Sixth Sunday after Pascha. Sunday of the Man Born Blind, Tone 5; the Holy, Just and Long-suffering Job
Read
Acts 16:16-34; John 9:1-38
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
As we continue our reading of the Gospel of John brothers and sisters, we continue to learn more and more about Baptism and what is demanded from us as adopted sons and daughters of God. Our last three Sundays have focused to greater or lesser degrees on water: the healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethsaida, Living Waters at Jacob’s well with the Samaritan Woman and finally, the man born blind returning after having washed in the pool of Siloam.
What is different in this story is the gradual nature of the healing of the man born blind. The paralytic by the pool had been cured instantly, without needing to be put into the pool, which he thought was the place for healing. This man is sent (and that’s the name of the pool too, remember) to Siloam, about 1300 yards away in the Kidron valley, with mud on his face the whole way! Here we have a good reminder of true faith- no one develops a close relationship with the Lord without being sent somewhere. From Abraham and Moses, to Peter and Paul, to know and love God is to be sent on a mission!
The other important difference we notice with this story is the quality of this man’s faith. It didn’t end with the courage of walking around with mud on his face, but with fearlessly proclaiming the saving power of Jesus- a man who he hadn’t actually originally seen as he was blind until he came back from the pool! Whereas the paralytic whose story we heard two Sundays ago blames Jesus to save himself before the Jewish leaders, this man is given multiple opportunities to deny Christ and save himself and chooses instead to be banished from the Temple. When he does see Christ with his own eyes he bows down and worships Him.
To be in relationship with Christ is to embrace more and more the mission that He has for us. We are constantly invited and called into a deeper relationship. Let us not be afraid of getting some mud on our face in going wherever Christ sends us!