Lent Midweek 4 – April 2, 2025Psalm 122; Ezekiel 36:23a, 23c-28St. John 9:1-38
In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
When the disciples as Jesus, ‘Who
sinned? This man or his parents that he was born blind?” they are asking Him to
explain the Law. It is as though they were asking, “Teacher, what does the
bible say about this man’s condition? Is it the result of his sin or his
parents’ sin?” Their question is understandable. In the 5th chapter
of St. John’s gospel, they saw Christ heal a paralytic who had been lying by
the pool of Bethesda. When the miracle was complete, Christ said, “Go and sin
no more.”[1]
It was a natural conclusion for the disciples that this man’s blindness is also
related to sin.
Christ’s response to the disciples tells
us that the disciples are on the right track but have made a slight error. The
man’s blindness is related to sin, but not to sins committed by this man nor
his parents. This blindness is related to original sin, the sinful condition of
man, the opposition to faith.
In fact, this miracle stands in the
middle of the long-standing debate between Christ and the Pharisees over who
Christ is. The miracle then stands as a testament to the work of God, namely,
the recreation of man in the image and righteousness of Christ.
The Holy Spirit, working through St.
John, has already set this Gospel in the context of creation when the first
chapter begins with a summary of creation focused on Christ. “In the beginning was
the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”[2]
This Word is the light of the world, something Christ applies to Himself in our
text.[3]
The theme of light and darkness, also present at creation, serves for the distinction between the absence and the presence of God. The wicked “do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness.”[4] “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness.”[5] “In that day, [the day of the Lord], the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.”[6] “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”[7]
This light and darkness is manifest in
sight and blindness. Those who see rightly, see by the light of Christ. Their
eyes are open to the glory of God, manifest in the person of Jesus Christ. This
Word of God is the light to our feet and the lamp to our path.[8]
Darkness is blindness, a complete lack of sight, not to mention seeing rightly.
It is a confusion of vision. Our first parents’ eyes were open to their nakedness
and sin at the same time that they were closed to the righteousness of God. In
seeing, they became blind. Christ will say the same of the Pharisees who condemn
the man born blind when they refuse to acknowledge that He is the Son of God.[9]
As Christ goes to heal the man, there
is no discussion of what the blind man desires nor what he would have the
Christ do. Our Lord simply spits on the ground, makes clay, anoints the man’s
eyes, and tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. Our Lord’s conduct in
this miracle is very revealing. This man was born blind, born dead in trespass
and sin. Being dead in sin, he could not plea for his salvation. He could not
make a decision to be relieved from sin. The Lord is the first and only actor
in the man’s salvation.
And how does He do it? He mixes water
and clay, the very elements of the first creation, then speaks to the man. In
the beginning, God formed Adam out of the dust of the earth and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life.[10]
Our Lord is signifying that He has done much more than heal this man’s
malformed body. He has called this man to faith, bestowed faith upon him. He
has recreated this man in the righteousness of Christ. The miracle comes to
fruition when the man washes himself in the waters of Siloam. This washing
signifies Holy Baptism, when the man made of dirt is washed clean of his sins.
The event which follow the miracle are
also very instructive for the life of the Christian. We see that the man does
not immediately comprehend everything that has happened to him. His faith is
not entirely formed. His sins are forgiven but he does not understand the
source of that forgiveness, not entirely. We could liken this to the faith of a
child but a better comparison would be the faith of the saints of the Old Testament.
They looked to God for salvation but until the time of Moses, they did not have
His name. Even then, they had a title for God, “I AM,” but they did not know
His personal name.
Over time, more was revealed of precisely how God would save them from their sins. They looked forward to the birth of the Christ, the very Son of God, but they did not know His personal name. He would be Immanuel, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.[11] It was not until a lowly virgin gave birth to the Son of God that the world would know the Christ, that we would know Jesus, the name at which every knee in heaven and on earth will bow.[12] This revelation of the name of Christ is the light to lighten all the nations of the earth.[13] In the name of Christ, man is reborn through the waters of Holy Baptism, born from above, born a child of the Heavenly Father.
Just as it took time for this
revelation to come to the people of God in the Old Testament, so too it took
time for the man born blind to see Who it was that restored his sight. Even
then, it is not until Christ reveals Himself to the man that he fully
understands what has happened. And immediately, the man confesses “I believe!”
and bows before Christ in worship.
The journey of the now seeing man is analogous
to the life of the Christian, especially in enduring affliction. From the time
of his healing to his confession of Christ, he is bombarded by interrogations,
first by his neighbors and then twice by the Pharisees. Each time he speaks,
his confession of the miracle he has received becomes clearer, more specific. In
the history of the church, it was always times of persecution and controversy
that led to a greater understanding of God’s Word. The creeds were written
against heretics. The Reformation occurred to correct the errors of the
medieval Roman church and under constant threat of death. The blood of the
martyrs is the seed of the church.
So too, as we face physical pain,
sadness at the loss or suffering of loved ones, and persecution in our jobs, communities,
and families, we find opportunity for faith to grow. The affliction of this man
was so that the works of God would be revealed, made manifest in him.[14]
Pain and suffering are real but Christ is the greater reality, the light no
darkness can comprehend, let alone overcome.
In Holy Baptism, we are not just made
new creations set loose to wander in the world. We are created new in Christ.
We are grafted into His Body, the Church, wherein we find our home. We are made
new as the Old Adam is drowned and washed away. He is our light and our sight. Being
made new in Him, we have new sight to see and receive the mighty blessings of
God, even if our eyes of flesh see only the pain and suffering of this world. You
have been given the new eyes of faith, that with the man born blind, you might confess,
“Lord, I believe.” In that confession, you have more than anything in this
world can give you. You have the Christ. You have the mercy, grace, and love of
God, who is the light of the world. You have the name of Jesus, who is present
with you always, to light even the darkest of places.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
