The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that.” We need someone to lead us out of darkness into the light of truth. That someone is Jesus Christ. Next Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent we will read the gospel (John 9; 1-41), and hear Jesus proclaim, “I am the light of the world.” This is an exclusive claim. In Him there is no darkness. He only is the true light, that enlightens the world. Outside of Him, we are blinded to the truth that all persons are created in the image of God, all are passionately loved by God and possess inherent dignity.
It was the Sabbath. Jesus pronounced that He is the “light of the world” and then amazingly, He healed a man born blind. Seen socially as a beggar, Jesus “saw” the man, his inner yearnings, his human dignity, and healed him. But no one celebrated his miraculous healing! No one gave glory to God! Instead, blinded by the human desire to maintain the status quo, to hold on to what folks deemed true, the man’s healing was met with astonishment and disbelief. In their darkened disbelief some town folks could not admit the reality of the healing before their eyes but justified their certainty by concluding that the man, now able to see was someone different. Finally, they took him to the Pharisees to further explore the reality of his healing.
The Pharisees labeled Jesus a sinner, “not from God” for healing on the Sabbath. But Jesus’ concern was God’s concern; compassion, and healing so the formerly blind man could enter true Sabbath rest. The Pharisees, blinded by their love of power and authority, condemned Jesus but failed to acknowledge they too had broken the Mosaic laws by their redefinitions of what constituted work on the Sabbath. Oftentimes, focused on our self-interest, we too fall into the error of loving darkness, assured of the rightness and truth of our perceptions. The leaders, residing in darkness, refused to believe the man was born blind. They like the town folks, rejected the truth of God in front of their eyes. Christ had broken into the man’s life with the truth of God’s loving-kindness and healing power.
The Pharisees drove the man out of the temple and Jesus found him. Jesus nurtured the man’s soul with His teaching and then declared His identity as the “Son of Man.” The formerly blind man confessed his faith, “Lord, I believe” and worshipped Jesus. He was reborn, made whole with outer vision and spiritual insight. In contrast, those who failed to discern or admit the man’s healing by the power of God in Jesus Christ remained blind, unable to glorify God.
This Lenten season the lectionary readings shine the light on who God is; that Christ came to make God known. We were confronted with who God in Christ is in the narrative of His temptations, His conversation with Nicodemus at night, and His encounter with the woman at the well. This weekend, God challenges us to relinquish the darkened view of reality in our souls and turn to Jesus as the One who defines what is good, right, and true. God’s truth is rooted in steadfast love for all persons. He confounds our incorrect perceptions about ourselves and others so we may repent and receive the healing balm of His true Light.
Prayer: I want to walk as a child of the Light, shine in my heart, Lord Jesus. Amen
