Lent 3–The Light of the World Brings Sight to the Blind and Judgment to the Blinded

The light of the world brings sight to the blind and judgment to the blinded. Faith means seeing Jesus as Savior: Like the bronze serpent, we look on him and live (Verse of the Day). We were born in the blindness of sin, and without the light of Christ we could not find a way to safety. Christ comes to shine his light into our darkened eyes that we might see him and live. Yet for those who refuse to see their Savior in Christ, the blindness of unbelief remains. He gives gracious sight to the blind who trust in him; he gives blinding judgment on those who reject him; finally, he displays the work of God in the lives of those who now walk in the light of Christ.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Almighty God, look with favor on your humble servants and stretch out the right hand of your power to defend us against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

VERSE OF THE DAY

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. (John 3:14,15)

Artist’s Commentary

Notice the repeated Hebrew word for Banner/Signal (נס) in the following verses:

Exodus 17:15, “And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, ‘YHWH Is My Banner (נס)” – YHWH as נס 

Numbers 21:8, “And YHWH said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole (נס), and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” – Serpent set on נס

Isaiah 11:10-12, “In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal (נס)…[the Lord] will raise a signal (נס) for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel…” – The Messiah as נס raised to gather the nations…

John 3:14-15, “…as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”

John 3:14-15 unites the imagery of YHWH, the curse, the Messiah, and the beacon raised to gather the nations into one–the crucified Son…

The video below might be a little bit too scary to share in public worship but it is a great Bible class or devotional tool.

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THE GOSPEL: JOHN 9:1-7, 13-17, 34-39

In God’s plan there are no coincidences, and there is no karma. The man was born blind not because of his parents’ sin; nor was the man lying in Jesus’ path by accident. Both happened that the work of God might be displayed in the life of this man who was doubly blind: he could not see Jesus physically or spiritually. Christ opened the door to the latter by solving the former. It was no coincidence that this happened on the Sabbath. Christ had come not only to give sight to the helplessly blind—he also came to bring judgment on the Pharisees who should have seen him as the Messiah, but who refused to believe even what they saw with their own eyes. Yet for us, born in the blindness of sin, but looking to Christ as Savior, Jesus shines as the light of the world. We believe, and we worship him.

Not sure why Jesus falls back when he puts the mud on the man’s eyes.

FIRST LESSON: ISAIAH 42:14-21

In the Gospel we saw two kinds of blindness. One cannot see a way to salvation; the other sees the Way, but rejects him. Here, the Lord makes promises to both groups. To his helplessly blind children who cannot find a way out, he promises certain deliverance and rescue. God himself will lead them to safety and will turn their darkness into light. But to those who reject the true God and look to idols, God promises judgment!

As with the Pharisees in the Gospel, God promises that though they see, they remain spiritually blind—though they hear, they remain spiritually deaf.

SECOND LESSON: EPHESIANS 5:8-14

Notice what Paul says. He does not say that once we were in the dark and now we are in the light. No, once we were darkness and now we are light. Our conversion means a total transformation of what we are, and therefore, it will lead to a total transformation of what we do. No longer producing fruits of darkness, we live in the light and shine the light into the sin-darkened corners of our world. With lines from an early Christian hymn, Paul shares Christ’s call to us and his promise for us. Once you were darkness, but now you are light. Live as children of the light. The difference between darkness and light is dramatic. The difference between believers and unbelievers should be equally so. They are as different as the nursery and the morgue!

HYMN OF THE DAY

Christ Is the World’s Light – CW 343