March 15, 2026
Fourth Sunday of Lent
Lectionary: 31
Reading
I
The LORD said to
Samuel:
“Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”
As Jesse and his
sons came to the sacrifice,
Samuel looked at Eliab and thought,
“Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.”
But the LORD said to Samuel:
“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because man sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart.”
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
“The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
“Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse replied,
“There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse,
“Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
“There—anoint him, for this is the one!”
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed David in the presence of his brothers;
and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.
Responsorial
Psalm
R. (1)
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Reading
II
Brothers and
sisters:
You were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light,
for light produces every kind of goodness
and righteousness and truth.
Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness;
rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention
the things done by them in secret;
but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
for everything that becomes visible is light.
Therefore, it says:
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”
Verse
Before the Gospel
I am the light of
the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
Gospel
As Jesus passed by
he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered,
“Neither he nor his parents sinned;
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
His neighbors and
those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”
So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
He replied,
“The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes
and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’
So I went there and washed and was able to see.”
And they said to him, “Where is he?”
He said, “I don’t know.”
They brought the
one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”
Now the Jews did
not believe
that he had been blind and gained his sight
until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight.
They asked them,
“Is this your son, who you say was born blind?
How does he now see?”
His parents answered and said,
“We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
We do not know how he sees now,
nor do we know who opened his eyes.
Ask him, he is of age;
he can speak for himself.”
His parents said this because they were afraid
of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed
that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ,
he would be expelled from the synagogue.
For this reason his parents said,
“He is of age; question him.”
So a second time
they called the man who had been blind
and said to him, “Give God the praise!
We know that this man is a sinner.”
He replied,
“If he is a sinner, I do not know.
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.”
So they said to him,
“What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?”
He answered them,
“I told you already and you did not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again?
Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
They ridiculed him and said,
“You are that man’s disciple;
we are disciples of Moses!
We know that God spoke to Moses,
but we do not know where this one is from.”
The man answered and said to them,
“This is what is so amazing,
that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.
It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.
If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything.”
They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.
When Jesus heard
that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered and said,
“Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him,
“You have seen him,
the one speaking with you is he.”
He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.
Then Jesus said,
“I came into this world for judgment,
so that those who do not see might see,
and those who do see might become blind.”
Some of the
Pharisees who were with him heard this
and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?”
Jesus said to them,
“If you were blind, you would have no sin;
but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.
OR:
As Jesus passed by
he saw a man blind from birth.
He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” — which means Sent —.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
His neighbors and
those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”
They brought the
one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”
They answered and
said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.
When Jesus heard
that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered and said,
“Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him,
“You have seen him, and
the one speaking with you is he.”
He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031526.cfm
Sunday
of Week 4 of Lent – Laetare Sunday (Year A, B or C)
Note: On this, the Fourth Sunday in Lent, we celebrate
the Mass for the second of the three ‘Scrutinies’. The Scrutinies are special
rites that help prepare the Elect (those participating in the Order of
Christian Initiation of Adults) to enter the Catholic Church. The readings
discussed in this commentary, while ‘proper’ for Year A, may also be used in
Years B and C when there are catechumens present who will be baptised at
Easter. Click on the links below for the commentaries on readings proper for
Years B and C:
______________________________________________________
Commentary on 1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13; Ephesians 5:8-14; John
9:1-41
When catechumens are present at this Mass for the second of
the ‘Scrutinies’, they are presented to the gathered community which they will
soon be joining as full members, and from which they will receive acceptance
and support. After the homily, and before the Creed, they will leave the
gathered community, because they are not yet full members of the faith
community. It is in this context today that we have the marvellous story from
John’s Gospel about the cure of a man born blind.
As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who was blind from
birth. This man is the hero of today’s Gospel. The Gospel is much more here
than just a miracle story about the man—it is a story about everyone who
becomes a follower of Christ.
Again, like last Sunday, when we read about the Samaritan by
the well of Jacob, today’s story has close links with the sacrament of baptism.
