Sermon Notes on John 9:1-41

Diagnosis and treatment of spiritual blindness

I’m going to shamelessly rip off David Letterman here and begin with a “top ten” list. So here they are; the top ten signs that you are suffering from spiritual blindness:

10) You believe being filled with the Spirit has something to do with alcohol consumption.

9) Your kids think “Jesus Christ” is what you say when things make you mad.

8) Your idea of a “sin” is mixing a 35 year old, single malt scotch with Seven Up.

7) God is more like a fire extinguisher to you, only to be called upon in an emergency.

6) You are already asleep and will miss the last five things on this list.

5) Your definition of “morality” is whatever point of view fits your behavior.

4) You get angry about things that don’t really matter to God.

3) You talk about people behind their backs.

2) You think this sermon about spiritual blindness is for someone else.

1) You believe that you can see the spiritual truth better than most.

There is something wonderful and tragic about our text for today. It is wonderful, of course, to hear a story about God’s power in Jesus bringing sight to a man who was born blind. Can you imagine anything like that? What an amazing, uplifting confirmation it must have been to all of those who, like us, were struggling with their faith and longing to see some indication  that God was real.

What is tragic is that the religious folks were so caught up in the religion that they created, they were completely unable to see the power of God, right in their midst.

They were upset to the point of kicking people out of the synagogue because someone had interpreted the law differently. And while they were fuming and feuding, these religious people missed the fact that God was walking among them. Instead of rejoicing over the power and love of God, they were fighting to protect their traditions and habits.

I know this may come as a shock to you, but every once in a while I too hear from people who are upset about something in the church. Sometimes it’s about some change they don’t like. Sometimes people who come to me have been hurt by mean-spirited things people have said to them, or more likely to other people about them.

This is the sort of thing that made me leave the church for a while when I went away to college. Back then I figured I didn’t want to hang around with people who said they were followers of Jesus, but behaved like any atheist.

I’ve grown up some since then. My dad said it pretty well (he got a LOT smarter after I turned 25). He said that the church is not a sanctuary for saints, it’s a hospital for sinners. Now, when people come to me about the things that upset them, I am not surprised. We are all working out how to become the saints God has made us in our baptism.

One thing that does trouble me though. I have never had a single parishioner come to me who was upset about the sorts of things that make Jesus weep and pound the table. I have never had anyone come to me because they were not satisfied with how effectively we were bringing the Good News to those who are lost. I’ve never had anyone come to me because they were concerned with how little we were helping the poor or working for justice or peace. I can’t remember a single time when someone has come to me, upset because they wanted to help God’s will to be done on earth, just as it is in heaven, but didn’t know quite how to do it.

We tend to be a lot like the Pharisees. We have found a religion that is to our liking and we don’t want anyone messing with it. When someone messes with our religious habits, we get mad.

What we say and do to each other and behind each other’s backs when this happens is sinful enough, but just as tragic is the fact that, while we are fuming and fussing, we don’t even notice the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of those around us. We don’t see the growth in the lives of our sisters and brothers. We don’t see the power of the Gospel as it shapes our congregation and our community.

If Jesus were to stop in while we were complaining or gossiping about this stuff I believe know what he would say. I think he would say that we have, spiritually speaking, become blind. Our vision has been completely blocked by the insignificant so that we cannot see the Holy.

During this season of Lent it’s important to realize that we are powerless to change these ugly habits. Only Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit can open the eyes of the blind. It’s also important to realize that God loves us anyway. As broken and sinful as we are, Jesus died for us and has saved us, regardless of how often we choose blindness.

The next time you feel the anger coming on, pray. Ask Christ to check your vision. Ask the Holy Spirit to let you see the thing that is upsetting you as God sees it. If it turns out to be nothing, ask God for the power to let it go and to focus on the things that are dear to the heart of God.

Jesus healed the blind man in our text for today without him even asking him to do so. How much more will the Holy Spirit open our eyes to the things that matter to God if we are willing to ask? Amen