Prelude “The Paradigm” -Michael Card
Entrance Hymn “Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness” LSB 849
The Invocation: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Confession: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.
Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
The Absolution: In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for His sake, God forgives us all our sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ, He gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Old Testament Reading is written in the book of Isaiah, chapter 42, verses 14 to 21.
For a long time I have held my peace; I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant. 15 I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn the rivers into islands,[a] and dry up the pools. 16 And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. 17 They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved idols, who say to metal images, “You are our gods.” 18 Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see! 19 Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one,[b] or blind as the servant of the Lord? 20 He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear. 21 The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness’ sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious.
The Epistle Reading is from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 5, verses 8 to 14
8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
The Holy Gospel is according to St. John, chapter 9, verses 1 to 17, and 34 to 39.
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” 13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”[a] 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”
Apostles’ Creed: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen
Hymn “When to Our World the Savior Came” LSB 551
The Sermon: What Do You See?
Eric Carle is a famous children’s author, and his most famous work would probably have to be the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear. You have probably read it before, or, at the very least, seen the cover of this famous book. At the Kooi household, I think we will soon be approaching our one millionth reading of it. For whatever reason, kids love it. Maybe it is because the colorful and unique looking animals that are often two pages wide! It could be the fun and simple pattern that professes the book and is easy for kids to remember…”Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?…I see a Red Bird looking at me….Red Bird, Red Bird what do you see….?” I will spare you the details. The whole book follows this pattern, as it focuses on a unique animal, and then what they are seeing. With a new animal, you have a new thing that they see. When we look at our Gospel text, John 9, we see a similar pattern. The whole chapter is about what people see. It starts with what Jesus sees, then the disciples, and the blind man. It moves to what the neighbors sees, then the Pharisees, and then back to the blind man. We find out what the parents see, and then John tells us what some other characters see again. John 9 could be boiled down to this simple and memorable phrase from this famous children’s book: “What do you see?” We’ll find out this morning.
John first starts by telling us what Jesus sees. “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.” This is actually a very profound verse. Stop and think about how profound and amazing it is. I think we often miss it. What does Jesus see? What does the Creator of the Universe, the One Who upholds it and keeps it all together, what does that One see? A man. Jesus sees a person. Jesus sees individual people, with their problems, cares, and concerns. What do we see? Sometimes, it is hard for us to see people, isn’t it?
Sometimes we see possessions, or things. We might notice the Rolex watch or new Kia, but fail to see the broken marriage. We might see the nose ring and dyed hair, but miss the lifetime of hurt that person has gone through. We see the cardboard sign but can ignore the potential need of the person holding it. We see the permanent smirk, or broken smile.
However, we can also see past mistakes, rather than people, too. We might see past addiction, or their fall from grace. We might see the disappointment they have caused us, or the pain they have given. We can also share this next thing with the disciples. What do they see?
They don’t see a person, but a problem. Listen to their question. They ask Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” They don’t see a person, but a theological talking point. To them, he is an educational instance that has reduced him to a theological dilemma: who sinned? Their theology takes them from the world. Notice their interaction with him. They stand at a distance, observing him, but not seeing him. They talk about him, but not to him, or with him. They don’t see him, they don’t speak to him, they don’t touch him, and they don’t help him. They don’t put food in his lap or shoes on his feet. They don’t lead him by the hand to Jesus so that He can help this poor fellow. They don’t see a person.
Fortunately, Jesus does. He corrects His disciples and says that it is not because of any sin that this happened, but that the wonderful works of God might be shown in Him. God’s purposes were going to be served, and they would work for God’s glory and this man’s good. In our sufferings and trials, we can have confidence that God’s good purpose is being served. Jesus looks at this man in compassion, and decides to give him sight.
To do so, He spits on the ground and makes mud with His saliva. He then does what we would consider to be a questionable medical practice. I know I would be skeptical if my optometrist did to me what Jesus is going to do. Jesus takes the mud and puts it on the man’s broken eyes. Why does Jesus do this? Pastor David Andrus gives this interesting insight. Pastor David lost his sight at the age of 11, and served as the leader for the LCMS blind mission. When commenting on this text, he gives this insight.
“At first, one might wonder why Jesus did this. To me, a blind person, it seems simple. Jesus was getting close to the blind man, touching him, talking to him, letting him know that Jesus’ words were for him. It then was a clear message to this blind man that the washing pointed to the washing away of his sin, spiritual blindness. Jesus gave the man both physical and spiritual sight, and he wanted him to know that in a way the blind man could understand. So Jesus used all the other senses to communicate this to him. When a blind person stands in a crown or at a distance from someone who is talking, he or she cannot be sure that the words spoken are for him or her. Because of Jesus’ touch, His closeness, there was no doubt in the blind man’s mind that Jesus was talking to him. Later, when Jesus sought after him, because the man recalled Jesus’ sounds, touch, and even smell, he knew immediately that this was the man Who had given him sight.” What an amazing and compassionate Lord! In other words, Jesus sees people. He gives him the message in a way that he can know and understand. He shows great personal care to him, just like He does us.