In addition to catechumens who may be present, it is also a time for us to
understand the commitments that our own baptism entails.
The disciples ask Jesus about the reason for this man’s
blindness:
Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was
born blind?
Jesus responds:
Neither this man nor his parents sinned…
The real reason was so that “God’s works might be revealed”:
in healing him. In other words, it was so the glory and power of God would be
made evident before their eyes, so that their own blindness could be cured.
All the way through, the story emphasises that the man was
blind from birth. To heal him is to help him begin a completely new life which
he had never before experienced. He will be able to experience the light that
Jesus brings:
I am the Light of the World. (John 8:12)
To see is to be bathed in that light. If we do not know
Jesus, we are living in darkness.
In the beginning of the story:
- the
man is blind—he cannot see;
- he
is a beggar—he has nothing;
- he
is an outsider—no one accepts him;
- he
is a man without Christ in his life
But in the end, because he can see, he becomes a disciple of
Jesus; it is the inevitable outcome.
In the beginning, he was blind—he was in darkness. In the
end, he is in the light, not just of his physical sight, but because a deeper
insight opens him up to Jesus who is the Light of the world.
Healing
Jesus heals the man’s eyes using mud and saliva. At that time, people believed
that saliva could heal and, to some degree they were right. By using mud, Jesus
also helps us to recall God’s using mud to create Adam, the first man. Here,
too, there is a new creation—Jesus is making a new person. St Paul calls the
baptised Christian “a new creation”. Then, Jesus tells the man to wash in the
pool of Siloam. This is, as it were, his baptism.
After his healing, his friends and his neighbours discuss
his identity—is it really him? But he was blind, and this man can see. Because
he has changed, some people cannot recognise him. When we are baptised, when we
follow Christ, we too should change. Maybe some people will say, “You are not
like the way you were before! You are hardly the person we used to know.” And
that is what they should be saying!
Guardians of orthodoxy
Because they were not satisfied, the neighbours bring the blind man to see the
Pharisees, the guardians of orthodox religion. Jesus had healed the man on the
Sabbath and the methods he used were against the letter of the Law. The
conundrum, of course is that if Jesus was from God, he would not break the law.
And, if he is a sinner, how can he do these things? Sinners cannot do the work
of God.
For the Pharisees, sin is breaking the letter of the Law;
for Jesus, sin is doing an unloving thing, breaking or hurting a relationship.
It is a distinction we need to keep in mind. It is a sin to violate one of the
Commandments, not because we violate a law, but because we have failed in the
love of a brother or sister. And we can sin even when we do nothing at all for
someone in need of our love.
The Pharisees now ask the blind man his opinion. For the
man, it is all perfectly clear: Jesus is a prophet, that is, his actions are
from God. He measures Jesus by what he did, not by what the law says. But the
Pharisees cannot accept this. If they accept, they have to accept Jesus and his
teaching also. So they do not even accept that the man was born blind! Prejudice
can even blind us to facts.
Pressuring the parents
The Pharisees then try to get the man’s parents on their side. Maybe they will
admit that the blindness was only temporary. But the parents know very well
that their son was blind from birth, and they do not deny it, but they are
afraid to say anything. They know that if anyone were to say Jesus is the
Messiah, he or she will be expelled from the synagogue and will no longer be
part of the community. In such a tightly knit society, this is not a price they
are willing to pay, even for their son. Many Jewish converts to Christianity
must have had the experience of being expelled by their communities.
Christians, too, over the centuries, and down to our own day, have had this
experience.
So the parents say their son is an adult. He can answer for
himself. They cannot afford to identify themselves with Jesus against the
authorities.
Telling the truth
The Pharisees again ask the man to tell the truth, meaning, to tell them what
they want to hear. They say to him:
We know that this man is a sinner….How did he open your
eyes?
The Pharisees’ evaluation is based on their interpretation
of the Law, which they regard as supreme. Jesus cannot, in their thinking, have
opened his eyes.
