Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT (Cycle A)
Readings:
1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
Psalm 23:1-6
Ephesians 5:8-14
John 9:1-41
Abbreviations: NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name, YHWH (Yahweh).
The two Testaments reveal God's divine plan for humanity, which is why we read and relive the events of salvation history contained in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Fourth Sunday of Lent is Laetare Sunday. Every Mass has an entrance antiphon, a sentence or two (usually from the Scriptures) that can be sung at the beginning of Mass. In former times, each Mass had a title from the first Latin word of the day's antiphon. The antiphon for the Fourth Sunday of Lent is from the 66th chapter of the Book of Isaiah and begins, Rejoice, Jerusalem! Come together, you who love her. In Latin, one of the words for "rejoice" is laetare, which gives the title Laetare Sunday to this Lenten Mass. On this day of the Fourth Sunday of Lent, we are halfway to Easter, and we rejoice because we are halfway home.
The Theme of the Readings: Faith and Unbelief
Life is full of controversial issues. Some of those issues are so important that we cannot merely continue to sit on the sidelines but must take a stand. The most critical position we will ever take is on the issue of the true identity of Jesus of Nazareth. Do you believe He is who the Bible says He is: the man/God who came to offer Himself as a sacrifice to save humanity from sin and death? Jesus told His disciples that there was no middle ground concerning Him. You are either for Him or against Him (Mt 10:34-36; Lk 12:51-53), and you either walk in the "light" that is Christ, or you are in "darkness" (the Second Reading and the Gospel).
Have you professed your faith in Jesus by becoming God's anointed (like David in our First Reading) through the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, and have you come to the table of the Lord in the Eucharist where He fills your cup of salvation to overflowing? It is in the renewing waters of Baptism that God refreshed our souls.
The Psalms Reading (attributed to God's anointed servant, David) speaks movingly about the psalmist's trust in God to rescue him from enemies threatening his life. The psalm reminds us that, like David, God made a path for us through the valley of death. He sent God the Son to save us from sin and death and to lead us to His Kingdom of the Church. In the Church, God provides pastures of the Kingdom of Life to nourish us through Christ's gift of the Eucharist and gives us a guide and protector on the path to Heaven.
In the Second Reading, St. Paul wrote about the proper course for a believer enlightened by faith. He described baptism as raising the believer from the death of sin and into the light of Jesus Christ. He wrote that only through the Sacrament of Christian Baptism can one attain a new life as a child of God and the gift of eternal salvation. Paul compared the sinner's conversion to his "rising up" out of the sleep of death into a new existence illuminated by Christ, who radiates the light that is the glory of God. The true Christian is a "child of light" because Christ gives him insight into the kind of behavior pleasing to God.
This week's Gospel reading tells the story of Jesus's miraculous healing of a man born blind. Each group who heard the man's testimony had a different reaction. Some people didn't want to get involved, some were indifferent, and others were opposed or did not believe. However, some people took a stand and declared their belief in Jesus and His healing miracle. The Gospel reading addresses these categories of people as they relate to Jesus.
Which of these categories relate to you? Have you taken a stand on Jesus's true identity as the Son of God whose death on the Cross opened the gates of Heaven and eternal life to all those who believe in Him? Have you professed your faith and belief in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? Do you genuinely believe what you confess in the Creed, or are you a hypocrite playing a part? Today is the day of your salvation! Take your stand for Jesus, the Redeemer Messiah, the bearer of the gift of eternal life.
The First Reading 1 Samuel 16:1a, c, 6-7, 10-13a ~ The Lord's Anointed
1a The LORD said to Samuel: ... 1c "Fill your horn with
oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have
chosen my king from among his sons." [...] 6 As Jesse and his sons came to the
sacrifice, Samuel looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is
here before him." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel: "Do not judge from his
appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man
sees does God see, because man sees the appearance, but the LORD looks into the
heart." [...] 10 In the same way, Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but
Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any one of these." 11 Then
Samuel asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" Jesse replied, "There is
still the youngest who is tending the sheep." 12 Samuel said to Jesse, "Send
for him; we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here." Jesse
sent and had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth handsome to
behold and making a splendid appearance. The LORD said, "There, anoint him for
this is the one!" 13 Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in
the presence of his brothers; and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD
rushed upon David.
