The Word Of Peace
Homiletic Reflections On Peacemaking

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti

Fourth Sunday of Lent - A

March 17, 1996

John 9:1-41

In the stage play, Twelve Angry Men, a jury of 12 men must render a verdict on a murder case. This is a case where an 18 year old young man is accused of stabbing and killing his father. When the jury voted the first time eleven men voted guilty, while only one voted not guilty. From that moment on an animated discussion commenced among the members of the jury. How is it that this one man cannot see what seems to be so obvious to the rest of them--the boy is guilty!

The juror who voted not guilty did so because he was not sure, he had a reasonable doubt. As the story progressed, the jury examined the evidence and began to break down the case into its parts. Eventually one by one the verdict is not guilty--until finally all of them agree. 

The striking thing about this story is the fact that many believed they saw the truth. Upon further scrutiny is was clear that so many things had clouded the judgment of the men. What appeared true, was only an illusion. They were in darkness of a sort. It was the darkness of preconceived ideas, assumptions of the way things really were.It was not until one of the men challenged the way things appeared that others began to see new things!

The blind man in John's gospel lived in darkness his whole life. For John this darkness was not only physical, but spiritual as well. The man may simply have been content to 'see" things as they appeared--hopeless ! In Jesus' day many believed that a person born with a physical malady was cursed by God for his or her parent's sins--nothing would change!  Until Jesus takes the initiative to meet this blind man.  Jesus does something here that raised the ire of some of the religious authorities. he made a paste from the ground and smeared it on the man's eyes--here John is alluding to the first act of God's creation of humanity. Here Jesus brings a moment of new creation into the life of this blind man. Jesus tells him to go to the pool and wash off the mud from his eyes. In doing this he receives his sight, both physically and in part spiritually. John tells us that our baptism , like this man's brings us to a deeper understanding of who Jesus is, but remains incomplete and vague. It is only when he is interrogated, forcing him to choose for or against Jesus does he come to a clearer understanding. Finally, his refusal to reject Jesus results in his being expelled from the synagogue . It is at this time that Jesus reveals himself as the Lord and Messiah to the man.

In this man's baptismal commitment he began to "see" Jesus, to live in his light. When he was willing to give testimony to Jesus then Jesus was able to reveal the depth of his identity to the man. Even those who tried to marshal sophisticated arguments against his belief in Jesus he opposed because he experienced real salvation coming from God in Jesus.

In our lives our baptismal commitment will be put on trial as well.  Sometimes it will be for simply the tests and trials life imposes on us, what we believe, in short the lifestyle our baptismal commitment calls us to . In the midst of such trials our fidelity to Jesus brings us closer to him. The darkness of this world is overcome is Christ's love for those who testify on his behalf. In the midst of all this he runs to greets, support and comfort us , especially in the most difficult and tragic of times!

Sometimes Jesus will come to us in the supportive stranger; timely coincidence or in the silent moment of prayer to bolster us and the bring us deeper into the light of the new life, the new creation that we find in faithfulness to Jesus. This light may differ greatly from our surroundings. But as the book of Samuel reminds us God sees beyond appearances--and wants us to see such things too!  This is a sight that will enable us to be buoyant amidst life's worse crises!  It is a sight that will allow us to understand that God want to create our lives anew ! It is a sight that sees affliction not as sent by God as punishment or a test, but rather as something to be confronted in faith, knowing that Jesus is there with us to comfort and empower us to remain faithful!

Twelve men had to render a unanimous verdict--all but one voted guilty. They thought they saw ! Not until their various assumptions went on trial in their discussion were they able to see the truth--to emerge from darkness!

In remaining faithful to our baptismal promises we too, amidst trials, will come to truth, to light--to new insight, to new life.

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D. Min.
Uploaded January 14, 2000