Says the man:
I don’t know if he is a sinner. I do know I was blind and
now I can see.
The Pharisees for the umpteenth time ask:
What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?
The man says:
I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do
you want to hear it again?
The man begins to mock them. He is more daring now, not
afraid and he asks them:
Do you also want to become his disciples?
Inevitably the Pharisees become angry. They “reviled” the
man saying:
You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We
know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he
comes from.
This is a example of Johannine irony, where people say
things which have a meaning of which they are unaware—for it is true that no
one knows the origins of Jesus. He is the Word who has been with God from the
beginning, and he is God. On the other hand, some of this truth is quite
obvious to this simple, uneducated man who is the subject of their ire.
The man exclaims:
Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he
comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the
world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born
blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.
The Pharisees now become very angry and say to the man:
You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to
teach us?
The words are cruel and indicate a refusal to accept that
people can change and be transformed. We too often tend to condemn wrongdoers
for the rest of their lives. But fortunately for each one of us, that is not
God’s way.
After this, the Pharisees expelled the man from the
synagogue. This is what the parents feared, but their son is made of different
stuff. This was the experience of many Jews who became Christians—and the
experience of many others who were expelled by their families, relatives and
society for choosing to follow Christ.
Found by Jesus
Jesus hears the man has been expelled and goes in search of him. Jesus asks
him:
“Do you believe in the Son of Man [i.e. the
Messiah]?
And the man replies:
And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in
him.
He does not immediately recognise Jesus in the flesh, for it
is the first time he has seen him with his new sight. Jesus says:
You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.
And the man falls down and “worships him” saying:
Lord, I believe.
He sees now also with eyes of faith. He is now a disciple. A
disciple is someone who knows and can see and accepts Jesus as his Lord and
Saviour. Jesus says:
I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do
not see may see and those who do see may become blind.
The Pharisees ask Jesus:
Surely we are not blind, are we?
Jesus responds:
If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that
you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
Those who sin, those who refuse to listen, those who are
proud, they are the really blind people. The Pharisees, who thought they could
see, were the real sinners. And the man born blind, who accepts Jesus, is the
one who can actually see.
Links to Baptism
As mentioned above, this Gospel has a clear relation to baptism. We read it today
for the catechumens who are preparing for baptism. They are beginning to see
Jesus, to recognise him and to follow him. But it is certainly for us who are
already baptised.
At first sight, one might wonder about the relevance of the
First Reading from the First Book of Samuel to the general theme of the Mass.
The central lesson is that God chooses his own and does not judge by outward
appearance. Samuel thought that the eldest son of Jesse, so tall, so handsome
must be God’s choice to be king after the discredited Saul. But the eldest son
was not God’s choice—God wanted the youngest, the shepherd boy David.
In the Gospel, Jesus sees a future disciple in the blind
beggar, and passes over the self-righteous Pharisees who, externally, seemed to
be so devoutly religious. Today, too, our catechumens should wonder why they
have been chosen to enter Christ’s community when there would seem to be so
many others more fitting.
And it is the same for each one of us. We have not conferred
a favour on God by getting baptised. It is we who need to wonder and give
thanks that God’s way has been made known to us. And we give thanks most
effectively by giving back to God the love he has shown us through the love we
show to all our brothers and sisters, Christians and non-Christians alike.
The Second Reading reminds us how we were once living in
darkness but, through our baptism, are now living in the light. We are, then,
to be children of the light, to reflect that light which has been given to us.
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:
You are the light of the world. (Matt 5:14)
We might say that we are only living in the light to the
extent that God’s light shines in us and through us, giving light to others.
The Second Reading tells us:
…the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and
right and true.
But the good and right and true can only be seen when people
are good and right and true. So, we are to:
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness; rather,
expose them.
There should be no dark corners in our lives.
If we are people of the light, people of integrity, we are
not afraid of the light. We have nothing shameful to hide; we are totally
transparent. For most of us, that is something of a problem, but let us keep
working to become people transfused with light, the light of truth and goodness
and love.