David needed to receive an anointing by the Spirit of God in preparation for his mission as God's Anointed One (Messiah). God's Spirit also anointed Jesus to begin His mission at His baptism by St. John the Baptist (Mt 3:11, 13-17; Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21-22). The difference between David's anointing with oil and the Spirit and Jesus's anointing with water and the Spirit is that David's anointing only prepared him for his mission as Israel's future king. Jesus's anointing fulfilled the messianic hope of Israel in his threefold office of priest, prophet, and king (CCC 436, 695, 783).
Jesse first presented Eliab, his tall and handsome firstborn son. When Samuel saw Eliab, he immediately assumed he was God's choice. Eliab was physically impressive like Saul (the first man Samuel anointed as king of Israel), who was handsome and "stood head and shoulders above other men" (1 Sam 9:2; 10:23). The lesson God taught His prophet was that God does not see/judge as human beings do. God is not interested in physical attributes but in the inner purity of the heart.
After meeting all seven of Jesse's sons, none of whom are the "chosen," Samuel asked Jesse if there was another son. Jesse admitted that there was an eighth son who was shepherding the sheep. The allusion to David as the "eighth" son may have symbolic significance. In Scripture, the number eight signifies redemption, salvation, and rebirth. David's reign over Israel would signal the new era of Israel's Davidic kings. David's descendant, Jesus of Nazareth, would establish an eternal kingship to bring about humanity's salvation and the birth of a new age (Mt 1:1).
The choice of the shepherd boy David wasn't the first time God showed His love for a shepherd. Men described as shepherds in salvation history, who had a special relationship with God, included Abel (Gen 4:4), Abraham (Gen 13:5; 24:34-35), Isaac (Gen 26:14), Jacob (Gen 30:32-43), Moses in Midian (Ex 3:1), David (1 Sam 16:11-19; 17:14-15), the Prophet Amos (Amos 1:1), and Jesus the Lord (Ps 23:1; Jn 10:1-3, 11, 15, 17).
There is a connection between David "shepherding the sheep" and the way David would describe Yahweh as shepherding the "flock" of His people (for example, see Ps 23:1; 80:1). It became a reoccurring image not only of God as the Divine Shepherd but of the role of Israel's kings and priests as the good shepherds or failed shepherds of their people (1 Kng 22:17, 2 Chr 18:16, Jer 23:1-4, Ezek 34:5, 8). It is also an image of the Redeemer-Messiah whom the prophets promised would come as the "Shepherd of His people" (Is 40:11; Ez 34:12, 23-24). The shepherd imagery is one of the most frequently used symbolic images of the prophets. One of the most significant "shepherd" passages is from the 6th century BC prophet Ezekiel who lived four centuries after David. God instructed Ezekiel to write: I shall raise up one shepherd, my servant David, and put him in charge of them to pasture them; he will pasture them and be their shepherd (Ex 34:23). This passage is a prophecy of the coming of God's anointed, Jesus of Nazareth. See the chart on the symbolic images of the prophets.
The New Testament used the same "shepherd" imagery to describe Jesus's role as the Redeemer-Messiah:
12b The LORD said, "There, anoint him for this is the
one!" Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the presence
of his brothers, and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon
David.
It is significant and climatic that David's name is not
mentioned until he receives God's Spirit. David (dvd) is not a proper
name in Hebrew, and no one else in the Bible bears his name. Most scholars
agree that in Hebrew, dvd means "beloved." Verse 12b is the first of
three anointings for David. He was anointed
God's anointing and resting of God's Spirit upon certain persons was how He gave His anointed representatives the authority and power to carry out their commissioning.
God chose David over his elder brothers as His anointed. The elder son passed over in favor of the younger is a reoccurring motif in Scripture. For example, God favored Abel over Cain, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Ephraim ranked above Manasseh, and God chose Moses as the people's redeemer/lawgiver over his elder brother Aaron (Gen 4:1-2, 4-5; 18-19; 25:25-28; 28:10, 13-15; 48:17-19; Ex 7:6). God's choice of a younger son will also take place in David's family when God chose Solomon to succeed David instead of his older half-brother Adonijah.
This theme is also in Jesus's parable of the "Lost Son" (Prodigal Son) in Luke 15:11-32. Jesus's parable warned the Old Covenant people, God's "firstborn sons" (Ex 4:23), not to reject their "brothers" in the human family who were the lost Gentile "younger sons" because God would favor whom He chose to move forward His divine plan. The plan reached its climax in David's descendant, Jesus of Nazareth, humanity's anointed Messiah-Redeemer and King of kings. Like His ancestor David, He was 30 years old when He began His mission to save the "lost sheep" of Israel (Mt 1:1; 3:23; 10:6; 15:24).
