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John 8:12, John 9
3rd Sunday of Lent,
March 27, 2011
Rev. William A. Huegel, Interim Pastor
This is the 3rd Sunday of Lent. Lent comes from a Latin word that means “lengthen”. In the
Spring, the days are lengthening. The days are getting longer. There is more light during the day
than there was a month ago.
So, it seems like a good time to talk about “Christ, the Light of the World”.
This will be the first of a series of sermons on the “I Am” statements of Jesus.
Let’s read from John 1:1-15
John 9
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
1 As he went along, 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 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of
God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.
Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’
s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man
went and washed, and came home seeing.
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man
who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to
Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus
had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also
asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I
washed, and now I see.”
darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
The healing that takes place in John 9 is a most amazing story. But before I tell it, I need to back up a bit. John’s gospel doesn’t
tell us of very many miracles. About 7 is all he mentions. And each time John tells a miracle story, he is trying to make a point
about who Jesus is. The point here, is mentioned first of all in the previous chapter, 8:12. John’s Gospel had previously told the
incident of Jesus standing up in the temple, during the Feast of Booths, and crying out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me
and drink.” John then says in 8:12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows
me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
That thought is not followed up on until the 9th chapter. 1As he went along, 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" Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4
As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I
am the light of the world."
The disciples pass by a man who was born blind and they ask Jesus about him. He says, “Jesus! What happened here?” Did
this man sin? Or did his parents?” I understand their question. It’s a theological question. It’s my question. Often, I just want to
know why. When terrible things happen to people you just wonder why them - and not me. When bad things happen to me, I
wonder why me? and not them?
I just want to know why? I go to Haiti fairly often. And I have a lot of “why” questions? Why is this the poorest country in the
Western Hemisphere? And why do terrible hurricanes cause unbelievable damage and wash away entire villages? And why -0h -
why did the poorest country in the western hemisphere suffer a terrible earthquake that took 300,000 lives and wounded twice that
many and left 3 million people homeless?
I understand why questions. I’ve got a lot of them myself. And that’s what these disciples wanted to know. Why are babies born
blind? Why do some people live to be a 100 and some die in senseless car accidents before they are 20? Why do young
mothers die of cancer in their mid 30s leaving behind children who need them and a husband who loved them. Why was this man
born blind, Jesus? Did his parents sin? Did he sin?
Here is their line of thinking. God is a good God, a loving, kind and merciful God and He wouldn’t allow suffering unless there was
some good reason. So, you can’t blame God. This man was born blind and therefore, God must have allowed it for some good
reason for allowing it. There can only be two reasons. a. His parents or b. Him!!!
A. Maybe his parents committed some terrible secret sin and God cursed them with a child that was born blind. You it does
say that the sins of the parents are visited onto their children - even to the 3rd and 4th generation, doesn’t it? Ok,
But, let’s say, for argument’s sake, that his parents are really pretty good people.
- Let’s say they worship God regularly,
- they give to the poor sacrificially.
- They never take ill advantage of anybody.
- They are hard-working, responsible people who everyone loves and admires.
- Let’s say that they are such good people, that the idea that God would have zapped them by causing their son to be blind, is
unthinkable. Maybe they are not perfect. Maybe they have their faults - but I’ve got to tell you, I’ve got my own and my child wasn’
t born blind.
B. In that case, it must have been his own fault. Now think about that. How could it be a person’s own fault that he was born
blind? What great sin could he have committed? His sin must have been committed in the womb, before he was born!
Well, It was reasoned, “Who knows what goes on in the mind of an unborn child?” Maybe, this little thing, shook his fist at God,
and kicked the ribs of his mother in and act of sinful defiance. And maybe God said, this kid’s going to be trouble! Maybe God
cursed him with blindness before he could grow up to do some horrible thing! It’s quite an amazing thought. The disciples couldn’t
imagine it. But the realities are that the man was born blind and his parents seem like pretty decent people. So, "Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
I love Jesus’ answer. Jesus said, 3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of
God might be displayed in his life.
