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+ + + In Nomine Jesu + + +
Please join me in prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Amen.)
The general theme for today, intended by the appointed Readings and such, seems exceptionally clear. For example, we sang in the antiphon for today’s Introit (Psalm 27:4‑6; antiphon: Psalm 25:15) that our eyes are ever toward the Lord. In today’s Old Testament Reading (Isaiah 42:14‑21), the Lord promised to lead the blind in a way that they do not know, to guide them in paths that they have not known, to turn the darkness before them into light, and the Lord called the blind to look that they may see, for Israel was blind, seeing many things but not observing them. Today’s Gradual (Hebrews 12:2) called us to fix our eyes on Jesus. Today’s Epistle Reading (Ephesians 5:8-14) described how at one time we were darkness but now are light in the Lord and called us to walk as children of the light. Today’s Verse (Psalm 36:9) said that in God’s light we see light. And, in today’s Gospel Reading, Jesus gave sight to a man born blind and said that He came that those who do not see may see and that those who do see may become blind. As I said, the general theme for today seems exceptionally clear, and the general theme seems to be appropriate for the middle of Lent, with its lengthening of days, when light supplants darkness (Sherrill, CPR 33:2, p.19). For the next few minutes, as we reflect primarily on today’s Gospel Reading, let us direct our thoughts to the particular theme, “The Light of the World gives us sight, and we worship Him”.
There are all sorts of interesting things about and in today’s chapter-long Gospel Reading, which Reading consists of at least the greater part of the account of Jesus’s giving both physical and spiritual sight to a man born blind, an account that arguably continues into the following so-called “Good Shepherd Discourse”, part of which we will hear in the Easter season (John 10:1-21; Weinrich ad loc John 9:1-7, p.217). Yet, even in what are said to be the seven different scenes that are at least partly included in today’s Gospel Reading (Weinrich, ad loc John 9:17, p.216), Jesus’s miraculously giving the man born blind physical sight is an important part of Jesus’s miraculously giving the man born blind spiritual sight, essentially faith in Jesus that expresses itself in worship of Jesus (Weinrich, ad loc John 9:1-7, p.223). One commentator says that there is “a sort of parabolic” relationship—a relationship like that you would find in a “parable”—between the physical sight that alone may be in view at the start of the Gospel Reading and the spiritual sight that alone may be in view at the end of the Gospel Reading (Weinrich ad loc John 9:1-7, p.223, and ad loc John 9:39-10:6 p.349). At a minimum, we can say that Jesus’s giving both physical and spiritual sign to the man born blind is one of the “things” that the Holy Spirit inspired St. John to write so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so that by believing we may have life in His Name (John 20:31).
We all to some extent rightly may be more‑concerned about our physical sight: maybe going to an optometrist for a refraction in order to correct our vision, maybe going to a specially‑trained ophthalmologist for cataract surgery in order to replace our increasingly cloudy natural eye‑lens, or, maybe even going to an ócularist in order to receive a prosthetic eye. We to some extent wrongly may be less-concerned about our spiritual sight, even though we do not need to go anywhere else to have it diagnosed. Especially this morning, God’s Word arguably makes clear that we are conceived and born spiritually blind and in darkness (confer Weinrich, ad loc John 9:1-7, pp.217-218). In certain cases, there may be a cause-and-effect relationship between our behavior and our ability to do such things as see physically, but, in general, things such as mental and physical afflictions and death are in the world because our first parents sinned, though, to be sure, we all ourselves certainly also sin, and so we all deserve both temporal death and eternal punishment. In today’s Gospel Reading, Jesus said that the man was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him, not only Jesus’s giving him physical sight but likely also Jesus’s giving the man spiritual sight, the man’s repeatedly testifying to what Jesus had done, and the man’s in the end worshiping Jesus. Jesus shines upon our human darkness; He pierces the night that shrouds our race (Lutheran Service Book 914:1). As we said, “The Light of the World gives us sight, and we worship Him”.
