Jesus and his
disciples are walking in Jerusalem and a man blind from birth is seen. We are
not told how Jesus knew he was blind from birth. The disciples raise the
question whether the sin of the man or his parents was the cause of his
blindness. He explained that sin had nothing to do with it, but it was an
opportunity to manifest the power and glory of God.
Then
Jesus used his saliva to make mud which he smeared on the man's eyes. He told
him to wash off the mud in the Siloam pool. The man obeyed and returned with
vision. Here ends the first miracle, but the man's neighbors could not believe
he was the same man. Some said he was and others said he only looked like the
blind one who used to beg. He assured them he was the one-time blind man. They
asked him how he happened to get his sight. He explained what Jesus did to him
and how he washed in the pool.
Why
his neighbors took him to the Pharisees is not explained. They asked also how
he was healed. Again he explained. This divided the Pharisees. Some said that
whoever did the miracle could not be from God because he broke the sabbath law
by doing so. Others contended that a sinner could not perform such a miracle.
So, to solve the issue, they asked the man about his cure and what he thought
of Jesus. The religious leaders doubted whether the man was born blind. They
went to his parents for the answer. The parents admitted he was their son and
was blind at birth. However, they would say no more because they did not want
to get involved. They were afraid they would be excommunicated.
Now
the Pharisees are back where they started. They go again to the healed man for
further information. They demand that he take an oath to tell the truth. They
claim that Jesus is a sinner. The healed man responds by saying that he does
not know whether Jesus is a sinner or not, but he does know that he was blind
and now sees. They ask him again to tell them how he was cured. The man refuses
and asks if they want this information that they could become Jesus' disciples.
The Pharisees claim to be disciples of Moses but doubt Jesus' origin. The man
comes to Jesus' defense by saying that God does not hear a sinner and if Jesus
were not from God, he could do nothing. They could not answer his logic, and
decided to throw him out of the synagogue.
When
Jesus heard that the man was excommunicated, he came to him and asked if he
believed in the Son of man. The man said if he knew who the Son of man was, he
would believe. Jesus told him that he was looking at the Son of man. The man
responded, "I believe, Lord" and knelt in worship of Jesus.
Onlookers
arguing about the cause of one man’s blindness, and when Jesus clears the man’s
sight, they argue about the source of the miracle. Since the healing took place
on the sabbath, surely Jesus’ power could not have come from God. He wasn’t
following their rules!
But
the man’s testimony is clear: “Once I was blind, but now I see.” Results are
his proof of compassion. And as always, Jesus himself points to actions as
evidence of God’s love for this world. Hungry people are fed, blind people see,
prisoners are released, and outcasts are welcomed. That, he is saying without
argument, is the realm of God, here and now.
This
story is an example among many of the meaning of sin throughout the gospel of
John. For John, sin is not a moral category, but is the state of being separate
from God, of not being in relationship with God, or choosing to not be in a relationship
with God. The formerly blind man, after experiencing the healing power of God, now
belongs to God and has openly declared his relationship to God by worshipping Jesus.
Like
with the woman at the well, the blind man recognizes Jesus gradually. He goes
from seeing Jesus the man, to Jesus the prophet, to Jesus who must be from God.
Ultimately, Jesus reveals his true self to the formerly blind man, as he did to
the woman at the well.
Once
again, the recognition of who Jesus is, that Jesus is God, leads to a sense of
belonging. In the case of the blind man, not only is it his recognition of
Jesus that leads to belonging, but also the fact that he was found. When Jesus
heard the man had been excommunicated, he went and found the man. In saying the
words, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” at verse 35, Jesus is echoing the
call of his disciples in Chapter 1 of John. A sense of belonging can lead to discipleship,
and the man in our story did indeed become a disciple, a member of Jesus’ fold.
And
that’s where our reading stops. But it’s not where the story ends. According to
Karoline Lewis, John has a recurring structural pattern in his gospel – sign,
dialogue, discourse or commentary from Jesus explaining the theology behind the
sign. In order to get the full meaning and impact of the blind man’s story, we
need to read into Chapter 10 as well. Jesus doesn’t stop talking at 9:41, and
in Jesus’ words in the first half of Chapter 10 we find the interpretation of
his miracle, the meaning of the healing of the blind man. The sign points to
something beyond just a healing of the eyes. It points to what an encounter with
Jesus signifies.
According
to Lewis, “When the discourse on the healing of the blind man is ignored in the
interpretation of John 9, the events in chapter 9 are not allowed their full
meaning and impact.” What we find as we continue on into chapter 10 is that the
blind man followed the words of Jesus and became a sheep of Jesus’ fold, with
access to God’s pasture of abundant and eternal life. The man has heard the voice
of the shepherd call him by name. Jesus will call us all by name, as he did
with Mary Magdalene and with Lazarus. And to hear the voice of your shepherd is
to know that you belong to him, that no other voices matter.
Belonging
means being found. To be found when you’re outside, to be found when you’ve
been thrown out, to be found when you’re wondering from where you will be
provided, to be found when you’re wondering where your protection is coming from.
Jesus,
our Good Shepherd, will always find us and provide for us in every way, especially
protection and abundant life. Because of that, we will always belong to him.
Amen.
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