Jesus Cures Our Spiritual Blindness
Sermon
Sermons on the Gospel Readings
Series I, Cycle A
Anne Mansfield Sullivan was a miracle worker who overcame obstacles in seeking to assist others. Partially blind from birth, she managed to overcome this handicap and graduated from the prestigious Perkins School for the Blind in Boston. The miracle of Anne Sullivan's life, however, had very little to do with her own handicap, but it had everything to do with the multiple handicaps of a young girl. The miracle began to be manifest on March 2, 1887, when twenty--year--old Anne Mansfield Sullivan met six--year--old Helen Keller.
Helen was born in 1880, a healthy and strong child. At nineteen months of age, however, she contracted a disease which left her blind, deaf, and ultimately mute; Helen Keller lived in a world of total darkness and silence. When she was six, Helen's parents, frustrated in their inability to aid their daughter, sought the counsel and advice of the famous inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, a man who knew adversity from his own problem with hearing loss. Bell knew Anne Sullivan and arranged for the first meeting between student and teacher.
Anne Sullivan's task was monumental - how could she enter into the world of darkness and silence which was the reality of Helen Keller's existence? The first thing that was necessary was for Anne to gain Helen's confidence, which was accomplished with relative ease. The next step, however, would be much more difficult. Anne needed to teach Helen that her multiple handicaps, her inability to see, hear, and speak like most people, were not impediments at all. Rather, her condition afforded her the opportunity to see, hear, and speak in new and different ways, to communicate on another level. Helen Keller could not see images and she could not read the words on the printed page, but she could feel and, thus, learned to read through the use of braille. Helen could not hear or speak, but she did learn to finger spell and sign in order to communicate with others. Helen Keller learned her lessons well. In fact, she learned so well that in 1904 she graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College, one of the most prestigious institutions of higher education for women. She went on to be a successful author and an internationally known celebrity who aided the cause of handicapped people throughout the world. It was the life of Anne Mansfield Sullivan, however, which in many ways was the true miracle. She opened the mind of Helen Keller to a world of possibilities. Maybe it is odd to say, but it seems that normal sight, hearing, and speech were impediments to Helen Keller. Without them she reached her full potential and greatness.
Anne Sullivan was a woman who brought the light to a young woman shrouded in darkness, silence, and fear. She was not able to cure any of the many physical maladies that plagued Helen Keller, but she brought her what may have been more important - that is the light and hope of faith. Jesus, as we hear in today's famous passage from John's Gospel, physically healed the man born blind, but Jesus gave him much more; Jesus secured for him the vision of faith. We, in a similar way, are called to seek the light, cast out the blindness that exists in our lives and do what we can to assist others to do the same.
The story of the man born blind is an excellent example of how John is able to weave narrative and theology in a highly significant way. The evangelist presents a story that demonstrates an important message of how he sees the life and ministry of Jesus. In the blind man's journey from physical blindness to physical and spiritual sight, we are able to watch as one person receives the light and new life in Christ. In contrast, in the Jewish authorities' journey from physical sight to spiritual blindness, one is able to watch as the authorities close off the light, placing themselves at the judgment of God. The message is clear, not only to the people of Jesus' day, but ourselves as well - we must seek the spiritual sight which only Christ can give. But often we refuse to allow the light to penetrate us. We wall ourselves in and hide behind the facade of our own arrogance and ignorance. Jesus' message and the possibility of discovering the light is offered to all. It is through our own free will that we choose to ignore the light and the freedom that it brings. We choose to live in ignorance and darkness. We choose sin over God.
Our world is daily bathed in the light of the sun that brings warmth, direction, and a sense of hope to our world. In the light we can see where we want to go; we have no difficulty choosing the correct path, or so it should be. The reality of our world, however, is that despite the light, we often are shrouded in the darkness of ignorance, unbelief, and silence. The darkness of ignorance is manifest in various ways. We often choose what to believe and refuse to listen to other opinions. Our attitudes toward certain people who may be different from us do not allow us to accept the good they bring. We take one side on issues, especially those that are especially controversial, and will not open our minds and hearts to other viewpoints. We believe that we have the right answers and refuse to read or learn more. Our refusal to change creates a certain ignorance that casts us into darkness and blindness.
The darkness of unbelief and idolatry are rampant in today's world, although, because we fail to recognize it, we believe that such practice is rare and that we normally stand in the light. We may not profess outwardly with our words that we do not believe, or that we worship other gods, but we often bow down to the gods of power, wealth, and prestige. We become blinded to the needs of others through the power that we seek or possess. Power brings possibilities for great progress, but it possesses the potential for great corruption. In seeking to exercise power, we are blinded to the way our actions ill--effect others. Prestige as well can blind us, especially when we feel that all the good we do must become public knowledge so all can recognize our efforts. We live in the false hope and security that our self--importance must be known. The false god of wealth may be the biggest obstacle that blurs our vision of the truth and makes us spiritually blind. We sometimes think that money has all the answers to our problems. Do we see money and the material world in general as a solution or simply as tools in the consumer--driven society in which we live?
