Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Saturday, March 1, 2014 Read John 9:1-41 As we begin chapter 9 we encounter another story like the stories of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman at the well, and the crippled man at the pool of Bethzatha. All of these stories have elements in common. We should keep all of them in mind as we listen to this story. The setting of the story is not given although we should assume that it is in the area of Jerusalem since Jesus sends the man to wash in the pool of Siloam which is there. We can assume that John understands this story to have happened sometime following the harsh encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees in chapters 7 and 8. In the middle of chapter 10 John will tell of an event that happened in Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication which would have taken place in the winter during late December or early January. So this story fits into that gap between the Feast of Booths in late October or early November and the Feast of Dedication. Details in this story lead careful readers of all the gospels to wonder if the tradition underlying John’s story of the healing of this blind man and Mark’s story of the healing of a blind man who needed to be healed twice (Mark 8:22-26) is not the same tradition. In both cases Jesus takes saliva and mud and puts them on the man’s eyes to bring about the healing. We cannot be certain that the same older tradition underlies both John’s and Mark’s stories but it is tempting to ponder the possibility. It is clear that both John and Mark have shaped a story of the healing of a blind man to proclaim their message. Both stories betray the hand of a creative writer. John’s shaping of the story is masterful. We need to recall John’s contention that belief is a process that unfolds over time. So is unbelief. We get to see this blind man progress through a series of advances in belief all in one story. He begins by thinking of Jesus as a “man.” Soon he will grow to think of Jesus as a “prophet.” Then he will recognize that a man who can open the eyes of someone who is born blind must be “from God.” And finally when Jesus finds him again he will fully confess that Jesus is “LORD” and believe in him. We will also have the opportunity to witness the Pharisees sink deeper into unbelief. They too begin thinking of the one who healed the blind man as a “man.” When they hear that the man who did the healing is Jesus the Pharisees will sink to accusing him of being a “sinner.” At the end of the story the Pharisees will be portrayed as totally blind. What a reversal! This is a great story for us to ponder and enjoy.