4 Lent A | March 15, 2026 | John 9:1-41 | Luther H. Thoresen |

9 ¹As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³ Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. ⁴ We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” ⁶ When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, ⁷ saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. ⁸ The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹ Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am he.” ¹⁰ But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” ¹¹ He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” ¹² They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

¹³ They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. ¹⁴ Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. ¹⁵ Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” ¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. ¹⁷ So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”

¹⁸ The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight ¹⁹ and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” ²⁰ His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind, ²¹ but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” ²² His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. ²³ Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

²⁴ So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” ²⁵ He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” ²⁶ They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” ²⁷ He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” ²⁸ Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. ²⁹ We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” ³⁰ The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. ³² Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. ³³ If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” ³⁴ They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” ³⁶ He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” ³⁷ Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” ³⁸ He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. ³⁹ Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind.” ⁴⁰ Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” ⁴¹ Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

Scripture quotations from: New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Note: The initial paragraphs in italics of this sermon might be used as the basis for a Children’s message. The preacher could substitute anecdotes from their youth that would be similar to the current author’s; or share what is below in the third person. If not used that way, one might adapt it as the beginning of the “usual” sermon or insert part of it later in the sermon…or elsewhere in the service. One would have on hand a pair of sunglasses and a wash basin (maybe with water in it).

Good morning. I have a pair of sunglasses here. We use them when the sun is bright, right? Maybe we wear them in the summertime, especially when we are at a lake or river since the light also reflects off the water, even with a glare. Maybe we wear them in the winter, too, right? The sun may be bright, but if there is a good blanket of snow, the sunlight also reflects off the snow. We might even have to squint if we didn’t have sunglasses. Summer or winter, we may feel like our eyes and the muscles around them get tired without sunglasses.

Blind people often wear sunglasses, too. For them it’s not because the light is bright, or because the sunlight reflects off water or snow. Rather, they wear them for the comfort of people who can see. Sometimes the eyes of people “wander” and that bothers some folks. Sometimes their eyes stare at the ceiling, or in a direction that seems unnatural to sighted folks. So, blind people wear sunglasses as a kindness to others. Isn’t that interesting?

We heard about a blind man in today’s gospel reading. Maybe, when you see some sunglasses this week or another time, you might be reminded of this story. But also today I have a bowl, a sort of wash basin. Why? You might recall that Jesus spat on the ground, made mud and put it on the man’s eyes. Then what? He said to the man, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” Washing became part of his healing, and the washing was connected to Jesus’ love for the man. Also, looking ahead, in a couple of weeks we will have the Maundy Thursday service. Then, we will hear that Jesus loved his disciples, and on the evening before he was crucified, he took a bowl of water and a towel. What did he do? He washed their feet to serve his friends. Then, Jesus added that disciples were to love and serve each other. Also, you know how important it is to wash your hands, right? It not only makes them clean but helps prevent us getting sick or sharing a sickness with someone else. We might say that washing our hands is a way to show kindness or love to others.

This week, when you wash your face, you might be reminded of Jesus love and the way he healed the man in the story…and think that he loves you, too. When you wash your feet this week, you might be reminded of how Jesus served us and calls us to serve each other. When you wash your hands, you might be reminded that Jesus love for us calls us to love our neighbor.

I’ll talk about this more in the regular sermon. But for now, would you pray with me? God, thank you for sunglasses. Thank you for the way they help us when the sun is bright and sunlight reflects off water or snow. Thank you that the way blind people wear sunglasses can remind us to be kind to others. Thank you for water and wash basins. When we wash our faces, hands and feet, may we be reminded of Jesus love for us, and his call to serve and love others. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

In today’s Gospel reading we heard a total of 41 verses about the healing of the man born blind. But did you notice that the healing itself was told in only 2 verses and the other 39 were the lead up to it, and then includes the drama and conversation that followed it? We could say that the healing of one man impacted many people and generated a both drama and debate!

This is similar to the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 as the story is told in John’s Gospel. There, the “feeding” is told in 10 or 11 verses, but then there are 40 or more verses of drama and debate that follows. In our lives, with many things, the event may take only a short time, but it may have a long impact. For example, a tornado may pass through a town or neighborhood in a few minutes. But that event affects many people over a long period of time. Or again, each sunrise takes only a few minutes daily. But it affects the whole day. Where would we be without sunshine?

Anyway, back to the scripture story. In this Lenten season, you might say that we are walking with Jesus on the way to the Tree of the Cross, the Tree of Life. With today’s story, we are walking in the light for the first time, so to speak. You might recall your own experience of being inside a house on a bright winter day. You stepped out of that darker place, into the bright light. The sun was out, and there was plenty of snow. What then? You probably stopped, closed your eyes, opened them, squinted, closed them again, opened and finally your eyes adjusted…or you put on sunglasses. Why because of the brightness. OR, maybe you can recall another time when it was night. Then, someone turned on the overhead light, and you woke up with a start. Did you sit up and close your eyes, or did you pull the covers over your head because you wanted to be in the dark…or at least you wanted some time for your eyes to adjust? You see, we often get used to the darkness, and coming into the light can be unsettling, to say the least.

