Healing a Blind Man

John 9:1-41

Boy what a lot of discussion goes on today about seeing! He sees, who sees, he's blind, who did it, whose fault is it...a LOT of talking, and not a lot of listening. Again and again questions are asked, the same questions to more than one person. I think the questioners wish for a different answer and so keep asking in hopes of getting some other answer. I have seen children do this. Ask Mommy, she says no; ask Daddy he says no; ask sibling and then there is a yes, ok now that is the answer they were looking for and they can go ahead and do whatever it was they wished to do in the first place...

The first question comes from the disciples and they want to know who is at fault here, who can we blame. This puts some distance between us and the person. We don't have to deal with the individual and we don't have to help them, we can use it as an intellectual discussion-and stay out of it. Whose fault is it that this man is blind? Jesus doesn't give that answer, he says that isn't the correct question. Jesus says the works of God might be displayed in him (the blind guy). How, we wonder?

How Jesus heals the blind man isn't a normal how to like a cook book. I don't think if I spit on the dirt and put mud on someone's eyes that they would see, how much spit what kind of dirt, I don't think it is a recipe. This blind man does what the Lord says, he goes and washes and comes back seeing.

Neighbors, parents, important educated people, they all say this guy was blind and now he sees. HOW does he see? Well they don't know and they don't like the answer so they complain and contradict-they too are asking whose fault is it-in this case not that he is blind but that he can see. Why is that?

The parents say, yes it is our son and yes he was born blind. If you want to know what changed you'll have to ask him, he is old enough to answer for himself. Now we don't know if being blind had kept the young man out of the synagogue anyway, and when they cast him out, he didn't 't lose anything new, but I guess he already was missing out on this fellowship. On the other hand, his parents get to stay with their friends.But I think they lose out on the wonder of new sight that the son has. Not only can he see with his eyes, but he speaks boldly to the scribes and pharisees. "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?"

This formerly blind man now is cast out of the temple, and finds Jesus who has been looking for him. When Jesus asks do you believe in the Son of Man, he responds who is he that I may believe. Jesus says you have seen him...yes this would be the first day that anyone could say 'you have seen him.'  Lord, he says I believe!

Now Jesus says I have come to judge so that those who don't see may see and those that do see may be blind. Do we look in order to see, do we ask questions in order to get answers or do we look and not see and do we ask without listening? I think there is something in this that matters. Something more than a blind man getting his sight back. Because while it is very important to him to get his sight, there are a lot of people in this discussion who want to know about it and what happened and what it means to them and what it means about God. I think this man's sight is as important in the lives of these others who ask about God, and who wish to have new sight, and new belief. Notice Jesus doesn't ask the man what's it like to see? Do you like the new colors around you? Are you happy to know that you can now become a productive member of society? No, these aren't the things that Jesus asks him. What he asks is do you believe? And the young man says, Yes I believe, and worships.

I think I would like this new sight. I believe.
See you tomorrow.
-maggie