First Reading : – 1 Samuel 16: 1, 6 – 7, 10 – 13.
Second Reading: – Ephesians 5: 8 – 14
Gospel: – John 9: 1 – 41
“Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Sir,” the man replied “tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You are looking at him; he is speaking to you.” The man said, “Lord, I believe”, and worshipped him.
Our readings today, 4th Sunday of Lent, are about sight, blindness and forgiveness. We do not see people as God does. We often rush to judgement of others but God does not look at the outside but the inner person. So God can see beyond our blindness in faith and through his Son our faith can be restored, our hearts repent and our forgiveness assured.
We, regardless of visual ability, be we sighted, partially sighted or blind, are blessed because we believe in the Son of Man without seeing. On face value this Gospel appears to be just one of Jesus’ miracles, a blind man cured of his blindness. But the narrative invites us to look deeper. We are told that the man does not approach Jesus, but Jesus comes to him. Jesus makes a paste with his spittle and some mud, applies it to his eyes and tells the man to go and wash in the pool. He comes away with his sight restored. This story is one of baptism – the action on the man is a baptismal act and more importantly the man sees Jesus for who he is and receives faith, the faith we receive at our baptism. In Lent we are reminded of our own baptism and we will renew our baptismal promises at the Easter vigil. Seeing is believing – but do we really believe without seeing? At every sacrifice of the Mass Christ is really present in the Eucharist – Jesus comes to us in his body and his blood just as he approached the blind man.
So what is the link between the man’s restored sight and baptism? Some background in the history of baptism may be helpful in our understanding of why the act of Jesus restoring sight to the blind man is a baptismal act. The Jews practiced forms of baptism that expressed both repentance for sin and ritual cleaning, that was particularly required of the priests before approaching the tabernacle; the font that we use in the celebration of the sacrament of baptism can be compared with a form of font or immersion pool that was used in synagogues and even houses. Fresh flowing water was preferred as when John baptised Jesus in the Jordan and as we see in Lourdes. Jesus then instructs the man to go and wash in the pool. Through our baptismal immersion in water our original sin is forgiven, we become brothers and sisters of Christ and we become eyes wide to the faith of our Church. It is interesting to think that Jesus uses basic things in the healing of the blindman: spittle, earth and water; he uses ordinary elements around us in nature to convey his healing power and God uses our mere human senses of hearing to listen to his word, our mouths to proclaim his word and our eyes to appreciate the good in people.
In early Christianity baptism was seen as a symbolic washing away of sin and a new birth into a life of faith. Just as the blind man’s eyes were opened, so too baptism is seen as a spiritual awakening and renewal. 2
In the first reading we hear that David is chosen by God, a man the least of Jesse’s sons. He is not the one to be king of Israel as Samuel thinks but goes on to be a great king – from whom Jesus descends. Jesus came as the Messiah, but not as the Jews wanted or expected – he came from humble beginnings. David grew to be a great king, but came from humble beginnings. God sees much more and much deeper than man as a species does. And here we have a link with the Gospel – a link of seeing. In the second reading we hear of the Lord as the light in the darkness. The blind man, now with sight, sees the light, experiences light for the first time in his life, not just daylight, but the light of faith. He receives the eye of faith, receives true sight.
The man’s blindness was considered at the time to be a sign of sinfulness as was other forms of disability. Hence he would be an outcast as was the Samaritan woman at the well in last week’s Gospel. David was the least of Jesse’s sons, not considered worthy to be anointed; the blindman and the woman at the well not considered worthy to be anointed with healing and faith. Again in last week’s Gospel, John tells us that through Christ declaring to the woman that he is the Messiah, many more came to believe as their eyes were opened to this ‘saviour of the world’. Jesus himself from his birth was an outcast his family forced to flee and in later life to be rejected by the very people to whom he preached and healed.
We received the light of faith at our baptism. In this time of Lent we are asked to renew that faith, not just in prayer and action, but in looking deep into our hearts, taking stock, taking some spiritual spittle and mud and restoring our inward, spiritual sight. This is all within our capability, no one can do it for us. As the Gospel story is unbelief to belief, and the second reading is from darkness to light, and the first reading the depth of God’s seeing, we see God revealed to us. We look within at how God views us: how do we view others, our neighbours, our environment. How much do we appreciate a simple life, our family and friends, are we blind to their needs and the needs of the poor, the hungry, the disenfranchised, the politically exploited. We look at the evil in the world that is blind to its effects but see the good in others too – as so aptly demonstrated in the current events in Ukraine in the first and the international rescue missions in Turkey and Syria in the second. That evil in others on one hand tests our faith, but strengthens our resolve, and on the other, that good we see in others nurtures our faith in humanity and in the God who loves us.
The blind man represents all humanity. Born considered to be in sin he is made a new creation by the saving power of Christ. That ‘new creation’ is us at our baptism.
Let us pray for ourselves that the light shines from us so that others see the goodness radiating from us. Let all those who are spiritually blind, who do not know Jesus, that he will come to them, enlighten them, that he will open their eyes to faith. Yet it is more than faith, more than belief but the certainty that true sight brings. We are looking at him, we can see him, he is speaking to us.