Scripture/Sermon of the Day

John 9:1-41

A Man Born Blind Receives Sight

9 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.”

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

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.

Spiritual blindness

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.

Reflection/Sermon:

1. I love this book, the Bible, because it has some of the most interesting stories and — it never gets old. Our reading today is like this week’s news.

II. And I don’t know what the lesson is more about today — politics or religion. Because the Bible is both. It’s about politics — or how people use power — and it’s about religion — which is about how God wants us to use our power. Politics is to religion as ocean water is to salt — they are hard to separate.

Britannica Dictionary definition of POLITICS is:

1 : activities that relate to …. getting and keeping POWER in a government.

III. In the Gospels, the Pharisees hold power in Israel. They claimed to have the authority of God. They convinced the people that only their interpretation of the Bible was true. If they wanted someone to die, all they had to do was say that that person committed blasphemy — which according to the laws in the Bible — was punishable by death. When the Pharisees decided that Jesus was a threat to their power — they accused him of blasphemy. That’s all it took to secure the death of Jesus. They didn’t care about the religion Jesus was teaching — they cared that he was a threat to their power. Their fight with Jesus was political.

IV. The reading today won’t make sense unless we understand this. Otherwise, it would be just a nice story about a healing — a nice, sweet story about a blind man who Jesus healed.

V. Why would this loving act of Jesus make the man’s parents frightened? Wouldn’t a parent feel grateful and happy about their child being healed? The parents were afraid that if they showed any recognition toward Jesus as being from God — they would be expelled from the synagogue. Because the Pharisees said that they were the custodians of God’s power — not Jesus. When the blind man who was healed said that Jesus’ power was from God, he was expelled from the synagogue. The parents did not want to support him if it threatened their place in society — they threw their child under the bus.

VI. Politicians who say they want the United States to be a Christian nation are our Pharisees. They don’t care about Jesus and love, but in their power over people. Last week the congressman from Tennessee, Representative Andy Ogles, who identifies as a Christian nationalist, said “Muslims don’t belong in American society. And, “Pluralism is a lie.” He said that in reaction to New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani’s condemnation of an anti-Islam rally organized outside his home by the pardoned January 6 insurrectionist Jake Lang.

Mamdani, who is Muslim, condemned “white supremacist Jake Lang” for organizing a rally rooted, he said, in “bigotry and racism.”

After Mamdani said this, the congressman — Ogles — said “The DOJ can deport him today. All they need to do is read his file.”

Last year Senator Tommy Tuberville from Alabama called for banning all immigrants who are Muslim. Notice — Tuberville won’t talk about Jesus. His press secretary has said: “Coach Tuberville is a man of deep faith who believes we need to reintroduce prayer back into the classroom and God into the public square.” Why won’t Christian nationalists talk about Jesus?

Be suspicious of “christians” who won’t talk about Jesus, they are probably Pharisees — Supremacists — in Christian disguise.

V. Jesus made his most political statement in the Gospel of John when he said, “I give you one command, love one another as I have loved you.”

He commanded us to use our God-given power to do the work that he did — to love, forgive, and bless EVERYONE.

Jesus — the greatest politician — commanded his followers TO USE THEIR POWER TO LOVE: