The Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 19, 2023
John 9: 1-41
This passage, Jesus’ healing of the blind man from birth, is the sixth of the seven signs presented in the Gospel of John. The word “signs” is significant because signs point to something. In this Gospel, the signs point to Jesus, the Messiah.
This scripture tells us that a man had been blind from birth. Jesus noticed the blind man and stopped. Jesus explains to his disciples that the man was not blind because of sin but that “ he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him”. Further, Jesus states, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world”. Jesus made some mud, put it on the man’s eyes and told him to go wash it off. When the man did as Jesus instructed, he could see.
However, the Pharisees discredit the man’s claim that he had been healed. They deny that Jesus healed the man, particularly on the Sabbath. Their spiritual eyes remained closed as they cast the man out from the synagogue. On the other hand, when Jesus reveals himself to the man, he believes and worships Him as the true Son of God. The man was not only healed from his physical blindness but his spiritual eyes were opened as well.
The first remarkable act in this passage to me is the fact that Jesus stopped to help the blind man. Oftentimes, the blind men and those people with physical infirmities, etc. are considered to be a burden to society. They end up in the streets begging for food and money. They are looked down upon as being the lowest class in society. Jesus’ action teaches us that he sees even the least among us. We can have the comfort that God sees us- all humanity. No matter who we are God sees us as one of His children. He loves us and wants to develop a close relationship with us. He is calling us and it is up to us to keep our spiritual eyes open and answer that call.
Secondly, Jesus states that He is the light of the world. I am reminded here of John 1:5 which states, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it”. Jesus is the true source of light for the world. We get our light from Him. As lights, we are not to direct people to us, but to God. It is our mission to keep our spiritual eyes open and carry the message of Jesus Christ to others through our faith and actions so that we become lights to this darkened world.
In John 9, we have the story of a blind man who became a living testimony of God’s Grace, love, and mercy. The man became a light to his society. When other people see us, do they see the light emanating from Christ? May we all strive to keep our lights brightly glowing!
Debbie Schremser