Responsorial Psalm 23:1-6 ~ The Divine Shepherd
The response is: "The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing
I shall want."
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 In verdant
pastures, he gives me repose; beside restful [still] waters he leads me; he
refreshes my soul.
Response:
3 He guides me in right paths for his name's sake. 4 Even
though I walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil; for you are at my side with
your rod and your staff that give me courage.
Response:
5 You spread a table before me in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Response:
6 Only goodness and kindness [hesed = covenant love] follow
me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for
years to come.
Response:
The 23rd Psalm is the best-loved of all the 150 psalms. Attributed to David, it expresses a personal reflection on the relationship between the psalmist and the nearness of his God. The psalm uses two metaphors: The Lord as the Divine Shepherd (verses 1-4) and the Lord as the Divine Host (verses 5-6). In the Bible and other ancient Near Eastern documents, the role of a shepherd is often a metaphor for the king (2 Sam 5:2; Is 44:28; etc.). It is the same metaphor used to express the role of God, the Divine King, who is the protector and judge of His covenant people (Ps 28:9; Is 40:11; Ez 34:11-16).
Describing the aspects of shepherding, probably from David's perspective as a shepherd in his youth, the inspired writer provides a picture of his relationship with God as he seeks to live a holy life, pleasing to God (verses 2-3). Under the Divine Shepherd's constant guidance, the psalmist and his people, the sheep of God's flock, are led with compassion. The Divine Shepherd considers the fears and weaknesses of His people, leading them not by the fearful raging rivers but by quiet streams (sheep fear drowning and will only drink from still waters). His tender care gives them confidence that with God's shepherding, they will reach the green pastures of God's heavenly kingdom (1 Pt 5:4; Rev 7:17). Even amid trials and sufferings, the psalmist feels a sense of security as he trusts in God to lead and protect him because, despite his enemies, God the Divine Host has prepared a table for him when the time comes to enter into God's eternal rest. The psalmist is overwhelmed by God's abundant love and mercy in the bond of His covenant love [hesed].
For Christians, this psalm takes on its full meaning in Jesus's statement, "I am the Good Shepherd" (Jn 10:11, 14; Heb 13:20). The table of the Last Supper fulfills the "host" metaphor where Jesus, the host of the sacred meal, offered His disciples the heavenly banquet of the Eucharist for the first time and where He continues to provide the Eucharist to His faithful on the altar table at every celebration of the Mass. It is a banquet that looks back in time to the Last Supper and forward in time to the heavenly banquet in God's eternal kingdom (Rev 19:5-9).
The Second Reading Ephesians 5:8-14 ~ Be Children of the Light
8 You were once darkness, but now you are light in the
Lord. Live as children of light, 9 for light produces every kind of goodness
and righteousness and truth. 10 Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take
no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, 12 for it is
shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; 13 but everything
exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for everything that becomes visible is
light. Therefore, it says: "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and
Christ will give you light."
In Ephesians 5:3-7, St. Paul wrote about those Christians whose sins led them into darkness, but in these following verses, he wrote about the proper course for a believer enlightened by faith. The true Christian is a "child of light" because Christ gives him insight into the kind of behavior pleasing to God (verses 5-10). Therefore, instead of participating in the unfruitful and shameful works of darkness, the Christian's right behavior exposes those bad works and makes them visible for what they are (verses 11-13).
Then, in verse 14, Paul seems to be quoting from an early Christian hymn that depicts Baptism as raising the believer from the death of sin into the light of Jesus Christ. It is only through the Sacrament of Christian Baptism that one can attain a new life as a child of God and the gift of eternal salvation (Mk 16:16). Paul compared the sinner's conversion to his "rising up" out of the sleep of death into a new existence illuminated by Christ, who radiates the light that is the glory of God.
