I want to see Jesus - Pr. Kruse

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. — Paul of Tarsus

Matthew 28:1-10 and other suspicious texts

I like Matthew’s resurrection story, maybe even better than Luke’s, certainly more than Mark’s, and on most given days more than John’s. How can you not? Angels, real angels, the kind that show up with earthquake and cause skilled soldiers to wet their kilts and fall into a paralyzed stupor — give me that. The Angels not the soldiers that is. Ya, there are angel in the other gospels but they are merely there to make a humble announcement. Mark goes so far as to say: a young man in white. Some angel! And John don’t even have any angels, with or without earthquake. 

You see, I want to know the resurrection, not the confused dance that Jesus’ faction does when it is discovered that the grave is empty. Knowing all that he had taught them they do not use what they have heard to make sense of the time. All the reports of their exploits leave me cold. So the beloved disciple runs faster than Peter — big deal. (John) So he defers to Peter the honor to see the empty grave first — so, etiquette matters; got it. (John) So someone gets to meet him first — duh! So there are two angels and not just one — what is this a math lesson. (Luke) So they run away scared and keep their mouths shut — one word: Lutherans. (Mark)

I have grown tired of all the speculation about he frail humans involved. Why did the beloved disciple believe by just seeing the empty tomb? Why was Mary there and why did Jesus have to call her twice? Why did the three women decide to not say nothing to nobody? Why did they bother to go to the tomb when they knew they had no way to get in? Why does Thomas get to touch him but Mary must not? Why does Mary go to the tomb at dark? I have heard it all worked over and analyzed 100 times over and much of it is neat, but I just don’t care anymore.

No, give me angels. They are simple. God sends them and they do what they are told and proclaim what they have heard. Ask them to wreak havoc at the tomb and you can consider it done. It must have been quite the sight. 

But it would not have been the sight of the resurrection itself either. Like Thomas, I am thinking that the ultimate question in our hearts, conscious or unconscious, is: But how did it happen and what did it look like? And, yes, I want to gaze at it. 

After all, Jesus is not reanimated like Lazarus. No, Jesus can now sometimes be recognized and sometimes not. Is he the same one? Or is he merely someone who looks like him? (Jn 9) He now shows up without warning and in locked rooms at that. (Jn 20) He moves around at will and we know not where he will be manifest next. (Jn 3:8) He shows up suddenly and brings his own breakfast. (Jn 21) Not only that, no one knows where he got it. (Jn 4:32, 6:1-15) He is recognized at his bidding, not at the choice of the mortal laying eyes on him. (Lk 24:13-35; Jn 20:16) But he carries in him the very marks of the sacrifice. (Jn 20:27-28)

I am left with a book. A book and a very, very imperfect people. We might be the ones called out, but we are a ragged bunch. Not even the angels or the prophets can tell me more about the resurrection. (I Pt 1:10-12) What do I do? 

They call it “Faith,” for a reason. The resurrection is kept in safe in heaven for you, (1 Pt 1:4)  and its power will be revealed not by me or you  but by God, at the last day. (1 Pt 1:5)

The glory is that the resurrection gives glimpse into a future only God can offer. More than a glimpse, it is a promise. Angel and prophet can work on behalf of the promise, but they cannot make the promise. Ecclesia, the called out, can witness to it, but she cannot make it. All the witnesses to the risen Jesus cannot raise him from the dead or raise me from the dead. They can merely tell. And perchance, they can kindle my curiosity, my longing,  and in that longing, faith dwells and reaches up to God.

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. — Jesus Christ, the Risen one

The Readings for April 6, 2014, the Fifth Sunday in Lent A

First Reading: Ezekiel 37:1–14

The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.  ²He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry.  ³He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know."  ⁴Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.  ⁵Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.  ⁶I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD."

⁷So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.  ⁸I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them.  ⁹Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live."  ¹⁰I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

¹¹Then he said to me, "Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.'  ¹²Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.  ¹³And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.  ¹⁴I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act, says the LORD."

