Jesus and the man born blind
JOHN 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38
AS Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” — which means Sent —. So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is,” but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.”
They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” So some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful Man do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.
When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found Him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is He, sir, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him and the One speaking with you is He.” He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped Him.
REFLECTION PLUNGING INTO THE LIGHT. We meet in the Gospel two important protagonists who are searching for Christ.
The first is the man born blind who is not certain about what lies ahead if he puts his trust in Jesus. Nevertheless, he gamely sticks in a toe into Christ’s pool of light. Then when he describes his healer as a prophet and a man “from God,” he sticks his whole foot in the pool. Finally, he plunges into Christ’s pool when he recognizes Him as his Lord and the “Son of Man.”
The second protagonists are the Pharisees who are also neophytes in swimming. They happen to live near the sea (the laws), however, and they find it difficult to accept that someone who lives far from the sea can learn to swim in the light of this so-called Messiah. They try to stop the blind man from plunging into Christ’s pool of light. Although they, too, are given the chance to plunge into the light, their pride and sense of self-importance prevent them from doing so.
Within ourselves we find these two protagonists. Like the man born blind, we long to see the light. We wish to plunge into Christ’s pool, but the Pharisees in us prevent us from accepting and revealing our need for sticking in a toe as we study the Scriptures; then we can get in up to our waist by worshipping in church and participating in the rituals; and, finally, we can plunge right in by seeing Christ in our less fortunate brothers and sisters.