Sermon 136

SERMO 136

"ON THE SAME READING OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN,"
ON THE HEALING OF THE MAN BORN BLIND

The illumination of those born blind.

We have heard the reading of the holy Gospel, as we are accustomed: but it is good to be reminded; it is good to renew memory from the slumber of forgetfulness. Finally, a very ancient reading, as if new, has delighted us. Christ illuminated the man born blind: why do you marvel? Christ is the Savior: He restored that benefit which He had done less of in the womb. However, when He was making fewer eyes for him, He was not erring; but was deferring to the miracle. Perhaps you say: How do you know this? I heard it from Him: He said it just now; we heard it together. For when His disciples asked Him, and said: Lord, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? What did He respond, you heard with me: Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but so that the works of God might be made manifest in him. Behold why He was deferring, when He was making fewer eyes. He did not do, what He would do; He did not do, what He knew He would do, when it was fitting. Nor should you think, brothers, that his parents had no sin, or that he himself did not contract original sin when he was born, on account of which sin infants are baptized for the remission of sins. But that blindness was not because of the parents' sin, nor was it because of his own sin; but so that the works of God might be made manifest in him. For all of us, when we were born, contracted original sin; and yet we were not born blind. Ask diligently: and we were born blind. For who was not born blind? but in the heart. However, the Lord Jesus, because He had created both, healed both.

A blind error, thinking that sinners are not heard.

You have seen this blind man with the eyes of faith, you have also seen him going from blindness to sight; but you have heard him erring. In what did this blind man err, I say: first, because he thought Christ was a prophet, he did not know Him as the Son of God. Then we heard one of his responses which was entirely false: for he said, "We know that God does not hear sinners." If God does not hear sinners, what hope do we have? If God does not hear sinners, why do we pray, and why do we confess our sins by striking our breasts? Where is that Publican who went up to the temple with the Pharisee, and while the Pharisee boasted, parading his merits, the Publican, standing afar off, with eyes fixed on the ground, and beating his breast, confessed his sins? And the one who confessed his sins went down from the temple justified, more so than the Pharisee. Surely God hears sinners. But the one who spoke these words had not yet washed the face of his heart with the waters of Siloam. The sacrament had preceded in his eyes; but the effect of grace had not yet occurred in his heart. When did this blind man wash the face of his heart? When the Lord, having sent him out by the Jews, brought him to Himself. For He found him and said to him, as we have heard: "Do you believe in the Son of God?" And he replied, "Who is He, Lord, that I might believe in Him?" Surely he already saw with his eyes, but with his heart? Not yet. Wait: he would soon see. Jesus answered him, "I am He, who speaks with you." Did he doubt? Immediately he washed his face. For He spoke with him, Siloam, which is interpreted as "Sent." Who is sent but Christ, who often testified, saying: "I do the will of my Father who sent me." Therefore, He was Siloam. The blind man approached with his heart, heard, believed, worshipped: he washed his face, he saw.

The blindness of the Jews, accusing that the Sabbath is broken by Christ.

But those who sent him away remained blind, because they were accusing the Lord falsely, since it was the Sabbath when he made clay from spittle and anointed the eyes of the blind man. For whenever the Lord healed with a word, the Jews openly slandered him. For he did not perform any work on the Sabbath when he spoke, and it was done. It was an open calumny: they slandered him when he commanded, they slandered him when he spoke, as though they themselves did not speak on the Sabbath. I may say that they not only speak on the Sabbath, but do not speak on any day, since they have departed from the praises of the true God. Yet as I said, brothers, it was an open calumny. The Lord said to a man: Stretch out your hand; it was healed, and they slandered because he healed on the Sabbath. What did he do? What work did he perform? What burden did he carry? But now to spit on the ground, to make clay, and to anoint a man's eyes, is to work. No one should doubt, it was work. The Lord broke the Sabbath: but he was not guilty for it. What is it that I said: He broke the Sabbath? The light itself came, removing shadows. The Sabbath was indeed commanded by the Lord God, by Christ himself who was with the Father when that Law was given: it was commanded by him, but in the shadow of things to come. Therefore, let no one judge you in food or in drink, or in respect of a festival day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come. He to whom these shadows announced the coming had come. Why delight in shadows? Jews, open your eyes: the sun is present. We know. What do you know, you blind-hearted? What do you know? That this man is not from God, who thus broke the Sabbath? The Sabbath, pitiable ones, Christ himself proclaimed the Sabbath, whom you say is not from God. You observe the Sabbath carnally, you do not have the saliva of Christ. Pay attention in the land of the Sabbath to the saliva of Christ, and you will understand Christ was prophesied through the Sabbath. But because you do not have the saliva of Christ upon your eyes, that is why you did not come to Siloam, and you did not wash your face, and you remained blind; to his good, rather no longer blind neither in flesh nor in heart. He made clay with spittle, his eyes were anointed, he went to Siloam, he washed his face, he believed in Christ, he saw, and he did not remain in that very terrible judgment: I came into this world for judgment, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.

