The Need to “See”
I’m not always sure how to interpret Biblical miracle stories. Are we supposed to believe they happened literally in the way the gospels describe, even though that seems to defy what we know about science in the 21st century? Or were the stories metaphorical, meant to communicate some deeper truth? I believe miracles happen. That is, sometimes when we pray people recover from illness for no apparent reason other than the prayer. I also know that not everyone gets well when we pray. Or sometimes healing takes place emotionally and spiritually but not physically. The power of prayer can help us heal, but it’s not a guarantee. Why things happen the way they happen isn’t clear and in the end none of us can defy the fact that eventually we will graduate from this life to the next.
The gospel of John tells the story of a blind person healed by Jesus.1 Regardless of whether the event was historical or not, John gives it a clear metaphorical interpretation. The disciples, encountering a person who can’t see, ask Jesus who sinned to cause the person’s blindness. They immediately try to blame the victim for their suffering, but Jesus isn’t having it. The person’s blindness wasn’t because of anyone’s sin. Sometimes shit just happens. And when bad stuff happens, Jesus says, it’s an opportunity for us to let God work through our lives. Jesus then declares “I am the light of the world” and heals the person. When Jesus says “I am the light,” he’s telling us that as the embodiment of God’s love he’s doing God’s work, acting as God’s voice, hands, and feet on earth.
When he heals the person, he brings light to darkness, giving them the ability to understand and experience the world in a new way. But he expands the significance of that well beyond a physical ailment, clearly using the metaphor of sight to talk about the human capacity to understand what is just and what is not just. This story invites us to understand from new perspectives and develop empathy with those who are suffering. It tells us to not hurriedly rush by those in need, blaming the victim, but to stop and notice. To understand the suffering around us. Developing these abilities is so important in a world that would rather have us see only what we’re told to see. Our culture constantly pressures us to conform and just go along with the status quo, ignoring injustice and corruption. Our President blatantly demands it on a daily basis.
This invitation to “see” isn’t just about seeing the external world. It’s also about seeing within ourselves, moving from the darkness of our fears to the light of love, from ignorance to understanding, from selfishness to selflessness, from division to unity. How often do we actually take the time to shine a light within ourselves? To examine our priorities and motivations? To ask ourselves if the way we’re living is hurting others or helping them? These kinds of questions can be uncomfortable, but they’re necessary if we want to grow and become the authentic people of love that God created us to be.
Today, there are a lot of self-professed Christians who need to hear this message of self-awareness and accountability. Religious leaders who blindly support war, corruption, the mistreatment of immigrants, and the erasure of transgender people. Those who claim to understand God’s desires, but fail to stand up for God’s people, for God’s Creation. Who fail to act on behalf of the suffering, the oppressed, and the marginalized.
Jesus said it was his role as God’s light to establish justice in the world, to make the sightless see and the seeing blind. We might paraphrase: The embodiment of love brings understanding and empathy to those who are oblivious to suffering and it brings confusion and questioning to those who think they already understand. It turns the world upside down and challenges what we think we know.
With true understanding comes responsibility. Jesus says those with power might have an excuse for not helping the marginalized if they didn’t understand the suffering in the world. But when they claim they understand the plight of the people, then they become accountable for their failure to act. These words invite us to an uncomfortable self-awareness. What do we understand? What don’t we understand? Are we living in the light of love? Are we helping or hurting people? Or are we hiding in fear? To resist the darkness in the world, we need to follow Jesus’ lead and become people of love and truth and justice and let our own light shine. To resist those who put their pursuit of power and wealth over everyone and everything else, we must refuse to accept their actions as normal. To resist hate and anger we can let our own love and compassion shine through our thoughts, our words, and our actions.
We can shine our light in the world by becoming beacons in the night, acting in love, helping those in need no matter who they are, providing a safe harbor for those who are suffering. By revealing what is in the shadows. Don’t allow injustice to remain hidden or ignored. Be a whistle-blower, a prophet speaking truth to power. Shine light on the evil and corruption perpetrated by those in power. We can also shine by helping guide others, sharing our own ups and downs so we can learn from each other. By sharing our love and compassion we create light in the darkness, a life-giving, hopeful and loving energy that the world desperately needs. We become children of the light, walking in love and truth.
1. John 9:1-7;39-41