[Sermon Archive] - [Weekly Devotional Guide]
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This Week's Sermon THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT 02 March 2008 "The One Who Breaks the Darkness"
Soli Deo Gloria!
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This Week's Sermon THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT 02 March 2008 "The One Who Breaks the Darkness"
Soli Deo Gloria!
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Only a blind man could miss today's theme! From the Introit to the Old Testament reading through the Epistle to the Holy Gospel the theme of sight and blindness are unavoidable. While the Fourth Sunday in Lent has always been known as Laetare Sunday, "Rejoice" Sunday, more modern lectionaries have played a trick on us. The Propers for the old Third Sunday in Lent have become the Propers for the present Sunday. Those old Propers fell on Oculi Sunday. Remember that the name of the day was taken from the first words of the Introit of the Day. Oculi-my eyes. As the Introit was intoned the congregation heard the words, "My eyes are ever toward the Lord. . ." Perhaps no theme comes together quite like this theme today. Look at the Gradual for the Season: "O come, let us fix our eyes on Jesus . . ." And then the Verse: "With you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light." As I said, only a blind man could miss today's theme! Oculi Sunday. My eyes.
Keep in mind that every healing miracle of Jesus corresponded to a description of our spiritual condition. Jesus healed the deaf, the blind, the lame, the leper, those sick with various diseases and conditions, and he raised the dead. The healing of this blind man was the sixth of John's Messianic signs. All of these miracles pointed to something beyond themselves. They pointed to Jesus, who in today's Gospel is "The One Who Breaks the Darkness." And yet, great blindness continues.
Who Sinned?
As Jesus and his disciples passed by a man who was blind from birth, the disciples asked Jesus: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" In Jesus' day the people had been taught that specific outward sins were the cause of misery and suffering. There's enough truth in that to make a case. Abuse your body with drugs and other substances and you'll likely pay a heavy price with failed organs and health. Don't eat properly, stay up long hours, burn the candle at both ends and you'll likely have things go wrong with your body as many a college student finds out! At some point your body will rebel against what you are doing to it.
I suppose that some view handicapped people as belonging in this category. They view their suffering and conclude that evil has been done. They are blind to what God may be doing. It is through such persons that we gain the right perspective on what God is doing in our lives. God does these things so that we will learn God's compassion and then show that compassion in the lives of others who need it. God teaches us compassion through such persons who need our help. We learn how much God can do through them. I can tell you that such persons are very often the happiest and most loving persons you will ever meet. God teaches us through them how his love works. God is glorified, not in the suffering, but in the mercy. God's mercy stands over all his works, says the Psalmist.
But the common idea about sins did not go deep enough. The Pharisees and others failed to look at the heart. They were very concerned about observing all the dietary laws of Moses, to which they added more, but never thought about the source of sin, the heart. Jesus said:
"And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person." Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit." But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us." And he said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."" (Matthew 15:10-20, ESV)
Spiritual Blindness
Sin goes much deeper than physical blindness. What is much worse is spiritual blindness. That's what Jesus was saying about the Pharisees being "blind guides" and "the blind lead[ing] the blind." At the very end of our Gospel the Pharisees indignantly ask Jesus:
"Are we also blind?" (John 9:40, ESV)And to that Jesus answers in the affirmative. They were blind but didn't admit it. They couldn't see because they were spiritually blind to the truth of who Jesus was. It was in a parable that Jesus told where he illuminates it so well:
"He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.'" (Luke 18:9-12, ESV)The Pharisee was blind to his own sins with the result that he did not go home from the temple justified because he did not confess his sins. Rather, he made himself out to be much better than the tax collector who confessed exactly what he was and pleaded God's mercy. It is as though the Pharisee said, "I thank you that I am not blind like these tax collectors, but can see." But, he was blinded to his own sinfulness and could not see. So, too, many are still blinded by their own sinfulness and refuse to admit that they are blind. They prefer to stumble around in the blind darkness of their sin and unbelief, all the while professing that they can see.
Jesus says here, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Jesus is "The One Who Breaks the Darkness" of sin and brings the light of salvation. Jesus enlightens our sin-darkened, blind hearts.
Why mud made from saliva? Why not the water from the pool? As it was at the Creation, God created sight through the word that came from his mouth. This blind man is healed by what comes from the mouth of Jesus. The Word was combined with the dust of the earth. There was re-creation. The man was made whole, being given his physical sight while Jesus also gave him spiritual sight to confess Jesus as the Christ, the Savior.
Like the woman at the well this blind man became the evangelist to the blind, the Pharisees, but unlike the Samaritans the Pharisees refused to believe that Jesus is the Christ. Instead they accused this man of being in "utter sin," and they cast him out of the temple. We would say that they excommunicated him for his confession of faith in Jesus. He could see the truth about Jesus but the Pharisees could not.
God does not listen to sinners. Jesus is not a sinner. Indeed, he is God himself sent to sinful humanity to restore it to himself. God listens to Jesus for this man. God listens to Jesus for you. God listens to Jesus for all people.
You, too, have been washed by the word of Christ in Holy Baptism. There at the font he washed you clean. He opened the eyes of your heart and mind to see him. You, too can say, "I went and washed and received my sight." Think of how you learned in from the Small Catechism:
What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.
In the same way he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.
This man had double vision. Usually we say that this is not a good thing because it means that something is wrong with one's vision, but when it comes to the work of God, it's the best thing. One can see physically and one can see spiritually. Double vision. One sees in two ways. Seeing with the eyes of faith is better even than physical sight.
During the Baptismal rite, this is emphasized when we give a lighted candle to the newly baptized to remind him to live by the light of Christ. The pastor says, "Receive this burning light to show that you have received Christ who is the Light of the world. Live always in the light of Christ, and be ever watchful for his coming, that you may meet him with joy and enter with him into the marriage feast of the Lamb in his kingdom, which shall have no end" [LSB, p. 271]. Hear again the words of the Apostle Paul in today's Epistle:
"for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)," (Ephesians 5:8-9, ESV)
These days we hear a lot about eating foods that promote good health, even good eye health. Certain chemicals in foods are supposed to help us maintain good vision. So, too, when it comes to spiritual sight. There is a particular food which maintains good spiritual vision, the body and blood of Christ. If Jesus is "The One Who Breaks the Darkness" -and he is!-then the more of Jesus you receive the better your spiritual eyesight will be! So our Lord invites you to receive him in the Sacrament so that he may wash away your sins and clear your vision of him.
Oculi. My eyes. The aged Simeon held the infant Jesus in his arms in the temple and spoke of the sight that Jesus brings, words that we will sing again this morning as we do on a regular basis after receiving the body and blood of Christ. Today's canticle is a paraphrase of Simeon's song. More familiar are these words from Divine Service Three, a direct quote from the King James Version:
Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel [Luke 2.29-32]
You have been blessed with the sight that overcomes the darkness of your sin. Christ himself has opened your eyes in Holy Baptism and sustained your sight through the Sacrament of the Altar. Your eyes do see your salvation. You see Christ! Then sing cheerfully and boldly when we sing the Hymn to Depart, "Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness" [LSB 849]!