The blind will see

by Neil Bergmann

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Jesus said, ‘For judgement I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind’ (John 9:39).

Read John 9:1–41

In medieval times, scholars used a technique called the quadriga, or ‘four senses’, which suggested that there are four different meanings for Scripture. These were the literal or historical sense (the plain, direct meaning of a story), the allegorical sense (the sense in which the story tells about Christ and the church), the moral sense (how does this text guide our life today), and the anagogical or eschatological sense (what does the text tell us about our eternal destiny). Sometimes, some of these meanings were very speculative and obscure, and laypeople were discouraged from trying to interpret Scripture.

Martin Luther believed that some of these allegorical meanings obscured the true meaning of Scripture. He believed that Scripture had a single clear literal meaning, inspired by the Holy Spirit and always pointing to Christ, which everyone could understand. However, like many others, Luther also believed that Scripture, inspired by an infinite God, has a wisdom and depth of meaning that we can never fully understand.

Today’s reading is about the healing of a blind man, the Pharisees’ disbelief that Jesus could have healed him, and his explanation of the concepts of seeing and not seeing. The primary meaning of this passage is clear from the literal sense of the text. Jesus has authority and power from heaven to perform miracles; the religious establishment feels threatened by Jesus since they choose not to see who he really is, despite his miracles; Jesus condemns their inability to recognise the promised Messiah. But what does this text mean for us today?

The moral sense of the story encourages us to view the world humbly through the eyes of faith and love, rather than trying to fit the world into our preconceived ideas of what is possible. Like Jesus, we should stand up to those who peddle harmful views of a globalised society that reinforce the power of the rich and deny justice to the poor.

Like the blind man, we can witness to what Christ has done for us personally. We can admit to ourselves that sometimes, like the Pharisees, we do not like to accept that we are wrong. Jesus changes everything. Most of all, following Jesus changes our view of what is really true and important.

Lord, the wisdom of your Scripture and the depth of its meaning and guidance are inexhaustible. Guide our reading and meditation so that we can grow in truth and understanding in our discipleship journey. Amen.

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