A Sermon
Presented by Rev. Merlin T. Batt
Intentional Interim Pastor
St. Matthew’s United Church of Christ
Maiden, North Carolina
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 2, 2008

Scripture Lesson: John 9:1-7
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Our Gospel reading this morning tells us about what happened one day when Jesus met a man who was blind from birth. Through the years I’ve known people who have lost their sight, but never anyone who has always been blind, that is, from birth on. It’s hard to imagine what that must be like – never to have gazed upon another’s face, never to have seen your baby smile, never to have watched the sun set behind the mountains, never to have seen it snow, never to have watched a rose unfold, not even to know what it  means to see with one’s eyes. What profound disability this is. Unimaginable!

We’re not told by the writer of this Gospel how Jesus first reacted to the presence of the blind man, but we are told about the disciples’ initial response. They immediately launched into a theoretical discussion. They asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents?”

The belief which prompted their question was common among first century Jews – the belief that there exists a direct correlation between someone’s illness or misfortune and the fact of sin. They could point to passages in their Bible to support the connection. For the disciples in this case it was beyond doubt that the man’s blindness was sin-caused. Case closed! The only question remaining was, “Who is to blame here – the blind man himself or his parents?” The blame game!

Many millions of people around the world today instinctively make a similar assumption. For example, in some of the Eastern religions – Buddhism, chief among them – a person’s circumstances are the inevitable consequence of his or her past lives. In other words, what you did in a previous life makes you what you are today, creates the conditions in which you now live, explains the circumstances with which you must cope. So if you’re Buddhist and you suffer from some physical or social problem, the accepted explanation is obvious: your suffering is the result of your conduct in a former life. You are only getting what you deserve. Therefore, you must live with the consequences. There’s nothing anyone need do (or should do, for that matter) about your suffering. Your past behavior is the cause. You are the problem. The past is destiny. Case closed. The blame game!

Even among many Christians, this assumed connection between illness or misfortune and sin lurks in the shadows of the mind. Here’s a simple test to show whether this idea has ever crossed your mind, or disturbed your sleep. Have you ever found yourself thinking or asking aloud, “What did I do to deserve this?” or “For what am I being punished?” These questions, you see, come from the same view of the world which prompted the disciples to ask Jesus in the presence of the man born blind, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

But for a moment let’s give the disciples the benefit of the doubt. They weren’t being harsh or uncaring. They were trying their best to hold on to a belief in God’s justice. You see, they believed in a God who is all-powerful and all-loving and therefore acts fairly. But here, standing before them on the road, is a man who was blind from birth. What’s fair about that?

So, to preserve their belief in the God who acts justly, they concluded there has got to be some secret sin in this man’s past to bring about his blindness as a punishment. If they can claim his blindness was punishment for sin, then they can hold on to their belief in God’s justice in the face of this seeming un-fairness. Now do you understand what caused the disciples to ask, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”?

Now notice what Jesus said to his disciples. He said (and pay close attention to this), “Neither this man nor his parents sinned.” In the space of seven short words, Jesus put an end to their blame game! In the time it took to speak one short sentence, Jesus rejected their analysis of how the world is ordered. Apparently the world according to Jesus is not a kind of moral slot-machine, where people put in a coin (a good deed or an evil one) and get out a particular result (a reward or a punishment). Life doesn’t work like that, says Jesus.

“Well,” you may say, “actions do have their consequences.” And, of course, they do. Good things often happen as a result of good deeds – for example, acting kindly toward someone often calls forth a grateful response. But, I’m sure you have noticed, showing kindness to someone is sometimes scorned and rejected.

In the same way, bad things often happen as a result of bad actions – for example, being drunk or drugged and at the same time driving causes terrible accidents. But, then, some get away with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The world is not a moral slot-machine with predictable results. It’s far more mysterious and chaotic than that. Thus, you see, the disciples’ simple explanation of how the man came to be born blind is too simple, and wrong.

But the story doesn’t end here. Jesus says one thing more, and then he does something. What he says about the blind man is this, “He was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” Now, it would be a mistake to think this means God blinded this man at birth so that in later years Jesus could heal him and bring glory to God. What kind of diabolical god would toy with a person’s life like that? No, what Jesus is saying is this: “The presence of this blind man provides an occasion to do something about it, something that will bring glory to God. Watch what I will do.”

And with that, Jesus does something: “He spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam….’” With the mud on his eyes, the blind man is led to the pool, washes, and comes back able to see for the first time in his life!

Well, now, let’s bring this story into the 21st century, into our experience, and explore what it means for us today. The first thing we need to recognize is that in this life there is a huge amount of undeserved, unrelieved, and un-relievable suffering. Each one of us can tell heart-breaking stories to illustrate this hard truth about being a human being and living in this world. There’s no escaping the way life is.

Some look at the way life is and say easily and assuredly, “God is in control. He has a plan for the world, and it’s good, but we limited human beings can’t figure it out. God’s judgments are always just, even if they appear unfair. You just have to believe there’s a good reason for all the suffering we see and experience.”  Have you heard that one?

Others look at the same hard facts of undeserved, unrelieved, and un-relievable human suffering; and, instead of attempting an explanation, they remain silent, silent because there are no answers to explain such mysterious and persistent and apparently random suffering. For them God is large and indescribable, and the only appropriate stance before the mystery of God and the presence of inexplicable suffering is remaining silent.

In contrast, I want you to be sure to notice what Jesus did. Faced with the suffering of the man born blind, he did not offer easy answers. In fact, he put a stop to the disciples’ attempt to provide an easy answer – that sin was the cause of the blindness. Jesus said a resounding NO to the disciples’ blame game.

But also be sure to notice that Jesus was not silent or passive. He said that the presence of this suffering man is not the evidence of sin, but an opportunity for God to show mercy. And, then, to act out the meaning of his words, Jesus reached out to the blind man with compassion, touched his eyes, and healed him, bringing new life and light to the man and glory to God.

Well, here’s what you can take home with you today from this story. Our God, the God we know in Jesus Christ, does not offer us easy answers when we encounter evil and suffering, nor does he stand silently aloof and detached from our pain. Rather, God offers himself, stands with us, and reaches out to us in love, touches us and brings new life. And that, friends, in our times of suffering, (that) is far better than answers!

And one more thing: the story of Jesus and the man born blind stands as an encouragement to us, even a warning, not to play the blame game. It’s a game which makes us feel superior and keeps us from acting compassionately for those who suffer. It’s a game that gets us off the hook. Life is complicated and often very hard, and we are such frail and vulnerable creatures. We would do well – and be more like Jesus – if we put aside the inclination to lay blame and get on with the work of showing love to others, and thereby bring glory to God!