In the text, at the center is a man blind from birth. Jesus makes mud, smears it on the man’s eyes (probably eyelids, not the eyeballs themselves). The man went to wash and he came back able to see. This impacts the man, and many people around him. I will not try to sort out all the drama and conversation – that would take too long for a sermon. However, I do invite you to do this: later today, read the text again…preferably out loud. Then, re-read the story several times this week. Throughout the days ahead, 1) notice the interplay between blindness and sight in John 9; 2) notice the interplay between darkness and light; 3) notice how people, including Jesus, talk about sin; and 4) notice how dynamic between the verbs “to know” and “to not know” plays out.

With that last one, what does the blind man know and what does he not know? What do his parents not know and know? What do the Pharisees know for sure? It is possible that sometimes the more certain we are about what we know, the more blind we are. It is possible that sometimes the more humble we are, the more we see.

In the beginning of the story, Jesus sees the man born blind. At the end, the man sees Jesus and says, “I believe.” Interesting. In the dark the man hears Jesus say, “neither this man nor his parents sinned.” In the dark the man hears Jesus say, “He was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” In the dark, the man hears Jesus say, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day…” Yes, part of the transformation of the man born blind was from blindness to sight, from darkness to light. Yet, I wonder, was he also transformed from one who begged and had things done for him into one who might do the works of God? When he was no longer blind, how would he live? When he was no longer in the dark, how would he live?

In the end, this man says, “I believe” and worshipped Jesus, fell at his knees. Indeed, he is in the presence of the light of the world. This man, whose neighbors could not agree whether he was the same man who used to sit and beg, had been sought and found by Jesus. How would he now live? We don’t know for sure, but I would guess that was inspired to care for other beggars.

You and I have been touched by Jesus. In Word and Sacrament, we are touched regularly. In, with and under the words of scripture heard and proclaimed we are touched by Jesus. In, with and under the once and for all water and word of Holy Baptism we are touched by Jesus and washed – face and all…and we are touched again and again as we return to the grace of baptism in the Confession and Forgiveness. In, with and under the bread and wine of Holy Communion we are touched by the Body of Jesus and the lifeblood of Jesus. In, with and under the faces of those we serve, and the faces of fellow servants we may see the face of Jesus and be touched anew.

Touched by Jesus, we also move from blindness to sight, from darkness to light. Touched in a moment, it may have an impact on us for a lifetime. Walking in the light, walking in the presence of Jesus we are also called to do the works of the One who sent Jesus. Inspired, moved by the Spirit of Jesus, maybe we are called to care for other beggars. I would remind you that at the end of his life, Martin Luther has been quoted to have said, “It is true, we are all beggars.”

I read a little story some years ago. I no longer know the original source, but here goes. There was a woman, we’ll call her Jane. Jane’s great-grandmother prepared and served homemade potato sausage annually for Christmas. She used an old grinder with a funnel attached to stuff the filling into the sausage sleeves. When Jane’s great-grandmother died, the grinder was given to another relative. Still, Jane wanted to continue the tradition of having this potato sausage at Christmas. So, she went to many antique stores looking for a similar grinder. Finally, she found a grinder…but it had no funnel. She made the sausage, but it was more cumbersome to get the filling into the sleeves. Finally, one day she was at a flea market and saw a table full of things. The sign on the table was “Junk.” The people who hosted that part of the market had no idea of what purpose things on that table had served, so junk it was. However, Jane saw a funnel just like the one her great-grandmother used. Jane did know its purpose! She picked it up, said “I have been looking for one of these for years!” Jane bought it on the spot for almost nothing, because to others it was junk.

Jesus looks at each of us and does not see junk! You may have heard the phrase, “God does not make junk.” What Jesus sees, are beggars in need of transformation. Jesus touches and transforms us. So indeed, we may be called to care for other beggars in these days of uncertainty, of darkness, of difficulty, of confusion. We may be called to care for our neighbors near and far, with things as simple as washing their feet, by serving their bodily needs. We may be called to care for our neighbors nearby, with things as simple as washing our hands for the sake of the health of others. As we do the simple task of washing our face in the morning and look in the mirror, we may see the face of a beggar in need of grace, and at the same time see the face of the One who washes our hands, feet, face and more – body and soul. Then, we may walk into the day to wash and serve other beggars, doing the works of the One who sent Jesus and who sends us.

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

©Pr. Luther H. Thoresen, ELCA, STS, retired; thoresenluther54@gmail.com; Grundy Center, IA, USA