Our focus reading for the fourth Sunday in Lent is John 9: 1-41
God’s restorative love is expressed in Jesus’ life and ministry. Blindness and other ailments were often viewed as punishment for sin in ancient times. The disciples of Jesus and the leaders who oppose him assume this.
Biblical scholar Richard Rohrbaugh speaks of an ancient custom of spitting in the presence of the blind to protect oneself from the “evil eye.” Jesus transforms that act of disdain into one of healing.
Sabbath-keeping was the most visible mark of practicing Judaism. Its weekly ritual of renewal reflected the God who “rested” (translating the Hebrew shabath) on the seventh day of creation (Genesis 2:2).
In this story, Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath creates the initial controversy (verse 16). At issue is what can or cannot be done on the Sabbath, and many oral traditions developed to provide guidance.
“Kneading” was technically forbidden. Jesus’ making of mud (verse 6) could be viewed as such an activity. The larger question involves Sabbath and healing. Has Jesus broken or kept the law by performing this act?
The healing creates division within the community. Neighbours are divided over whether this is the same man they had known (verse 9). Pharisees are divided over whether Jesus is from God or not (verse 16). Even the man’s parents distance themselves from their son for fear of the religious leaders (verses 21–22). These divisions within the narrative hint at divisions between church and synagogue in the author’s time.
The transformation of the healed one is not just from blindness to sight. Initially, the blind man is a passive recipient of Jesus’ actions, but he becomes more active as the story goes on.
By reporting what has happened, he becomes a teacher of theology to the teachers of theology. Eventually, this healed one becomes a disciple of the one who healed.
With some mud and some spit, Jesus changed the life of a blind beggar. These ordinary elements were used to change not only the life of one person but also a community as the news of the miracle spread. Jesus offers us guidance, refuge, hope, and healing.
When we see these as gifts from God rather than as gifts for us, our perspective can change. When we see those we want to cast out or ignore the way God sees them – as individuals who are valued and have worth – our entire world view can change as well.
Our prayer for Lent 4:
God, help us to see the ways you turn the ordinary elements of life into something amazing.
Shift our perspective to place you at the centre so we may be transformed as we look at the world differently. Amen.
In peace
Pastor Beryl, DLM
Words adapted from Seasons of the Spirit, 2023