Silence can have a deafening effect on our spiritual lives as well. When we see problems and refuse to say anything we are, in essence, living the lie of silence. Sometimes we are not courageous enough to act; other times we feel inadequate to rectify the situation. Silence and inaction, however, allow the darkness to continue and even advance. The light can only dispel the darkness when we make overt efforts to effect change or suggest other avenues of approach.
Lent is a season when we are asked to undergo many trials, as did Jesus in the desert. We are tempted by the things of the world; we are asked to transform our lives; we are told to seek the living water of God's love found in Jesus. Today we are asked to shake off the darkness that shrouds us in blindness. We are asked to seek the light and avoid the darkness.
As Christians we are called as well to share the light with others. A couple of short stories help us to see our role in God's plan. One day the eighteenth--century British writer John Ruskin was looking out his living room window onto the street. It was dusk and the lamplighter was engaged in his nightly routine of lighting the street lamps. From the window he could only see the lamps that were lit and the light the lamplighter was carrying. The lamplighter himself could not be seen. Ruskin wrote that the lamplighter was a good example of the genuine Christian. His way was clearly marked by the lights he lit and the lights he kept burning - even though he may not be seen or known.
A woman involved in a weekly Bible study made a significant discovery quite accidentally in her basement. One day she noticed that some potatoes had sprouted in the darkest corner of the room. At first she could not figure out how they had received any light to grow. Then she noticed that she had hung a copper kettle from a rafter near the cellar window. She kept the kettle so brightly polished that it reflected the rays of the sun onto the potatoes. She exclaimed privately, "When I saw that reflection, I thought, 'I may not be a preacher or a teacher with the ability to expound upon the scriptures, but at least I can be a copper--kettle Christian. I can catch the rays of the Son of God and reflect his light to someone in a dark corner of life.' "
Helen Keller was physically deaf, mute, and blind, but through the efforts of Anne Mansfield Sullivan, a true miracle worker, she was able to see the light. In many ways she could see better than those physically more able. In a similar vein, Jesus not only cured the blind man, he enlightened him and showed him the direction to new life. We are called to cast off darkness and live in the light. We are to be the lamplighter and the copper--kettle Christian. As our Lenten journey continues, let us seek the light and be spiritually enlightened. It is the perfect opportunity to find Christ, and that means eternal life.
Helen was born in 1880, a healthy and strong child. At nineteen months of age, however, she contracted a disease which left her blind, deaf, and ultimately mute; Helen Keller lived in a world of total darkness and silence. When she was six, Helen's parents, frustrated in their inability to aid their daughter, sought the counsel and advice of the famous inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, a man who knew adversity from his own problem with hearing loss. Bell knew Anne Sullivan and arranged for the first meeting between student and teacher.
Anne Sullivan's task was monumental - how could she enter into the world of darkness and silence which was the reality of Helen Keller's existence? The first thing that was necessary was for Anne to gain Helen's confidence, which was accomplished with relative ease. The next step, however, would be much more difficult. Anne needed to teach Helen that her multiple handicaps, her inability to see, hear, and speak like most people, were not impediments at all. Rather, her condition afforded her the opportunity to see, hear, and speak in new and different ways, to communicate on another level. Helen Keller could not see images and she could not read the words on the printed page, but she could feel and, thus, learned to read through the use of braille. Helen could not hear or speak, but she did learn to finger spell and sign in order to communicate with others. Helen Keller learned her lessons well. In fact, she learned so well that in 1904 she graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College, one of the most prestigious institutions of higher education for women. She went on to be a successful author and an internationally known celebrity who aided the cause of handicapped people throughout the world. It was the life of Anne Mansfield Sullivan, however, which in many ways was the true miracle. She opened the mind of Helen Keller to a world of possibilities. Maybe it is odd to say, but it seems that normal sight, hearing, and speech were impediments to Helen Keller. Without them she reached her full potential and greatness.
Anne Sullivan was a woman who brought the light to a young woman shrouded in darkness, silence, and fear. She was not able to cure any of the many physical maladies that plagued Helen Keller, but she brought her what may have been more important - that is the light and hope of faith. Jesus, as we hear in today's famous passage from John's Gospel, physically healed the man born blind, but Jesus gave him much more; Jesus secured for him the vision of faith. We, in a similar way, are called to seek the light, cast out the blindness that exists in our lives and do what we can to assist others to do the same.
