Who is blind anyway?

Homily- Lent 4 Yr. A- Mothering Sunday 2011

The story of the healing of the man born blind from John’s gospel is not only one of the most lengthy accounts of healing in all four gospels---it deals in great detail with what happens after the healing.

It seems that even when something as wonderful as the healing of a lifelong disability happens, it is hard for everyone involved to let go of what they are used to.

Change is difficult. We can’t get around that.

For the man who was born blind, the encounter with Jesus plunged him into a new life. And it wasn’t easy. He immediately had to face the fury of the Jewish religious authorities, who challenged him, and his healing story, and sought to discredit him, and his parents.

The Pharisees were furious Jesus had again healed on the Sabbath. Even the act of leaning over to pick up the dirt to mix with spittle to rub on the man’s eyes was illegal under strict Jewish Sabbath law.

The religious authorities were frightened by change, and the threat they perceived from Jesus, who was defying them at every turn.

One of the most audacious statements from the narrative is the formerly blind man’s answer to questioning from the authorities. He wonders if they too want to follow Jesus. We can picture them exploding with anger at the boldness of this uneducated man.

We learn from this story of the man born blind that in the encounter with Jesus, everything can change.

The man didn’t know Jesus. Then Jesus healed him. At that point the man understands Jesus is a prophet and a healer.

But when he encounters Jesus again, he learns from Jesus that the man who healed him is the Son of Man, the Messiah, the Saviour long foretold.

So the man not only gains his sight, he gains his spiritual sight.

This is contrasted to the Pharisees who can see with their eyes, but are spiritually blind to Jesus and his teaching.

The Pharisees doubt the truth of the healing. They challenge the man and try to involve his parents.

Finally they end up challenging Jesus for healing on the Sabbath.

By the Pharisees own admission they don’t understand Jesus: “We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”

Then the Pharisees order the former blind man out of their sight because he has seen more clearly than they—the learned religious authorities-- have.

To appreciate how remarkable this scene is—- how would we react to being called in front of three Judges and asked to explain an event when they clearly didn’t believe our account?

The former blind, who has lived his life as a beggar, displays great insight in his testimony, reported by John:

“Here is the astonishing thing. You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to he who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.”

The man who has been blind all his life sees better than the learned religious leaders. Jesus says: now that you (the Pharisees say “we see” your guilt remains.”

The Pharisees are certainly not alone in their spiritual blindness. The disciples ask Jesus when the see the man born blind—“Rabbis, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind.”

We have to understand that the Jewish tradition taught that the sins of the parents could be visited upon their children.

Jesus is challenging the traditional teaching. He tells the disciples neither the man, nor his parents sinned, but that the man was born blind so that God’s works could be revealed in him.

Now some people would interpret that to mean God means some people to be born with disabilities, so that God’s power can be shown.

This interpretation doesn’t accord with our belief in a merciful and caring God.

The presence of disabilities, such as blindness, is one of the mysteries of creation.

What Jesus means is that a disability such as blindness can be an opportunity to reveal God’s works, either in healing, or in caring.

What is more important than physical blindness is spiritual blindness.

Do we, like the Pharisees, let our pride get in the way of new spiritual insight?. Do we fall back on that excuse: we’ve always done it this way, or thought about it this way?

The former blind man—testifying to the healing power of Jesus—gets nothing but hostility—from his family, his friends, and the religious authorities.

They don’t know what to make of his healing and conversion.

In the same way we have to consider how we accept change and new insights in our faith communities. We,like the Pharisees, can be too caught up in seeing ourselves as the guardians of the truth, rather that opening ourselves up to the work of the Holy Spirit.

But, like the former blind man, we can also be open to spiritual growth and insight. We can display courage, as he did. And we can rejoice in our encounter with Jesus, who is with us always.