John records that the blind man then went to the pool, washed, and was able to see! He was given the gift of sight! John isn’t done yet, though, with this account. He tells us what the neighbors see. Some are amazed that he is no longer sitting and begging. Others think it is a guy who only looks like him. Blind people don’t magically see, after all. When the people find out it is actually him, they have to get a second opinion. This was so amazing that the religious experts had to be consulted for their opinion. They take the man to the Pharisees (poor guy).
What do the Pharisees see? Like the disciples, they see a problem and a puzzling thing. Their viewing of the blind man and this miracle affects how they see Jesus. Some of the Pharisees see Jesus as a sort of pariah Jesus, in their mind, broke the Sabbath Day, and is therefore a sinner. How? By making mud…which was work. To them, mud = work. They reasoned that those from God keep the Sabbath Day, and, therefore, that this mudmaker cannot be from Him. Others take a more positive view and the opposite position. Some of the Pharisees claim that only someone from God could do this. He can’t be a sinner, they argue. So they decide to ask the man himself. What does he see? We finally find out.
The man says that Jesus is a prophet. He gives the Lord high praise and a great compliment. In his mind, this is the highest thing he can attribute to Jesus. He puts him in the same company as Moses, Abraham, Amos, David, and Daniel, among others. What do they see in his response? Outrage! Heresy! Presumption! Pride! They angrily say, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out. They didn’t like what they saw. Jesus didn’t, either.
Once Jesus hears that He had been cast out, He searches for him, he finds him. Once He sees the man, Jesus says, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The once blind man answers, “And Who is He, sir, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus tells him, “You have seen Him, and it is He Who is speaking to you.” Now John finally shows us what the man sees. He says, “Lord, I believe,” and he worships Jesus. This blind man sees Jesus as God in the flesh. He worships Him, an honor given only to God alone, and the man calls Him as such. His eyes are opened.
Jesus then finishes by saying, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” His words are a little paradoxical, here, aren’t they? It is only when we realize that we are blind, condemned by the Law, do we actually see. Fortunately, for us, Jesus knows that. Remember, Jesus sees people. Jesus sees individual people, with their problems, cares, and concerns. That is why He came. “For judgment I came into this world”. He came to bear that judgment, for you, for me!
On the cross, Jesus bore the judgment of God for us, our greatest and pressing need. The sin that separates us. The sin that destroys us. The sin that kills, deceives, and misleads us. The effects of sickness and death. Defeated. Done. He took care of our greatest need, our greatest problem. And, because of that, we can be confident that He will also help us with our smaller ones. He will help with those things that keep us up at night and make us turn in our sleep. He will help with that sickness that plagues a loved one. He will sustain and preserve us. He will give us our daily bread, even in a crazy and hectic time, even in a time full of unknowns and “what ifs”. He will help and guide in a time such as this! Us and our problems will not go unnoticed. How can we be so sure? What is our confidence? Remember, Jesus sees people. Individual people. He sees them. He sees their problems. At the cross, He sees you!
And you, what do you see? By His Word and Spirit, He helps us see what He sees. In baptism, our eyes have been opened, as we are given faith. In baptism, we see ourselves how He sees us. We see ourselves as loved, forgiven, redeemed, special, valued, chosen, precious, and justified. We also see others differently, too. We see them how Jesus sees them: people. We don’t see the past mistakes, but people. We don’t see the possessions, but people. We don’t see problems, but people.
In the midst of this outbreak, we are given a wonderful opportunity to see people. Luther makes this helpful application. In the midst of the plague, he wrote, “I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me however I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely as stated above. See this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy, and does not tempt God.”
What does this look like in your context? What does “seeing people” look like for you? As you wrestle with that question this week, and the following ones, don’t forget the One Who sees you, your problems, your sin, and mercifully does something about it: Jesus. Jesus sees people. Thank God that He does.
Hymns “Christ Be Our Light” -Paul and Betsy Hanson
“Christ Be My Leader” LSB 861
Prayer of the Church
The Lord’s Prayer: Let us pray the prayer Jesus has taught us to pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
The Benediction: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious unto you. The Lord look on You with His favor and give you peace. Amen.
Final Hymn “In the Cross of Christ I Glory” LSB 427
Closing Address: Thanks for joining us for our service today. We ask if you could like, share, and comment below to help this video pop up in the feeds of others. Forward it to a friend. Hopefully in this time of lockdown, God’s Word can be spread more now than ever! Help us with that task. Keep your eyes open for more services and updates that will be coming your way. We also ask if you could continue to help and support the work and ministry that is done at Emmaus. You can find more information about that at our website. Again, thanks for joining us for our virtual service, and we hope to see you in person again, soon. God’s blessings on the rest of your week.