Weekly Liturgy : March 9-15
- DJ
- Mar 9
- 6 min read
John 9:1-41
1-2 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3-5 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6-9 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
13-15 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
18-19 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
20-23 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”
28-29 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
30-33 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
REFLECTION
from DJ
The topic of SIGHT is one very personally to me. I grew up with pretty bad eyesight. I am nearsighted and I have astigmatism. Without my glasses/contacts, I would have been legally blind, and in a past time socially discarded. When I got lasik surgery my case was so intense that my sight was fuzzy for 3 months with no correction available. Now in the past month I have developed “floaters” in my vision.
Even so, I feel fortunate, as I have always received interventions and relief. My son experienced a trauma to his eye in 8th grade, and could not see out of it for 6 months. The injury to his retina and distorted vision is not repairable with current science.
However, my relationship with sight has never caused me to question God’s goodness, my own belovedness, or if I had committed some unforgivable sin. How about you? Have you ever wondered if your physical or mental health is a matter of divine judgement?
In Jesus’ context (2000 years ago), blindness was understood as a sign of sinfulness that resulted in exclusion. This wasn’t fringe theology in Jesus’ day; even the disciples shared this belief. They asked, “Who sinned, this man or his parents?” Thus, they joined the blind man’s community in excluding him.
Jesus sees the man the community is blind to. But the community treats him like a non-person. They speak about him, around him, and over him. He has no voice. No agency. His humanity is invisible — disappeared.
Does this seem like a relatable experience? When housed people drive by individuals on sidewalks and in parks, do they see PEOPLE? Or do they see sin, problems, addiction, and mental illness? They absolve their own negative feelings by letting the blindness of judgement shield their eyes to the pain.
The religious authorities in Jesus time experience this kind of blindness. This new “I am” person who can now see doesn’t fit their system. So they protect their community norms the only way they know how, by casting out new creation.
As if foreshadowing his own casting out, Jesus follows the man to the edge of the community, where, as castaways, they form the beginnings of a new community — one where no one is excluded. A community where every person is seen as bearing God’s image and where God’s judgment is revealed as mercy.
Having the ability to see is not always easy. We see both pain and possibility. We see the beauty of transformation, but also the ugliness of exclusion. May we continue to see the humanity and worth of all in our community.
PRACTICE:
Outward Mindset Application
As you engage group projects this week, try to replace your moments of comparison with language of contribution. For example, instead of outperforming anyone around you, simply look for opportunities to add value to the work happening around you.
Non-Violent Communication Question of the Week
How often do you notice yourself using the word “but,” in your conversations? If you can catch yourself this week, replace that word with “and.”
What do you notice about your perspective when you do this?
Pathway Toward Center
Intellection (drawing near to God by pursuing knowledge):
What is a strongly held assumption you have about the world? (It could be a story you believe about a public figure, a perspective about a social cause, an ideological conviction, etc). Spend some time this week researching that subject. Can you discover anything new or challenging to your perspective?
Questions for Reflection
When was the last time your opinion about someone changed for the better? What enabled you to let go of your previous judgement?
Who are you most tempted to judge in the world today? How might Jesus invite you to see that person/s more graciously?
“Liturgy” refers to the habits and practices humans use to form community around shared values and meaning. At Church at the Park, we desire to be a community of practice, becoming people who see the world through the eyes of the marginalized, making meaning through the lens of pain and suffering, and committing ourselves to non-violence in a wounded world. This weekly email is intended to provide pathways of practice for becoming the type of people who embody these values.
Many of our reflections on each week's text come from other sources. If you're interested in reading more of what inspires us, here our our two favorite reflections.
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