The Gospel of John 9:1-41 ~ Belief and Unbelief in the
Healing of the Man who was Born Blind
1 As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His
disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was
born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so
that the works of God might be made visible through him. 4 We have to do the
works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can
work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 When he had said
this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay
on his eyes, 7 and said to him, "Go wash in the Pool of
Siloam," which means Sent. So he went and washed, and came back able to
see. 8 His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
"Isn't this the one who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some said, "It is," but others
said, "No, he just looks like him." He said, "I am." 10 So they said to him,
"How were your eyes opened?" 11 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." 12 And they said to him, "Where is he?" He said,
"I don't know." 13 They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. 14
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a Sabbath. 15 So then the
Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, "He put clay
on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see." 16 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. 17 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." 18 Now the Jews did
not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the
parents of the one who had gained his sight. 19 They asked them, "Is this your
son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?" 20 His parents answered
and said, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 We do
not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of
age; he can speak for himself." 22 His parents said this because they were afraid
of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as
the Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue. 23 For this reason, his
parents said, "He is of age; question him." 24 So a second time they called the
man who had been blind and said to him, "Give God the praise! We know that this
man is a sinner." 25 He replied, "If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I
do know is that I was blind and now I see." 26 So they said to him, "What did
he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" 27 He answered them, "I told you
already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want
to become his disciples, too?" 28 They ridiculed him and said, "You are that
man's disciple; we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses,
but we do not know where this one is from." 30 The man answered and said to
them, "This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet
he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one
is devout and does his will, he listens to him. 32 It is unheard of that anyone
ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything." 34 They answered and said to him, "You
were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?" Then they threw him
out. 35 When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said,
"Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36 He answered and said, "Who is he, sir,
that I may believe in him?" 37 Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one
speaking with you is he." 38 He said, "I do believe, Lord," and he worshiped
him. 39 Then Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, so that those
who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind." 40 Some of
the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not
also blind, are we?" 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have
no sin; but now you are saying, 'We see,' so your sin remains."
Noticing a blind man, Jesus's disciples asked Him if the man's affliction was due to his sins or those of his parents. The implication was that God protects the righteous from misfortunes and that sinners deservedly suffer for the penalty of sins committed by their parents. Despite the story of Job and his faithfulness to God during undeserved trials and suffering, Old Covenant believers thought there was a direct relationship between sin, sickness, and affliction. In the Old Covenant, the consequences of sin were temporal, and the blessings that came from obedience to the commands of God were also temporal; therefore, the Old Covenant believers saw health and prosperity as signs of God's favor.
Jesus responded that neither the man nor his parents had sinned. Jesus answered His disciples' question regarding the purpose of the man's blindness and not its cause, saying that the reason for the man's blindness was to be an example of God's power over history and His desire to glorify His Name through this man. What, you may ask, could be worse than being born blind? Unrepentant mortal sin can result in spiritual death and eternal separation from God, a condition far worse than being blind for most of one's life. In this way, before the miracle took place, Jesus explained its significance. Jesus's works are God's works (also see Mt 12:28; Mk 2:7; Lk 4:14, 17-22).
Then in John 9:4-5, Jesus told His disciples: "We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." The symbolic significance of Jesus's references to "day," "night," and "work" is that there is a sense of urgency in His explanation to the disciples. The images of "day," "night," and "work" fit into the theme of the approaching "hour" of Jesus' Passion. This passage is another example of "light" versus "dark" imagery. In this passage, "day" refers to Jesus's life/work on earth as fully man and God. He then compared death with "night." The urgency of His "work" is that He must fulfill the Father's will and testify to Israel that He is the fulfillment of the promised Redeemer-Messiah before His glorification. His "day" will last until His "hour" comes. His "hour" is the time God decreed for His sacrificial death. At this point in His ministry, that time is fast approaching.
The Fathers of the Church also understood references like:
"As long as the day lasts," "the work," and "night" as referring to the "Day of
the Lord" at the end of time. Therefore, there is an urgency for the Church to
carry out her mission to spread the Gospel of salvation to the "ends of the
earth" before Christ's Second Advent. So, likewise, the Church must urgently continue
Christ's work for the redemption of humanity through the centuries by evangelization
before the Day of Judgment comes, when there is no more "time" left to come to
salvation. And, of course, on the day when our faith journeys end in physical death,
"time" will end for all of us.
In verse 5, Jesus declares, "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." He is the true light because all creation is in darkness without Him. Creation and humankind cannot understand God's plan or know where it is going without His "Light." In the Vatican II document Gaudium et Spes, 22, the Church warns the faithful: "Only in the mystery of the Incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light [...]. Through Christ and in Christ, the riddles of sorrow and death grow meaningful; apart from His Gospel, they overwhelm us." Jesus is warning His disciples and us of the urgent need to let ourselves be enlightened by His infusing and purifying "Light" while there is still time. The Prologue to the Gospel of John tells us that The Word was the real light that gives light to everyone; he was coming into the world. He was in the world that had come into being through him (Jn 1:9-10 NJB). Jesus will repeat this warning in John 12:35-36 ~ Jesus said to them, "The light will be among you only a little while. Walk while you have the light so that darkness may not overcome you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light."