Second Reading: Romans 8:6–11

⁶To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  ⁷For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law — indeed it cannot,  ⁸and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.  ¹⁰But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  ¹¹If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Gospel: John 11:1–45

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.  ²Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill.  ³So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill."  ⁴But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  ⁵Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,  ⁶after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

⁷Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  ⁸The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?"  ⁹Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world.  ¹⁰But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them."  ¹¹After saying this, he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him."  ¹²The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right."  ¹³Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep.  ¹⁴Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  ¹⁵For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."  ¹⁶Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

¹⁷When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.  ¹⁸Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away,  ¹⁹and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother.  ²⁰When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home.  ²¹Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  ²²But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him."  ²³Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  ²⁴Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."  ²⁵Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,  ²⁶and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"  ²⁷She said to him, "Yes, Lord, 4, the one coming into the world."

²⁸When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you."  ²⁹And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him.  ³⁰Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.  ³¹The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there.  ³²When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."  ³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.  ³⁴He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see."  ³⁵Jesus began to weep.  ³⁶So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"  ³⁷But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

³⁸Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.  ³⁹Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days."  ⁴⁰Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"  ⁴¹So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me.  ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me."  ⁴³When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"  ⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

⁴⁵Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

The Text in Greek: John 11 - Pr. Fourman

John 11:1-44

v1 Λαζαρος "Lazarus" - Greek form of the Hebrew "Eleazar" - "God helps."

ασθενων (ασθενεω) pres. part. "was sick”.

v2 η δε Μαριαμ "this Mary" – an idiom; and it was this Mary- η αλειψασα (αλειπω) aor. part. " the same one who anointed. - probably proleptic, ie., John is referring to a past event which is still future as far as the story is concerned (12:1-8) a clear redactive edit.

v3 απεστειλαν ....... λεγουσαι "sent word" – a Semiticism.

ιδε (οραω) aor. imp. behold, look. to reinforce the urgency of the message; the first of MANY uses of this word in this story (and throughout John)

ο}ν φιλεις "the one you love" – another idiom; "your dear friend”

v4 ακουσας (ακουω) aor. part. "When he heard this" - best treated as temporal; "When Jesus received the message", another word used often in this story/John.  The Greek that is used in the remainder of this passage is another idiom, meaning, roughly “this is not as big a deal as you might think” or in American English; “this illness is no problem”

v8 υπαγεις (υπαγω) pres. "you are going back" - expressing intention, "you intend/plan to go back".

v9 της ημερας (α) gen. "[twelve hours] of daylight" another idiom; ‘we have plenty of time’.  This stand in apposition to the “you must work while it is day ebfoer that night comes….” From earlier in John, more in the vein of Matthew 6 “Do not worry….”

v11 ο φιλος ημων "our dear friend" κεκοιμηται (κοιμαω) perf. pas. "has fallen asleep" – which is, of course, what one does at night (see previous verse) This is a euphemism for death taken up by Paul. The idea is that we are not aware of the passage of time, just as when we sleep, we are in the keeping of God, beyond time as He is

εξυπνισω (εξυπνιζω) aor. subj. "wake [him] up" so if sleep m eans death, to eb awakened means life.  But what kind of life?  Are we watching the pilot for the Walking Dead?

v12 σωθησεται (σωζω) fut. pas. "he will get better" literally “he will be saved/healed”. The disciples have taken Jesus' "asleep" literally, understanding Lazarus is in recovery mode i.e. sleeping off his illness.

v13 της κοιμησεως του υπνου "natural sleep" - a tricky phrase.

v15 πιστευσητε (πιστευω) aor. subj. "you may believe/be in faith" - The aorist possibly identifies the commencement of faith, this sentence is a little messy. It literally reads "and I rejoice because of you, in order that you might believe that because I was not there ......" Like I said, a little messy, it tries, I think, to convey the idea that Jesus is happy that he refrained from tending to Lazarus' need since the miracle he will now perform will serve to encourage faith in his disciples.  Or not?!

v16 ο λεγομενος (λεγω) pres. pas/mid. part. "(called [Didymus]) literally "whose nickname was Twin".  Why the nickname?  Perhaps it was the way he was known in the time of the telling of this story.

τοις συμμαθηταις (ης ου) dat. "to the rest of the disciples" - Thomas is speaking for all the disciples.  Later, in chapter 20, in his doubt he speaks for us!

v17 ελθων (ερχομαι) aor. part. "on his arrival" for John, the word “come” serves the equivalent of “immediately” in Mark. 

