St. John’s Lutheran Church, Toluca, IL – 4th Sunday in Lent
Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-11; John 4:5-42
Gospel: John 9:1-41
1As [Jesus] walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” 12They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” 16Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. 17So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.23Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” 25He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.
35Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. 39Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” 40Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”
NRSV
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The Kingdom Seen, Part III: The One Speaking with You Is He
Grace to you, beloved of God, and peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Nicodemus was a person of honor and status among his peers.
Those who hear the story about the Samaritan lady’s encounter with Jesus make all kinds of assumptions about her.
There are some blanks to be filled in both stories.
There are no assumptions to be made or blanks to be filled in the story of the man born blind today. John, the evangelist, leaves much less to our imagination on yet another transformational encounter with Christ.
If Nicodemus’ headspace was one of confusion – “how could this be” and the Lady at the well one of perseverance – “give me this water,” the man born blind is one of darkness and hopelessness.
Everybody knows this man to be a sinner. Religious Tradition was clear that if he was born blind, it was because he or his parents had sinned. However, Jesus didn’t get the memo.
He uses saliva, an unclean fluid of his human body, mixes it with mud, rubs in this person’s cursed eyes, and now he sees. Jesus came so we could live and live abundantly, and so a beloved child of God was dead to the world, and now he is alive.
This should suffice. Like in Sychar, this restoration should bring joy to this community. God’s promises of old were being fulfilled, and the blind were seeing. Yes, the invisible Kingdom of heaven now appears in their lifetime, but it brings no celebration. It brings doubt, fear, and division.
Because Jesus brings a new way, some are adamant that he cannot be from God. His actions and how he does them threaten their authority over the people. It does not matter that a free gift of life was given to a person in their community. This Jesus healed with saliva on the wrong day. Therefore he was a sinner and a false prophet.
Others disagree. A man born blind now sees! That can only be possible by God’s gracious and merciful love. Therefore, he must be the hands of God’s good works.
Chief among them is the person healed, and his positive transformation is evident. His vision is restored, and his spirit is renewed every time we hear from him. First, Jesus is someone who he had just heard about. Then when he is being gaslighted by the authorities, he says no, he is a prophet. After being excluded again, this time for refusing to deny Jesus and what he did for him, he confesses, “Lord, I believe.” The Kingdom of God is fully seen, known, praised, and worshiped in his lifetime.
Some may say that only a miracle like this would make me believe. Well, the miracle has already happened. As a matter of fact, the miracle keeps happening. Sinners are still justified, made righteous by the Grace of God through the free gift of faith. The community of saints still lives. The Kingdom is still here in our lifetime. What prevents us to see?
Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Amen.
Bridging Faith 