St. Andrew's Bible Study: John 9
Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, 2008
"Theologians and Others

John, often called "the mystic", opens his Gospel with an invitation to look forward and as well as look to the past, to understand the person Jesus. He uses the language of Genesis to articulate his new vision. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

We are in a new year, a "Year of New Beginnings", as I heard in a pentecostal service in Lusaka, Zambia on the first Sunday of this new year, Epiphany Sunday, January 6. Encouraging believers to see the changing time as a source of change for themselves is a frequent call by church leaders, particularly at this time of year. So this story in John 9 of a man who experiences a "new beginning" fits well in our calendar time as we live into this new year--2008.

Again this year, and in this week's lesson, we encounter Jesus who forces hearers to make a choice: a new beginning, if you will, in the spiritual sense of the word--is he the Son of God or a radical who just likes to break rules--such as healing on the Sabbath.

There might be an answer in this group. Because I see you here every week-- increasing your knowledge of this person who appeared in Palestine 2000 years ago--you've shown that you are life-long learners: eager to increase your knowledge and your faith in the One who is Light and Life.

Additionally, I believe that you are here because you are not content to have heard this story on an elementary school level --as a story of another healing by Jesus; nor are you content to hear this story as a young adult--questioning the credibility of Jesus; nor even as a thinking adult who hears the persistent question in this story, "How do we understand and explain illness"? Perhaps like my questioning, you are here to dig deeper into this
story with the question: of all the events that John witnessed in Jesus' life on earth, why did he choose to record this one? As he himself wrote at the end of this gospel: "If all the things Jesus did were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." (21:25)

Indeed, as we continue our study of John, we are here because this story continues to ask the question from last week's lesson -- "Who am I?" Am I a child of Abraham? Am I a child of God? Who am I in relationship to
Jesus? How do I understand that relationship at this time of my life? Why is the story of the healing of the blind man and the subsequent discussion important?

The apparently chance encounter of Jesus and the blind man provokes questions among the disciples who, as part of the culture and understanding of the day, try to figure out why some people have disabilities and others don't. Answering that question has always been difficult. And trying to affix blame in a difficult situation has been around for a long time.

However, the culture of Jesus' day had no clear answers for what caused something to go wrong with your body. Lacking scientific knowledge concerning health issues, the people believed that whatever illness befell you was the result of sin--either your own or your parents, particularly in this case since the man was born blind. But notice how Jesus did not enter into that discussion. He had an entirely different agenda. He asserted that this person--a real human being--not just a theological excuse for a treatise --was the occasion for God's work to be seen.

This is an epiphany! How appropriate for the last week in Epiphany--to see how God is manifest in the world. Indeed, this is an appropriate text for this Epiphany Season--seeing the Light--which can be read on different levels, most vividly on the physical level, but perhaps even more importantly on the spiritual level.

There are different translations of Jesus' comment about why this man was blind. In our different Bibles, I'm sure that we have different impressions of his answer. One of the most compelling is by Gary Burge in the NIV
Application Commentary. He does not fel that this man's illness was caused for the sake of the glory of healing which resulted. "Thoughtful Christians may see this as a cruel fate in which God inflicts pain on people simply to glorify himself." Noting the word that introduces this clause, HINA (Grk.), he translates this as follows: "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus. But so that the work of God might be displayed in his life, we must do the work of him who sent me while it is day."

Burge further explains: "The purpose clause now explains that Jesus must work so that God's work may be displayed in this man's life. God had not made the man blind in order to show his glory; rather, God has sent Jesus to do works of healing in order to show his glory. The theological nuance of the two translations cannot be more different. Jesus' work must not be interrupted because he is the light that illumines the day, and night is coming (9:4b-5) when he will be absent and such miracles at his hand will cease."

