Those who do see might become blind 叫那些看得見的，反而成為瞎子

Laetare Sunday, Year A
Theme: Those who do see might become blind 叫那些看得見的，反而成為瞎子

Half-way through the Lenten season, we had been battling with all sorts of temptations in the first week. Then after we had been encouraged with the glory of the Son of God in His Transfiguration, we were reminded of bringing this good news to people in need in the second week. In the third week, we searched inwards to recognize our thirst which only the Son of God might quench. It has been a rather rigorous annual exercise. If we are tired of and exhausted from fasting, almsgiving and praying, we should rejoice because Easter is already in sight. It is just around the corner. Today, we are cheered up by the light of the world in the person of Jesus Christ (John 9:5). Thus, the Church celebrates Laetare Sunday and the liturgical vestments are cheerful, viz. rose-coloured.

The story of Jesus’ giving sight to a person born blind carries a lot of materials to help us reflect on our relationship with God. In Jesus’ time, no physicians were able to cure inborn blindness. It was beyond their medical knowledge and skills. Only God Himself or prophets whom God sent were able to heal such blindness. Thus the cure was a miracle, a sign showing God’s presence and His mercy. Furthermore, it proved the identity of Jesus Christ, viz. either he is a prophet sent by God or is God Himself. Of course, the Jews would not consider the second option because their God is one. A Galilean carpenter claiming to be God would be the ultimate blasphemy! That Jesus was a prophet sent by God would be the only reasonable conclusion any rational person could draw. Yet, some Pharisees refused to acknowledge this.

Here, we see a political persecution unfolding. At first, the Pharisees were not able to get hold of Jesus. So they picked an easy target instead: the man born blind, thus a beggar (9:8). When they found him difficult to bend, the Pharisees changed tactics and questioned whether he had been truly blind since birth (9:18). His parents were summoned to bear witness. Pitiful parents, they dared not even to stand up for their son lest they would be thrown out (9:22). Then even the dissidents among the Pharisees camp (9:16) were silenced. We don’t see them voicing their support of the blind man anymore. In the end, the lone defender of the truth was thrown out as expected (9:34)! One would wonder why Jesus did not come to the blind man’s defence! In defending the blind man, Jesus would have been defending His own status, wouldn’t it? A second “irregularity” arose when in the end, Jesus condemned the discriminatory Pharisees (9:41). These two actions or non-actions of Jesus’ seemed to be contradictory to the usual image He projected: righteous, merciful and meek, or did they?

I think the key lies in the “long arm of mercy”. Jesus says, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind” (9:39). Jesus is merciful. He comes to heal so that the blind may see. It is obvious and easy to understand because it agrees with what Jesus claims, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17). He came to fulfil the prophecy (Isaiah 35:5). Fair enough but what about the second half of His claim, that those who do see might become blind? Obviously, Jesus does not mean physical blindness but spiritual. He has never blinded anybody with a curse or physically plucked an eye out! Instead, Jesus’ presence reveals the spiritual blindness of the people He meets (Luke 2:35), including of course the Pharisees!

The Pharisees had been national heroes, defending and defining the identity of the exiled Jews as God’s Chosen People during the Babylonian Captivity. They were able to transform the Israelite religion from cultic observances to scripture studies. The former relied on a Temple and a class of priests to offer sacrifices. But when the first Temple and subsequently the second were destroyed, an intellectual Judaism that relies on scripture studies was able to flourish unabated! Thus a new class of scribes and Pharisees arose and became another centre of authority on a par with the privileged tribe of Levite! Regrettably, the Pharisees were corrupted by the authority they had accumulated over time. They became greedy and abused their expertise to exploit widows (Mark 12:40). They preferred teaching traditions of their own invention to the words of God (7:13). They were hypocritical and did not practise what they preached (Matthew 23:3). When they felt their status threatened by Jesus’ presence, the Pharisees deployed the law e.g. Sabbath observance, to accuse Jesus. Instead of being a guideline for living, in the hands of the Pharisees the laws had become a political weapon to persecute rivals! That was how the Pharisees “help” Jesus fulfil Simeon’s prophecy (Luke 2:35), by taking a biased stance, thus revealing their spiritual blindness! Jesus did not blind them!

Beware! If we stop here, we will not see Jesus’ “long arm of mercy” because life is not black and white, blind and able-to-see. Of course, life is easy when we simplify every situation. But then, we’ll miss a whole lot of truth! Between black and white, there are shades of grey! Between blindness and twenty-twenty, there are different degrees of visual acuity! What do we have here? Jesus has a group of spiritually blind Pharisees attacking Him blindly. Then will He restore the spiritual sight of those spiritually blind Pharisees as He claims, “those who do not see might see” (John 9:39)? I’m sure Jesus will because He is merciful. Didn’t He pray on the cross for the forgiveness of all those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34)? In case extraordinary measures have to be taken, I think Jesus would not hesitate to act, e.g. the conversion of Saul (Acts 9:1-19). Though Jesus would make the blind see, it is we who tend to blind ourselves!

Reading Jesus’ claim in this light, all of us should stay alert. We can’t afford to be complacent. Fasting, almsgiving and prayers definitely help us maintain our spiritual sight. But we need perseverance to keep this precious sight until the end in order to be saved, “whoever endures/perseveres to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22; 24:13). Meanwhile, we are in different degrees of blindness. We need an open heart to embrace challenges. We need the Holy Spirit to help us discern and adjust. Only then are we able to persevere to the end. God bless!
2020 Reflection
Picture Credit: kidstalkaboutgod.org