Let’s not even talk about his sins or his parent’s sins. There’s no profit in it.
Let’s talk about what God can do with this situation.
Let’s talk about how God can turn things around.
Let’s talk about how God can take evil and turn it around into Good.
Let’s talk about how God can take a poor person and make him rich.
Let’s talk about how God can take a poor nation and make it prosper.
Let’s talk about how God can take sickness and bring forth health. If He wants to God can even heal blind people.
Let’s talk about how God can take darkness and bring the light of day into bad situations.
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
And then Jesus said something really interesting. At first you wonder how it fits. He was talking about why a man is born blind.
But did he switch topics when he said:
4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I
am the light of the world."
No, I don’t think He switched topics. He’s still talking about what we are supposed to do when we see people in terrible situations,
like being born blind. we must do the work of him who sent me. We’ve got some work to do. When we see terrible things take
place in this world, we can either sit around and talk about how terrible this is and we can theologize about why on earth such
terrible things happen. OR we can get to work.
We can get busy with God’s work. And God’s work is not about making people feel worse about what happened to them. I don’t
know why this earthquake hit Japan. I do know that the American Baptist Churches just sent the church in Japan, $20,000 to help
those who are suffering.
I don’t know why the earthquake hit Port-au-Prince Haiti over a year ago. I do know that the American Baptist Churches have built
“Rubble Houses”. They have taken the very rubble that now plaques that desperate city, they have build wire wall “cages” and
have poured broken-up pieces of concrete rubble into those and then put a skim coat of cement on both sides of that rubble. And
for about $3,000. they have made houses for people that will withstand a 8.0 earthquake, just in case one hits them again.
And when the Cholera disease broke out in Haiti, medical volunteers went to Haiti to help. I just came back from Northern Haiti
about 3 weeks ago. The out-patient clinic we support had 60 cholera patients in it, in December. In March they had 6. Things are
better because we cared.
I don’t know why these things happen. But Jesus said, It’s not about their sin, “but this happened so that the works of God might
be displayed in him. (and) 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me.
And then Jesus said: Night is coming, when no one can work. Night is coming! There is a small window of opportunity for us to
help. But that window will close. Night is coming. Old age is coming. Sickness is coming. Death is coming. And you won’t be able
to work, anymore.
It’s why I’m going to Haiti as often as I do. Next Tuesday, I’ll be 68 years old. If I’m really, really lucky, I’ll be able to go there for
another 10 or 12 years. And then the window of opportunity will close. It might close sooner. Heart attacks happen to all of us.
Strokes happen - we know that only too well. Sickness and death comes. We won’t be able to work then. Night is coming, when
no one can work. So, we better get to work now and do what we can. Some can give, some can pray, some can shovel, some
paint, a few of us can preach, teach, and encourage. We better do it now! Soon, it will get dark out.
And then Jesus said, 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Do you know what our primary task is - It’s to bring to
the world, Jesus! Because He is the Light of the World. He is our hope. He is our salvation. And without Him, the world remains
in darkness. Even if we bring people stuff; Even if we bring people medicines (and we should). Even if we bring people clothes
(and we should); Even if we bring people shelter (and we should); If we don’t bring to people, Jesus, we leave them in darkness.
Don’t get me wrong. People need jobs. People need resources. People need food, and tents, and houses, and medicines, and
all the other stuff. Christians better get busy and help while they can. Jesus said, What is this? I was hungry and did you did not
feed me? I was naked and you did not clothe me? I was in prison and you didn’t visit me? Come on now! Don’t be a goat! Be my
sheep - follow me and do what I told you to do. Of course we have to do those things.
But John’s Gospel wants us to know that if we fail to bring people Jesus, we fail to bring them “light”! And they continue in
darkness. And they will die in darkness. And go into the darkness of an eternity without Christ and the salvation He offers.
Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World”
Let us Pray!