εχοντα (εχω) pres. part. "had already been [in the tomb]" Lazarus has been buried for four days. The mention of four days serves to underline the fact that Lazarus is dead, given the commonly held belief that the soul remained with the body three days.

v18 εγγυς + gen. "near/at hand from [Jerusalem]" - [Bethany was] near [Jerusalem].

σταδιων δεκαπεντε "two miles" - fifteen stadia/3 kilometers – this serves to explain why so many Jews are present with Martha and Mary.

v19 εληλυθεισαν (ερχομαι) pluperf. "had come" - a past event with present ramifications, ie. the Jews had come to Mary and Martha and were still there.

v20 ηκουσεν (ακουω) aor. "heard" – idiom, the sense of "got wind of the news.".

εκαθεζετο (καθεζομαι) imperf. "[Mary] stayed [at home]" – literally ‘sat’, the implication is that Mary, with Martha, had become aware of Jesus' arrival, but remained at home. "Sitting" is a proper position for mourning and so it is likely John is saying that Mary was unaware of Jesus' arrival, since she was at home taking her turn as the family representative in the public grieving.

v22 οιδα perf. "I know" - extensive perfect. Martha knows and therefore believes.  (I do not think that word means what you think it means…)

v23 αναστησεται (ανιστημι) fut. "will rise again" - The teaching  moment here is for Martha and for us as eavesdroppers on this little drama.  Martha understands Jesus' words as a reference to the resurrection of the dead on the last day. Jesus is referring to something far less powerful (resuscitation) and far more important (Lazarus’ return) to her ‘here and now’ - this is not ‘pie in the sky in the sweet bye and bye’.

v25 η αναστασις (ις εως) "the resurrection" - "I myself am resurrection and life", Jesus causes the dead to rise and it is he who gives life. Jesus wields the power of God. This is a strong Messianic claim.

και η ζων"and the life" (omitted in some manuscripts). It is easy to explain why the phrase would be added, but not why it would be omitted. 

ο πιστευων (πιστευω) pres. part. "he who believes" - The present tense is durative, "everyone who continues to have faith ", rather than just descriptive.

v26 ο ζων (ζαω) pres. part. "whoever lives" a substantive limiting πας, "everyone". This is likely referring to resurrection life, to that life beyond death when they ου μη + subj. "[will] never [die]" – an emphatic negation.

v27 εγω "I" - emphatic πεπιστευκα (πιστευω) perf. "I believe" - carries the sense of a past believing in the Messiah that continues.

ο υιος του θεου "the Son of God" - in the mouth of anyone but Jesus can range in meaning from little more than a godly person to someone close to God, or, commonly, the title for the messiah.

v28 ειπουσα (λεγω) aor. part. "after she said [this]" temporal.

λαθρα adv. "aside" – i.e. privately she says to her sister that the teacher παρεστιν (παρειμι) pres. "is present and is calling for you", ESV.

v29 ταχυ adv. "[she] sprung to her feet", an idiom – there was a clear urgency in her going, she had something to say..

v31 παραμυθουμενοι (παραμυθεω) pres. part. "comforting" adverbial, possibly modal, expressing the manner in which the Jews were with Mary, 

v33 κλαιουσαν (κλαιω) pres. part. "weeping" τους συνελθοντας (συνερχομαι) aor. part. "[the Jews] who had came along with her saw"

ενεβριμησατο (εμβριμαομαι) aor. mid. "deeply moved" - is often used to express deep feelings of anger, although translators usually soften it to "groan", "sigh", or worse "terribly upset". This is an agricultural word meaning the noise a horse makes when it snorts.

τω/ πνευματι (α ατος) dat. "in spirit" – idiom, at his core – in his gut i.e. pissed off.

εταραξεν (ταρασσω) aor. "troubled" visibly distressed?

τεθεικατε (τιθημι) perf. "[where] have you laid [him]?"

v35 εδακρυσεν (δακρυω) "wept" - a hapax legomenon. Mary wails ( as is normal for Jewish funerals) but Jesus sheds a tear.

v37 ο ανοιξας (ανοιγω) aor. part. "he who opened" serves as a substantive, introducing a substantival construction standing in apposition το ουτος, "this one." some may have interpreted Jesus' tears as a sign of frustration. He gives sight to the blind so why couldn't he ποιησαι (ποιεω) aor. inf. "have kept" – literally to do - the infinitive completes the verb "was [not] able to save Lazarus.  John often calls Jesus acts “ποιεω” – deeds/works

v38 εμβριμωμενος εν εαυτω as above, "deeply moved" - angry within himself. Note how "in himself" replaces "spirit" from v33.

