The book of John tells a parable not mentioned in the other Gospels (John 9).
One Sabbath Jesus met a man who had been blind since birth. His disciples asked if whether the man or his parents committed some sin for him to have been afflicted with such a condition. Responding that neither was the case, Jesus simply said that “this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3). He then spat on the ground, made some mud, rubbed it on the man’s eyes, and told him to go and wash it out.
The blind man did not ask to be healed, and it seems that he had never heard about Jesus’s mission. Jesus did not even explain to the blind man what was about to happen; He just soiled his eyes and sent him on his way. If I were the blind man, I would have had something to say about that! “This guy just walks up to me, smears mud in my eyes, and then orders me to go and wash? Now I have to abandon my prime spot right in front of the temple where I collect my charity. Think of the money I’ll be losing in the time it takes to wash my face! And of all the days it could happen, on Sabbath—the busiest time of the week! Really!?”
Meanwhile, the disciples did not get the clear answer they wanted, but rather Jesus’s “typical” cryptic explanation with a deep mythical meaning. I am sure Peter was thinking: “Can we just get a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for once?!”
John tells us that after this odd event Jesus and the blind man departed in different directions. Jesus was the one attracting the multitude so I imagine that the majority of the crowd just followed Him, ignoring the muddy blind man slowly moving toward the pool of water.
The man washed his eyes and could see for the first time in his life. I don’t think we can even imagine the joy and celebration in his heart. That bizarre encounter with Jesus was now inconsequential. The rude disturbance of his daily routine was completely forgotten. Now he could see, and that changed everything.
He went to his parents’ home to give them the great news and celebrate with family, friends, and neighbors. What a wonderful day, or so he thought. The celebration quickly turned into a cross examination because people just could not accept the miracle—there had to be a more rational explanation. I’m sure someone there accused the man of cheating them: “You’ve been playing blind all this time to get free stuff, and now you’re trying to fool us with the ‘miracle’ story. I’m not buying that!”
The controversy got so out of hand that the authorities had to get involved. The people brought the man to the Pharisees, who refused to acknowledge that a miracle had taken place, and instead focused on the “legality” of the matter. They interrogated the man, and then his parents—who were so intimidated that even they did not defend their son.
However, at this point the man shows that his encounter with Jesus transformed not only his eyes but also his heart. He now understood something more important, something beyond the Pharisees’ trivial concerns. He was the direct recipient of a miracle from God. So he scolded the Pharisees for their lack of logic!
What a great argument he had: You know that only God and the ones He sends can do miracles. That man came and performed a miracle on me that has never been done before. So isn’t it logical to think that the one who healed me was sent by God? I would have added, “What on earth do you have your PhDs for?!”
Of course, this angered the Pharisees. And as the arrogant academics they were, they used their intellectual superiority: “How dare you lecture us!”(John 9:34). They expelled the man from the synagogue, which was a shameful punishment for a Jew at that time.
The Bible says Jesus learned about these events and searched for the man. He found him, very conflicted, with many questions in his head and no answers, but with the strong desire to know and worship the one who performed a miracle on him. Nothing was more important now that he had seen the light.
Jesus asked the question, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” This could be paraphrased as, “Do you believe that the man who performed a miracle in you is God who came to earth as a human?” The man answered yes, and wanted to know who the Son of Man was. Jesus tells him, “You have now seen him. In fact, he is the one speaking with you” (John 9:35–37). And the man believed and worshipped him.
In the beginning of this story the blind man was not just physically blind but also spiritually blind. He had lived all his life accepting that he had committed or inherited some sin to deserve his condition. Based on such a “blind”—that is, ignorant—religious assessment, he was resigned that he would live with his condition for the rest of his life. But then Jesus came along and—without even being asked to—upended this man’s life. But through this intrusion he received sight—physically and spiritually.
This story leaves me with some questions: Why did Jesus let this man confront the Pharisees alone? Why didn’t Jesus come to the rescue before he got expelled from the synagogue?
It is very interesting to see how Jesus seems completely unconcerned with the “importance” of membership at the synagogue. We don’t see Jesus sorry for the man’s banishment. Neither is Jesus seeking to reconcile him with the worship community he was expelled from. At no point does Jesus advise him to find a way to get back into the Pharisees’ good graces, to ask for an appointment to discuss re-assimilation. It is obvious that this is not a story about the importance of being a member “in good standing.” On the contrary, Jesus criticizes the religious leaders and calls them the real sinners of the story. He says they are the ones who are truly blind, for not seeing what is really important. Their religious regulations held such a great value for them that they wouldn’t even allow God’s miracles to break their rules.
In this story the man was alone; first his parents abandoned him, and then his religious community expelled him. But even so, the gift he received was so special that he was ready to fight for it, willing to risk even further social rejection. Jesus, in disregarding the man’s expulsion from the synagogue, showed that what God values is His direct connection with the believer. No affiliation, membership, lineage, or any other “credentials” can stand between God and the person who believes and accepts Jesus’s sacrifice.
In the end, the disciples did not get the answer they were searching for. But they saw a preview of what they would later experience in their lives. And when the time came, they were not afraid to stand up and say that Jesus wants a personal connection with us. That Jesus loves us so much He will barge straight into your life just so He can have a personal connection with you. And that is what’s most important.
Copyright© Italo Osorio 2019