6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made
clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, 7 and said to him, "Go
wash in the Pool of Siloam," which means Sent. So he went and washed, and came
back able to see.
The Fathers and Doctors of the Church also saw a symbolic
connection in using dirt from the earth in Jesus's healing that rendered the man
a "new creation" in Christ. Genesis 2:7 tells us that God formed the
first man, Adam, from the earth's dirt. Adam's name means "dirt/ground," in
Hebrew adamah. The symbolic parallel is that God the Father made the
first man from the dirt of the earth and entered into a covenant with him, and in
healing the blind man, God the Son used dirt to heal and restore this man of
Israel as a new creation of the New Covenant.
The healing of the man born blind is the fifth of the seven public "signs" recorded in St. John's Gospel. St. John designates these as "signs" because what each event signifies is greater than the supernatural event itself.
| #1 2:1-11 | The sign of water turned into wine at the wedding in Cana. |
| #2 4:46-54 | The healing of the official's son. |
| #3 5:1-9 | The healing of the paralytic. |
| #4 6:1-14 | The multiplication of the loaves to feed the 5,000. |
| #5 9:1-41 | The healing of the man who was born blind. |
| #6 11:17-44 | The raising of Lazarus from the dead. |
| #7 2:18-20* | The Resurrection of Jesus fulfilled in 20:1-10. |
* Jesus prophesied this sign in John 2:18-20, but it remained unfulfilled until chapter 20. Jesus's calming of the storm and walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee were private "signs" for the Apostles. John records 8 "signs," demonstrating that Jesus is "greater than Moses" and the promised Messiah. In Scripture, 7 signifies perfection, especially "spiritual" perfection. 7 is also the number of the Holy Spirit and the number of covenant-making; to swear a covenantal oath is to "seven oneself. Finally, 8 is the number of rebirth, salvation, redemption, and resurrection. For more information on the importance of numbers in Scripture, please see the document "The Significance of Numbers in Scripture."
This event of Jesus's healing took place at the pool of Siloam in Jerusalem. From this reservoir, the High Priest collected water in a golden pitcher. Then he poured it out as a libation on God's holy altar of sacrifice in the courtyard of the Temple during the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles (also called Shelters or Booths). The water reminded the people to look back in time to the "water" miracles of the Exodus experience (read during the liturgy of worship) and to look forward to the day when the Messiah would "pour out" his blessings on Israel (Ex 17:1-7; Num 11:25-29; 20:1-13; Is 32:15; 44:3-5; Ez 36:24-30; 39:29; Joel 3:1-2). In John 9:7, St. John wrote that Jesus told the man: "Go wash in the Pool of Siloam," which means Sent." Siloam was the Greek name for the pool, which in Hebrew meant Sent or a better translation is, "the one sent," which points to the Christ, the Messiah sent by God to redeem His people.
The Old Testament prophets spoke of Siloam's waters as a sign of God's divine favor and protection (i.e., Isaiah 8:6-7a and 12:3. For this reason, the priest took water for the Water Libation Ceremony at the Feast of Tabernacles from this pool. There is a connection between Jesus healing the blind man in the pool of Siloam and the Feast of Tabernacles/Shelters/Booths that was taking place during this event (Jn 7:2-3). The water of Siloam symbolized the blessings of the promised Messianic Age looked for during the Feast. Therefore, in Jesus's case, the source of these blessings is Jesus, who came to heal and restore the sight of faith to Israel. John intends us to see that the "One sent" is Jesus.
The two-stage healing for the man born blind is similar to the Prophet Elisha's healing of Naaman, the general of the king of Damascus. Elisha cured him of leprosy after telling him to bathe in the Jordan River seven times (2 Kings 5:1-14). Like the healing of the Gentile Naaman in 2 Kings, the healing of the deaf and dumb man in Mark 7:31-35, and another blind man in Mark 8:22-26, Jesus's healing miracle is in two steps. What these three New Testament healing miracles have in common is that in all three, Jesus used natural, created matter:
These healings make use of physical matter. Therefore, the healings prefigure the gift of the Sacraments, all of which use matter.
