Sermon 136A
SERMON 136/A
From the Gospel according to John, Chapter 9:
On the Illumination of the Man Born Blind
The deeds of Christ's miracles are like the words of the sacraments.
Lord Jesus came into this world to save sinners. Therefore, He found a man blind from birth. For who among men is born except blind? I say in mind, not in body. But to see, he is anointed with spittle and clay; but with spittle not just any spittle, not anyone's but Christ's. Christ's spittle is prophecy, clay is humankind. Remember from what man was made. When therefore men prophesied, spittle was in the clay. What shall I say of the ancient prophets? The Apostle himself says: We have this treasure in earthen vessels. This treasure behold you have as spittle: from it he was first anointed; and every one who is born blind is anointed from here, and sent to the pool of Siloam. For could not Christ open his eyes with His spittle? Finally, He could also command him to see without spittle and without clay and it would be done. He could: but the acts of miracles are like the words of sacraments. Therefore, he is sent to the pool of Siloam. Why these delays? We recognize the power. What you will, You do, O Christ; let this blind man see now. No, he says; let him first go to the pool of Siloam, and wash his face. Thanks be to the holy Gospel, it interprets the pool of Siloam for us. Siloam, he says, which is interpreted as sent. Who is this sent one? Recognize the sent one; he proclaims: The Father sent me. Therefore, he sent him to himself: he sent the believer to baptism. He washed his face, and saw; sins were washed away, and light dawned. Now indeed what he responded, and was so harassed by the Jews, he was already anointed in heart. But when he washed his face from Siloam, the reading itself testifies. He was therefore anointed still, not yet seeing, when he said: We know that God does not hear sinners.
There is hope even for the sinner.
What hope do men have, if God does not hear sinners? Did not two men go up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a Publican? Did not the Pharisee say: I thank you, God, that I am not like other men, unjust, robbers, like this Publican too? He asked for nothing, as if he had gone up satiated, and was belching fulness. He did not say: Help me; he did not say: Have mercy on me, because my father and mother have forsaken me; he did not say: Be my helper, do not leave me. But the Publican stood far off. A marvelous thing: he stood far off in the temple, and he himself was approaching the God of the temple. Therefore, he stood far off, nor did he dare to lift his eyes to heaven: but he beat his breast saying: Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner. We have heard the controversy: let Christ pronounce the verdict. Behold, He says, let us hear: Amen, I say to you, that this Publican went down to his house justified, rather than that Pharisee. Certainly, God does not hear sinners. When he was beating his breast, he was punishing his sins; when he was punishing his sins, he was approaching God the judge. For God hates sins: if you also hate them, you begin to join with God, so that you may say to Him: Turn your face away from my sins. Turn your face away: but from where? From my sins; do not turn your face away from me. But what does it mean: your face from my sins? Do not see them, do not recognize them, so that you can forgive me. Therefore, there is hope even for the sinner; let him ask God, do not despair, beat his breast, avenge himself by repenting, lest He avenges by judging. The humbled one approaches the Exalted.
Let the sinner acknowledge his sins.
But why did the Lord say: That publican descended justified, rather than that Pharisee, He immediately added the reason, He did not deceive you. For He says, as if we were to ask Him, why this? Because, He says, whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. You have heard why: if you have heard and understood, do what you have heard, humble yourself, ask God, tell your Lord God that you are a sinner, which He sees, even if you do not say it. You may say: If He sees before I speak, why do I need to say it? O man, have you forgotten: It is good to confess to the Lord? Have you forgotten: Confess to the Lord, for He is good? Even if you do not confess to a human judge because he is bad, confess to the Lord, for He is good; confess, groan, repent, beat your breast. Such a spectacle pleases God, where He sees His sinner avenging sin. You acknowledge, and He forgives; you punish, and He spares. But for Him to forgive you, you must not spare your sins. Respond: Let Him not spare, let Him blot out my iniquity.
Christ receives the human race.
After many things, the one who was blind and now sees was cast out of the synagogue of the Jews; they were angry with him, they cast him out of their synagogue. Behold what his parents feared; the Evangelist has exposed this to us, he did not remain silent: For his parents, he says, were afraid to confess Christ and be cast out of the synagogue; and therefore they said: He is of age, ask him. They thus feared to be cast out of the synagogue: he did not fear, and he was cast out; his parents remained there. Christ remains the supporter, so that he may say: For my father and my mother have forsaken me. And what did he add? But the Lord took me in. Come, Christ, take me in; they cast out, you receive; receive the one cast out, not the one admitted. Behold, he takes him in: he shows himself to the eyes, which he himself deigned to open. He says, Do you believe in the Son of God? And he still anointed: Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him? And the Lord: You have seen him, and he who speaks with you is he. He washed his face. Therefore now seeing with the heart, he worshiped his Savior. This is what Christ Jesus does as to (the blind) born mankind, still anointed physically, because of the miracle; but he performed the miracle to commend faith; he commended from this miracle of the opened eyes of the one born blind that faith, by which he daily opens the eyes of mankind and of the one born blind himself.