March 19, 2023 (Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year A)
Sometimes we may be very surprised at the type of people the Lord chooses to be His representatives. We see this in both readings for today.
In the First Reading (1 Sm. 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a) the Lord sends the great judge and prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to choose the next king of Israel from the sons of a man named Jesse. When Samuel arrives Jesses presents seven sons to Samuel who appear to be of the proper lofty stature to serve as king. But God tells Samuel not to choose from any of these seven. The Lord says, “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance, but the LORD looks into the heart.” (1Sam. 16:7b).
Samuel tells Jesse that the Lord has not chosen from any of the seven and asks him if there are any others for him to see. Jesse says there is still the youngest son, but he is tending the sheep. Samuel tells Jesse to send for him, that they will not begin the banquet until he arrives. So, Jesse brings his son, David, for Samuel to see. His appearance is described as ruddy, handsome, and splendid.
When He sees David, the Lord says, “There—anoint him, for this is the one!” (1Sam. 16:12b). And from that day onward, we are told that the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David. Surely David’s Father and brothers, and perhaps even Samuel are shocked at the choice God has made for king. For, although he is ruddy and handsome, he is still only a young man tending to sheep. He is not a mighty warrior as one would expect for a king. Yet God has chosen him anyway knowing that David will mature into a successful, and God-fearing king loved by the people and the Lord. God has chosen the new king based on his own conditions and not what the people would have suspected Him to do.
In the Gospel today (9:1-41) again we see God choosing someone for His own reason in a debate against the Pharisees. Right from the beginning Jesus describes God’s motive for choosing this man born blind. As Jesus walks passed the man the disciples stick to an old teaching that illness is the result of sin, so they ask Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” And Jesus answers, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” (Jn.9:2-3).
As the story goes we see how the works of God are made visible through the blind man. When Jesus sees the man he makes a clay from his saliva mixed with dirt and smears it on the man’s eyes. He then tells him to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam, a spot known for its miracles. So he goes to wash and when he returns his friends hardly even recognize him. Those who had seen him previously ask him “How were your eyes opened?” (Jn. 9:10). Then he told them about Jesus.
Still somewhat shocked and amazed they bring the cured man to the Pharisees and they again inquire about how he came to be cured. To this he responds with the story of Jesus. But the Pharisees are skeptical. They claim that Jesus could not be from God for he cures on the Sabbath. So, they ask the blind man for his opinion, is Jesus a man from God? And the blind man describes Jesus as a prophet.
The Pharisees still doubt the story, so they ask his parents to confirm that he was born blind. They respond that they know their son was blind, but they have no idea how it is that he has been cured. In fear of being banned from the synagogue the parents tell the Pharisees that their son is an adult and can speak for himself. They should go and ask him.
So, the Pharisees call the blind man a second time and tell him that they know Jesus is a sinner for curing on the Sabbath. The blind man says he does not know if Jesus is a sinner. All he knows is that he was blind and now he can see. He asks them why do they want to hear the story again, do they want to become disciples? But they staunchly refuse saying they are disciples of Moses, not of this man who is a sinner. They debate until the Pharisees throw the man out. Jesus then inquires of him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” And he replies, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus says to him, “You have seen him, the one speaking with you is he.” He says, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worships him (Jn. 9:38). Speaking of the Pharisees, Jesus then says, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.” (Jn. 9:39)
Of course, given his kindness, mercy, and compassion, Jesus would not idly walk past the blind man and ignore his condition. But as we look back through the passage we see Jesus’ other motive for curing the man born blind. It reveals to his disciple and the Pharisees and Jewish leaders that he is in fact the Son of Man given power by God to cure the man’s blindness. The man born blind reveals his gradual realization of the identity of Jesus. Doubted by friends and neighbors, he has stumbled from belief in Jesus as a man, to a prophet suggesting he must be from God. He finally prostates himself in belief before Jesus, the one who makes God known, the Son of Man, sent by God. This man’s journey from blindness to sight was “that the works of God might be made manifest in him” (9:3).
Sometimes we look at the people chosen to do God’s work. Some of them might not meet our expectations for a particular role, like the young David or the man born blind. But both the First Reading and the Gospel show us that God chooses people based on His own reasons which we cannot possibly know. In these situations, it is best that we keep our opinions to ourselves and try to understand God’s motives for choosing one person over another. We may be surprised at what we find. For “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance, but the LORD looks into the heart” (1Sam. 16:7).
