As we begin our reflections on this passage from John, we remain mindful that readings selected for the first three weeks of Lent are meant to draw us back to our ongoing conversions. Conversion is not a one-and-done moment of decision to follow the Lord but rather a lifelong process in which we learn to consistently turn away from viewing ourselves as the directors of our own destiny and toward recognition that all that we are, all that we’ve been given, and all that we ought to be are found in the hands of the one who made us.
It’s also worth noting that the healing of the blind man is not the salient point in this week’s Gospel. The healing is finalized in the first quarter of the lengthy reading and only then are we guided to the objective. If the first three weeks are to demonstrate once again our limitations and inability to live lives worth living, then Lent’s remainder is to show us once again the answer lies solely in Jesus. Praise God that each year a new Lenten Season provides another opportunity to grow more deeply in faith and align ourselves more closely to the Father’s plan. So, what do we see this week? The verse first recounts, “As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.” It’s easy to just breeze over this introduction but with our own eyes of faith we then can acknowledge that the unnamed man’s condition symbolizes the blindness of every human. We may have physical sight, but we are blind to so much else that we stumble through life tripping over obstacles and falling into ditches. That blind man is you and me. “Who sinned”, inquire the disciples to which Jesus responds with redirecting their question. They, and we, shouldn’t necessarily view infirmity and misfortune as retribution for sin even though the linkage between sinful acts and consequences may be readily apparent. The question we should be asking is why did God permit this situation and how will he work within it? St. Teresa of Avila is often credited with saying, “God writes straight with crooked lines”, meaning whatever the Lord permits, he allows for our benefit – for our ultimate good. There is another mystery though.
One certainly wonders why Jesus made mud out of dirt and spittle for ‘medicinal application’ when on other occasions he just willed a healing to take place or life to return to the dead. Could it be that the act symbolized Jesus finishing man’s creation that began with, “the LORD God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Gen. 2:7)”? Or was a kind of ritual the Lord’s way of approaching a people convinced of their utility and effectiveness where they were at? We just don’t know but this shows us that ritual has importance and that is reflected in the form and matter used in every Sacrament the Lord gave to us.
Finally, John gives us a study in contrasts throughout the text. We see the religious elders of the day clinging to their traditional interpretation of God’s commands and ignoring the miraculous ‘good’ that this man Jesus accomplished. The sign was there but they opted to reject it. That invites us to examine our own thinking too. Are there moments when you and I cling to long-valued assumptions and preconceptions that may be erroneous? I’m unable to read Scripture in the original languages and have an incomplete knowledge of their entire context so is it possible that some of my opinions are unformed or misinformed? Quite likely. Perhaps that is an invitation to me, and maybe you, to consider the importance of daily prayer and study.
The unnamed blind man’s journey invites us to tread a different path. We see his initial ignorance – a man named Jesus healed me. We witnessed his incremental progression to seeing Jesus as someone connected to God – I think he is a prophet. Ultimately, we see his healing culminate in a simple but profound profession of faith – I believe you are the Son of Man [a title John uses for the Messiah].
So, where does all of this bring us? Sometimes our thoughts and actions resemble the Pharisee’s approach. And sometimes we are the formerly blind man, and our prayerful assiduous reflection brings us to an understanding of what is true and acceptance of mystery. May the remainder of this Lent bring us all farther along the way to being the people God made us to be.
(daily reflections may be found at deaconrickfreedberg.com)
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