As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 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, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 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?" Some were saying, "It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying, "I am the man." But they kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" 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." They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know." They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 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." 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. 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." 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 and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 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." 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. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." 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." He answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" 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?" Then they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." The man answered, "Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." They answered him, "You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?" And they drove him out. Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him." Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he." He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him. 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." Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not blind, are we?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains. (John 9:1-41)
Gimme That New Time Religion The Rev. Dr. Bill Stroop, Rector
As Jesus and his disciples were touring Jerusalem, one of them asked, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" I think you'd be hard pressed to find a line in scripture that could be so easily uttered by anyone of us today. How many times have we seen an unfortunate person and wondered, "There but for the grace of God go I," or "I wonder what she did to deserve that?" I don't know whether that kind of thinking is genetic or cultural, but I do know that it is common to wonder if the things that happen to us through no obvious fault of our own are the result of cosmic judgment.
Personally, I think that the relationship between suffering and sin – however you might choose to define sin – has been a deeply troubling issue for a very long time. The ancient Jews made a direct connection between sin and suffering, believing that wherever there was suffering, sin was somewhere to be found. The Christian world, being a direct descendent of Judaism, carried this notion forward, and, denominational variations not withstanding, it remains with us today to one degree or another.
Our culture reinforces this thinking too. From a very early age, punishment received for bad behavior reinforces the cause and effect relationship between personal fault and the suffering we endure. Continue this line of reasoning and you'll arrive at the conclusion that suffering is a sure sign of sinfulness. And I think we like it that way. We just don't like to think that something bad could just happen.
I grew up Roman Catholic, which is one of those denominations where nearly any action was a sin either committed or about to be committed. There was enough guilt in the air that something could always be found as the cause of suffering. And that was reinforced by something that can only be understood as a link between bad happenings and genetic sinfulness. There is an expression that my Polish relatives used to express this.
It went something like this: Sitting around the table someone would say "I heard that Martha Stewart was put into jail." And then everybody would look around and nod, affirming some great unspoken truth. And then someone else would say, "Well you know how she was…" And then in agreement everyone would gesture with their hand and utter a guttural, throaty "Achhh." "Achhh" explained everything! Everyone understood that she got what she deserved, even though we didn't have a clue what evil she may have done.
"Achhh!" It was a term for total comprehension and ultimate judgment. There are similar idioms in many cultures. In the Southern United States, certain kinds of silently understood character faults are announced by the gratuitous remark, "Well, bless her heart…"
The disciples asked about the origin of blindness of the man who had been without sight since birth. They wanted a reason, and "Achhh" was not going to suffice as an answer. But what Jesus said to them did not fit their preconceived notions, any more than it appealed to the Pharisees, who used the human invention of pre-natal sin to explain away the bad things. Jesus said neither this man nor his parents caused through sinful behavior.
Jesus basically said, "Sometimes bad stuff just happens. Don't look for something to blame! Look for an opportunity!" And he shows us exactly how to do that. Jesus seizes this opportunity to do something. Both the Gospels of Mark (Mk 7:33, 8:23) and John describe Jesus using spittle to heal. This might seem strange or even repulsive to us, but in the ancient world the use of spittle for its curative powers was common. Tacitus, the Roman historian, reports that Vespasian, the Roman general who besieged Jerusalem and later became emperor of Rome, was once asked by a man with diseased eyes and another man with a diseased hand to be cured (Tacitus, Histories 4:81). "The man with the diseased eyes wished Vespasian to 'moisten his eye-balls-with spittle'."[1]
Jesus did exactly what one would have expected him to do. He was a wise physician who took the methods and customs of his time, and used them in a caring and loving manner. He did not pretend the man wasn't there, and he did not judge the man's infirmity by saying to the disciples, "Well bless his heart…" What he did was to stoop down, and gain the man's trust by engaging in real and intimate communion with him. He did not care whether it was Saturday or Sunday, or worry about how his next action would appear to the propriety police. The only thing that mattered to Jesus at that moment was this blind man. Jesus knew that he and all his followers must do God's work while there was time to do it.