The Catechism beautifully explains the depth and mystery of these gifts given by Jesus in many different passages, including CCC 1115: "The mysteries of Christ's life are the foundations of what he would henceforth dispense in the sacraments, through the ministers of his Church, for 'what was visible in our Savior has passed over into his mysteries.'" And CCC 1116: "Sacraments are 'powers that come forth' from the Body of Christ, which is ever-living and life-giving. They are actions of the Holy Spirit at work in his Body, the Church. They are 'the masterworks of God' in the new and everlasting covenant."
In essence, a Sacrament is the continuation of the manifestation of the Incarnation of Christ when an invisible God made Himself materially visible to man. It is the Sacraments in which Jesus continues to work, through the use of matter, to produce effects that far exceed anything matter can naturally do. In the Sacraments, He gives us His very life. Have you ever seen someone you love suffer from ill health and wished you could provide your good health to your loved one to ease their suffering or even heal them? This gift is what Christ does for us in the Sacraments. We are physical beings; Jesus became a physical being for our sake. Through the Sacraments, He continually makes a physical connection with us through visible matter, giving us grace through His divine life to heal, nourish, and sustain us on our journey of faith.
The seven Sacraments and their physical signs:
In each case, Christ conferred grace through the Sacraments (He baptized, He anointed the sick, He ordained men into holy orders, etc.). A Sacrament is not brought about by the goodness of the recipient or the priest but by the power of God (see CCC 1128). The Fathers and Doctors of the Church interpret the miracle healing of the blind man as symbolizing the Sacrament of Baptism, in which the soul is cleansed through the natural medium of water and receives the light of faith. In his commentary on St. John's Gospel, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote: "He sent the man to the pool called the Pool of Siloam, to be cleansed and to be enlightened, that is, to be baptized and receive in baptism full enlightenment."
John 9:8-17 ~ The Reaction of the People to the Healing
The Pharisees latch on to the fact that the healing has
taken place on the Jewish Sabbath: 14 Now Jesus had made clay and opened his
eyes on a Sabbath. 15 So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to
see. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can
see." 16 So some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because he
does not keep the Sabbath."
God ordained the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship;
however, the Pharisees attached a multitude of prohibitions concerning what was
unlawful activity on the Sabbath, including traveling over a certain distance, lighting
a fire, collecting grain, or cooking food. Jesus challenged them several times on
their false interpretation of the Sabbath rest command, telling them that mercy
was more important than ritual (i.e., Mt 12:1-14). Since Jesus's act of mercy
took place on the Sabbath, the Pharisees accused Jesus of being a sinner (verse 24).
Once again, Jesus fulfilled prophecy in this encounter. One fulfillment is the prophecy made by Simeon at baby Jesus's dedication at the Temple: and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (Lk 2:34). Another time is Jesus's statement: Do you think that I have come to establish peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division (Lk 12:51-52).
The episode also reflects the different attitudes of the people during Jesus's three-year ministry (as the ancients counted but two years as we count):
John 9:18-34 ~ The Pharisees Question the Man Again
The parents were afraid to answer the Pharisees' question
about the miraculous healing of their son because they fear ex-communication from
the synagogue. The Temple in Jerusalem was the only place to offer the
sacrifices prescribed by the Law of the Covenant, but every town and village
had a synagogue where the people studied the word of God in Sacred Scripture. In
Jerusalem at this time, there were about 130 Synagogues, many associated with professional
guilds like goldsmiths or carpenters and masons.
Jesus warned that those who believed in Him would be excommunicated by their faith communities when he said: "Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude and insult you and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way" (Lk 6:22-23).
The Jews sent for the man again and told him to Give glory to God! (Jn 9:24). "Give glory to God" is a Biblical phrase that places a person being questioned under oath, to tell the truth, much like we use the phrase in our court system to "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." These words mean that even though men may not be able to rightly evaluate the degree of the truth in the statements uttered by the person giving testimony, God is the ultimate judge of one's truth-telling. If one swears falsely, that person is accountable to God for judgment. The Pharisees were warning the formerly blind man that he was accountable to God if he did not tell them the complete truth (also see Josh 7:19 and 1 Sam 6:5).
The man was justifiably irritated by being questioned a second time with the implication that he was lying. Jesus has not only restored this man's sight but also his confidence. You have to love his feisty, sarcastic response in verse 27 to the ridiculously repeated questioning of the Pharisees: He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?"
