John constructs his Gospel around 7 signs: The water turned to wine in Cana, the healing of the royal official's son in Capernaum, the healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, the feeding of the 5000 at the sea of Galilee, Jesus walking on water, The healing of this man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

John doesn’t speak of these as miracles, but he speaks of them as signs.

These signs are supposed to point us to something significant about the ministry of Jesus.


Today we are reading the 6th sign, and this sign takes up the entire chapter, and is filled with drama as the man that was healed is left to defend himself. He bests the Pharisees in a theological debate and is expelled from the synagogue for it.
The story opens with the disciples observing the man born blind and raising the theological question of who is to blame for it.

But Jesus dismisses the line of questioning. What Jesus is saying is that when we observe someone suffering, the question should not be who is to blame? but how can we help?

We have all seen Christian blame assigned to the victims of hurt and pain, but the blame is what the enemy does. What we, as followers of Jesus are called to, is co-suffering love. To mourn with those who mourn and weep with those who weep.
Jesus is instructing his disciples, and is ultimately instructing us when we observe suffering,. We are not to take the opportunity to assign blame, but to take the opportunity to do the works of God by helping to heal, restore and alleviate the suffering as best we can.

“Blame is the devils game, Love is the high calling of a Christian”
As Hans Urs Von Balthasar said “Love alone is credible; nothing else can be believed”



This brings us to the meaning of this sign.
As we look at the end of the chapter we see the last verse:

41 ‘If you were blind,’ replied Jesus, ‘you wouldn’t be guilty of sin. But now, because you say, “We can see”, your sin remains.’
There is an innocence in admitting that we are too blind to pass judgement on others.

We don’t have to have an opinion on everything, especially when it comes to the question of who is to blame.


It will always be enough for us to say: “I don’t know who is to blame, I’m just here to help.”

As we end, let's hear what Paul has to say in his second letter to the Corinthians. Chapter 1:3.
3 Let us bless God, the father of our Lord, King Jesus; he is the father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our trouble so that we can then comfort people in every kind of trouble, through the comfort with which God comforts us.
Lord Jesus, We confess that we are too blind to pass judgment on others, so we turn away from seeking to blame and turn to share your love and comfort.

Help us, we pray.
Amen.



Music (Used with Permission): Simon Wester, Passage Of Time
Salt of The Sound, In Prayer 

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