The lectionary readings – the 3-year cycle of scripture that most churches use to mark time throughout the church year – has us in the middle of three weeks of HUGE long scripture readings. Last week it was 38 verses of scripture to reflect on – though we stepped out of the lectionary cycle for last week. This week we have 41 verses to focus on, and next week 45. It is a lot of scripture to deal with, but it also feels like somehow God knew we would all be stuck at home and looking for things to do – so here is an opportunity to read our Bibles even more! As an aside – I normally would pause here for what I would assume would be great laughter for my clever little joke, but instead I am just operating under the assumption that you are all laughing so hard you need to pause the recording of this service! Maybe I will look to see if I can insert a laugh track for our future virtual services.
Anyway, back to our scripture for today. This Sunday we are considering the entirety of the 9th chapter of John. I went back and forth about how to do that and not have you all fast-forward through the scripture reading. So I decided, I am going to treat this scripture like what it is: a story of an extraordinary encounter between Jesus, a man born blind, a community, and a group of leaders trying to catch up. And I want to engage with this story the same way one of my reading teachers did when I was in middle school. For a portion of each class, maybe about 20 minutes, she would read us a novel. Each day we would hear her read a little more. But she would not just read it, she would pause and highlight interesting things, making sure we were paying attention. What she was doing, I think, was helping us to see how reading can be wonderful – something that takes us to another place. Something that excites our imaginations.
So, I am going to do the same thing today. I am going to read a portion of our scripture, pause when appropriate to point out things, and keep going. And I do so for two reasons: one, this is an incredible story of encounter, healing, and teaching. It needs to be heard in its entirety. My second reason is this: just as my reading teacher wanted us to find the adventure in reading, I want to help you find the love of God by engaging with this ancient story. By seeing how God was at work in this story, we can all practice finding the way God is at work today – in a world that seems to be falling apart, but is still held in the protective embrace of God’s presence and love.
From the Gospel of John, chapter 9:
As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.
Three verses in and we already have to stop. Take a moment to consider the question of the disciples: whose fault is it? Humanity has always been so quick to want to assign blame to a person. Why do you think that is? Why do we like to blame? Think about that while the story goes on.
4 [Jesus said] we must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.
This has always been one of my favorite miracles. Why? Because it is so earthy. Lots of the miracles in the Bible are more mystical, for instance a woman is healed from a hemorrhage by just touching Jesus’ cloak. Others, Jesus says, are healed by their faith. But this one – this one involves touch, it involves mud and spit even. It is grounded. Why is this healing different? I don’t know. But in a lot of ways it helps me to remember that Jesus was God in-flesh, God experiencing what it means to be human. Experiencing what it means to be sick, to touch the dirt, to touch another person, to heal.
8 The 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?” 9 Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He 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.” 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 mud and opened his eyes. 15 Then 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.” 16 Some 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. 17 So 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.”
There are two things I want to point out here. One: people did not recognize the man who had been healed right away. Even though he was a beggar, even though people likely walked past him everyday on their way around town. My guess, they did see but chose to ignore him. He wasn’t worthy of their attention because he was diseased and poor. But now he was well, and they paid him more attention. The second thing I want to point out is the leaders need to follow the rules first and care for humanity second. Jesus healed on the Sabbath, which was a direct violation of the rules. But healed anyway because someone was before him who needed to experience healing. The rules of humanity do not apply to Jesus. The rules of God are what he functions with. And what he tried to teach his disciples and what he is trying to teach us now.
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 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.” 22 His 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. 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
I can’t help but feel bad for these parents. I assume they are over-joyed that their son has been healed, that he can now function in the world, that he will not only see but be seen. They must be over-joyed and yet here come the religious authorities demanding answers, explanations, and are implying a trick has been had. The rules were violated, and instead of celebrating with those who are celebrating, the Pharisees are trying to reassert their power over others. The leaders want to remain in charge for themselves, but not to serve.
24 So 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.” 25 He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do 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 also want to become his disciples?” 28 Then 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, “Here is an astonishing thing! 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 he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.
You know what has always amazed me about this interaction: that the once blind man, whom everyone had likely over-looked as having no value, no education, no awareness of God – has a sophisticated understanding of who God is and what it means to follow God. This man, in this interaction, is reminding us that our assumptions about a person that are based on their appearance or their status in human society, are usually wrong. Indeed, this man is articulating a much more in-depth understanding of God and what it means to actually be a follower of God. He knows more than the Pharisees, he understands the Good News of God better than the others. But that could not be – and the leaders drove him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. 39 Jesus 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.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
The man born blind now sees and believes. Those born with sight and power, simply cannot understand. God does not follow the laws of humanity. God’s Kingdom interrupts those laws. God’s Kingdom, God’s Love, God’s Grace interrupts life as we know it, turns everything upside down, gets everyone out of their comfort zones, and shows us what love actually means.
Beloved Community, our world has been interrupted. Everything that we took for granted, just a week ago, has been upended. Our regularly scheduled programming in every aspect of our life has been interrupted, disrupted, upended. We are all uncomfortable. But we are experiencing, in ways that we could not have imagined, the extraordinary, indescribable love of God. People are reaching out to neighbors they had previously ignored and offering help. People are writing cards to those in nursing homes, not caring who receives them but just wanting to offer love. Everything has been interrupted and there STILL is God. Just as God exists in the comfortable and the routine, God too exists in the disruption and the uncomfortable. And maybe, just maybe, we have the time and space now to experience that presence of God. To worship God, to share the love of God with our neighbors, to see what we had previously been blind to. When our life returns to normal, which it will, let us pray that our eyes remain opened. Amen.
PASTORAL PRAYER
Take a moment, wherever you are, to settle in for prayer. Relax your body. Settle your hands and your feet. Take a deep breath in and slowly exhale. And join with me in prayer.
God of Healing, your miracles are at work every day around us. Your miracles, the grand and the small, have always been a part of your Creation, and yet we are so often blind to them. We are too busy, too focused on ourselves, too worried about the rules, to see the many beautiful ways that you are a part of our lives and the lives of all. Today, God, we ask that you help us to open our eyes and see you. And in doing so, may we recognize the greatest miracle of all – that right there, always, you have been. That even with our eyes shut – you are there. And, with your help and assurance, we can open our eyes and rejoice in your presence through all of our pain, fear, and discomfort.
With our eyes opened and focused on you, we pray for this world. Trusting that you always know the deepest prayers of our spirits, even those prayers we cannot speak aloud. Hear now our prayers…
(Silence)
We pray for those who are sick.
God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those tending to the sick – the healthcare workers, the family members, the friends.
God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who carry with them the distinction of being an emergency worker: our emergency personnel, our public utility professionals, our store clerks, our delivery drivers, our childcare providers.
God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for the leaders of our community and our world that all of their efforts be done with the most vulnerable in mind first.
God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for ourselves. We ask that your comfort draw near to us, infuse our very beings, and provide us with a sense of stillness, of peace, of love.
God in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Good and Great God – your presence is never a part from us. Your presence, your love, is always with us and with all. For this we are tremendously grateful.
We pray all of this and so much more in the name of Jesus Christ, who healed the sick, loved the outcast, and showed us what it means to live into the Kingdom of God. And who taught us to pray together by saying: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Thank you for your thoughtful
message and may God bless you!