How the blindness of the Jews was increased by the advent of Christ.

Great terror! So that those who do not see, may see: well. It is the duty of the Savior, it is the profession of medicine: So that those who do not see, may see. What is it, Lord, that you added: So that those who see, may become blind? If we understand, it is very true and very right. What is it, however: Those who see? They are Jews. Thus they see? According to their words, they see, according to the truth they do not see. What is it then: they see? They think they see, they believe they see. For they believed they saw, when they defended the Law against Christ. We know: therefore they see. What is: We know, except: We see? What is: Because this man is not from God, because he thus breaks the Sabbath? They are seeing: what the law said, they read. For it is commanded that he who breaks the Sabbath should be stoned. Therefore, they said that this man was not from God; but seeing, they were blind, because that future judge of the living and the dead came into the world for judgment. Why did he come? So that those who do not see, may see: those who confess they do not see, may be enlightened. And those who see, may become blind: that is, those who do not confess their blindness, may be hardened more grievously. Finally, it is fulfilled: Those who see, may become blind; defenders of the law, handlers of the law, teachers of the law, interpreters of the law crucified the author of the law. O blindness! It is the same which happened to a part of Israel. So that Christ would be crucified, and the fullness of the Gentiles would come in, a part of Israel was made blind. What is: So that those who do not see, may see? So that the fullness of the Gentiles would come in, a part of Israel was made blind. The whole world lay blind, but he came, so that those who do not see, may see; and those who see, may become blind. He was unknown by the Jews, crucified by the Jews; from his own blood he made an ointment for the blind. They became harder, they became blind, those who boasted they saw the light, crucified the light. How great a blindness! They killed the light: but the crucified light illuminated the blind.

Paul's testimony about the impotence of the law and the blindness of the Jews.

Listen to the seeing one, who was blind. Behold the cross on which they stumbled, those who refused to confess their blindness to the physician. The law remained for them. What does the law do without grace? O wretched ones! what does the law do without grace. What does the earth do without the saliva of Christ? What does the law do without grace, except make greater guilt? Why? Because hearers of the law and not doers, and thus sinners, transgressors. The son of the hostess of the man of God died, and the staff was sent through the servant, and placed upon his face, and he did not revive. What does the law do without grace? The Apostle already seeing, already enlightened from being blind, what does he say? For if a law had been given which could give life, righteousness would indeed be by the law. Attend: let us respond, and say: What is it that he said? If a law had been given which could give life, righteousness would indeed be by the law. If it could not give life, why was it given? He follows and adds: But Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. The promise of illumination, the promise of love by faith in Jesus Christ, so that it might be given to believers, that Scripture, that is, the law, has confined all under sin. What is: confined all under sin? I would not have known lust, unless the law said: You shall not covet. What is: Scripture confined all under sin? It made the offender even a transgressor. For it could not heal the sinner. Scripture confined all under sin: but in what hope? The hope of grace, the hope of mercy. You received the law; you wanted to perform it, but you could not: you fell from pride, you saw your illness. Run to the physician, wash your face. Desire Christ, confess Christ, believe in Christ: the Spirit of the letter approaches, and you shall be saved. For if you withdraw the Spirit from the letter, the letter kills: if it kills, where is hope? But the Spirit gives life.

Elisha sending the staff ahead, then coming himself to raise the dead, what it foreshadows.

Let Giezi, the servant of Elisha, receive the staff, as the servant of God Moses received the law. Let him receive the staff, receive it, run, precede, advance, place the staff upon the face of the dead boy. And it happened: he received it, ran, placed the staff upon the face of the dead boy. But to what end? For whom is the staff? If a law had been given that could give life, the boy would have been resurrected by the staff: but because Scripture has concluded all under sin, he still lies dead. But why has it concluded all under sin? So that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ we might be given to those who believe. Let Elisha come, who sent the staff by the servant to convict the dead; let him himself come, let him himself come, let him enter the woman's lodging, ascend to the boy, find him dead, conform to the body's limbs of the dead, not dead but alive. This indeed he did: placing face upon face, eyes upon eyes, hands upon hands, feet beside feet, he straitened himself, contracted himself, being great he made himself small. He contracted himself; as it were, he lessened himself. Because: When he was in the form of God, he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant. What does it mean: he conformed himself alive to the dead? What is it, you ask? Hear the Apostle: God sent his own Son. What does it mean: he conformed to the dead? Let him say it, follow, and let him say: In the likeness of sinful flesh. This is conforming oneself alive to the dead: to come to us in the likeness of sinful flesh, not in the flesh of sin. The dead lay in the flesh of sin, he conformed himself to the likeness of the flesh of sin. For he died who had no reason to die. He died among the dead alone free; because all flesh of men was indeed the flesh of sin. How could he resurrect unless he who had no sin conforming himself to the dead came in the likeness of sinful flesh? O Lord Jesus, suffering for us, not for you, not having guilt, and enduring punishment, so that you might dissolve both guilt and punishment.