σπηλαιον (ον) "a cave" the common shape of a grave was a vertical shaft, but it is unclear whether John intends this word to describe such a hole.  Today in Bethany it is a vertical shaft tomb you can visit. 

λιθος (ος) "stone" - used to keep animals away from the corpse.

v39 αρατε (αιρω) aor. imp. "take away [the stone]" – the aorist implies immediacy, now!

του τετελευτηκοτος (τελευταω) gen. perf. part. "[the sister] of the dead man" (doesn’t say which one, we often assume it was practical Martha but here is no reason to believe it was not Mary).

τεταρταιος adj. "four days" - on the fourth day. 

οζει (οζω) "there is a bad odor" The usual anointing of the body would not cover the smell of decomposition. This observation serves to underline the fact that Lazarus was indeed dead.

v41 ηρεν τους οφθαλμους ανω "[Jesus] looked up

ευχαριστω (ευχαριστω) pres. "I thank" - continuous action of thanking, central to prayer, but interestingly, the request itself is not recorded.

ηκουσας (ακουω) aor. "you have heard" aorist indicates that we may be dealing with a particular prayer, past or present, that is unrecorded. Is the prayer, "Lazarus, come out"? Such language is typical of Jesus healings, said prayerfully under God. So, Jesus gives thanks prior to his faith-act so that "they may believe that you sent me."

v42 ηδειν (οιδα) pluperf. "knew" - Jesus was well aware the Father would act.

v43 εκραυγασεν (κραυγαζω) "called" a forceful command by Jesus.

φωνη/ (η) dat. "in a [loud] voice".

δευρο εξω "come out” the literal translation is; "Here! Outside! Now!"

v44 ο τεθνηκως (θνησκω) perf. part. "the dead man" – commanding the wind and the waves was pretty keen, commanding the dead, AWESOME! Lazarus died and is dead [but now walks].

δεδεμενος (dew) perf. part. "wrapped" the one having had bound feet came out." "Bound" reflects the common meaning of this verb, but the so called "with strips of linen" is actually κειριαις, "with sheets", which carries the image of Lon Chaney doing his Mummy's thing so "draped over" is better. 

v45 οι ελθοντες (ερχομαι) aor. part. "who had come" stands in apposition to the "Jews" who are now standing around with no role - they don’t need to mourn any more.  

You can't get any poorer than dead - Pr. Kruse

You can’t get any poorer than dead. — Flannery O’Conner

“If only you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died.” That is a sentence spoken often in many forms. In the 18th century (Leibniz) it became the seed question for theories of theodicy. Why are bad things happen to good people? Where is God? Why is God not . . ? 

In its own way it must also have been  a vexing question for the early church: “Why did Jesus ascend? Why did he not stay with us and alleviate our misery here below?” “Who will come to believe in Jesus the Messiah if Jesus the Messiah is not here with us and if we, his disciples, are being hounded by evil? Is not Messiah the one to bring and end to just that evil?” The answer in John seems to be that there are Jews who believe Jesus because of the miracles and there are Jews who are threatened by Jesus because of the miracles, and there are Jews who are fascinated by Jesus and believe in him, but those are called disciples. 

Martha and Mary are asking the ever difficult question: “Lord, if only you had been here . . “ Did I say question? Well, it is not in question form but it is begging the question, “Why weren’t you there for us?” It is a strange in between type of way to ask a question. It says, in effect: “Yes I have faith. I know that you could have prevented the ill that has befallen us. But you did not.” In Martha’s case the reason was obvious: He was not there. John goes on to tell us though, that he was not there on purpose. What a schmutz! She had send word to him. She had asked (prayed) him to come to her and his aid. He did not come. Why? He seems to have waited until Lazarus died before he got on his way to Bethany. He was trying to make a point by allowing death to find Lazarus and to raise him to life again. He was trying to make a point!? Really? What a dreck! 