For that we need to see Jesus and the Gospel ever more
clearly. Then, let this be our prayer today, along with with a beggar in the
Gospel:
Lord, let me see again. (Luke 18:41)
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/labc041/
Sunday,
March 15, 2026
Fourth Sunday of Lent
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures
with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In
the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the
presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the
cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life
and of resurrection. Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice
in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the
poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two
disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and
witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity,
justice, and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us
the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.
Gospel Reading - John 9: 1-41
A Key to the Reading:
The text of the Gospel of the fourth Sunday
of Lent invites us to meditate on the healing of a man born blind. It is a
short but lively text. It is a concrete example of the way the Fourth Gospel
reveals the deep hidden meaning of the events in Jesus’ life. The story of the
healing of the blind man helps us open our eyes to the picture of Jesus that we
each carry within ourselves. We often think of a Jesus who looks like a
glorious king, removed from the life of ordinary people! In the Gospels, Jesus
is presented as a Servant of the poor, friend of sinners. The picture of the
Messiah-King that the Pharisees had in mind, kept us from recognising Jesus the
Messiah-Servant. As we read the Gospel, let us try to pay attention to two
things: (i) the expert and free way the blind man reacts to the provocations of
the authorities, and (ii) the way the blind man himself opens his eyes
concerning Jesus.
A Division of the Text as a Help to the
Reading:
•
John 9: 1-5: Blindness before the evil that
exists in the world
•
John 9: 6-7: The sign of the “One sent by God”
who will provoke various reactions
•
John 9: 8-13: The reaction of the neighbors
•
John 9: 14-17: The reaction of the
Pharisees
•
John 9:18-23: The reaction of the parents
•
John 9: 24-34: The final judgement of the
Pharisees
•
John 9: 35-38: The final attitude of the man
born blind
•
John 9: 39-41: A closing reflection Text:
1 As he went along, he saw a man
who had been blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned,
this man or his parents, that he should have been born blind?' 3 'Neither he
nor his parents sinned,' Jesus answered, 'he was born blind so that the works
of God might be revealed in him. 4 'As long as day lasts we must carry out the
work of the one who sent me; the night will soon be here when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world.'
6 Having said
this, he spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the
eyes of the blind man, 7 and said to him, 'Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam'
(the name means 'one who has been sent'). So he went off and washed and came
back able to see.
8 His neighbors and the people who
used to see him before (for he was a beggar) said, 'Isn't this the man who used
to sit and beg?' 9 Some said, 'Yes, it is the same one.' Others said, 'No, but
he looks just like him.' The man himself said, 'Yes, I am the one.' 10 So they
said to him, 'Then how is it that your eyes were opened?' 11 He answered, 'The
man called Jesus made a paste, daubed my eyes with it and said to me, "Go
off and wash at Siloam"; so I went, and when I washed I gained my sight.'
12 They asked, 'Where is he?' He answered, 'I don't know.' 13 They brought to
the Pharisees the man who had been blind.
14 It had been a Sabbath day when
Jesus made the paste and opened the man's eyes, 15 so when the Pharisees asked
him how he had gained his sight, he said, 'He put a paste on my eyes, and I
washed, and I can see.' 16 Then some of the
Pharisees said,
'That man cannot be from God: he does not keep the Sabbath.' Others said, 'How
can a sinner produce signs like this?' And there was division among them. 17 So
they spoke to the blind man again, 'What have you to say about him yourself,
now that he has opened your eyes?' The man answered, 'He is a prophet.'
18 However, the
Jews would not believe that the man had been blind without first sending for
the parents of the man who had gained his sight and 19 asking them, 'Is this
man really the son of yours who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that
he is now able to see?' 20 His parents answered, 'We know he is our son and we
know he was born blind, 21 but how he can see, we don't know, nor who opened
his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.' 22 His parents
spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to ban from the
synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. 23
This was why his parents said, 'He
is old enough; ask him.'