In their exasperation, the Scribes and Pharisees insulted him and invoked the name of Moses in verse 28, saying, "we are disciples of Moses." The words almost scream out from the page! The Scribes and Pharisees held Moses in high esteem as the great Prophet and Lawgiver, and they claimed to be his disciples, but that was not the attitude of the Israelites of Moses's generation. The Israelites of the Exodus experience rebuked Moses, disobeyed him, and at times the people even threatened to kill him (see Ex 17:4; Num 12:1-3; 14:1-4, 10-11; 16:12-15; 20:3). They never truly loved him, and that was his sorrowful burden. Now the people of Jesus's generation treat Him, the Prophet greater than Moses, even worse!
The healed man's arguments concerning the validity of his healing being "of God" are reasonable and sound. It is ironic that the blind man now saw physically and spiritually while the Old Covenant leadership was spiritually blind. They could not accept Jesus's divinity, which is the only possible correct interpretation of this miracle, and yet they refuse to come "into the light" and believe.
34 They answered and said to him, "You were born totally
in sin, and are you trying to teach us?" Then they threw him out.
It is hard to tell if they expelled the healed man from the
assembly of the Pharisees or if they excommunicate him from the Old Covenant
Church; however, his next encounter with Christ suggests the latter
interpretation.
John 9:35-39~ The Healed Man Finds Consolation:
35 When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he
found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36 He answered and said,
"Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" 37 Jesus said to him, "You have
seen him, and the one speaking with you is he." 38 He said, "I do believe,
Lord," and he worshiped him. 39 Then Jesus said, "I came into this world for
judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might
become blind."
There is such beauty in the statement: He found him. Jesus
went looking for the man just as He deliberately "looks" for each of us. He is
the promised Good Shepherd in search of the lost sheep
(Ezek 34:11-25; 37:24-28;
Jn 10:11-16; Heb 13:20;
1 Pt 2:25; 5:4).
Once again, Jesus used the title "Son of Man." His favorite title for Himself is a reference to the well-known vision of the 6th century BC prophet Daniel. In Daniel 7:13-14, the prophet received a vision of the divine Messiah who ascends to Heaven to receive universal kingship and worldwide worship. The Son of Man in this vision must be divine because worship is only for God! Verse 35 is the 9th time Jesus used this title for Himself in the Gospel of John. The Messianic title "Son of Man" appears a total of twelve times in John's Gospel (1:51; 3:13, 14; 5:27; 6:27; 53, 62; 8:28; 9:35; 12:23, 34 twice). Twelve is the symbolic number of "perfection of governmental order" in Scripture. It is the number of the Church, which in the old Sinai Covenant was the covenant people of Israel. The children of Israel came from twelve physical fathers who were the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel. Those twelve tribes formed the covenant nation of Israel at Sinai. The blind man, although he had never been able to read Sacred Scripture and had only heard it in the readings at the Synagogue, clearly understood that the title "Son of Man" identified Jesus as the Messiah.
Between verses 17 and 38, you can see how this man's faith has deepened and how his understanding of Jesus's true identity developed:
St. Augustine wrote: "Now, with the face of his heart washed and with his conscience cleansed, he acknowledges him to be not only Son of man but Son of God" (In Ioannis Evangelium, 44, 15).
There is a continuing ironic contrast between the healed man's deepening faith in Jesus and the condition of the Pharisees. It is a tragedy that, as the man's faith deepens, the religious authorities become more and more obstinate, moving from:
Their sins of arrogance and pride have entirely blinded them.
38 He said, "I do believe Lord," and worshiped him. The man responded to Jesus the same way that John wants all of us reading or hearing this passage to respond: to profess our belief and fall on our knees before Christ. The word used for "worship" is proskyneo, meaning to "prostrate" oneself. It is what St. Paul demanded of Christians in Philippians 2:9-10 ~ And for this God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names; so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the same of Jesus... It is for this reason that the faithful must kneel after receiving Eucharist.
It is also important to note that the title "Son of Man" associated with Daniel's vision in 7:13-14 has a theme of judgment. This theme of judgment is often reflected in Jesus's use of this favorite title for Himself as in Luke 18:8:~ When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? This is also the theme of Jesus's next exchange with the Pharisees.
39 Then Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment,
so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become
blind." 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him,
"Surely we are not also blind, are we?" 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were
blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, 'We see,' so your sin
remains.
