Sermon A: 4 S Lent: John 9:7

The 4th Sunday in Lent has the following three readings: Isaiah 42:14-21; Ephesians 5:8-14 and the entire chapter 9 of the Gospel according to St. John. Our focus this coming Sunday will be the 7th verse of John chapter 9, “‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.”

It is possible to have at least a half dozen different sermons on this chapter. For our purposes, attention will be focused on a single application that flows from the 7th verse of John 9. The question that could be asked is, “What is the miracle found in verse 7?” Most of the congregation will answer, “the blind man’s sight was restored.” While that is indeed a miracle God does, there is another item that deserves our attention.

Put yourself in the shoes (sandals) of the blind man. You have been begging all day and then you hear voices of men discussing whether your blindness is due to your sin or the sin of your parents. In the understanding of Judaism at the time, perhaps that is a question you even asked yourself. But then one lone voice declares that your blindness is for the purpose of revealing the works of God.

While pondering that statement, the same man spits on the ground, makes some mud and applies it to your face. Then he tells you to go and wash in the pool at Siloam. What would you do? What is so amazing is that this man goes and does what is commanded. We know the rest of the chapter in that after receiving his sight he can’t stop from giving Jesus all the credit resulted in his being “excommunicated” from the temple by the ruling spiritual authorities.

While there are many applications from verse7, this week the one chosen to make is that of baptism. From the chapter it is clear that the man was not healed because he had faith in Jesus as the Messiah. That didn’t happen until later in the chapter. Like baptism, the water has no power until connected to the Word. And with the Word of command comes the faith to do what is commanded.

Also note well that the man gives Jesus all the credit as he passively receives the gift of healing. In fact, Jesus uses water twice. The obvious one is the pool of Siloam. The less obvious is when Jesus used His spit to make mud. In contrast to evangelicals and the Reformed, the water of baptism, like the holy eucharist, is more than a symbol of God’s presence. Both sacraments promise the presence not only of Jesus but through the Lord’s Supper, of his true body and blood.

The Law of accusation against us is our view that we should get some credit for contributing to our salvation in some way. The Gospel is the revelation that Jesus gets all the credit for our salvation. What makes Lutheran theology unique from Evangelicals, Reformed and Romans is that we confess an objective assurance of our salvation in the holy sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.