"The Light of the world" brings healing both physical and spiritual. Note how the person healed needed to have faith that the dirt put on his face would produce a miraculous event. He was sent to the pool of Siloam from which water came for the libations at the Feast of the Tabernacles. This obedience produced a miracle which changed everything. Remember how water was used in the miracle of Naaman's healing by Elisha in the Old
Testament? (2 Kings 5:13,14) And remember baptism--using water as a symbol of the cleansing power --to show that you are a child of God? Now this man who remains nameless--"went and washed, and came back seeing" (v.7).

He was recognized by his friends and definitely by his family! He could not deny what had happened to him. I wonder how many years he had spent as a beggar because there was nothing for him to do. The days of Braille
and seeing-eye dogs were far in the future. He was at the bottom of the social ladder with no employment, no prospects for marriage, no social honor. (Burge, NIV Application Commentary) Now that he was healed, he was ready to take his place in society as a responsible citizen, earning a living, caring for his parents, and worshiping in the temple. However, his changed life was not all happiness as we shall see.

This amazing miracle was verifiable; it was unparalleled. Interestingly, the discussion that follows seems typical when people focus on the peripheral. Not wanting to see Jesus as God, the Pharisees concentrate on the errors he made, primarily breaking the Sabbath laws.

How often are we invited to believe, but find excuses to question the authenticity of the claims of Jesus? If I am to participate in this story, I am forced to make a judgment just as the audience did at the Temple that day during the Feast of Tabernacles. How willing am I to acknowledge Jesus' work in my life? Am I willing to be transformed from a desperate person in spiritual blindness without Christ to one who acknowledges him not only as a prophet who comes from God (17) but also as the Living God to be worshiped? (38)

A troubling question surface at the end of the passage because the opponents of Jesus are theologians, religious leaders whose rejection of Jesus is based not simply on his refusal to conform to their religious
system, but on their knowledge of who he is. (Burge) "They stand against Jesus from an informed theological standpoint. They are aggressive; and according to the end of the chapter, because they are self-affirming, claiming that 'they know', their sin cannot disappear. If they rejected Jesus out of ignorance, it would be a different matter. But they reject Jesus out of knowledge, and so their 'guilt remains' (41)."  God can only heal those who know they are in need of healing. Light is greatly treasured by those who have known darkness. This is the deeper truth in this story

The Apostle John included this story and its discussions because it reflected the problems that continued throughout the First Century between the Jews and the new believers in Christ. "The stubborn, courageous witness of this man was a word of renewing strength....Like this man, the early Jewish Christians heard the voice of Jesus and obeyed, and their eyes had been opened....In the face of continuing hostility these Jewish Christians must have become weary and fearful and even wavered. So this lonely, healed man, so bold in his witness, was a model for the early church. Jesus had welcomed and received him when he was cast out. So these early believers were heartened. They knew Jesus would not leave them. They could continue to know the joy of His presence and worship Him with fresh devotion." (The Preacher's Commentary Series, v. 27)

Reading the story of the healing of the blind man on the level of encouragement for early believers in the face of persecution helps us to see why the whole discourse was carefully laid out for us--showing the persistence of the questioning Pharisees, the timidity of the blind man's parents, and the voluntary approach by Jesus to the excommunicated man. Isn't it ironic that the blind beggar was inconsequential while sitting there by the temple, but when he was made whole, he was a threat to the establishment because he saw Jesus clearly for who He was.

This story is encouragement for us as well--to open our spiritual eyes to the glory of the Christ who seeks us in order to make us whole. In "The Presbyterian Hymnal" (1990) is a hymn by Thomas Troeger entitled "Swiftly
Pass the Clouds of Glory". One verse is particularly applicable to our lesson today as we contemplate "Transfiguration Sunday" (Feb. 3) and our opportunity to be transfigured.

God, transfigure our perception
With the purest light that shines,
And recast our life's intentions
to the shape of Your designs,
Til we seek no other glory
Than what lies past Calvary's hill
And our living and our dying
And our rising by Your will.