Sunday Fourth Week of Lent
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1 Sam. 16:1, 6-7, 10-13, Psalm 23:1-6, Eph. 5:8-14,In 1772, John Newton, a former slave trader turned abolitionist, penned his spiritual journey in what we now sing as the beloved hymn, “Amazing Grace.” We are all familiar with the opening lines: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I am found, was blind, but now I see.” Newton’s powerful words provide a familiar lens for today’s gospel message. The story of the man born blind teaches us to look at the ways we are spiritually blind and how through faith in Christ we can learn to see as God sees.
John 9:1-41
When Jesus and his disciples first encounter the man born blind, like the Pharisees, the disciples assume that his or his parents’ sins caused his blindness. The assumption that they and the Pharisees make pridefully and presumptively casts judgment on the man. Jesus corrects them, stating that the man was born blind, “so that the works of God may be made visible through him.” These works are both physical and spiritual healing, and they stand in contrast to the Pharisees’ persistent spiritual blindness.
At the start of this story, we find that Jesus heals the man’s physical blindness without being asked. Unlike others whose faith is tied to physical healing, the man born blind’s faith is tied to a deeper healing. The unbelieving Pharisees question the man, his parents, then the man again about his healing. The second time they question him, they accuse Jesus of being a sinner. Boldly, the man says, “If he is a sinner, I do not know.” Like John Newton centuries later, he then proclaims, “One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.”
After this, the Pharisees accuse the man of being “born in sin,” and throw him out. Jesus finds him and asks him if he believes in the Son of Man. The man answers, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him.” Jesus responds that it is He. Exercising profound faith, the man says, “I do believe, Lord.” The man could not deny his physical healing. As he said, he once was blind, but now can see. He could have, however, denied Jesus. The man’s act of faith in Jesus points to the deeper healing of the wound of original sin. Original sin separated mankind from God, but Jesus healed this wound by his life, death, and resurrection. The ratification of the man’s faith and the sign of his spiritual healing is that he worshiped Jesus, an act reserved for God alone. The man born blind could now see as God sees!
Now, the Pharisees couldn’t truthfully deny the blind man’s physical healing because they made a thorough investigation. They knew, however, that if they acknowledged the healing, they must also acknowledge the healer. Unlike the man born blind, they refuse to acknowledge the Son of Man. Significantly, unlike the man born blind who refuses to judge Jesus as a sinner, they persist in their judgment placing themselves in a role reserved for God alone. Jesus says, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.” Hearing this, the Pharisees say, “surely we are not also blind, are we?” Jesus enigmatically replies, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.” What is it that the Pharisees see that causes them to remain in sin? The sins of others! In so doing, they claim for themselves a role reserved for God alone, attempting to become “like gods” just like Adam and Eve. It is Jesus who came into the world for judgment, and we do well to, “let Jesus do the judging!”
As a slave trader, John Newton once judged others as less than himself, less than human. Through God's amazing grace, he learned to see as God sees, and could declare with the man born blind, "I once was blind but now I see." Through this gospel story, Gd invites us to search our own hearts for spiritual blindness. How often do we claim to see? How often do we stand in pride, judging others, placing ourselves in the role reserved for God alone? The Lord wants to hearl our spiritual blindness. Will we have the faith of the man born blind, acknowledge God for who He is, and learn to see as He sees? Or will we remain in darkness with the Paraisees? This week's meditations explore these themes and provide examples of others who have been given the grace to heal spiritual blindess. The meditations urge us all to heed St. Paul's words to the Ephesians: "You were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth."
The Reflection Team has been in awe of how the Lord is using this project to help others meet Him this Lent. As we enter this fourth week and get closer to His passion, death, and resurrection, we pray that you are seeing how much He loves you and see that He is doing all of this for YOU.
