The Fourth Sunday in Lent, 2008
Rev. Brian L. Kachelmeier
John 9:1-41
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
In our Gospel text, we are taught that Jesus is the Light of the world and that the world loves to be in the dark. Jesus says, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5 ESV). Jesus came to those who dwelt in darkness. He came to bring light.
Now we can easily understand this image of light and darkness. As matter of fact, just last night as we left from Ray’s house we were overcome by the darkness on the sidewalk. I couldn’t help but think that it sure would be nice if we had a flashlight. The light could have illuminated our path and it would have made it much easier to walk to the van. Now of course, if we would have stayed outside for a while first and let our eyes adjust we could have seen much better.
The eye is an amazing thing. It needs light to see. When we stand in the bright sunlight our pupils shrink to little dots. When we go into a dark room our pupils increase. But it takes time to adjust to the light or the darkness.
If you have ever been to the eye doctor and had your eyes dilated you know the difference between light and dark. With your pupils wide open it is difficult to see in the daylight and that is why they give you those funny looking dark glasses to wear.
In a way, our condition as sinners is like that of the patient with dilated eyes. Our pupils are enlarged allowing us to live in the darkness. We would rather stay in the dark. If we go into the light, it is much more comfortable to wear sunglasses. But Jesus comes to change all of this. He gives us new eyes to see. Let’s look at the different ways that people see things in our text.
To begin with, let us look at the difference in the way that Jesus and the disciples viewed the blind man. Our text opens with the disciples trying to guess and speculate about a specific event that took place in a man’s life. This man was born blind. They start guessing and reasoning, that either this man did something to merit this blindness or his parents must have done something. From this text we learn not to try and understand the reason why things happen in life. Instead, we learn to listen to the words of Jesus and believe.
Jesus gives them the sure word declaring that it was neither him nor his parents. Rather this came about to bring glory to God. It is the Lord who works in mysterious ways. His ways are far above our ways. “Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3 ESV). When He changed water into wine, this was done in order that His glory might be manifested. When Lazarus died and was placed in the tomb, Jesus came to raise him from the dead so that Jesus would be glorified and the glory would be given to God. Jesus does these miraculous signs in order to glorify God.
Next, let us look at the different ways that the blind man and the Pharisees viewed the miracle that had taken place. It was the Pharisees who actually thought that in their rejecting of Jesus and this miraculous sign that they were giving glory to God. They told the blind man, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner” (John 9:24 ESV). What a change of events? When Nicodemus came to Jesus He said, “This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:2 ESV). Now they “know that Jesus is a sinner.”
It is utterly amazing how unwilling they were to listen to Jesus and see His signs and believe. They were so intent on disbelief, that they convinced themselves that Jesus couldn’t have possibly done a miracle. Therefore, the miracle must have been a fake. It must have been some type of a magic trick. So they went to the man’s parents to confirm that he never was really blind to begin with. Wow! Could you imagine? A miracle taking place before your eyes and then saying, “Well, if it would have been anyone other than Jesus, then it must have really happened.”
It is interesting to note here that they did not doubt the manner of the miracle. They didn’t tell the blind man, “Now come on. How can saliva, mud, and water do such great things? No, they didn’t doubt that God is able to do the extraordinary out of ordinary objects. They knew that the Holy Scriptures were loaded with such examples. Their concern was not the unbelievable aspect of the miracle, but rather the person who did it. They knew that God could and has done great things, but they felt that Jesus could not possibly have done a miracle because he is a Sabbath breaker.
Rather than rejoicing in the restoration of the blind man, they complained about Jesus. They missed the whole point of the Sabbath in which God gives rest. This blind man was receiving rest from his condition. It was the blind man who was thankful for the miracle. He wasn’t sure what to make of Jesus, but he knew that he once was blind and now he can see. He couldn’t condemn Jesus as a sinner; rather, he declared that Jesus must be a prophet of God.
It wasn’t until after the formerly blind man was kicked out of the synagogue that he believed in Jesus. Jesus first gave him physical eyes to see physical things. Then he gave him spiritual eyes to see spiritual things. In our Gospel text starting at verse thirty-five we hear these words, “Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.” (John 9:35-38 ESV) The miraculous sign points to the word of Jesus, so that the eyes see and the ears hear. Through the word of Jesus, faith was created in the heart of the man.
These things were written for us so that faith can be created and strengthened in our hearts. We learn that Jesus is more than a prophet and He is not a sinner. Jesus is the light of the world. He is the Son of Man and the Son of God. He can restore the body in which He proves that He can restore the soul. He opens our eyes to spiritually see Him now and He will open our eyes on the Last Day so that we can physically see Him then. He brings light into our lives and gives us eyes to see in the light.
Just like turning the light o in the middle of the night reveals bugs, mice, and other things we don't want to know about, so too God shines the light in our hearts revealing the wickedness of sin in our lives. He does this for the purpose of taking our sin away and removing it from us through the Gospel. Let us rejoice in the blessings that God bestows in our lives through simple means. He continues to perform miracles in the church. Rather than use saliva, mud, and a pool, He uses bread, wine, and water. The Lord continues to use His creation to bring about re-creation and restoration. He gives the body tangible objects and attaches His promise for the soul to believe. Amen.
