Lent 4th Sunday 2014

1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41

The story of David’s selection and the gospel reading can both be considered stories about recognition. Samuel is grieved by Saul’s failure, indicating an attachment or friendship; however, he fears Saul will kill him. We do not know what strategy Samuel used to understand God’s choice; The New Oxford Annotated Bible indicates that he would have used divination tools, such as Urim and Thummim. While we may not be familiar with such objects, it seems the process of prophecy involved a series of yes and no questions. Similarly our own “divination tools” are the questions we ask.

In the gospel reading, the man born blind, 1) doesn’t see Jesus at all, 2) identifies Him as a man, 3) names Him a prophet, 4) acknowledges Him as “from God,” and finally, 5) understands Him as the Son of God and savior. These are developmental steps that we must cycle through. Our perceptions of Christ change as we come interact with Him, and have our faith tested. However, this man found that his self-perception shifted as well; in the beginning he is known as “the man blind from birth,” and at the end, a disciple of Christ’s.

“Give glory to God” was the typical oath used to confess sins; we might mean,”Because I give glory to God, I owe it to Him to confess.” In the context of the gospel, however, we can more honestly finish the statement, “I give glory to God because I am a sinner. I have opportunity to experience the Lord’s power, mercy, and forgiveness, and thereby draw closer to Him.”

“Jesus shifts attention from cause to purpose” (The New Oxford Annotated Bible). Because we live in a society which celebrates “empowerment,” many times we focus on the cause of a situation so that we can change it. If we concentrate on the purpose of a circumstance, we become more aware and trusting of Divine Providence and God’s Will; we switch from empowerment mode to learning mode. As Jesus teaches us, they are opportunities for the Lord to act so we can know and love Him more intimately.

Because the man doesn’t see Christ when He heals him, he literally wouldn’t have recognized Him by sight. He would have known Christ’s voice and touch, but not His appearance. Christ needs to explicitly identify Himself, so that the man can “put the name to the face,” and so identify Him. The blind man relies on deductions and logic in his progressive understanding of Jesus. He listens to the words of others and becomes more certain in his belief, but this is not blind faith. He has experienced the impossible and has reasonably concluded the presence and workings of Christ. It is true in our lives as well; we may not understand in the moment, but through logic we understand that the little miracles in our lives are only possible because of the presence of the Lord.

The expulsion of the man born blind reminds us that when we reject or are rejected by others, we have time and space, energy and attention for someone or something else that we may have previously over-looked. Because the man born blind was rejected by the leaders of his faith, he was free to become a disciple of a new faith. The end is clear, not only will the blind see and those who see will be blinded; sin and condemnation come from ignoring knowledge not from a lack of knowledge. Once we understand something we are obligated to respond to that truth. Falling back to former ignorance is not an option.

Journal Questions:

Have you ever been saddened by another’s failure? What was your role in the situation? Did you fear retaliation?
Who or what have you either rejected or been rejected by, and who or what stood in its stead?

Writing Exercise:

Recount an experience that required a making a choice. Focus on how you made the decision and your feelings of doubt or confidence before, during and after.

Creative arts:

Fabric Arts– Contemplating Christ’s curative touch, texture fabric to be comforting or healing.

Paper arts– David was toiling in the pasture, Jesus was healing on the Sabbath, and building the pool of Siloam required much labor. Depict a scene or use imagery denoting work.

Home arts– Perform a task wearing a blind-fold, and the same or a similar task without it. Reflect on the experience. It may be helpful to have a partner, taking turns with the blind-fold, keeping each other safe, and sharing impressions afterwards.

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