The Gospel for Tuesday, February 17, 2004
John 9:18-41
However, the Jews would not believe that the man had been blind without first sending for the parents of the man who had gained his sight and asking them, ‘Is this man really the son of yours who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he is now able to see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know he is our son and we know he was born blind, but how he can see, we don’t know, nor who opened his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.’ His parents spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to ban from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. This was why his parents said, ‘He is old enough; ask him.’ So the Jews sent for the man again and said to him, ‘Give glory to God! We are satisfied that this man is a sinner.’ The man answered, ‘Whether he is a sinner I don’t know; all I know is that I was blind and now I can see.’ They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He replied, ‘I have told you once and you wouldn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it all again? Do you want to become his disciples yourselves?’ At this they hurled abuse at him, ‘It is you who are his disciple, we are disciples of Moses: we know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.’ The man replied, ‘That is just what is so amazing! You don’t know where he comes from and he has opened my eyes! We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but God does listen to people who are devout and do his will. Ever since the world began it is unheard of for anyone to open the eyes of someone born blind; if this man were not from God, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything.’ They retorted, ‘Are you trying to teach us, and you a sinner through and through ever since you were born!’ And they ejected him. Jesus heard they had ejected him, and when he found him he said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of man?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You have seen him; he is speaking to you.’ The man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and worshipped him. Jesus said: It is for judgement that I have come into this world, so that those without sight may see and those with sight may become blind. Hearing this, some Pharisees who were present said to him, ‘So we are blind, are we?’ Jesus replied: If you were blind, you would not be guilty, but since you say, ‘We can see,’ your guilt remains." -- The New Jerusalem Bible. 1995, c1985. Doubleday: Garden City, N.Y.
A Study
This band of Pharisees is confronted with a serious problem: they don't believe that Jesus is capable of performing miracles, and here, standing before them is a fully-wrought miracle, in the flesh. They apparently carried enough sway with the temple elite that they could have a person "excommunicated," which was a severe penalty. Using that threat, they compelled the healed man's parents to identify him. But when they tried to get his parents to say how he had been healed, the parents refused, leaving it to their son to describe what had happened.
"Swearing in" the healed man with "Give glory to God!," they tried to get him to change his story. He steadfastly, instead, stuck to it, either gullibly (or tauntingly) asking the Pharisees if they wanted to become disciples. He then used logic -- their own tool -- to demonstrate that Jesus must be from God. That put an end to his testimony, and he was kicked out of their presence.
Jesus later found the healed man, and in conversation with him, revealed himself as Jesus. Jesus' closing statement to the Pharisees nails shut the case they have built for themselves from their own hypocrisy. They have seen the facts and refused to believe. If they had been blind, and not able to see what had happened, there might have been some excuse. Just the opposite was the case.
A Reflection
The Pharisees were experts in what the Army calls a "layered defense." First, they attempted to destroy Jesus as someone who worked -- three times! -- on the Sabbath, in violation of the Law. That failed. They tried to get the man's parents to say that he was not their son, blind from birth. That failed. They tried to press him again, to tease out some incriminating detail from him. His response: do you want to become his disciples, are you that interested? Is that why you want to hear the story again and again? That failed, and outraged them.
Finally, some of the Pharisees were able to confront Jesus face-on, and knowing that they could see, challenged, "So, we are blind, are we?" Jesus' declaration, that their guilt remained because of their sight, sealed the resolution of this acocunt.
Rick Maurer, change management expert and author of Beyond the Wall of Resistance (Bard Press, 1996), describes three increasingly difficult [to overcome] modes of resistance to change:
Level 1 is based in information, and can be overcome by logic.
Level 2 is based on a physiological or emotional reaction, and provokes the fight-or-flight reaction. Careful listening and dialog are essential.
Level 3 is bigger than the change at hand; in fact, it generally is based on distrust or dislike of the change agent. Relationship repair is required to de-escalate level 3 resistance.
What we have observed in those opposing Jesus follows an escalation from the lower to the higher level, quickly. Were it not for the hypocrisy of the opponents, it might almost be understandable as conscience-based opposition. But the only belief these opponents hold dear is in their own correctness. The Law has become an object of their creation and they worship it, not the creator.
Each of us needs to understand on what level we resist God's call, through Jesus, for us to become truly His, and then take the steps necessary to overcome the resistance.
6:12:41 AM 
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