Wear Better Glasses

Seeking the gift of faith in order to see better

03/19/2023

Jn 9:1-41 As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, "Go wash in the Pool of Siloam" —which means Sent—. So he went and washed, and came back able to see. They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see." So some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath." But others said, "How can a sinful man do such signs?" And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, "What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

Our sense of sight has always been associated with knowledge, understanding, and even wisdom. To see something is to know that thing. We even use seeing as a synonym for knowledge. For example, when we say, “Can’t you see what I’m talking about?” We are saying, “Can’t you understand what I’m talking about?” Or, saying, “Do you see what I mean?” is another way of asking, “Do you understand what I mean?” In other words, seeing and understanding are two ways of saying the same thing.

I learned this connection between seeing and knowing way back in elementary school. I was not making very good grades at St. Theresa Elementary in Little Rock, mostly C’s and D’s. But I noticed that my friends who wore glasses were the smartest students in the class. So, that was their secret to scholarly success! Just wear glasses and you will make better grades! Of course, I did not think studying hard had anything to do with it. Even though I could not see the real connection between seeing and knowing, I could at least see there was one: wear better glasses and you’ll know more.

Now, it is precisely this connection between seeing and knowing that John the Evangelist explores in his magnificent gospel in chapter 9. Jesus cures a man born blind and restores his sight. The man could not see physically but after Jesus miracle, he is able to see perfectly. He could pass any eye test with flying colors. But Jesus does more than that. Besides restoring his physical eyesight, Jesus also gives him spiritual sight, that is, the gift of faith. In other words, this formerly blind man can now see on two levels, the physical and the spiritual. His seeing had become knowing.

This is the reason the blind man can now instruct and teach even the Pharisees about theological truths. The man starts to interrogate the religious teachers, saying: “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he [Jesus] is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.”

The blind man continues his lecture as if speaking to college freshman, the Pharisees: “It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this were not from God he could not be able to do anything.” The blind man could very well have asked the Pharisees, “Can you see what I mean?” But sadly, even though the Pharisees had perfect physical sight, they had very imperfect spiritual sight.

Indeed, they were spiritually blinder than the blind man was before he was healed. The Pharisees were making C’s and D’s in theology and thought (like I did in grade school) that all they needed were glasses to make them spiritually smarter. But what they really needed was the gift of faith, to be healed of their spiritual blindness by Jesus. In other words, they needed to catch the connection between seeing and knowing; that there is a knowing called faith, which is the highest form of knowing.

My friends, how is your eyesight these days? Can you see what I am asking? Sometimes we are so literal we miss the symbolic; we are so material we miss the spiritual; we are so earthly we miss the heavenly. We are like my dog, Apollo. When I point to something, he comes and sniffs my index finger instead of the object I am indicating. Why?

Because his whole world is all about playing and pooping, walking and waging his tail. Even though he can see perfectly, he stares at my with a blank look when I ask him, “Do you see what I mean?” And Apollo answers: “Sorry, I don’t see what you mean because I only see on one level.”

C. S. Lewis was trying to explain these two levels of seeing in his book “Mere Christianity.” I’m sorry this quotation is so long, but I hope you will see why I used it. Lewis wrote: “Everyone has warned me not to tell you what I am going to tell you in this last book (the last part of Mere Christianity). They all say, ‘the ordinary reader does not want Theology; give him plain, practical religion (that is, just tell me what I have to do to get to heaven)’. I have rejected their advice. I do not think the ordinary reader is such a fool. Theology means ‘the science of God’, and I think any man who wants to think about god at all would like to have the clearest and most accurate ideas about Him which are available. You are not children: why should you be treated like children?” (p. 154).

The gospel of John does not give us simply “plain practical religion” – just tell me what I need to do to get to heaven – but rather theology, the science, of God. It points to something called faith. But instead of the gift of faith and theology, maybe you would rather just get back to playing and pooping, walking and waging your tail. After all, what you really need to make better grades is just to wear better glasses.

Praised be Jesus Christ!