GOSPEL READING:
John 9:1-411 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay, 7 saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some said, "It is he"; others said, "No, but he is like him." He said, "I am the man." 10 They said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" 11 He answered, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, `Go to Siloam and wash'; so I went and washed and received my sight." 12 They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15 The Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." 16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was a division among them. 17 So they again said to the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."
18 The 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, 19 and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" 20 His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself." 22 His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if any one should confess him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age, ask him."
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner." 25 He answered, "Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see." 26 They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" 27 He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to become his disciples?" 28 And they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." 30 The man answered, "Why, this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if any one is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." 34 They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And they cast him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of man?" 36 He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" 37 Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you." 38 He said, "Lord, I believe"; and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind." 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this, and they said to him, "Are we also blind?" 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, `We see,' your guilt remains.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-131 The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." 2 And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 3 And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me him whom I name to you." 4 Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" 5 And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." And he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."
10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these." 11 And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he comes here." 12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he." 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
Meditation: Do you recognize the light of God's truth and
power in your life? God wants to remove every obstacle that might
hinder us from recognizing the light of his truth and wisdom for
our lives. Saul, the first king of Israel, failed to recognize
God's light and power to save him from his enemies. God replaced
Saul with David, the youngest of Jesse's eight sons (1 Samuel 16).
God saw something in David which Jesse and his other sons did not
recognize - a man after God's own heart who delighted in doing
what was pleasing to the Lord (1 Samuel 13:14). David was a man of
courage and vision who defeated his enemies and united his people.
His strength and success came not from himself but from God who
anointed him with the power and wisdom of his own Spirit.
What can keep us from the light of God's truth, wisdom, and
strength for our lives? Sin blinds us and causes us to stumble and
fall - unable to rise on our own or to walk in the freedom of
God's love and truth. Sin clouds the mind in moral confusion, and
it grows in darkness and resists the light of God's truth. Only
God's light can uncover the darkness of sin and free us to walk in
the path of holiness and peace with God.
The light of the world
When the disciples saw a man who had been blind from birth, they
asked Jesus what kind of sin had caused this blindness. The Jews
had understood that many infirmities were the result of human
folly and sin. While sin can lead to physical, mental, and
spiritual infirmities, not all sickness is the direct result of
sin. Sickness can befall us for a variety of reasons. Jesus
answered that God had allowed this infirmity for a greater purpose
which God wanted to demonstrate as a sign of his presence and
power. Jesus then made a claim which only God could rightfully
make. Jesus stated unequivocally, I am the light of the world
(John 9:5). In so many words Jesus was saying that he is the one
true source of power and light which sustains life and overcomes
the darkness of sin, confusion, and spiritual blindness. Jesus'
mighty works - his miraculous signs - confirmed the truth of his
message and claim to divine authority and equality with his Father
in heaven. One of his greatest signs was the healing of a man who
had been blind from birth.
Healing of man born blind
When Jesus approached the blind man he first awakened hope in him
- the hope which God offers those who seek his help. Jesus then
did something quite remarkable for the blind man, both to identify
with this man's misery and to draw expectant faith in him as well.
Jesus touched the man's eyes with his own spittle mixed with dirt
and bid him to wash in the Pool of Siloam which was close to the
Temple. This pool of fresh flowing water was one of the landmarks
of the city of Jerusalem. It's source came from the Gihon spring
located in the valley outside the walls of Jerusalem. This pool
was likely used as a ceremonial bath of purification for people
who were going up to the Temple to worship. On the yearly feast of
Tabernacles, one of the priests brought a golden pitcher of water
from this pool and poured it out over the altar in the temple
while reciting from the verse, "You will draw water from the wells
of salvation" (Isaiah 12:3). What is the significance of the
healing of the blind man at the Pool of Siloam? It is certainly
more than just a miraculous event. It is a "sign" that points to
the source of the miraculous life-giving water which Jesus offers
through the gift and work of the Holy Spirit (John 7:38). Do
you want the Holy Spirit to pour out on you his renewing power of
faith, vision, and healing love?
The Pharisees were upset with Jesus' miracle on two counts.
First, he healed the blind man on the Sabbath, which they
considered a serious violation of the command to rest on the
Sabbath. Second, how could a "sinner" and a "sabbath-breaker" do
such a marvelous work of God! The man who claimed to have been
healed by Jesus must not have really been blind to begin with!
Contrary to this false charge, the fact of this man's blindness
was well known to many people, including the parents who testified
under oath that he had indeed been blind since birth. The
prejudice of the religious leaders made them blind to God's
intention for the Sabbath (to do good rather than evil) and to
Jesus' claim to be the One sent from the Father in heaven to bring
freedom and light to his people. The Jewish leaders tried to
intimidate both this cured man and his parents by threatening to
exclude them from membership in the synagogue - the local
congregation of the worshiping community of Jews. This man was
shunned by the religious authorities because he believed that
Jesus healed him and was the Messiah.
Freedom from spiritual blindness
John Chrysostom, commenting on this passage, remarked: "The Jews
(the Pharisees) cast him out of the Temple; the Lord of the Temple
found him." If our witness of Jesus and his redeeming work in our
lives causes friends or foes to reject us, it nonetheless draws us
nearer to the Lord Jesus himself. Paul the Apostles warns us to
avoid the darkness of sin that we might walk more clearly in the
light of Christ (Ephesians 5:8-12). Do you allow any blind-spots
to blur your vision of what God is offering you and asking of you?
The Lord Jesus is ever ready to heal us and to free us from the
darkness of sin and deception. There is no sickness, whether
physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual that the Lord Jesus does
not identify with. Isaiah prophesied that the "Suffering Servant"
would be bruised for our iniquities and by his stripes we would be
healed (Isaiah 53:5). The Lord offers us freedom from spiritual
blindness due to sin and he restores us to wholeness of body,
mind, soul, and heart. Augustine of Hippo, in his commentary on
this Gospel passage, remarks: "If we reflect on the meaning of
this miracle, we will see that the blind man is the human race
...You already know, of course, who the "One Sent" is. Unless he
had been sent, none of us would have been freed from sin."
Jesus, in your name the blind see, the lame walk, and the dead are raised to life. Come into our lives and heal the wounds of our broken hearts. Give us eyes of faith to see your glory and hearts of courage to bring you glory in all we say and do.
Psalm 23:1-6
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want;
2 he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The unchangeable Light, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"I entered into my inmost self with You, Lord, as my guide - And
this I was able to do because You were my helper. I entered in and
saw with the eye of my soul, the unchangeable Light, very
different from earthly lights. It was above my mind but not the
way oil is above water or heaven above the earth. It was superior
because it made me, and I inferior because I was made by it. Those
who know the truth know this light, and those who know it know
eternity - It is charity that knows it." (excerpt
from Confessions 7,10)
