March 15, 2026

The gospel reading is John 9:1-45. As it is lenghty, I have included at the end of this post.

There’s seeing and then there’s seeing   

‘The man born blind” or the blind man or the formerly blind man, etc. is a lot to have to say over and over in a sermon.  His traditional name is Celidonius. That’s still a mouthful, so I’m going to call him Kel. 

The disciples saw   

·                 A sinner -   

·                 Sickness as punishment  

·                 Someone who deserved what he got  

The neighbors saw  

·                 No farther than his blindness  

·                 That’s all he was  

·                 Once not blind, they couldn’t recognize him  

·                 Had they ever really seen him at all? 

The religious leaders saw  

·                 Black and white - Clear distinction between right and wrong and a rule had been broken  

·                 Mercy has it’s place as long as the rules are followed - after all he’s been blind since birth; what would one more day make  

·                 Mud+spit = kneading, or making mortar = work  

·                 Beside, how can someone who broke the sabbath to heal someone who probably deserved to be blind (same thought as the disciples when they said “steeped in sin since birth”) be from God  

The religious leaders saw, but didn’t see.  So they called Kel’s parents to come in for questioning.   

The parents saw  

·                 Their son, healed  

·                 The danger to themselves  

·                 Stay out of it.  He can stand up for himself  

The religious leaders still didn’t see, so they questioned Kel some more.  As they continued to wrestle with seeing beyond the offense of breaking the Sabbath to what the sign of Kel’s healing might be pointing to,  

Kel saw   

·                 Jesus  

·                 He heard his voice and followed his instructions  

o        Whether he believed or not - he had mud on his eyes so what other choice did he have  

·                 He saw that someone had done what no one had ever done - opened the eyes of a man born blind  

o        All he knew was what he experienced  

o        But that was enough  

The reading goes on:  Jesus heard that Kel was kicked out the synagogue.  And goes to find him.  And he helps Kel see the truth: 

That the one standing before him is more than a healer, a prophet, a man from God. 

He is the Messiah 

There’s seeing and there’s seeing.  There’s a joke in this story:  only the blind man could see. Kel couldn’t see with his eyes, but he truly SAW...  

Maybe seeing depends on your perspective:  

Jesus saw  

·                 Not a person to be judged but an opportunity to do God’s work - share God’s love  

·                 Not a nameless beggar, but a beloved child of God  

·                 Not a rule to be followed, but mercy to give  

Not the danger to himself, but the need of the other  

There’s seeing and there’s seeing - it all depends on your perspective.  Seeing Jesus for who he is - seeing through Jesus’ eyes - changes your perspective: 

As 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 he.” 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.” 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, 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 who were with 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.