Works of Light (Fourth Sunday in Lent)

Sermon Reflections

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It feels like lots of bad stuff is happening lately.  Bad stuff is happening in our world, in our country and in the personal lives of many of us.  And at times like this – even if we don’t say these things out loud – it’s often common to ask ourselves questions like:

Why is this happening!?

How could this have been prevented?!

Whose fault is this?!

Many of these questions are important.  And many defy easy answers. Indeed, for some of them, there is no good answer.  But often, these questions can get in the way.  They get in the way of doing what needs to be done right now. They get in the way of looking for the path forward.  And they get in the way of focusing on the needs of neighbors who have been hurt all by the bad stuff.

And this is actually what’s happening in today’s Gospel reading.  Jesus and his disciples are walking around Jerusalem when they come upon a man who was born blind.  He’s apparently hanging out in a public place in Jerusalem, where he hopes he’ll find some help.

And without prompting, the disciples begin to ask Jesus the very same questions many of us ask in our hearts.  Rabbi, they ask:

Why has this happened?

Whose fault is it – his or his parents?

And underlying those questions is the notion that somehow there must be cause and effect in play here.  After all, if things just randomly happen, I have no control over them, and I can’t prevent them.  But if I can figure out who’s fault it is – and what they did wrong – at least I have a fighting chance of having this NOT happen to me.

But Jesus doesn’t answer any of those questions.  He rejects the idea that anybody is to blame, and he doesn’t explain how the randomness of God’s creation can allow this to happen.

Instead, he directs the disciples away from those questions, and towards what they need to do BECAUSE they see something like this happening.

Jesus literally says (and this is different from the way the NRSV translates it): “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; but in order that God’s works may be revealed in him, we must work the works of him who sent me while it is day…”

That is, God didn’t make this guy blind so that Jesus could come along years later and heal him.  Instead, Jesus tells his disciples that they should focus on:

  • The works of light God can do through them, rather than just debating the causes of darkness …
  • The needs of the other person, instead of just trying to protect themselves …
  • Being in community with those who sit in darkness, instead of standing outside and analyzing the problem (it appears that the disciples are standing there talking about this blind man in his hearing, but not talking to him!  Only Jesus addresses the man and touches him, as a sign of community and solidarity with him…)

And as this story progresses, lots of other people can’t see or appreciate the works of light that Jesus does because they’re still hung up on the questions and the causes of darkness.

So, for example, the:

  • Neighbors – can’t agree on whether this is the man who used to sit and beg, because they’ve never experienced anybody having received their sight after being born blind.  And since they couldn’t figure out why he was blind, or how it happened, they continue to debate (also in front of him!) whether he actually is the same guy.  They talked about the guy, but they couldn’t see or participate in the works of light…
  • Parents – are really worried about themselves, and whether they’ll get kicked out of their community if they’re too closely affiliated with Jesus.  And so instead of rejoicing that their son can see, they drop back and punt, saying, “well, we know this is our son, and that he was born blind, but ask him how it is that he sees – he’s legally liable for himself, not us!”; even the parents are more worried about themselves than their son…
  • Pharisees – can’t accept that this can be a work of light, because Jesus didn’t work in the way that works of light are “supposed” to work in their minds – you don’t work on the sabbath (and Jesus had both “made mud” and “healed”);  and so they continued to debate the cause of darkness (was he really blind or not), and simply couldn’t see or be part of the works of light …

Now honestly, questions about good and evil, light and darkness and causes and effects are all important questions.  They stem from a variety of real and often raw emotions. And we can learn a lot and sometimes make the world a better place by asking questions, seeking answers, and in some cases, holding people accountable.

But, especially when times are bad, Jesus calls us to be people who focus on the works of light.  That is, what are we going to do – both individually and as a community – when faced with darkness.  How are our words and deeds and attitudes toward others going to show God’s presence and love right now.

What do our “works of light” look like?  And it’s actually instructive that the “work of light” done by Jesus in today’s Gospel came through ordinary mud.

And so maybe our “works of light” are pretty simple and non-flashy things – maybe even the things that look like “mud” in the eyes of the world around us.  But often the “work of light” comes through the act of:

  • Focusing on the hope and promise of God, instead of dwelling on the latest outrage in the news – and sometimes, simply immersing yourself in prayer and worship is a way of remembering and re-orienting yourself towards God in a way that helps you remember that the bad stuff going on isn’t all there is and that the bad stuff won’t have the final word…
  • Helping someone in need who’s been hurt by the bad stuff going on around us – even if it’s as simple as helping people who don’t have work to have a meal…
  • Standing with one another in difficult times, even when there’s “nothing” tangible we can do to change the situation – often, simply being there for someone else is the way you bring light into a dark time…

Those are all things Jesus calls us to do in order to “do the works of light.”  And we should do them whether the things seem good or bad in the world around us. We should do them because they help us to focus on the light instead of becoming obsessed with the darkness. And we should do them not simply because they’re good things, but because they’re the ways we open ourselves to being instruments of God’s light in the lives of others and in the life of the world around us.

Amen.