In Jesus' day, people worked during the daylight hours. When the day came to an end, the time for work also ended. Jesus knew that his time was limited; he knew that if he continued his ministry that the cross would be at the end of his last day.
But this is true for every one of us. We are given only so much time. Whatever we do, must be done within that time; a single breath is all that separates life from death. By his example, Jesus shows us that we should never put off to another time those things that are in the service of God or our fellow human beings. The letter to the Ephesians reminds us that an experience of God's love – whether as the healer or as the one who is healed – is sufficient for us to live in the light as children of God.
Tony Campolo tells a story about a woman named Agnes that illustrates how we can do this.[ii] Tony flew from the East Coast of the United States to Hawaii, and due to the time difference, found himself walking the streets of Honolulu looking for something to eat at three thirty in the morning. He found an out of the way greasy spoon where he ordered a donut and coffee. As he ate, a group of provocative and boisterous prostitutes came into the diner. They filled the counter where Tony sat and continued to talk to one another as if Tony wasn't there.
One of them said, "Tomorrow's my birthday. I'm going to be thirty-nine."
Her friend, said in a nasty tone, "So what? What d'ya want from me, a birthday party?"
"Come on!" the first prostitute said. "I was just telling you, that's all. I don't want anything from you. I've never had a birthday party in my whole life. Why should I have one now."
After a while the women went back out to the streets. Tony asked the counter man if this group came in to the diner every night. "Sure," he said. "That's Agnes and she and her friends are here most nights. What d'ya wanna know."
Tony said, "I want to give her a party for her – right here – tomorrow night." The cook got all excited about the idea and said that she would prepare the food.
The next night Tony showed up at 3:00 a.m. and he and the counter man put up streamers, and balloons. The counter man had made the cake, and Tony wrote a big sign on some card board that said "Happy Birthday Agnes!"
Word got out somehow, and by 3:15 a.m., nearly every prostitute in Honolulu was there. At 3:30 the door opened and in walked Agnes and her friends. Her mouth fell open and her legs seemed to buckle. Her friends steadied her and sat her in a booth. Everybody sang "Happy Birthday."
Agnes, who had never had her very own birthday cake before, asked if it would be all right if she took it home for a minute to show her mother. The counter man said that would be fine. She picked up the cake, and carrying it like it was the Holy Grail, walked toward the door. The diner became silent, almost reverent. In the silence, Tony offered prayer that Agnes would feel God's great love for her.
When Tony finished, the counter man leaned over and said, "Hey! You never told me you were a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?"
Tony answered, "I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for whores at three-thirty in the morning."
The counter man thought for a moment, and then said, "No you don't. There's no church like that. If there was, I'd join it. I'd join a church like that!"
Isn't that exactly the kind of religion John tells us about in today's Gospel? Jesus saw a situation and did what his heart told him was the right thing to do. He reached out with compassion, and love, and mercy.
Church is what we make of it. It's not about piety. It's not about rules. Church is what happens when we listen to our hearts, and let God out of the box. It is what happens when we dare to let God become incarnated in us.
The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me. " And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." 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?" He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the LORD." 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 does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these." Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
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 right paths for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, 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 my whole life long.
Ephesians 5:8-14
For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light -- for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
John 9:1-41
As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 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, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 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?" Some were saying, "It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying, "I am the man." But they kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" 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." They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know." They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 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." 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. 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." 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 and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 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." 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. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." 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." He answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" 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?" Then they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." The man answered, "Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." They answered him, "You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?" And they drove him out. Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him." Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he." He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him. 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." Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not blind, are we?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.
The Collect of the Day
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
[1] John Barclay. The Gospel of John, Vol. 2, Revised Edition. (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1975), 42.
[2] Tony Campolo. "The Agnes Story." Let Me Tell You A Story." Philadelphia, PA: W Publishing Group, A Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2000), 216-220.
This publication, ie. this page and the preceding document that has a link to this page, are copyrighted. Except as permitted by the Copyright Act, no part of it may in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any other means be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be broadcast or transmitted without the prior permission of the publisher.
