Bp Miller’s Musings: Fourth Sunday in Lent

First, a concern: The Gospels often paint a picture of “the Jews” as enemies of God, this story of the man born blind included. We must take care in our interpretation and proclamation of this text not to implicate those of the Jewish faith, today or at the time of Jesus, as evil or as any more opposed to God than any other people. There are plenty in the church today who would deny Christ in word and deed, and St Paul has reminded us that all have fallen short of the glory of God. Lutherans, in particular, can look for the works of grace in these stories of rejection, misunderstanding, and hard-heartedness.

The story of the encounter between Jesus and the man born blind, begins with a question from his disciples: “Who sinned, this man or his parents?” Right away, we see the ignorance of the disciples, who somehow believe that disability comes as punishment for sin. Like we so often do, the disciples look for a reason behind the man’s disability rather than seek a relationship with him—he becomes an object to them, preferably one they can avoid.

In relating this story, John also makes the man an object, a tool for Jesus to demonstrate the glory of God and to teach a lesson about spiritual blindness. I wonder if our challenge in reading this text is to find ourselves in relationship with the blind man—not as those who need their eyes open, but as those who can look upon disability and see humanity in its wholeness. Could it be that our understanding of the image of God needs expanding?

Sin separates us from God and from one another. Sin does not allow us to see God, nor does it allow us to see the image of God. Instead, in sin, we see each other’s faults, shortcomings, and weakness, and we imagine these make us less than human. We become judges of humanity in others, thus attempting to make ourselves like God.

Jesus, the Light of the World, exposes in us our blindness to humanity in others, blindness that creates enmity between us and God, and each other. Our blindness leads to abuse, violence and wars, whereas the Light brings healing, reconciliation and peace.

We pray, heavenly Father, that you would not regard our sins nor deny our prayers on account of them. For we are worthy of nothing for which we ask,  nor have we earned it. Please give all things to us by your grace, for we sin daily and deserve only punishment. Help us, for our part, to heartily forgive and gladly do good to those who have sinned against us. (Luther’s Small Catechism, adapted in Chris L. Halverson, Rea, Reflect, Pray: A Lutheran Prayer Book (Charleston, SC: CreateSpace, 2013), 96)