In today’s Gospel we see Jesus healing a man who was blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Jesus answered,
“Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him”.
God has his own plan for each soul and it becomes known in the prober time. How easily rash judgements blamed his disability on “sins of the family” and how quickly Jesus cleared up the accusation.

Jesus continues,
“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”When he had said this, 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”. So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

Jesus healing a man who was blind from birth.

Blind Man Questioned:
People asked, “How were your eyes opened?”
He replied, “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’
So I went there and washed and was able to see.”

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. 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.”

Having summoned the blind man’s parents for further questioning, they were told: “He is of age, ask him, he can speak for himself.”

The Blind Man Lectures the Pharisees:
“We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from,” said the Pharisees.
The blind man answered them saying, “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.”
They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.

Jesus Evangelizes the Blind Man:
Locating the Blind Man whom the Pharisees had just ejected, Jesus said to him,“Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him,” replied the Blind Man. Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, the one speaking with you is he.” He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.

On this the fourth Sunday of Lent, let us ask God to heal our spiritual blindness which prevents us from seeing as God sees, so that with the Blind Man we may be able to say: “I do believe, Lord” and then proceed to worship him as he did.

On the header: Jesus healing a man who was blind from birth.