Lazarus in the tomb is a strange analogy for discipleship. He knows Jesus, at least I am assuming they have met, since Jesus is said to have loved him to tears. Those tears (11:35) are not trivial. The fate and suffering of Lazarus, the pain of Martha and Mary, are not trivial to Jesus it would seem. He takes them into himself and expresses them in tears. The death of His beloved children is not a matter of indifference to the Father in heaven in obedience to whom Jesus has been given power over death and eternal life. (5:21, 10:28) Lazarus is one of Jesus’ “sheep,” one who knows his voice and who is said to come out when the Good Shepherd calls him. (10:3) He is the one who by his quiet waiting in the tomb clearly shows: Apart from me you can do nothing. (15:5) After all, dead people are too poor to get anything accomplished. Blessed are the poor, indeed. (Yes, I know it’s Matthew but the Beatitudes are prayed in Lent during the hours and we are praying them in our confession in Worship on Sunday in my congregation)  But, at the call of the Shepherd, the Lord, you can do all things, even rise back to life. If Lazarus can be unbound, you can be. If Lazarus can be freed from his bonds, you can be as well even if those tethers are sin and death. In that way, the glory of God is revealed in him. 

Therefore, disciple, as life in this world so in love with its own dark thoughts — and is not death a dark thought and place — comes your way quickly, harshly, and mercilessly, would you, could you say to yourself: “I embrace this because the glory of God will be revealed in this?” Even if that might mean dying twice? 

If Lazarus is an analogy for discipleship then maybe so is Martha. Only in her case, it is from the perspective of observing faith not knowing the outcome and really not being able to fathom the possibilities. She has asked him to come and prevent Lazarus’ death but he has not. He has come, but he has come late — wait, that’s not right. No, he has come in his own time and according to his own purpose. (11:4) All is now lost. — wait that is not right, but we don’t quite know that. Who knows what might be next. After all, Jesus is at work, maybe Lazarus will live again, maybe he will not. Either way, who would know best if he should or should not? Martha or Jesus? (cue the Jeopardy music)  In the conversation between the two Martha comes to the words that every disciple might need to remember in times of poverty even poverty unto death: “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

All the joy over all the answered prayers in the world really equal not even a single moment of “Faith.” Faith can say: “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God,” even if none of its prayers have been answered. Faith awaits, quietly as if stilled in the sleep of the grave for the Lord’s glory to be revealed in however the story will twist and turn right around then. When the good shepherd (10) is leading, Faith follows. It keeps its eyes on the back of the Good Shepherd’s head and hums the 23rd. 

The Readings for March 30, the 3rd Sunday in Lent, 2014

First Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1–13

The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons."  ²Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'  ³Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you."  ⁴Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?"  ⁵He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is now before the LORD."  ⁷But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."  ⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."  ⁹Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."  ¹⁰Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these."  ¹¹Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here."  ¹²He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one."  ¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

Second Reading: Ephesians 5:8–14

⁸For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light —  ⁹for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.  ¹⁰Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.  ¹¹Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.  ¹²For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly;  ¹³but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,  ¹⁴for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

"Sleeper, awake!

Rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you."\

Gospel: John 9:1–41

As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth.  ²His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"  ³Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him.  ⁴We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.  ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  ⁶When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes,  ⁷saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.  ⁸The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?"  ⁹Some were saying, "It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying, "I am the man."  ¹⁰But they kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes opened?"  ¹¹He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' Then I went and washed and received my sight."  ¹²They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."

¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.  ¹⁴Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.  ¹⁵Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see."  ¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And they were divided.  ¹⁷So they said again to the blind man, "What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened." He said, "He is a prophet."

¹⁸The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight  ¹⁹and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?"  ²⁰His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;  ²¹but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself."  ²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.  ²³Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

²⁴So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, "Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner."  ²⁵He answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."  ²⁶They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"  ²⁷He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?"  ²⁸Then they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.  ²⁹We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from."  ³⁰The man answered, "Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.  ³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will.  ³²Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.  ³³If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."  ³⁴They answered him, "You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?" And they drove him out.

³⁵Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"  ³⁶He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him."  ³⁷Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he."  ³⁸He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him.  ³⁹Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind."  ⁴⁰Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not blind, are we?"  ⁴¹Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.

The Greek Text, John 9 - Pr. Fourman

John 9:1-41

v1 παραγων (παραγω) pres. part. "as he went along" - The participle is adverbial, temporal.

ek + gen. "from [birth]" - Expressing source / origin. A more Semitic way of putting it would be "from the mother's womb", cf. Matt.19:12. Blindness from birth underlines the seriousness of the condition and also stifles the argument that the man's condition is a consequence of sin.

