Fourth Lent

John 9: 13 – 15

They marched the man to the Pharisees. This day when Jesus made the paste and healed his blindness was the Sabbath. The Pharisees grilled him again on how he had come to see. He said, “He put a clay paste on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see”.

Everyone in the gospel story of the healing of the man born blind appears to be in the dark about who Jesus is and why he does what he does, and most feel threatened and confused by Jesus’ good works.

We’re no different today. Some of us hide from the light by choice. Like the Pharisees, we cloud issues with our own biases and won’t accept answers we don’t want to hear. Denial and bullying are common traits among people who live in the dark; others would give anything to see, but they think there’s no hope and often end up despairing.

Eddie was one of those guys. He was drinking, drugging, and wheeling-dealing. On the surface, he tried to play it cool, but down deep he was disgusted with himself. He thought he’d just have to go on this way until he died. But then a fortunate thing happened. He got caught stealing money from his company.

The reality that his life had gotten out of control finally sunk in. With the help of a compassionate boss, a merciful judge, and a re-inspired faith, Eddie avoided jail time, got sober, and began the slow process of entering back into the light. He now spends his time helping others see what he couldn’t for a very long time: It is possible to find a way out of the dark.