The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost (G)

John 9:1-17

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. ² And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³ Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴ We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” ⁶ Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud ⁷ and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. 

⁸ The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹ Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” ¹⁰ So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” ¹¹ He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” ¹² They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” 

¹³ They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. ¹⁴ Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. ¹⁵ So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” ¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. ¹⁷ So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” 

With everything that God has done for you in your life, what would you say about him. There is a great miracle that takes place in the text. It reveals the power of God to heal his creation, or even re-create his creation in a proper way. Jesus heals the man born blind, he gives him sight. But I start to look at people's reactions. You do not get much more than the original question from the disciples.

But how would you react if you saw a blind man, or beggar, well? Would you think it must be his twin? Would you believe him when he declared that he was the same man? I don't need to worry about whether it happened on the Sabbath. We may wonder whether or not this comes from the devil or from God.

So what type of person would we call the healer? God has done something greater for you than just allowing you to see. He has given you sight, even if you are physically blind. He has opened your eyes to the good news of salvation through Christ Jesus. He has opened your ears to hear and listen to the voice of God thundering through the Law found in his word. He has chiseled away at your stoney heart, and creates in you a clean heart, ready to hear what Christ has done for you.

So what do you say about the man who has made you holy, clean, and redeemed you from eternal damnation. He has given you life, and every good thing you have. So what do you tell other people about him?