather than the institutions of the world.  This is the sword He brings to us, and the power of His name, His truth, His word.

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

The setting for our current reading is the Feast of Tabernacles, which is an eight-day autumn harvest festival.  The feast commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, dwelling in tents or "tabernacles," temporary structures.  It is the last year of Jesus' human life.  (Chapters 7 and 8 also were set during this same feast.)   Jesus has been in confrontation with the leadership, who have unsuccessfully tried to have Him arrested, and He has walked out of the temple.  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, "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."  We remember that the term the Jews is used like a political term in almost every case in John's Gospel; it denotes the leadership (all the people in the story are Jews, including Jesus and the author of the Gospel).  What we see from this exchange between the formerly blind man's parents and the leadership is their fear of the leaders.  They don't even speak up in defense of their son, but respond that he 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."  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 healed man, says my study bible, becomes a model of Christian witness.  Many people, it says, do not bear witness to Christ because they fear they will be asked questions that they cannot answer.  This man's answer to people who are far more educated than he is provides the real solution:  he admits what he does not know, but he follows up 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.   We observe the evolution of the formerly blind man's understanding.  He began by knowing nothing about Jesus at all, but here begins to conclude that He couldn't possibly be a sinner to do such a work as to open the eyes of someone born blind.  In the context of Jewish spirituality, this is unprecedented at the time of the Pharisees, and therefore a confirmation of Christ's divinity.  It was one of the signs of the coming Messiah (Isaiah 35:5; 42:7) and a prerogative belonging to God alone (Psalm 146:8).  The man healed of blindness thereby concludes that Jesus must be from God and confesses Him as so to the leaders.  The leadership can't refute his logic nor the truth of what he reveals.  But they resort simply to insults -- and finally, throwing him out of the temple.  (See also their earlier insult to Jesus, in 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.  Here we see the fullness of the growth of illumination in the man who has been healed of his blindness.  He finally sees Jesus as the divine Son of God and worships 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 our Lord's coming brought Judgment into the world, not because He came to judge (12:47-48), but rather because of the accountability of human beings to Him.  Those who see and hear Him but do not believe are judged by their own faithlessness. 

Who is blind, and who is not?  It's interesting to note that as the man blind from birth has his sight restored, and grows in illumination in spiritual terms as to the identity of Jesus, the Pharisees who oppose Jesus seem only to grow more blind.  They can't resort to arguments that actually make sense, and so they indulge themselves in insults.  Their blindness seems to grow with their own frustration that they cannot have Jesus arrested.  When evidence to the contrary about Jesus' character arises, it only serves to deepen their blindness and irate responses.  Things they should know -- signs of the coming of the Messiah and unheard-of healings -- go discarded in terms of what they will think about and consider.  Once again, as in yesterday's reading. we're not merely observers of this story.  We can find ourselves participating in it, in the roles of a variety of the characters.  The Gospels give us the story of human nature and the revelation of God, God's work among us in the Person of the human Jesus -- and the responses to Him.  So much depends upon this response.  It isn't just a question of observing the behaviors of each of the persons illustrated in the text.  It is also a question of understanding where deliberate blindness takes us, and most especially, what that blindness rejects for ourselves.  The text speaks of judgment.  Jesus clearly links blindness (in particular the deliberate blindness of these experts in the Law and Scripture) with judgment.  This type of blindness holds us responsible for what it is we reject.  Therein, we too, should consider carefully our own roles in stories of our own lives in which we fill in for the experience of one of the people in the story.  Have we observed this blindness as bystanders and considered what it meant for our own consciences and our own choices?  Have we something to witness to truly, like the healed man who was blind from birth?  Are we like his parents?  Have we been in a situation where we take no responsibility (including even curiosity) for understanding and making a choice?  Have we ever been like these hostile Pharisees, pushing a choice against mounting evidence contrary to our understanding and interest?  Each of these people are here in the Gospels so that we consider what we read as a story about us, about human beings and our Creator.  Do we know His love?  Can we accept it?  Can we let go of what we cling to in blindness so that we don't have to change for the better, in His light?  Let us note the blindness that grows and the illumination that also grows.  We have a choice to make for the light, but we so often let our own darkness -- things we don't see or don't want to see -- get in our own way.  The looming question is Jesus' subject, judgment.  We must consider what we lose with blindness, and take it to heart.