18th April 2022 – John 9:1-7
"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 spat 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."
John 9:1-7
Irenaeus, one of the early Fathers, sees in the reference to clay and spittle in 6 a connection with Genesis 2:7, where we are told that man was formed from the dust of the ground, and that the thought here is of recreation or new creation. If this is a valid interpretation, then our Lord's action constitutes a claim to be God the Creator, a deliberately chosen symbol for those who had eyes to see, that this that He was doing was a creative act, and that His work in the gospel was akin to that in creation; 'God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.' And this is the word of hope that these words bring: There is One who has been sent into the world by the Father, to help us, and He is the great Creator Himself who in the beginning said, Let there be light, and there was light. We should not be hesitant, either, to accept such an interpretation, for it is quite clear that Jesus could easily have healed the man with His word, as He had done on other occasions, and therefore there must have been a particular intention in Jesus' action. In any case, the healing did not take place when Jesus used the clay and spittle, but when the man went to Siloam, and thus it was another case in which the miracle took place without the actual presence of Jesus, but solely dependent on the word that He had spoken (cf 4:46ff).
17th April 2022 – John 9:1-7
“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,…
16th April 2022 – John 9:1-7
“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,…
15th April 2022 – John 8:48-57
“48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honour my Father, and you dishonour me. 50 Yet I do not seek my…
14th April 2022 – John 8:31-47
“31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are…
13th April 2022 – John 8:21-30
“21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says,…
12th April 2022 – John 8:12-20
“12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself;…
11th April 2022 – John 12-20
“12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself;…
10th April 2022 – John 8:1-11
“1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who…
9th April 2022 – John 8:1-11
“1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who…