Fourth Sunday in Lent - Video and Sermon Text

Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer

Fourth Sunday in Lent 

Isaiah 42:14-21  
Ephesians 5:8-14  
John 9:1-41

The Works of God Displayed

O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.

We want to know why things are the way they are. There is always a reason. We are sure of it. It is just a matter of asking the right questions and developing the right tools and technology to figure things out. The disciples of Jesus want to know why the blind man was born this way. They offer two choices. Somebody sinned. Was it the parents or the man himself? If this happened now, we would add two more questions. Is there blindness in the family? In other words, did genetics cause this? An additional question:  was there some kind of agent or exposure during gestation that led to being born blind; such as radiation, toxin, bacteria, virus, or irresponsible use of drugs or alcohol? 

Regardless of the question, I suspect that most questioners would not expect Jesus’ answer: The man’s condition exists so that the works of God may be displayed in him. This was a possibility that was on no one’s radar of possible answers. 

In order to appreciate the fullness of the works of God that are displayed in the blind man and in his healer, it is helpful to know that Jesus just narrowly avoided being stoned in the Temple in Jerusalem. Chapter 8 contains frustrated and angry religious leaders that are puzzled by, then infuriated by, Jesus words and self-revealing. 

Jesus states to the Pharisees, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Jesus goes on to state that he is the Son of our heavenly Father and that they do not know God the Father. Jesus says, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” That went over like a lead balloon. But what really got them riled up is when he said that he is before Abraham. “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” This is Ego Eimi in Greek. And Yahweh in Hebrew.  This is the name revealed to Moses by God in Exodus. Jesus is saying that he is God. Well. That was too much. The transitional sentence into chapter nine reads, “So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” 

The Pharisees and other religious leaders see and hear Jesus, but they do not see or hear him. They are spiritually blind. So blind, in fact, that they want to kill the living God. 

Not everyone in the temple responds the same way. John 8:30 observes that lots of other people heard and saw Jesus and they believed in him. They responded to Jesus with faith. 

The works of God are not being displayed in the spiritual leaders that Jesus is teaching. They have refused Jesus. They have refused his words which are our Father’s words, because Jesus only says to us what the Father wants us to hear. And they have refused Jesus’ mission. They are devoid of faith in Jesus. Not only that, they intended to injure, but most likely murder, Jesus when they picked up those stones. 

Now, in chapter 9, we are blessed with a sign that points to the truth of what Jesus says. He is the I AM. 

As we proceed, we bear in mind that chapters 8 and 9 are happening on the Sabbath. Sabbath is a day of worship and study of God’s Word. Sabbath is a day of rest. Work stops so that the body is restored. Because the Sabbath is so important, 39 rules were developed that said what a Rabbi, a spiritual teacher, could not do on the Sabbath. One of the 39 is to make clay. Clay is a building material. Building is work. So, whatever needs to be built needs to wait until after the sun sets on the Sabbath. 

God is Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus is God and he is Lord of the Sabbath. Those man-made rules do not apply to him. So, he proceeds to make mud or clay and place it on the man’s eyes. 

This scene, Jesus using dirt and applying moisture to make mud which is wet clay, points us back to the Garden of Eden. Adam is made from the earth. Moisture was involved because the dirt stayed in place as the man was formed. The pre-incarnate Christ Jesus made Adam. I say this because the pre-incarnate Christ is the person of the Trinity that interacts with humans. The pre-incarnate Christ is the Word that brings forth the creation. This is most likely, the person of the Trinity that walks with Adam and Eve in the Garden. So, here is the incarnate Christ bending down to the ground, making mud with his own moisture and hands, and kneeling before the blind man, his incomplete creation, and then  placing this mixture on the man’s eyes. 

The man does not resist Jesus’ touch or actions. Neither does the man ignore what Jesus says. He goes to the pool of water that he was supposed to go to and then proceeds to wash. The blind man sees that Jesus is his Savior, his healer. The blind man receives Jesus with faith. When sent, he goes forth in faith. He may be blind, but he sees just fine. When he is done washing, he sees the physical world just fine too. 

Jesus created sight where there was none. The works of God are displayed in this man’s body. No one can do what Jesus did. Only God can make a man born blind see. Because this miracle is so startling, and the spiritually blind refuse to see the presence of God before them, the formerly blind makes his public confession that Jesus healed him. “Though I was blind, now I see.”  Later, before Jesus, the formerly blind man, confesses “Lord, I believe.” John tells us that he worshiped Jesus. 

Who is this man that gives sight to the blind? Jesus is the Son of our heavenly Father. He is the very Word of God who brought all of creation into existence. Jesus is the one that the Father sends to us. The Son condescends to be with us in our sin and brokenness. He calls us to faith. He suffers for our sake even unto death on the cross so that we can be healed of our sins. As Isaiah says, He is wounded for our sakes. By his stripes we are healed. In Christ Jesus, we are forgiven of our sins. Jesus calls us to have faith in him. In us, his work will be displayed.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.