Jesus said: "I came into this world for judgment."
The Greek word for judgment is krima. Jesus's
statements about judgment in John 5:22, 30; 8:15-16 and here in this passage seem
contradictory. Sometimes Christ does not pass judgment, as in 5:30 and later in
12:47, but at other times He does, as in 5:22 and 9:39. In both sets of
passages, it is essential to note that stress is on the complete unity of the
will and action that results between God the Father and God the Son. When Jesus
does judge, it is in the name of and as the agent of God the Father. When He
says He does not judge, He means He does not judge on His own, independent of
the Father's will. In each case, His judgment is on the actions of the sinners and
not on the ultimate question of their salvation. His judgment calls them to
repentance for the forgiveness of their sins, just as John the Baptist
(Mt 3:5-6; 4:17) and Jesus called people to repentance in preparation for the Kingdom
of the New Covenant Church.
The Pharisees followed Jesus and hung on every word He uttered, but their attitude was arrogant. One cannot come to Christ in arrogance without inviting judgment. St. John wrote: If we say, "We have no sin," we are deceiving ourselves, and truth has no place in us; if we acknowledge our sins, he is trustworthy and upright, so that he will forgive our sins and will cleanse us from all evil. If we say, "We have never sinned," we make him a liar, and his word has no place in us (1 Jn 1:8-10).
Jesus's judgment of the Pharisees was that they could see physically, and they were capable of being open to seeing spiritually if they would acknowledge their sins. However, they did not desire to "see" the truth; therefore, they were unworthy of the spiritual insight He could offer. The souls of the Pharisees are in imminent danger because they are in mortal sin = deliberate rebellion against God. They had the choice of receiving the gift of forgiveness and faith and to "remain" (meni) or abide in Christ; instead, they remained in sin. The Church teaches: "Jesus scandalized the Pharisees by eating with tax collectors and sinners as familiarly as with themselves. Against those among them 'who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others,' Jesus affirmed: 'I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.' He went further by proclaiming before the Pharisees that, since sin is universal, those who pretend not to need salvation are blind to themselves" (CCC 588).
The encounter with Christ in the healing of the man born blind is an "acting out" of the triumph of "light" over "darkness." Just as the old covenant prophets of Yahweh accompanied their spoken word with symbolic actions dramatizing their message (called in Hebrew a prophetic 'ot), Jesus acted out the truth of His declaration in the previous chapter when He declared: "I AM the Light of the world" (Jn 8:12). In addition to the contrast between the "light" and the "darkness" and "sight" and "blindness," there is a second purpose to these events. It addresses whether or not Jesus has supernatural powers, and if He does, who is He? That question is answered definitively for us by the man who was once blind both physically and spiritually but who now, through Christ Jesus, has perfect sight and can say: "I do believe, Lord!"
We can view the blind man as a symbol of humanity. Born in sin, the blind man became a new creation by the saving power of Jesus Christ. Pope Paul VI, in his Homily at the Feast of the Mother of God in 1976, warned the Church: "Time is precious, time passes, time is a phase of experiment with regard to our decisive and definitive fate. Our future and eternal destiny depends on the proof we give of faithfulness to our duties. Time is a gift from God; it is a question posed by God's love to our free will, and it can be said, fateful answered. We must be sparing of time, in order to use it well, in the intense activity of our life of work, love, and suffering. Idleness or boredom have no place in the life of a Christian! Rest, yes, when necessary, but always with a view to vigilance, which only on the last day will open to a light on which the sun will never set."
Catechism References (* indicates Scripture quoted or
paraphrased in the citation):
1 Samuel 16:12-13 (CCC 436*);
(CCC 695*)
Ephesians 5:8 (CCC 1216, 1695); 5:9 (CCC 1695); 5:14 (CCC 2641*)
John 9:6 (CCC 1151*, 1504*); 9:7 (CCC 1504*); 9:16-17 (CCC 595*); 9:16 (CCC 596*, 2173*); 9:22 (CCC 575*, 596*); 9:31 (CCC 2827); 9:34 (CCC 588*); 9:40-41 (CCC 588*)
Christ the light of the nations (CCC 280*, 529*, 748*, 1165*, 2466*, 2715)
Jesus is the Son of David (CCC 439*, 496*, 559*, 2616*)
Baptism is illumination (CCC 1216*)
Christians are to reflect the light of Christ in the world (CCC 782*, 1243*, 2105)
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.