The Optometrist
A Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 19, 2023
The Rev. Robin Teasley
As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 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, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 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?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 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.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 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.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. 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.”
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 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 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.” 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. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
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.” He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 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?” Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.
Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. 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.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” John 9:1-41
When I was in the sixth grade, I began to have trouble seeing what the teacher wrote on the board. I mentioned this to my parents and the next thing I knew, I was experiencing my first trip to the optometrist. He placed that giant machinery full of lenses (which is called a phoropter by the way) in front of my eyes and then it began. Which looks better, this (click click) or this? Which line looks darker, this one(click click) or this one? Which letters look clearer, these (click click) or these? I don’t know about you but every time I visit the optometrist, after about five of these comparisons I have a hard time deciding. My eyes get tired, and I become frustrated looking through all the wrong lenses.
I can clearly recall the day I got that first pair of glasses. It was in April and spring was in full bloom. The trees seemed to have burst into green overnight. When I walked out into the world wearing my new glasses, with my new 20/20 vision, the very first thing I noticed was that the air seemed thinner, clearer. But here is the astonishing thing that happened for me that day - I did not know that, until that moment, in April of 6th grade, that I had been blind, that there were things I was not seeing. I didn’t know that most everybody else did not see trees as brown trunks with green blobs on top. Because with my new vision I could now see every single leaf on every tree! Here was an astonishing thing! My world was suddenly changed!
In our Gospel reading today Jesus heals a blind man, but as the story goes on, we begin to see that there are plenty of people with perfectly good eyesight who are the ones who are truly blind. And Jesus uses a very strange medical procedure to bring about this healing. He spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes. We are reminded here of Genesis 2:7, “then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” God creates life out of mud. Jesus creates a new life for the blind man using mud. Mud is messy, and the changed life that comes with healing can be messy. Jesus restored the man’s vision, but what a mess this strange healing made in the community.
The fourth Gospel refers very negatively to the Jews and has long nurtured antisemitism, so it’s good to be aware that whenever we hear the author mention the Jews, the author did not mean all Jews, but most likely meant the Jewish authorities, or even perhaps the rebellious ringleaders in the community who seemed to take a perverse delight in stirring up the people. We all are capable of that kind of behavior, and in fact we see it on display now more than ever in our political discourse and even in our local communities. Kindness seems to have become a rare commodity. So rather than saying “the Jews” preachers often will use less derogatory and more inclusive language.
The neighbors and those who had seen the man as a beggar on a daily basis began to question the visible change in the man born blind. They are so certain this man could not possibly be healed, that they cannot even recognize him – or maybe it’s that they simply refuse to see the change that has already occurred? They should have rejoiced in the miracle, but instead they were critical and questioning. They accused the healed man and Jesus of being sinners. There was no compassion.
Maybe this lack of joy was due to the fact that change is difficult, even good change. The man’s healing disturbed their community’s equilibrium. They had become comfortable with his blindness, with his being a beggar, and could only see him the way he had always been. Clearly there were others who needed a little mud in their eyes that day.
The man who once was blind has to tell what happened to him over and over, and he has to endure threats and exclusion for speaking what he knows to be true. Even in this suffering though, his faith is growing, and with his new vision the man sees Jesus for who he is, the Son of Man, the Lord. He believes.
To see Jesus is to see life, light, and hope where there has been death, darkness and doubt. To see Jesus is to put on new lenses of love and see every single child of God instead of seeing humanity as a blob of one color and shape. To see Jesus is to correct our vision in such a way as to see suffering, not as a result of sin, but as an opportunity to be the heart and hands of Jesus as we work to transform the broken systems of society.
When might we need some new glasses? Who is blurry in our lives? Where might our vision need some improvement? When we get a new pair of glasses it takes some time to adjust to the change and it’s not always easy. Initially we may get a headache, the glasses may pinch our nose, or put too much pressure behind our ears. Adjusting to change can be uncomfortable and it will cost us something, but becoming part of God’s vision for the world is priceless!
Blindness and then miraculous sight led to new faith for the man born blind. This week, I encourage you to take some time to reread this astonishing story. See if it opens your eyes to seeing something in a new way in your own life. Do a vision check – which is better, that way (click click) or this way? Where has the light of Christ pierced through your darkness, helping you see that you are worthy, helping you believe that you are loved? When has the light of Christ pierced through the darkness of your assumptions or preconceived notions about other people? Which is better, judgment or forgiveness, untruth or truth, hatred or kindness, impatience or forebearance? (click click)
This world is constantly changing and the truth is always being revealed. Our first reaction might be disbelief or anger or even violence. Why does it never occur to us that God, the Optometrist, might have something new for us to see, or might want to change our prescription so that we can better see what is real and true, as compared to what is unreal and untrue?
What astonishing things does God hope we will see and do as believers here in the Old Church community? We are even now being transformed by Jesus, called to be disciples of Jesus. Will we trust the Optometrist, who can remove our clouded lenses of judgment and certainty, to prescribe for us new glasses to see the works of God already around us, and to see them through the lenses of God’s love?
Title Image: The Man Born Blind, Ronald Raab
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