24 So the Jews
sent for the man again and said to him, 'Give glory to God! We are satisfied
that this man is a sinner.' 25 The man answered, 'Whether he is a sinner I
don't know; all I know is that I was blind and now I can see.' 26 They said to
him, 'What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?' 27 He replied, 'I have
told you once and you wouldn't listen. Why do you want to hear it all again? Do
you want to become his disciples yourselves?' 28 At this they hurled abuse at
him, 'It is you who are his disciple, we are disciples of Moses: 29 we know
that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we don't know where he comes
from.' 30 The man replied, 'That is just what is so amazing! You don't know
where he comes from, and he has opened my eyes! 31 We know that God doesn't
listen to sinners, but God does listen to people who are devout and do his
will. 32 Ever since the world began it is unheard of for anyone to open the
eyes of someone born blind; 33 if this man were not from God, he wouldn't have
been able to do anything.' 34 They retorted, 'Are you trying to teach us, and
you a sinner through and through ever since you were born!' And they ejected
him. 35 Jesus heard they had ejected him, and when he found him he said to him,
'Do you believe in the Son of man?' 36 'Sir,' the man replied, 'tell me who he
is so that I may believe in him.' 37 Jesus said, 'You have seen him; he is
speaking to you.' 38 The man said, 'Lord, I believe,' and worshipped him.
39 Jesus said: It is for judgement that I
have come into this world, so that those without sight may see and those with
sight may become blind. 40 Hearing this, some Pharisees who were present said
to him, 'So we are blind, are we?' 41 Jesus replied: If you were blind, you
would not be guilty, but since you say, 'We can see,' your guilt remains.
A Moment of Prayerful Silence
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten
our life.
Some Questions
to help us in our personal reflection.
•
What part of this text touched me most? Why?
•
A popular saying goes: “None so blind as those
who will not see!” How does this apply to the conversation between the blind
man and the Pharisees?
•
By what titles is Jesus hailed in the text? Who
pronounces these? What do they mean?
•
What title do I like best? Why? Or, what picture
of Jesus do I carry in my mind and my heart? Where does this picture come from?
•
How can I purify my eyes to see the true Jesus
of the Gospels?
For Those Who Wish to Delve Deeper into the Text
The Context Within Which the Gospel of John
was Written:
As we meditate on
the story of the healing of the blind man, it is good to keep in mind the
context of the Christian communities in Asia Minor towards the end of the first
century for whom the Gospel of John was written and who identified with the
blind man and his healing. Because of a legalistic view of the Law of God, they
were blind from birth. But, as happened with the blind man, they too were able
to see the presence of God in the person of Jesus of Nazareth and were
converted. It was a painful process! In describing the steps and conflicts of
the healing of the blind man, the author of the Fourth Gospel recalls the
spiritual journey of the community, from the darkness of blindness to the full
light of faith enlightened by Jesus.
A Commentary on the Text:
John 9: 1-5: Blindness before the
evil that exists in the world
When the disciples
see the blind man, they ask: “Rabbì, who sinned, this man or his parents, for
him to have been born blind?” In those days, a physical defect or sickness was
thought to be a punishment from God. Associating physical defects with sin was
the way the priests of the Old Testament kept their power over people’s
consciences. Jesus helps his disciples to correct their ideas: “Neither he nor
his parents sinned…he was born blind so that the works of God might be
displayed in him!” The works of God is the same as Sign of God. Thus, that
which in those days was a sign of God’s absence, is now a sign of his brilliant
presence in our midst. Jesus says: “As long as the day lasts I must carry out
the work of the one who sent me; the night will soon be here when no one can
work. As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world.” The Day of signs begins to manifest itself
when Jesus, “on the third day” (Jn 2:1), makes present the “first sign” in Cana
(Jn 2:11). But the day is about to end. The night is about to fall, because it
is already “the seventh day”, the Sabbath, and the healing of the blind man is
now the sixth sign (Jn 9:14). The Night is
the death of
Jesus. The seventh sign will be
the victory over death at the resurrection of Lazarus (Jn 11). In John’s Gospel
there are only seven signs, miracles, that announce the great sign, namely the
Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
•
John 9: 6-7. The sign of the “One sent by God”
who will provoke various reactions Jesus spits on the ground, forms mud with
his saliva, puts the mud on the eyes of the blind man and tells him to wash in
the pool of Siloam. The man goes and comes back healed. This is the sign! John
comments saying that Siloam means sent. Jesus is the One sent by the Father who works the works of God, the signs of the
Father. The sign of this ‘sending’ is that the blind man begins to see.
•
John 9: 8-13: The first reaction: that of the
neighbors
The blind man is well known. The neighbors
have doubts: “Is this he?” And they ask: “How do your eyes come to be open?”
The man who was blind testifies: “The Man
called Jesus opened my eyes.” The basis of our faith in Jesus is to accept
that he is a human being like us. The neighbors ask: “Where is he?” - “I don’t
know!” They are not satisfied with the answer of the blind man and, to clarify
matters, they bring the man before the Pharisees, the religious authorities.
•
John 9: 14-17: The second reaction: that of the
Pharisees
That day was a Sabbath and on the Sabbath it was forbidden
to heal. When asked by the Pharisees, the man tells everything once more. Some
Pharisees, blind in their observance of the law, say: “This man cannot be from
God, he does not keep the Sabbath!” They could not admit that Jesus could be a
sign of God because he healed the blind man on a Sabbath. But other Pharisees,
faced by the sign, answer: “How could a sinner produce signs like this?” They
were divided among themselves! So they asked the blind man: “What have you to
say about him yourself, now that he has opened your eyes?” And he gives
witness: “He is a Prophet!”
•
John 9: 18-23: The third reaction: that of the
parents
The Pharisees, now called the Jews,
did not believe that he was blind. They thought that it was a matter of
deception. So they called his parents and asked: “Is this man really your son
who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he is now able to see?” Very
carefully the parents reply: “We know he is our son and we know he was born
blind, but we don’t know how it is that he can see now, or who opened his eyes.
He is old enough: let him speak for himself!” The blindness of the Pharisees
before the evidence of the healing produces fear among the people. And anyone
who professed faith in Jesus Messiah was
excluded from the synagogue. The conversation with the parents of the blind man
reveals the truth, but the religious authorities will not accept it. Their
blindness is greater because of the witness given, now they will not accept the
law that says that the witness of two persons is valid
(Jn 8: 17).
•
John 9: 24-34: The final judgement of the
Pharisees concerning Jesus
They call the blind
man again and say: “Give glory to God! For our part we know that this man is a
sinner.” Here: “give glory to God” meant: “Ask pardon for the lie you just
pronounced!” The blind man had said: “He is a prophet!” According to the
Pharisees he should have said: “He is a sinner!” But the blind man is
intelligent. He replies: “I don’t know if he is a sinner; I only know that I
was blind and now I can see!” There are no arguments against this fact! Again,
the
Pharisees ask: “What did he do to you? How
did he open your eyes?” The blind man answers with a touch of irony: “I have
told you once…. Do you want to become his disciples too?” Then they insulted
him and said: “You can be his disciple, we know that God spoke to Moses, but
for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.” Again, with a touch of irony
the blind man replies: “Now here is an astonishing thing! He has opened my
eyes, and you don’t know where he comes from! …. If this man were not from God,
he couldn’t do a thing.” Faced with the blindness of the Pharisees, the light
of faith grows in the blind man. He does not accept the logic of the Pharisees
and confesses that Jesus comes from the
Father. This profession of faith costs him his expulsion from the
synagogue. The same was happening in the communities of the end of the first
century. Those who professed faith in Jesus had to break all family and
community ties. This happens today: those who decide to be faithful to Jesus
run the risk of being excluded.
