Musical Prelude and Service.

John 9:1-41
Are there times when we shouldn’t work for healing? Are there times wen we should refrain from acting with love and compassion because it just doesn’t seem appropriate, or we might upset other people or offend a different group?
Does this seem like an odd question?
This is one of the many things going on in this scripture.
Jesus and his disciples come across a blind man. The first question that comes up is if he or his family is responsible for this condition. A condition that leaves him completely vulnerable to the greed and injustice of the world around him. In essence, the question is whether or not this man is worthy of compassion, or should we just walk on by.
Jesus says no – this is a man in need of care and healing. We cannot ignore him.
“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day”
Work the works of him who sent me. God’s work is that of healing. The work of making people and communities whole. Because while this one man and so many more like him, are suffering and not really part of the rest of the community. Neither him nor the community itself are truly well and whole.
In this gospel reading, God – working through Jesus, desires healing for this blind man and for his community. Jesus makes that a reality. Jesus is not going to be constrained by the time of day, the day of the week or the concerns of authorities. Circumstances have made this an opportunity for healing and Jesus is going to take it.
Once this man is healed, we get more questions and more challenges. Jesus worked on the Sabbath. The pharisees debate whether a man of God could perform such a miracle while going against Sabbath rules.
For Jesus, clearly the answer is to work for healing now while the opportunity is present. Work for justice now. The chance may not always be there.
The gospel writer also plays with the image of sight and blindness. For the writer of John, everything has more than one meaning. Jesus describes himself in a host of different ways throughout this book. Jesus is the vine. Jesus is the bread of life. Jesus is the living water. And here, Jesus is the light of the world.
Now a man can see. But as well as physically being able to see now, the man’s sight is spiritual. He can truly see. He sees the world as it is. He sees Jesus for who he is. He sees how God is at work in the world.
The man he heals sees the world through new eyes. He can see Jesus for whom he is. It is clear to him Jesus is the promised messiah, come from God. He proclaims this and shares his vision with all who ask.
Meanwhile the Pharisees, the religious leaders who question Jesus’s actions and his identity; those who can already see, are not capable of seeing the truth which is in front of them, John argues. They are concerned with other matters. They cannot recognize the importance of providing healing, while adhering to the strict rules that they are loyal to.
This is not a condemnation of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was established for reasons of justice. It provides a time of rest for people who otherwise could be worked to death. It is a time for humanity. A time for healing and restoration of health and the soul. And yet, by denying someone healing out of a need to maintain that obedience, some people lose sight of what is truly desired by God.
Jesus describes himself as the light of the world. He provides a new way of seeing. He illuminates the injustice that is so present in the world and offers a new path forward. He is not arguing that laws such as Sabbath should be done away with, but to recognize who and what the Sabbath is for.
If you deny compassion, if you deny justice, if you deny healing, you are blind to the desire God has for these things in the world.
I think it is also crucial that we consider the response of the man Jesus heals. He doesn’t spend much time questioning what happened. He can see, when before he could not. When he looks at Jesus, he sees God. And he celebrates, he thanks God. “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
One of the scriptures called on for today is the 23rd Psalm. The Lord is my shepherd. God prepares a table to nourish the people. God accompanies us on our journeys through times of darkness. God strengthens us and shields us.
These passages of scripture can be challenging. This talk of God desiring healing for us; God wishing to protect us and strengthen us in times of darkness and pain. Because all too often it can seem we are left without healing. We are left alone.
How many people can we name who were truly blind and yet now can see? Where is our healing from the illnesses we face?
All I can say is, God comes to us in many different ways. God offers us rest and nourishment in many different ways. And sometimes we struggle to see, or we struggle to hear the voices that are truly speaking God’s word to us.
God is not constrained by our human imaginations and the boundaries we establish for ourselves. God chooses the hands and voices of those we would often dismiss as sinners or the powerless. Those the world may label as unworthy of our attention.
And yet, if we let Christ light our way, we may see God at work all around us.
We may hear God speak to us in wondrous and surprising ways.
And we may be moved to say,

thanks be to God.

Amen

Music provided with permission through licensing with CCLI License number
2701258 and One License # A-731789