A sermon on John 9

Audience: Seminarian preaching lab
Lent 4A John 9:1-41

That is the darkest place that I have ever been. About 45 minutes north of my hometown, Pittsburgh PA, is an outdoor ministry camp, Camp Lutherlyn. I spent a summer there as a counselor, and while there, I encountered darkness like I had never known. As some of you know, I grew up in the city. I remember laying in bed in my room watching the lights from the cars come in through the window, trace a path along my wall, then disappear as quickly as they came. All of the activity there meant that true darkness never had a chance to settle in. Far away from the streetlights which were so familiar to me, the only light that shone on the camp was that of the stars and the moon. There is a path there, it goes through one of the lowest parts of the camp. The water pools in places on this path making it muddy. The tree canopy hangs over this path, and at night, no light penetrates this canopy. On one particularly cloudy night, no light at all made it through those trees. It was not until my time on that path, that I understood the meaning of “profound darkness.” My wet socks, muddy shoes, and snail like pace testified to the fact that I could not see a single foot in front of my face. It was a familiar path, yet that night, it was terrifying. I think what made it so scary was how very vulnerable it made me.

This happens in our own lives as well. The sudden loss of a loved one, a downsizing, even an unexpected promotion can place you squarely on that dark, scary path. For seminarians this could be that exegetical paper, the endorsement interview, or maybe, internship assignment day. That place of vulnerability, of uncertainty, this is the valley of the shadow of death.

After Jesus healed this man of his blindness he was able to step out of the darkness. However, very soon he finds himself in a new place of darkness. He is given the unenviable task of telling the Pharisees about his encounter with Jesus. Just a few verses before our reading today, Jesus had told the disciples that those who follow his commands would never taste death. This so enraged the Pharisees that they accused him of being a demon and picked up rocks with which to stone him. Jesus instructed this man to stand before the most powerful people of his day and tell them exactly what they didn’t want to hear. This was no easy task. The Pharisees were not a group to be taken lightly. They had the power not only to cut someone off from the rest of society, but also from God.

The Pharisees pelt him with questions. However, all that this man can do is testify to what Jesus did in his life. So there he stands, a formerly blind man, boldly telling of his encounter with a person whom he calls a prophet. He speaks with such authority that they cannot contradict him. Their only recourse is to throw him out of the temple.

The healing, however, is not the last time that the blind man encounters Jesus. After he testifies to the Pharisees, he and Jesus cross paths again. Until this point, the man was unsure of just who this Jesus character was, but in this encounter, his eyes are opened to the truth of who Jesus really is. This man, who until very recently hadn’t seen anything, was now privileged to see the Son of Man. His corresponding confession of faith is a more profound miracle than any healing. This man was given more than the gift of sight; he was privileged to know the true identity of Jesus.

In this life we may often feel vulnerable in the face of overwhelming people or circumstances. However, it is through these very circumstances that God reveals himself to us. Not only will God deliver us through the dark places which scare us, but on the other side, we will have a greater understanding of just who God is and what God has done for us. Not only do we have a companion on that dark, scary path, but we are also given a glimpse into the nature of God.