In the Gospel of John, Jesus performs seven signs which give hints about who he is and the needs he’s addressing. Note that they’re not called “miracles,” but “signs.” Beyond being extraordinary acts, they’re also messages to us about Jesus, and we’ll visit a different sign each Wednesday in Lent. This week, we’ll take a look at…

Healing the Man Born Blind (John 9:1-7)

While the healing of the blind man has immediate positive ramifications for the miracle’s recipient, there’s a lot of theologizing in this miracle story. In fact, the healing occurs rather quickly, but the controversy it sparks echoes on for the rest of the chapter and into the next.

Immediately, Jesus tackles a deep question, as the disciples ask whose sin led to this man’s blindness. Jesus explains that neither this man nor his parents caused the blindness, and Jesus then states that he is himself the Light of the World. After mixing his saliva with some mud, Jesus rubs it on the man’s eyes and sends him away to wash in a particular pool, after which the man can see. From here, things get a little tedious.

Brought before the Pharisees, the formerly-blind man tells his tale. The Pharisees conclude that Jesus must not be from God because he performs this healing on the Sabbath. They interrogate every part of the story and even question the man’s parents to confirm he wasn’t just pretending to be blind all those years. Eventually, after the Pharisees declare Jesus a sinner, the formerly-blind man gives a beautiful and succinct testimony: “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” The Pharisees ultimately cast out the man, after which Jesus finds him and reveals his identity as the Son of Man.

Jesus speaks repeatedly of sight and blindness through chapters 9 and 10, and the listening Pharisees take offense at being called “spiritually blind.” Jesus then talks about himself as the Good Shepherd and describes some of his listeners as thieves and robbers— all of which leads to more controversy about who Jesus is and whether his listeners will believe him.

A friend of mine once proposed that any time modern Christians read the New Testament, we should put ourselves in the shoes of the Pharisees. Rather than criticizing these suspicious faith leaders, perhaps we should let them critique us. Modern American Christians exist in comfort and privilege. We have significant political influence. Yet we busy ourselves with “culture wars” and feign persecution at the slightest shred of disagreement. Are modern Christians not spiritually blind? Do we not need Jesus to show us the light as the Pharisees of this passage did? Rather than grasping at theological straws and postulating about whose sin caused what, we should let this story convict us. May Jesus open our eyes to the people and places who need love.

Next week, we’ll look at one of my favorite stories in the gospel of John: the funeral and resurrection of Lazarus…