  

v2 τις ημαρτεν (αμαρτενω) aor. "who sinned ....?" - Exodus 20:5 certainly encouraged the notion that the stain of a parent's sin may infect a child, but the book of Job makes it clear that there is no direct correlation between a particular sin and sicknes

v3 ινα + subj. "so that [the work of God might be displayed]" NIV has the hina clause expressing purpose, but such a reading implies that God made the man blind so that Jesus could heal him. It is more likely that the clause expresses result. The man's blindness provides an opportunity for Jesus to be the light of the world. The man's blindness has nothing to do with his, or his parent's sin; "but because of his blindness, you will see God perform a miracle for him".

  

v4 ημας pro. "we" - The use of the plural here by Jesus may be original, although some manuscripts have "I". If the plural is original, Jesus is including his disciples.

εργαζεσθαι (εργαζομαι) pres. inf. "[must] do the work" - often used to express divine necessity.

ερχεται (ερχομαι) pres. "[night] is coming" – A predictive present, "it will soon be night."

v5 φως ειμι του κοσμου "I am the light for the world".

v6 ειπων (ειπον) aor. part. "when he had thus spoken".

επτυσεν (πτυω) aor. "he spat”. It was commonly held that saliva had curative powers, but its use was later banned in Jewish circles due to its use in the magical arts so saliva, as with dirt, may also have implied ritual impurity and that Jesus here is defying Jewish sensibilities and healing independently of the prevailing notions of ritual cleanliness. Also the day Jesus does this on is Sabbath; further indication he intended to attack Jewish religious sensibilities.

v7 νιψαι (νιπτω) aor. imp. "wash" – the aorist probably indicates the command expects an immediate response. Note the parallel with 2 Kings 5:10-13.

την κολυμβηθραν του Σιλωαμ "the pool of Siloam" - The pond for the diverted waters from the spring of Gihon that flows through Hezekiah's tunnel; most likely the "lower pool".

απεσταλμενος (αποστελλω) perf. pas. part. "having been sent”. John typically explains Semitic words, here a word based on the root slh, "to send" = the waters sent from Gihon.

v8 οι θεωρουντες (θεωρεω) pres. part. "those who had [formerly] seen him". The present tense probably indicates continuous action, ie. they regularly saw him begging.

ο καθημενος (καθημαι) pres. part. "who used to sit [and beg]".

v9 ελεγον (λεγω) imperf. "claimed" - said. The use of the imperfect indicates that numerous comments were made of the man.

εγω ειμι "I am [the man]" -. An interesting use of a phrase that Jesus enjoyed using as well. Here it mean, "I am the man who used to beg ".

v10 ηνεω/χθησαν (ανοιγω) aor. pas. "opened" - were opened. The sense is "how is it that you now see?"

ελεγον imperf. "they demanded" - imperfect indicating a continuous request.

v11 ο λεγομενος (λεγω) pres. pas. part. "the one being called…”."

επεχρισεν (επιχριω) aor. " rub on, anoint” lit. "smeared it on my eyes".

v12 εκεινος "this one” - a rather rude form of address.

  

v13 αγουσιν (αγο) act. "they brought" a passive sense, reinforcing the idea that those who knew the man insisted that he come with them to see the religious authorities.

v14 likely an editorial comment serving to explain the increased hostility of the religious authorities. 

v16 παρα + gen. "[this man is no man of God." because he does not obey the Sabbath law, cf. Deut.13:1-5. In strict accordance with the law, Jesus should have properly waited till the first day of the week to perform the healing, since the man's condition was not life threatening.

ου τηρει (threw) pres. "he does not keep [the Sabbath]"

ποιειν (ποιεω) pres. inf. "[how can a sinner] do" - The infinitive is complementary.

v17 προφητης "prophet" - thinks Jesus is an Elisha type, or like Moses, the one who precedes more likely he sees Jesus in a general sense, as a special person obviously a man of God.

  

v18 ουκ επιστευσαν (πιστευω) aor. "did not believe".