•
John 9: 35-38: The attitude of faith of the
blind man towards Jesus
Jesus does not abandon those who are persecuted for his
sake. When Jesus hears of the expulsion and meets the man again, he helps him
to take a further step by inviting him to take on his faith and asks: “Do you
believe in the Son of Man?” He
replies: “Sir…tell me who he is that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him:
“You are looking at him; he is speaking to you.” The blind man exclaims: “Lord, I believe!” And he worships
Jesus. The faith attitude of the blind man before Jesus is one of absolute
trust and total acceptance. He accepts everything from Jesus. It is this faith
that sustained the Christian communities of Asia towards the end of the first
century, and that sustains us today.
•
John 9: 39-41: A final reflection
The blind man who could not see, ends
up seeing better than the Pharisees. The communities of Asia Minor who were
once blind, discover the light. The Pharisees who thought that they saw well
are more blind than the man born blind. Bound by an ancient observance, they
lie when they say they can see.
None more blind that those who will not see!
A Broader View:
•
The Names and Titles given to Jesus
Throughout the story of the healing of the blind man, the
Evangelist registers various titles, adjectives and names given to Jesus by a
host of people, the disciples, the Evangelist himself, the blind man, the
Pharisees and Jesus himself. This way of describing the events in the life of
Jesus was part of the catechesis of the time. It was a way of helping people to
clarify their own ideas concerning Jesus and to identify themselves in his
regard. Here are some of the names, adjectives and titles. The list shows the
growth of the blind man in faith and how his vision becomes clear.
•
Rabbì (master) (Jn. 9: 1): the disciples
•
Light of the world (Jn 9: 5): Jesus
•
The One sent (Jn 9: 7): the Evangelist
•
Man (Jn 9: 11): the healed man
•
Jesus: (Jn 9:11): the healed man
•
Does not come from God (Jn 9: 16): some
Pharisees
•
Prophet (Jn 9: 17): the healed man
•
Christ (Jn 9: 22): the people
•
Sinner (Jn 9: 24): some Pharisees
•
We do know where he comes from (Jn 9: 31): the
healed man
•
Religious (Jn 9: 31): the healed man
•
Does the will of God (Jn 9: 31): the healed man
•
Son of man (Jn 9: 35): Jesus
•
Lord (Jn 9: 36): the healed man
•
Lord, I believe! (Jn 9: 30): the healed man
•
The Name: “I AM”
To reveal the deep meaning of the healing of the blind man,
the Fourth Gospel records the words of Jesus: “I am the light of the world” (Jn
9:5). In several places, in answer to questions people put to Jesus, the Gospel
repeats this same statement “I AM”:
•
I am the bread of life (Jn 634-48)
•
I am the living bread come down from heaven (Jn
6: 51)
•
I am the light of the world (Jn 8: 12; 9: 5)
•
I am the gate (Jn 10: 7, 9)
•
I am the good shepherd (Jn 10: 11, 25)
•
I am the resurrection and the life (Jn 11: 25)
•
I am the way, the truth and the life (Jn 14: 6)
•
I am the vine (Jn 15: 1)
•
I am king (Jn 18: 37)
•
I am (Jn 8: 24, 27, 58)
This self-revelation of Jesus
reaches its peak in his conversation with the Jews, when Jesus says: “When you
have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He” (Jn 8: 27). The
name I am is the same as Yahweh, the name God took in Exodus, an expression of
his liberating presence between Jesus and the Father (Ex 3: 15). The repeated
affirmation I AM reveals the deep identity between Jesus and the Father. The face
of God shines in Jesus of Nazareth: “To have seen me is to have seen the
Father!” (Jn 14: 9)
Prayer: Psalm 117 (116)
A resume of the Bible in one prayer Alleluia! Praise Yahweh,
all nations, extol him, all peoples, for his faithful love is strong and his
constancy never-ending.
Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to
understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions
and grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us.
May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word.
You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever
and ever. Amen.
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