FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT- YEAR-A

I Reading: 1 Samuel 16:6-7.10-13: David is anointed king of Israel.

II Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14: Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

Gospel: John 9:1-41: He went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored.

The Man’s Eye Opened: The Mission of Jesus, Jn 9:1-7

Man is spiritually blind, his eyes need to be opened. The mission of Jesus is to open the eyes of man.

1. Jesus passed by (v.1-3)

a. He saw a man blind from birth

b. He was asked a question about suffering and sin

c. He replied that this man’s suffering was not due to sin but to show forth the works of God

2. Jesus came to work the works of God (v.4)

3. Jesus came to be the Light of the world (v.5)

4. Jesus came to give sight to men (v.6-7)

a. Jesus’ act: He made contact

b. Man’s act: He had to obey to receive his sight

Man’s Eye Opened: The Stages of Spiritual Sight, Jn 9:8-41

1. Stage 1: Seeing Jesus as a man

a. The man’s neighbours were amazed, and they questioned the man’s deliverance

b. The man testified: A man called Jesus gave me sight

2. Stage 2: Seeing Jesus as a Helper or a Healer

a. The problem: The sabath law was broken

b. The Pharisees questioned how the man could now see

c. The man testified: Jesus healed me

3. Stage 4: Seeing Jesus as a prophet

a. The Pharisees were divided

b. The Pharisees questioned the man again

c. The man testified: Jesus is a prophet

4. Stage 4: Seeing Jesus as the Saviour

a. The Pharisees’ unbelief

b. The Pharisees called and questioned the man’s parents

c. The parents’ testimony

          1) They identified their son

          2) They denied being eye-witnesses

          3) They feared prejudgement and excommunication: feared being banished from the synagogue

d. The Pharisees’ demand that Jesus be denied

e. The man’s testimony

          1) I was blind, but now see (Jesus saved me and gave me sight)

          2) The clear evidence

5. Stage 5: Seeing Jesus as being “from God”

a. The Pharisees’ case

          1) Accused the man of being Jesus’ disciple

          2) Questioned the origin of Jesus

b. The man’s testimony

          1) A marvellous thing

          2) God does not hear sinners, but worshippers

          3) My experience: Proves Jesus is “from God”

c. The Pharisees’ denial of the man’s experience and proof: They threw the man out

6. Stage 6: Seeing Jesus as the Son of God

a. Jesus sought the man who had been thrown out

b. Jesus invited him to believe

c. The man requested to know the Son of God

d. Jesus identified himself as the Son of God (v.35)

e. The man believed

Man’s Eyes Opened: The Stages of Spiritual Sight, Jn 9:8-41

The blind man had been delivered from darkness and given sight by the compassion of the Lord Jesus. In this passage the delivered man is confronted by his neighbours (v.8-12), by the Pharisees (v.13-34) and by Jesus (v.35-41).

The man’s growing knowledge of Jesus is easily seen and grasped. The man sees Jesus and believes in him as his Messiah and the Son of God through his spiritual sight.

7. Conclusion: The lesson of Jesus’ revelation

a. His mission: To bring judgement

b. The religionists’ expectation: to be exempt from judgement

Thought: There are many people like blind man. They know about Jesus, but they don’t know Jesus, not personally. They know his name, but little else. They have little understanding of his teaching and claims, presence and strength, love and care and power and promises. We can see Jesus as our Messiah or the Son of God by our personal experience with Jesus.

Those who have the gift of spiritual sight and do not use it. They are known as the true blind. Jesus is always ready to give us back our eye-sight, provided we need to wash at the pool of the sacrament of the Reconciliation, after regretting and acknowledging our sinfulness and believing in the power of Jesus.

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