The Light of the World
4th Sunday in Lent – Cycle A
The three Sundays before the Palm Sunday in Cycle A of the liturgical year are special. The gospel passages from the Gospel of John develop three central themes relevant to our experience of Jesus:
Jesus, the Living Water (Jn 4: the Samaritan woman) – 3rd Sunday of Lent
Jesus, the Light of the World (Jn 9: the man born blind) – 4th Sunday of Lent
Jesus, the New Life (Jn 11: raising of Lazarus) – 5th Sunday of Lent
The gospel reading of this Sunday (the 2nd in the sequel) invites us to reflect on the story of the encounter between Jesus, the man born blind, and the Pharisees, so that we may experience Jesus as the Light of the World.
What does light do? It dispels darkness; it makes us recognise possibilities. In the context of the gospel of today, the light helps us recognise God. It helps us recognise Jesus as the Lord.
The gospel text of today offers us three possible attitudes: (a) indifference towards Jesus – the position of the parents of the blind man; (b) blatant denial of the true nature of Jesus – the position of the Pharisees because they are caught up in the web of their Sabbath laws; and (c) gradual discovery of who Jesus is – the position of the blind man. The Word of God this Sunday invites us to acknowledge our blindness and come into the presence of the Light of the World. It does not matter even if this movement would be very slow and gradual. The blind man acknowledges at least on three occasions his ignorance about Jesus: “I don’t know” – Jn 9: 12; 25; 36. But it would be disastrous to claim that we can see, and we do not recognise God in the person of Jesus. The pathway traced by the blind man in his journey of discovery of the true nature of Jesus is marked by three stages:
“The man called Jesus” (Jn 9:11)
It is surprising to note that someone can receive favours from God/Jesus, and not recognise the agent. He is too busy with life that he moves on! This is true for us, as it was true for the blind man. The blind man had reasons not to notice the extraordinariness of the event. Jesus “spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the eyes of the blind man and said to him, “Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam” (Jn 9:6-7). The blind man would have attributed agency of his healing to the paste and to the Pool of Siloam, or even his own effort of going to Siloam. Maybe he thought, the man called Jesus was just a medicine-man who had the right combinations! He had forgotten to recognise the pun in the word, ‘Siloam’ – which means ‘sent’. His real cure was caused by the one who was sent from the Father (Jn 6:44). Perhaps the blind man now being able to see, was also too busy working out a new career, having to give up begging. But his attitude is actually challenged by the hullabaloo created by the Pharisees.
The contemporary world that we live in has developed extraordinary means to examine tiny objects by means of the microscope and to peer at distant objects through the telescope, but as regards the spiritual realm, it could simply remain blind. Failing to attribute agency to God not only for the marvels of creation but also in seeking meaning for our existence can make us blind.
On another plane, when we reduce Jesus to just an extra-ordinary man – we remain blind! In some quarters, even in the name of inter-religious dialogue there is a danger of reducing the uniqueness of Jesus and forgetting his divinity. In India, it is not uncommon even among Christian speakers to use the expression: “Buddha, Gandhi and Jesus…”! This is because we have not yet experienced God in the person of Jesus. Like the blind man after the cure, our physical eyes do see, but the eye of faith is still dark. We need to be challenged!
“He is a Prophet” (Jn 9:17)
When the Pharisees begin to challenge the blind man he begins to see the light. As a result of their persistent inquisition he begins to question his own indifference. So when they asked him, “What have you to say about him yourself, now that he has opened your eyes?’ The man answered, ‘He is a prophet’” (Jn 9:17).
This is not the end of the drama. When they question his further, the blind man wants to grow in his awareness of who Jesus is. He comes up with two convictions:
(a) “You don’t know where he comes from and he has opened my eyes” (Jn 9:30)! Someone whose origin is not known must be divine, because it is only God who does not have a beginning!
(b) God only listens to people who are devout and do his will (Jn 9:31). Therefore, “if this man were not from God, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything” (Jn 9:33).
Who is Jesus for me? Is he still that wonderful man who lived 2000 years ago? Or is just an abstract definition from the Catechism: “the second person of the trinity”?
“Lord, I believe” (Jn 9:38)
Finally the scene is set for the climax. It is actually Jesus who catches up with the blind man who has been thrown out of the synagogue. Jesus makes his self-revelation to him. And “the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and worshipped him” (Jn 9:38). His gesture of ‘worship’ truly confirms his belief in Jesus as the Lord and God!
John, the Evangelist, refers to the miracles of Jesus as ‘signs’ (Jn 2:11; 4:54; 6:14). Signs need to be interpreted. It is possible that the interpretation of a sign could produce mutually opposing meanings and outcome. This is what we see in the sign described in John 9. The blind man gets to see the meaning behind the sign: Jesus is the Son of Man (Jn 9:35-38)! The leaders of the Jews see the same sign but remain blind to the meaning behind the sign. This is the contrast dramatised by this chapter of John: “If you were blind, you would not be guilty, but since you say, ‘We can see,’ your guilt remains” (Jn 9:41).
We are challenged by the Word of God at least to acknowledge our blindness – our difficulty in accepting the true nature of Jesus. And patiently we wait for an encounter with Jesus. We only hope, soon or later, the words of St Paul would be true for us: “You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; behave as children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and uprightness and truth” (Eph 5: 8-9).
Sahaya G. Selvam, SDB
Nairobi – 3 April 2011