Jesus is not a sinner, as the Pharisees in the Gospel Reading suggested. Jesus is more than a mere prophet, as the man born blind suggested early on. As evident by His miraculously giving both physical and spiritual sight, Jesus is the Divine and human Son of Man. Out of Divine necessity, out of God’s love for the world, that Son of Man was lifted up on the cross for the sins of the world, so that whoever believes in Him might have eternal life (John 3:15; 8:28; 12:32-34). In the words of the Hymn of the Day, the Lord grants us true contrition, sorrow over our sin, and, when we combine that sorrow with faith, by Jesus’s death upon the tree, He grants us God’s pardon and remission, forgiveness of our sin (LSB 972:2). We once were blind, but now we see (LSB 744:1). We wretches are saved by “amazing grace” through faith in Jesus Christ, Who died for us, in our place. We are saved as God works in us through His Means of Grace.
Jesus is the Word of God that caused blind eyes to see physically, and now He speaks and heals our spiritual blindness (LSB 545:3). Jesus speaks and heals through the ministry of His Word and Sacraments. In today’s Gospel Reading, the Pharisees exercised their authority by casting-out, excommunicating, the man born blind, but the man soon entered the Church by faith. Most of us first enter the Church through the water and Word of Holy Baptism’s creating faith. Through the details of today’s Gospel Reading—such as the man born blind’s washing in the water of the One Who was sent, and the connection of water and light in the Feast of Tabernacles at which time the miracle took place (Weinrich, ad loc John 9:1-7, p.232)—through such details, the Holy Spirit early on led the Church to see baptism in today’s Gospel Reading and to consider Baptism’s giving of spiritual sight to be “enlightenment” (Weinrich, “Does John 9 Refer to Baptism?”, p.335). We here at Pilgrim reinforce that understanding of Baptism as enlightenment when we give those who are newly-baptized a burning candle to show them that they have received Christ, Who is the Light of the world (LSB 271). The baptized privately confess to their pastors the sins that they know and feel in their hearts for the sake of individual Holy Absolution. And, in turn, they are admitted to the Sacrament of the Altar, where they receive bread that is the Body of Christ given for them and wine that is the Blood of Christ shed for them, and so they receive also the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
After being received as a new member by Profession of Faith this morning, Katy will be so admitted to the Sacrament of the Altar. She joins us here as those to whom the Light of the World has given sight and so also as those who worship Him. Today’s Gospel Reading does not tell us how the man born blind worshipped Jesus as God (confer Weinrich, ad loc John 9:35-38, p.309), perhaps he worshiped Jesus as God by falling to his knees at Jesus’s knees, but we know that we worship by seeking and receiving God’s forgiveness of sins through His Means of Grace. At the Rail, there can be division between families, as there was division over faith for the man born blind in the Gospel Reading, but such division is a necessary consequence of our walking in the light. Also necessary for our walking in the light, as we heard in today’s Epistle Reading, are producing the fruit of light in all that is good and right and true, trying to discern what is pleasing to the Lord, and taking no part in unfruitful works of darkness but instead exposing them (confer John 12:35-36). When we fail to walk as we should in the light, and we will so fail, with daily contrition and faith, we live in both the forgiveness of sins that we receive from God and the forgiveness of sins that we in turn extend to one another. Thus, as we wait for the greatest, full and complete healing of body and soul that comes on the Last Day, already now we have peace and joy.
As the Third Sunday in Advent, with its Introit that traditionally begins with a call to “Rejoice”, lessens the penitential discipline of that season, reflected by its pink or rose-colored candle, if not also chancel paraments in that color, so the Fourth Sunday in Lent, with its Introit that traditionally begins with a call to “Rejoice”, lessened the penitential discipline of this season, also reflected by pink or rose-colored chancel paraments (Pilgrim’s pink bulletin-cover today is our nod to that tradition). Whether or not we use those same traditional Readings and such today, truly we do rejoice, for “The Light of the World gives us sight, and we worship Him”. Joyful service is an emphasis of today’s Closing Hymn, which in keeping with today’s general theme includes this encouragement (LSB 646:2):
God has called you out of darkness Into His most marv’lous light;
Brought His truth to life within you, Turned your blindness into sight.
Let your light so shine around you That God’s name is glorified
And all find fresh hope and purpose In Christ Jesus crucified.
Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
+ + + Soli Deo Gloria + + +