Fwd: PBPC - Sunday Sermon Available
March 7, 2021
Chris Coon, PBPC
Introduction
What's the darkest place that you've ever experienced? If you've ever visited some caves, you probably had the experience of having the lights turned off so that you could experience the complete absence of light. I remember my experience of doing cave exploring (spelunking) a few years ago; when we were fare underground, just for fun we turned all of our flashlights off. I remember suddenly being plunged into pitch darkness, and waving my hand right in front of my face, without the slightest visual sensation. It was very disconcerting. And when the lights were turned back on, I had a renewed appreciation for what I hadn't been able to see: the incredible beauty of the rock formations, the stalactites and stalagmites that had taken hundreds of thousands of years to form, as well as the amazing colors in the rock walls; but also, I realized that there were treacherous drops nearby that posed deadly peril for anyone moving around in these places without the benefit of sight.
The ability to see is what our scripture passage today is about: what it means to see, what God wants us to see, and how God helps us to see.
John 9:1-41
1As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed 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 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes, 7 saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some were saying, "It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying, "I am the man." 10 But they kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" 11 He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' Then 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 Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see." 16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And they were divided. 17 So they said again to the blind man, "What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened." He said, "He is a prophet."
18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" 20 His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself." 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, "Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner." 25 He answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." 26 They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" 27 He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?" 28 Then they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." 30 The man answered, "Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." 34 They answered him, "You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?" And they drove him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36 He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him." 37 Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he." 38 He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind." 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not blind, are we?" 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.
Spiritual Blindness
This story is about the very real situation of a man who was born blind, and who experienced a very real healing at the hands of Jesus. But the story is really about spiritual blindness, a tragic state that prevents people from recognizing when God is at work; and by failing to see, they also fail to respond to God's invitation of love.
The story begins with the question of who sinned, the man or his parents, that he was born blind. This might seem like a strange question, but it reflects an ongoing question that we all share: where is God in the midst of my experience? What did I do to deserve this? Am I being punished for something that I did? Jesus makes it very clear that this man's blindness was not the result of anyone's sin; his blindness was one of the many unfortunate things that happens as a result of us living in a fallen world. But every painful thing that happens is also an opportunity for God's healing power and glory to enter in and shine.
The Pharisees, the religious leaders of the time, were very focused on sin, the things that we do in disobedience of God; and in righteousness, the things we do in obedience of God. In their eyes, the only way that the people could be right with God was to obey the religious laws to the letter. This included the command to observe the Sabbath day (the sixth day of the week, Saturday) and to do no work on that day. And this even included healing, which was why the Pharisees were so upset about what had happened and so suspicious of Jesus: he had healed on the Sabbath day, which meant that he could not be of God.
The Pharisees are the truly blind ones in this story. Their rigid understanding of God made them spiritually blind. Their commitment to their own system of works meant that only the people who kept the legalistic requirements of the laws could be considered righteous, and thus their hearts were closed to the movement of God's Spirit. In their blindness, they could not recognize the incredible healing that Jesus had performed, or the difference that it made in the man's life. All they could see was that Jesus had apparently broken the rule about working on the Sabbath.
The Light of the World
Jesus addresses this issue of spiritual blindness by saying, "I am the light of the world." This is one of several bold "I am" sayings found in the gospel of John, all of which focus on the centrality of Jesus for our true understanding and experience of God. The key attribute of light is that it allows us to see things as they really are.
John's gospel from the very beginning presents the world as a place filled with darkness. This darkness is spiritual confusion caused by sin, and for the most part we are powerless to deal with it and find our way on our own. The story of the Bible is the story of the Creator God – the One who said, "Let there be light" in the very beginning – working to redeem humankind. Psalm 119 says, "Your word is lamp to my feet and a light to my path," and John presents Jesus as both God's Word in human flesh and as the light of the world.
The Light of the world allows us to see things as they really are. In the light, we see God as he truly is, the One who loves us and sees healing and blessing as a fulfillment of the law rather than a violation of it. In the light, we see ourselves as we truly are, imperfect people who are incapable on our own of being the righteous and loving beings that God created us to be. In the light, we see the grace and forgiveness that God is offering us – if we are willing to receive it.
What Has Jesus Done for Me?
In this story, the Pharisees persist in questioning the man about Jesus, even asking him how Jesus could heal him if Jesus was a sinner. The man's reply was, "I don't know if this man is a sinner; one thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see." He didn't have answers to their theological questions; he could not debate them on their level. And yet his testimony is powerful, and the Pharisees are frustrated because they can't disprove what happened.
Sometimes we feel like we don't know enough to share our faith with others. We're not theologically trained, we don't know the Christian doctrines well enough to explain them. We don't feel like we've read the Bible enough or know it well enough. We're not yet ready. This is where it is important to understand the nature of the light that Jesus is for us; this light is not just about knowledge, knowing and believing the right things about God and ourselves. The light actually leads us into God's presence. By receiving Jesus, we enter into a true relationship with God.
So, the much more important question than what we know about Jesus is, what has Jesus done for me? Perhaps it's that through Jesus' words and actions, you now know what God is truly like, and that God loves you unconditionally. Maybe your life has been changed by the grace of Jesus dying on the cross and taking away our sins. Or the hope that comes in knowing that through Jesus we can share in the eternal life of God. Maybe Jesus' teaching and example has shown you how to live your life in a selfless and loving way, and maybe making Jesus lord of your life has given you the deep sense of meaning and purpose that you never had before.
Your story is important, your experience of the light cannot be disproved. What has Jesus done for you? Theological truth is important, but it is empty apart from our personal experience of God. If you are not sure that you've had any personal experience of God, I encourage you to pray and talk to Jesus about it. Our experience of God does not have to be filled with overwhelming emotion, although it might be, or something we'd describe as "supernatural" like speaking in tongues, although it might be. But it is through prayer that we have our primary interaction with God, the way that we offer ourselves to God. And I have found that when we are truly experiencing God, the result will be a great sense of God's love and a deep sense of peace and well-being because our heart has found its true home.
Conclusion
Jesus came as the Light of the world to bring people into relationship with God. Jesus wants to heal our spiritual blindness so that we can see God for who he really is, as the Creator who loves us and wants to be in relationship with us forever; and to see ourselves for who we really are, the beloved of God whom Jesus came into the world to seek and to save. Jesus is the light of the world, he is our light; the light shines for us in the midst of the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it.