Rev. Cecil Van Niejenhuis
Mar 15, 2026
I Samuel 16:1-13; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9: 1-41
So—there’s a man in this story…
A man who has been blind from birth…
Blind from birth…he’s never seen the sun rise or set…
He’s never seen an autumn leaf—yellow, orange, red…
He’s never seen the green of spring!
The yellow of a daffodil…
The faces of his parents…his neighbours…
People have seen him…oh yes—their eyes took him in…
The way he walked…
Tapped his cane, or held onto an arm…
They recognized the way he groped at times…
--the blind one…they recognized him by the way he walked, carried himself—just like you and I recognize each other by the way we walk, carry ourselves…its utterly distinctive.
And they shook their heads. Too bad…So sad…
But—it happens, right?
So, there’s a man who can’t see…
And there’s a controversy about just why he can’t see…what caused his blindness…
A man who can’t see… and a whole lot of others…people: neighbours, family, religious leaders…who supposedly can see…who in fact are confident that they see things clearly…
But who, by story’s end…are identified as the blind ones.
These seeing one are so sure, confident—they know how life works…
they know what God thinks, how God acts
they know what is right, what is wrong,
What is, who is acceptable, can fit…and who, what cannot
But the ones who supposedly see so clearly…are most blind…
And the blind man…he sees most clearly—literally, and deeply…
The story begins rather abruptly.
--Jesus and his disciples are just walking along and they see this fellow
--and without any warning…no prelude…
Rabbi---who sinned? This man or his parents that he was born blind?
The question it raised for Jesus’ disciples---was not the question—Jesus, is there something you could do for this man? The question it raised was---Rabbi---who sinned? This man or his parents—I mean—born blind—somebody is to blame…somebody did wrong…
Because in life—it ‘s all cause and effect, right?
If you live right---you stay healthy.
If you don’t…things happen…you have problems in life…
You get sick, or maimed…
---even if you were born “that way”—whatever we’re talking about—if we don’t think it fits our categories of normal…it must be the result of sin. It’s somebody’s fault!!
So—the question of who sinned---begins with the disciples…
Then it continues every step of the way…
The neighbors are looking at him…it’s the blind man---but he’s not blind anymore! No---that just looks like the blind man…
--it can’t be him.
---And you have to imagine these comments happening right there in front of that fellow…it’s what we people so often do…someone is blind or in a wheelchair--we talk louder because we think they can’t hear either…
We talk about them—right in front of them…as if they really weren’t real human beings in need of respect….
We don’t hear anyone call out his name…because he’s just the blind guy…
But we hear the fellow jump in himself and say---It’s me! And yes!!! I can see you now!! I’ve been healed!!
What? How did that happen? They ask—not because they are thrilled and want to rejoice with him…but because they are suspicious—a blind man seeing—that doesn’t make sense to them
---doesn’t fit the way things work…
The way God works…the way life works…
The fellow who was blind…tells them…
Well…this fellow, Jesus…spit on the ground, made some mud, put it on my eyes…and then sent me to a pool to wash it off. Hello---you definitely want to wash something like that off your face!!!
But amazingly—when I washed my eyes clean---I could see!!
Where is this fellow Jesus?
Don’t know, said the blind man…
Then they took this fellow to their leaders, the Pharisees…the keepers of the faith…the session…maybe the presbytery leaders…the folks who respect law and order…who know right from wrong…
And they too have questions for him…
You were blind from birth? Really?? And now you can see???
Can’t be. This isn’t how life works.
This isn’t how God works.
Everybody knows that you or your parents—are sinners.
Sinners don’t get healed.
Once pegged---you’re pegged for life. Unclean…Shady…to be avoided…
They couldn’t believe that God was working in this fellow’s life…
And they couldn’t believe that God would work through another’ sinner’s life…(that other sinner being Jesus!!)
Jesus is the one who healed you?
And he did all of this on a Sabbath day??
Well that makes him a Sabbath breaker---and Sabbath-breakers are sinners…
No way this man…this Jesus---no way he is from God. Sinners can’t do miraculous things…
They are theological experts: they know what’s what…and how it all fits together…
And this…healing? and this healer?
---doesn’t fit with our confession…
And so they call in the fellow’s parents…because they just don’t believe that his story can be true.
And his parents, afraid that if they say good things about Jesus they will be expelled from the synagogue…they just plead ignorance…and they don’t back up their son at all…they just say—ask him—let him speak for himself….he’s an adult….
And so again they put on the pressure… Jesus is a sabbath-breaking sinner…it can’t be him who healed you…can it???The truth now—in the presence of God!
And then the fellow simply gives a testimony. Look—I’ve never met this man before, and I’ve never actually seen him for himself---because I was blind when he talked to me and told me to mix that mud…
But I was blind…and now…now I can see.
They badgered him some more…trying to get him to perjure himself…
And then the fellow takes their own logic…their own self-confident understanding of how things work…and turns it against them…
He says—look, if God’s doesn’t listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who is godly and does God’s will…well—here I am. Exhibit A.
A blind man who now can see. Unheard of right?
So this good thing, this blessing…to use your logic
could only happen at the hands of Jesus---if…it sprung from God.
But instead of convincing them…they, afraid of losing control, lashed out in self-righteous anger. How dare you question us and lecture us, they said…
…and they threw him out. Excommunicated. Disaffiliated.
Wow—can you imagine how alone that fellow must have felt at that point?
On the one hand—his life has been changed radically—he can see!!!
And—he no longer belongs.
--to his community, his family, his synagogue…
He sees now…he sees how life often works…
When a person doesn’t fit the categories that are understood to be normal, acceptable…right…
A person is squeezed out. Expendable. Brushed aside.
It’s what happened to Jesus himself…to the extreme degree…the cross is Jesus being squeezed out of Jerusalem, out of the land of the living.
It happens to those who follow Jesus as well.
But just at that moment when this fellow is all alone—thrown out---
Jesus heard about it, and went to find him…
The shepherd went looking for that lonely sheep…
There’s some gospel there…
And what happens then…this fellow…gets clarity…he slowly sees it more and more clearly.
Who healed you they ask? The man they call Jesus. He tells his neighbours
A prophet he tells the Pharisees first time around…
A man of God he tells the Pharisees the second time around
And now, when Jesus reveals himself in person….
Lord, I believe. And he worshiped him.
In this whole story—there’s just that one concern. Who sinned????
How can we fit what we are seeing with our very correct framework? (they didn’t intend to be nasty or blind…….but still, they were!)
What’s missing?
What is it they were so blind to?
I didn’t see it at all, the first times reading this story through…
I was blind to it…
But then the light started to dawn. Nowhere in this story, does anyone give thanks..
Praise…you can see???
Oh, God—this is wonderful! Give credit…give glory to God, would you???
Some humble, overwhelming acknowledgement of God’s grace to this man, and the need to look again at what they thought was so clear….but maybe wasn’t!!
What Jesus did for him…
Jesus heals…Jesus dispels the lie about blame…and Jesus does not abandon us when we do not fit in.
What Jesus does…he contends with all those people who think they know…
Challenge the unwritten rules and understandings…
Change who you are... how you see things--And pay the price.
It cost that fellow something…his life definitely now more complicated!!
But do you think he’d give his eyesight back?
Do you think he regretted meeting Jesus?
Jesus stayed with him. Found him. Confirmed just who was blind, and who was not.
Jesus injects grace into this life. And when you start experiencing, seeing grace, then the neat and tidy categories we so often utilize…are impacted.
Aren’t they?