Spiritual Enlightenment--Having our eyes opened to see Jesus

Have you ever had an argument with someone when you absolutely knew you were right and they absolutely would not believe you and insisted that they were right? Most of the time, I suppose, we would say that of course we were right and the other person was wrong, but sometimes we may find out that in fact we are wrong. How easy is it then to say, “I was wrong, I made a mistake”? I suppose it depends on whether we’ve made some rash statements like, “I bet you a million dollars I’m right!” In cases like that we might want to continue to argue our case, even when the evidence is stacking up against us.

Someone once told me a story about when he was in college in New England. He had a roommate who came from another part of the country. They were in his car driving someplace, and his friend was saying that there are no opossums in New England. They don’t live this far north, he said. And the student was saying, yes there are possums in New England because I’ve seen them. But his roommate argued with him and said, it must have been a different animal, because there are no possums in New England. And then they passed a dead possum on the side of the road. And the student said, “Look, there’s a possum!” So he turned the car around and they both got out and looked, and sure enough, it was a dead possum. As they stood there looking at it, his roommate said, “Well I don’t know how it got here, but there aren’t any possums in New England.”
To admit when we’re wrong means having to let go of our old ideas of how things are, and opening our eyes to a new reality. The Pharisees in the story of the man born blind (John 9:1-41) are stubborn too. They doggedly cling to their false beliefs, even though the evidence is stacking up against them. They are dead sure that Jesus, this teacher who breaks the Sabbath, could not possibly be from God and therefore could not be performing amazing miracles. And they are sure they are right.
John’s telling of the story of Jesus healing the man blind from birth is an interesting interplay between blindness and sight, darkness and light. We’re invited to ask the questions, “Who has sight and who is blind? Who is in the light and who is in darkness?” Through the imagery of darkness and light, blindness and sight we are challenged to move out of darkness and into light, out of blindness and into sight. We are challenged to move into spiritual enlightenment, having the eyes of our hearts opened to see who Jesus truly is.
The healing of the man born blind happens in an unusual way, because it is not the man who asks Jesus to heal him. Rather, it’s the disciples who ask Jesus a question. Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? As usual, Jesus doesn’t directly answer the question, but takes the discussion to a deeper level.  He says, “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." Jesus is saying that the man’s blindness is all about the work of God revealing himself to the world. It is about night and day, dark and light.  And then, without the blind man even asking him, Jesus makes some mud with dirt and spittle, puts it on his eyes, and sends him to wash in the pool of Siloam. Jesus reveals God the creator, making new eyes for the man out of the dust of the earth, just like God formed Adam out of the dust of the earth.  Jesus, the Light of the world, opens the man’s eyes and he sees light for the first time. The healing of the man blind from birth reveals Jesus as the Son of God.
            The authorities, however, who are willfully blind to who Jesus is, are very disturbed by the healing because rules were broken, the man was healed on the Sabbath. They interrogate the man, and also his parents. They ask questions about how it was done, who did it, who is responsible for this breach of the law. But these are the wrong questions. For Jesus, the question is “What is the Father doing?” Jesus keeps his eyes on the Father, so that he only speaks and does what he sees the Father doing. Earlier in John 5:19 Jesus says, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.” So Jesus’ question is, “What is the Father doing?” For the Pharisees the question is “who is right and who is wrong?”  And, as they are concerned about keeping rules and maintaining purity more than they are concerned about God’s love and compassion, they are sure that they are right and Jesus is wrong.  To admit the possibility they are wrong and that there is something deeper happening here, would call into question their whole system of power and identity; it would upset their whole view of reality. So they try in every way they can, including intimidating and humiliating the newly healed man, to discredit Jesus and prove him wrong.
So while Jesus is doing what he sees the Father doing, doing good, healing and bringing life and light on the Sabbath, the Pharisees have their spiritual eyes tightly shut and refuse to open them. They are spiritually blind. They are calling what is light, darkness, and what is darkness, light. They are calling what is blindness sight, and what is sight blindness. But Jesus does not judge them for being spiritually blind. It is their arrogance that is the problem. Their hearts are hard. They cannot bear to be wrong. They cannot bear to repent. Jesus judges them for walking around with their eyes shut tight and insisting that they are not blind. The Pharisees say, “’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.’”
The newly seeing man, on the other hand, is a man of faith and humility, a man with spiritual sight. Jesus looks for him after he has been thrown out of the synagogue. When he finds him he asks him, ‘“Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man 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 worshipped him.’ The man has had not only his physical eyes opened, but also his spiritual eyes opened. He sees Jesus and believes in him, the Light of the World.
Our Old Testament passage this morning from I Samuel 16 reminds us that, “the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Spiritual sight sees beneath the surface to see the state of the heart. The passage from Ephesians 5 that we read this morning says, “Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light—for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.” What a beautiful passage. Once you were darkness, but now you are light. Live in the light.
In our John 9 Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.”  Remember also in Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Paul is saying the same thing in Ephesians. Jesus is the light of the world, but you are the light of the world too. So live like you are the light. Be the light of the world. Live by what is good, and right and true. By doing that, you give glory to your Father in heaven. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Look to see what the Father is doing like Jesus did. Ask yourself what is the Lord doing. Where is the good and the right and the truth, that I might participate in it, and thereby bring glory to God.

            Are there places of blindness or darkness in you? Jesus is the Light of the world. He opens the eyes of the blind so that we can live in the light, live in the truth, and become Light for others.  We need to stay close to Jesus, to allow him to heal our blindness. We needn’t be afraid of his light or of his truth. For it sets us free, and brings us out of darkness and into light so that we too might be light as he is Light. You are light, so live in the light and be light. Amen.