The Good Shepherd Strikes Again

This can be listened to here

Gate Pa – Year A  4^th Sunday in Lent,

Readings:

Psalm                          Psalm: 23                                                       

First Reading:                         1 Sam 16:1-13            

Second Reading:                    Eph 5:8-14                 

Gospel:                        John 9:1-41                 

What I want to say:

Lets read this with some of the rest of John. And lets wonder where we stand in this story. What does it mean for us to have placed in our eyes the light of Christ?

What I want to happen:

-          what would we see differently

-          who would we see differently

-          how would we live differently

The Sermon

       1.     Introduction:

Rev. Sean is the vicar of a Protestant parish in Southern Ireland, and Fr. Patrick is the priest at the Roman Catholic Church across the road.

One day they are seen together, erecting a sign which says:

"THE END IS NEAR. TURN YOURSELF AROUND NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE."

As a car speeds past them, the driver leans out his window and yells, "Leave people alone, you religious nutters. We don't need your lectures."

From around the next curve they hear screeching tyres and a big splash.

Shaking his head, Father Patrick says "Dat's da terd one dis mornin'."

"Yaa," Sean agrees, then adds, "Do ya tink maybe da sign should just say

"BRIDGE CLOSED"?

Sometimes understanding some of our readings is a bit like reading that sign

in danger of missing the point all together

       2.     Blind guys

As I keep saying, one of our problems is that we keep reading stories like this morning’s really really long story as a stand-alone story

set out like that in our bibles

            own title

many us surprised hear that those titles are not part of what was originally written

nor were the chapters

the paragraphs

or even the verse numbers

è all of which helpfully divide up books bible into nice easy to read little stand alone chunks

Paul’s letters were written to be read out loud in one go

Gospels written to be read out loud in one go

Like watching movie in 10 minute bytes

            changes how we understand what is happening

But we do it

all do

we do it every Sunday

no way around it

but we need to remember that this is not how these books were to be read

       3.     for example

last week heard story of Samaritan woman

            often miss that it stands in contrast with Nicodemus – Jewish male and Pharisee

            we keep reading them as two separate stories

            that is how they are set out in our bibles

but in fact they are two parts of the same story

belong together

belong with today’s story

belong rest gospel of John

just imagine watching a film like this

jumping 45 minutes

take todays reading

             miss that this is a story about what Jesus says about himself in John 8:12

– ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’

Because the lectionary writers took pity on us,

we do not carry on to at least 10:21

which is what Jesus commentary on what has happened  in today’s reading.

            10: 1-21 has its own title

                        Jesus Is Good Shepherd

                        so clearly it has nothing to do with the healing of the blind man

except it has everything to do with Jesus healing the blind man

            it is his discussion about the meaning of that

       4.     The Story

so Jesus returned to Galilee

then comes back to Jerusalem

in temple adulterous woman is brought to him

and then after she has gone he says that he is light world

which leads to quite the discussion with some Pharisees

and ends with them wanting to stone him

so he hides

while keeping low

disciples ask

"Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?" 

-         at a lot of levels this is a really interesting question

-         Theologically – most don’t think blindness is caused by sin

o   and at another level this is exactly the question we ask when things go wrong

            “what have I done to deserve this?”

-         medically - we know what causes blindness

o   blindness is not caused by sin

o   caused by all kinds of stuff which prevents light getting into the eye or brain not being able to register that light

in Jesus world

blindness is caused by sin

sin here is broken relationships with God and community

not moral failure

            that causes the light within the eye to go out

Hence the disciples question

   ³ Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do.”

he restores light within blind man’s eyes

which turns out to be a pretty controversial act

it is the Sabbath

Pharisees find out and get real grumpy

       5.     The blind judge the blind

At this point Jesus has exited stage left

Blind man

            who has no idea what Jesus looks like

            because he was blind

            but can recognise his voice

            because he is not deaf

left face music with his community – many whom not sure if this is man who was blind

he lived on edge

not really one of them

sinner

blind

paid him little or no attention

they were blind to him

but now he is restored to that community

they can no longer be blind to him

he is there in front of them and he can see

no longer a sinner

and Pharisees

they are not blind

they know the law

they know that this kind of stuff should not be happening on the Sabbath

they will not turn a blind eye to this kind of shenanigans

they interrogate the once blind man

and in process

he shows them

this man who was just thought of as a blind sinner

shows the learned insiders

that their blind adherence to law

without any compassion, any generosity, any love

renders them

blind

which takes us back to the disciples first question

"Rabbi, who sinned: these men or their parents, causing them to be blind?" 

       6.     The good shepherd strikes again

Jesus hears about all the goings on and returns

man does not recognise him

            never seen him

does hear his voice

recognises the voice

            ringing some psalm 23 bless at this point

unlike Nicodemus

but like Samaritan woman

understands his identity is now in Jesus

He is one of Jesus family

he has been born from above

The Jesus light has been put in his eyes

allow him to see so much more than just what is around him

he can see the reign of God breaking open all around him

gathering up people like him

outsiders

people on the edge

who had been told all their lives they did not belong

God did not have compassion for them

they belong.

His worship is expression of his trust and loyalty

      7.     Lent

where are we in this story

with Pharisees thinking we have got it sussed

that we are one of the in group

and so blind to God’s compassion, generosity and love

with the bystanders getting on with life but not sure

            thinking they can see

            but blind to so much and so many people

with the once blind man who can now see

            who has had light Christ placed in his eyes

            and who teaches the insiders about what reign God looks like.

this Lent are we willing to have Jesus place his light in our eyes

what would we see differently

who would we see differently

how would we live differently