εφωνησαν (φωνεω) aor. "they sent/called”. the investigation of the parents is obviously undertaken without their blind son being present.

v19 For stylistic reasons the NIV divides this Greek sentence into two sentences separated by "they asked". "Is this your son who you say was born blind?" RSV.

v21 ηνοιξεν αυτου τους οφθαλμους "opened his eyes" ημεις "we the pronoun is emphatic; “ask him, ηλικιαν (a) "he is a grown-up ".

v22 συνετεθειτο (συντιθημι) pluperf. "[the Jews] agreed together. The pluperfect indicates that the decision to act against anyone who acknowledged Jesus was made well before these events.

αποσυναγωγος adj. "put out of the synagogue" - excommunicate. John is probably referring to a total excommunication of believers from Israel - a banishment. There were other more formal disciplinary banishments which could last a week or a month and which did not bar a person from religious services. 

v24 εκ δευτερου "a second time" - An uncommon temporal use of εκ to form this idiomatic phrase.

δος δοξαν τω θεω "give glory to God" - The sense is probably "swear by God to tell the truth".

v25 αμαρτωλος (ος) "he is a sinner" - Jesus did heal on the sabbath so his legal standing under the law is something the blind man is unable to debate.

ων (ειμι) pres. part. "I was" - The participle is probably concessive, "although ......, yet", ie. he concedes the point that he was blind and that a possible sinner set about to heal him, yet the result is that he now sees. What does that say about this man Jesus?

  

v27 ουκ ηκουσατε (ακουω) aor. "you did not/would not listen"

ακουειν (ακουω) pres. inf. "[why do you want] to hear" - μη "no” a rhetorical question in the Greek expecting a negative answer, "You don't want to become his disciples, do you?"

  

v28 ελοιδορησαν (λοιδορεω) aor. " they hurled insults" 

  

v29 ουκ οιδαμεν ποθεν εστιν "we don't even know where he comes from" Most commentators suggest that the "where" is his home town, eg. yet 7:27 indicates that the Jewish authorities do know that Jesus comes from Nazareth and given that no one will know where the messiah comes from, it is obvious (to them!) that Jesus is not the messiah. It is quite possible that we have here a general statement as to Jesus' lack of divine association and therefore, authority.

  

v31 αμαρτωλων ο θεος ουκ ακουεω "God does not listen to sinners" in the sense of those in rebellion against God, that is God does not answer the prayers of those who are against him.

τις θεοσεβης adj. "the godly man" - a devout person is one who does what God wants them to do.

  

v32 εκ του αιωνος "[nobody] has ever [heard]" – a temporal use of the preposition εκ −  there is no record in any canonical writings of a person regaining their sight who was 

γεγεννημενου (γενναω) perf. pas. part. "[of a man] born [blind]"

  

v34 και συ διδασκεις ημας "how dare you lecture us!" – there isalot of outrage I this story. 

  

v35 ευρωμ (ευρισκω) aor. part "when he found [him]" 

v36 και τις εστιν, κυριε "who is he, lord?

ινα + subj. "so that I may" πιστευσω (πιστευω) aor. subj. " that I may come to put my faith in him."

  

v37 εωρακας (οραω) perf. "you have already seen him".

ο λαλων pres. part. "[he is] the one speaking [with you]".

  

v38 προσεκυνησεν (προσκυνεω) aor. "he worshiped"

v39 κριμα (α ατος) "judgment/decision” - Jesus does not come into the world to judge the world, 3:17, yet, as a result of his coming, judgment takes place. In the face of God's revelation, people separate into two groups; what Bultmann called "the paradox of the revelation, that in order to bring grace it must also give offence.”

οι μη βλεποντες (βλεπω) pres. part. "the blind [will see]".

οι βλεποντες "those who see [will become blind]" -.

  

v40 μη "[what, are we blind too?]" - no. The Greek implies an expected negative answer to the question, "we are not blind, are we?" The expected answer would be "of course not." The truth, of course, is that they are blind.

  

v41 ουκ αν ειχετε αμαρτιαν (a) "you would not be guilty of sin" - you would not have sin. Most commentators take "sin" in the Old Testament sense of "guilt", "you would not be guilty" but the play on words makes the point that those who are aware of their guilt, who recognize it, can seek forgiveness and find it in the Son of Man, while those who deny their guilt, deny their condition of loss, their blindness, remain in a state of sin, blind, and under condemnation.