Fourth Sunday in Lent

John 9,1-42

Rev. Neli Miranda

 

During this Lenten season the evangelist John guides us through a series of encounters with Jesus through different characters who help advance our understanding of Jesus.  In the past two weeks we have encountered Jesus through Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman.  In his conversation with them, Jesus has taught us about his mission and manifested himself as the One who reveals God to humanity. This Sunday we return to Jerusalem where we encounter Jesus through a person with physical limitations, a man born blind.

In the preceding chapters we read about Jesus’ activities in Jerusalem. In chapter 8 Jesus had a discussion with the Pharisees and referred to himself as the light of the world, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (8,12). This chapter ends by telling us how the level of confrontation between Jesus and his opponents has escalated “…they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple” (8,59).

Today, we read that in the midst of the turmoil, Jesus gives sight to a man born blind and reveals his identity as the One Sent by God, “the light of the world”. So, as Jesus walked along Jerusalem in the company of his disciples, he saw a blind man who had spent all his life begging for mercy in the streets of the Holy City.  The religious system called this blind man sinner, excluded him from society and pushed him to the margins where he survived by begging. However, Jesus did not consider this man a sinner but a person who had the right to live with human dignity.

After spreading mud on his eyes, Jesus sent him to wash off the mud in the Siloam pool. He obeyed and returned with vision, but he was not welcomed by his neighbors. They system do not recognize him. His radical change arises questions among his neighbors who cannot believe he is the same man who used to beg.  He faces the questions by reaffirming himself as a person, “I am the man”. He is not anymore, the one who others despise in the streets, Jesus has opened his eyes and given him a dignified life.  At this point, he is only able to testify that “a man called Jesus” made him recover his sight. However, it seems that the change in this man disturbs his neighbors. They do not want any change in their neighborhood and the man with whom the change begins must be controlled…The coming actions will lead this man to a trial, an inquisitorial process in which his faith will grow, and he will finally see Jesus.

So, the healed man is brought to the Pharisees, the religious who have tagged him as sinner. They represent the status quo, the traditional and oppressive religiosity. They also ask him how he had received his sight, and he explains them how Jesus healed him. Like the others, the Pharisees do not celebrate he has recovered his sight, instead they are upset because Jesus healed him on a Sabbath day and disrupted their religious tradition. Rules for them are more important than people, than life.  

During the interrogation, the healed man listens to different positions about Jesus. Some Pharisees say that Jesus is not from God “… for he does not observe the sabbath.”  Others say, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” (9,16).  Finally, they confront the healed man to decide between the system and Jesus and asked him to say what he thinks of Jesus. He now says, “He is a prophet.”   

The man’s parents are also called to clarify their son’s situation, but they do not say much because they are afraid to be excommunicated.  At this point, John tells us how the rigid religious system controls people, “…the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue” (9,22).   

The Pharisees continue to insist on saying that Jesus is a sinner because he has broken the Sabbath. The healed man responds that he does not know whether Jesus is a sinner or not, but he does know that he was blind but now he sees, “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (9,25).  During the interrogation the Pharisees reaffirm that they are disciples of Moses because God has spoken to Moses, but they doubt Jesus’ origin. Growing in his faith, the healed man affirms that if Jesus were not from God, he could do nothing. The Pharisees have now no more arguments to respond but the argument of power and authoritarianism and tell him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” John then adds that, “they drove him out” (9,34).

Indeed, the system wants us blind and woe to those who recover their sight in a blind system!

Dear sisters and brothers, the healed man’s pilgrimage tells us that our encounter with Jesus is a process that begins when he opens our eyes and teaches us to see,  to live a full life, free from the system that excludes and marginalizes. We move forward when we, like the healed man, reclaim our identity as a person by affirming “I am”. We advance when we decidedly face the social and religious trial and openly confess who is the One who has opened our eyes, Jesus.  Finally, we encounter Jesus out of the system, out of the traditional religiosity. Then, we can see Jesus clearly and we are moved to confess “Lord, I believe”. Our pilgrimage ends when we surrender to Jesus and worship him.

May we have an encounter with Jesus during this Lenten Season. May he open our eyes.  May we resist the world’s trial as we grow in our faith in Jesus. May we walk confidently that at the end we will see Jesus clearly. Amen.

https://www.pravmir.com/all-of-us-are-a-generation-of-people-born-blind/