The story of the man born blind is an excellent example of how John is able to weave narrative and theology in a highly significant way. The evangelist presents a story that demonstrates an important message of how he sees the life and ministry of Jesus. In the blind man's journey from physical blindness to physical and spiritual sight, we are able to watch as one person receives the light and new life in Christ. In contrast, in the Jewish authorities' journey from physical sight to spiritual blindness, one is able to watch as the authorities close off the light, placing themselves at the judgment of God. The message is clear, not only to the people of Jesus' day, but ourselves as well - we must seek the spiritual sight which only Christ can give. But often we refuse to allow the light to penetrate us. We wall ourselves in and hide behind the facade of our own arrogance and ignorance. Jesus' message and the possibility of discovering the light is offered to all. It is through our own free will that we choose to ignore the light and the freedom that it brings. We choose to live in ignorance and darkness. We choose sin over God.
Our world is daily bathed in the light of the sun that brings warmth, direction, and a sense of hope to our world. In the light we can see where we want to go; we have no difficulty choosing the correct path, or so it should be. The reality of our world, however, is that despite the light, we often are shrouded in the darkness of ignorance, unbelief, and silence. The darkness of ignorance is manifest in various ways. We often choose what to believe and refuse to listen to other opinions. Our attitudes toward certain people who may be different from us do not allow us to accept the good they bring. We take one side on issues, especially those that are especially controversial, and will not open our minds and hearts to other viewpoints. We believe that we have the right answers and refuse to read or learn more. Our refusal to change creates a certain ignorance that casts us into darkness and blindness.
The darkness of unbelief and idolatry are rampant in today's world, although, because we fail to recognize it, we believe that such practice is rare and that we normally stand in the light. We may not profess outwardly with our words that we do not believe, or that we worship other gods, but we often bow down to the gods of power, wealth, and prestige. We become blinded to the needs of others through the power that we seek or possess. Power brings possibilities for great progress, but it possesses the potential for great corruption. In seeking to exercise power, we are blinded to the way our actions ill--effect others. Prestige as well can blind us, especially when we feel that all the good we do must become public knowledge so all can recognize our efforts. We live in the false hope and security that our self--importance must be known. The false god of wealth may be the biggest obstacle that blurs our vision of the truth and makes us spiritually blind. We sometimes think that money has all the answers to our problems. Do we see money and the material world in general as a solution or simply as tools in the consumer--driven society in which we live?
Silence can have a deafening effect on our spiritual lives as well. When we see problems and refuse to say anything we are, in essence, living the lie of silence. Sometimes we are not courageous enough to act; other times we feel inadequate to rectify the situation. Silence and inaction, however, allow the darkness to continue and even advance. The light can only dispel the darkness when we make overt efforts to effect change or suggest other avenues of approach.
Lent is a season when we are asked to undergo many trials, as did Jesus in the desert. We are tempted by the things of the world; we are asked to transform our lives; we are told to seek the living water of God's love found in Jesus. Today we are asked to shake off the darkness that shrouds us in blindness. We are asked to seek the light and avoid the darkness.
As Christians we are called as well to share the light with others. A couple of short stories help us to see our role in God's plan. One day the eighteenth--century British writer John Ruskin was looking out his living room window onto the street. It was dusk and the lamplighter was engaged in his nightly routine of lighting the street lamps. From the window he could only see the lamps that were lit and the light the lamplighter was carrying. The lamplighter himself could not be seen. Ruskin wrote that the lamplighter was a good example of the genuine Christian. His way was clearly marked by the lights he lit and the lights he kept burning - even though he may not be seen or known.
A woman involved in a weekly Bible study made a significant discovery quite accidentally in her basement. One day she noticed that some potatoes had sprouted in the darkest corner of the room. At first she could not figure out how they had received any light to grow. Then she noticed that she had hung a copper kettle from a rafter near the cellar window. She kept the kettle so brightly polished that it reflected the rays of the sun onto the potatoes. She exclaimed privately, "When I saw that reflection, I thought, 'I may not be a preacher or a teacher with the ability to expound upon the scriptures, but at least I can be a copper--kettle Christian. I can catch the rays of the Son of God and reflect his light to someone in a dark corner of life.' "
Helen Keller was physically deaf, mute, and blind, but through the efforts of Anne Mansfield Sullivan, a true miracle worker, she was able to see the light. In many ways she could see better than those physically more able. In a similar vein, Jesus not only cured the blind man, he enlightened him and showed him the direction to new life. We are called to cast off darkness and live in the light. We are to be the lamplighter and the copper--kettle Christian. As our Lenten journey continues, let us seek the light and be spiritually enlightened. It is the perfect opportunity to find Christ, and that means eternal life.
