The Doorway

As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, He spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then He anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The Man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about Him, since He has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”)

So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this Man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether He is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?” And they reviled him, saying, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this Man, we do not know where He comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where He comes from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is He, sir, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen Him, and it is He who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped Him. Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near Him heard these things, and said to Him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

John 9:1-41

My family watches Survivor faithfully. We enjoy the survivalist reality TV with even more fervor this season because my brother’s friend, Mitch is on the show. We tune in and cheer Mitch on in our family group chat. A few episodes ago, a conversation between Mitch and Survivor host Jeff Probst captured our attention¹. Jeff asked Mitch about how his tribe was faring, and Mitch responded slowly due to his speech impediment. Jeff asked, “Mitch, when you are struggling, do you want help from someone…or do you want us to let you finish when you’re ready to finish?” Mitch responded, “The hope is that everybody would hang in there for me and…give me the opportunity to finish my sentence. But I’m so thankful you asked me that because…people naturally want to help others but don’t feel comfortable asking that.” Both Jeff and Mitch showed levels of courage in this exchange. Jeff decided to ask how to help. Mitch let Jeff know he would like to be accommodated rather than interrupted.

I know from my experience with disability these conversations feel difficult. Knowing you need accommodation takes vulnerability. Asking how to accommodate someone can be uncomfortable. Chapter 9 of John’s Gospel explores human need and vulnerability. In this story of a man born blind and healed by Jesus, John puts several responses to human need on display. The disciples treat need as a learning exercise, the Pharisees ignore need, and the healed man knows need well. Ultimately, Jesus teaches them all that human need can open the doorway to the Gospel.

The Disciples: Need as Object Lesson

The story begins with a question from Jesus’ followers. Passing by a man born blind, they ask Jesus who sinned, this man or his parents, to cause his blindness. They want to learn the theology behind this man’s condition. Jesus tells them that this man’s blindness shows that God’s work needs to be done and prompts them to do this work with Him. Jesus refutes the disciples’ desire, even if for earnest knowledge-seeking, to use the blind man as a mere object lesson. He knows the full reality of the man’s struggle. He wants His disciples to see that the man needs help and that God can provide help. In God’s Kingdom, this blind man’s need does not represent a question that needs an answer. Instead, this man’s blindness will lead him to Jesus and show how God loves to help His people. And Jesus demonstrates God’s help by giving the man his sight.

The Pharisees: Need Ignored 

The Pharisees ignore their need and think they lack nothing. Instead of wondering at the healing, the religious leaders stand firm in rejecting Jesus. This man’s healing poses a threat to them – an unknown. After interrogating the man, including questioning if his blindness ever existed, they conclude that both the man and the healer must be sinful. They cannot comprehend that God might work in a way they do not expect or own the limits of their knowledge. When Jesus heals the man, He reminds His followers and the religious leaders that God meets needs in unexpected ways through unexpected people². Because the miracle does not fit into their system, they condemn the healed man as a sinner and shun him from their place of worship.

The Man: Need as Daily Reality 

After the Pharisees accuse his healer of being a sinner, the healed man says, “Whether He is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25). The man understands that Jesus responds to his need. He knows he lacks. His disability revealed this to him daily as he struggled to get by. But Jesus helps him, and he accepts this help as a gift. As the questions about his healing keep coming, he goes from calling Jesus “the man named Jesus” to “a prophet” and, finally, “Lord.” He recognizes that God helped him. Disability increases daily struggles. At times, it can also sharpen awareness of God’s gifts. In the end, the healed man falls at the feet of Jesus because, being well acquainted with severe needs, he knows his healing comes from an act of God.

Jesus: Need as the Doorway to Healing

Jesus says, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind” (John 9:39). Jesus declares that those who are lacking or in need might find restoration in Him. On the other hand, those who believe they already have everything they need will find it more difficult to receive Him. Dr. Kelly Kapic defines humility this way: knowledge that there is a great Creator Lord and that we are the finite creatures He made to live in fellowship with Him³. Recognizing needs allows Jesus an open door to meet those needs.

Jeff and Mitch’s conversation is remarkable because they candidly acknowledge Mitch’s needs and how to help. What responses do we have when we experience or see someone in need? Do we want to explain it? Ignore it? Jesus reminds us that recognizing our need helps us enter into a relationship with Him and with one another.

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End notes:  
1. Watch the exchange: “Survivor 48's Mitch Guerra has a deeply human moment in episode 2 talking about his speech impediment”, MSN.
2. Epps, B. Jason & Pettit, Paul, One Body, One Spirit: Disability and Community in the Church, 112  
3. Kapic, Kelly, You’re Only Human, 103