God Always Moves First

Lent Day 27-28

“He answered and said, ‘Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?’”

— John 9:36—

In today’s reading, we continue the story of the blind man. Jesus spat in the dirt, made mud, and then told the man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. The text doesn’t say how close the man was to the pool, nor does it say, “And then Jesus said, ‘Take my arm, and let me help you into the pool.’” Given these omissions, a creative speculation of this event is permissible.

With mud on his eyes, he fumbles his way to a pool that he cannot see. Does he trip? Do people mock him as he passes by, saying, “What’s that on your face?” How far was the pool?

In my mind, I picture him with his hands outstretched, mud caked on his eyes, as the hot sun beats down on his face. His toe strikes a rock, and he falls to the ground. As his body submits to gravity, his arms reach out to catch him. He lies there, just for a moment, catching his breath from the fall, when suddenly he feels a cool ripple of water touch his finger — he’s at the pool.

He slowly rises to his hands and knees, crawls towards the water, and slowly breaks its surface. As he rises out of the water, something is different. The water’s contact with the mud on his eyes has caused a cascade of dirt and water to run down his face. He can see! He can cry!

Of course, the text does not give us this kind of description. Nevertheless, the text does show through its narrative that something like this must have happened. Later, we see that the man, before believing in Christ, boldly defends Christ’s miracle in his life. He does not know who Jesus truly is, but he does know that he can see!

We see that his neighbors are perplexed, but not superstitious —

“‘Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?’

Some said, ‘It is,’

but others said, ‘No, he just looks like him’”

— (Jn. 9:8-9).

They are not, contrary to the modernist presumptions, a group easily duped or given to the fantastical. They are ultimately people, like you and me, who have heard a claim or witnessed something phenomenal, trying to make sense of it all, yet woefully equipped to do so. Even the blind man, who now sees, needs still more grace for his heart to fully convert.

We see a division forming and people taking sides in the debate about the miracle. Jesus is either a sinner and did not heal the man, or Jesus did heal the man and is from God. Jesus, the Light of the World, brings sight to the faithful and blindness to the faithless. Our commentary describes this chapter as a kind of “trial” between the faithful and the faithless. According to our commentary:

John has presented 9:8-34 as a judicial trial, complete with witnesses and conclusions drawn from testimony. However, since Jeuss comes into the world as the light and peoples’ responses to him constitute judgement on themselves, ironically, the ones who are really on trial here are the Pharisees and the healed man, not Jesus. The response of the individuals display the judging effect of Jesus as the light, revealing those who walk in light or in darkness, those who see are blind spiritually.¹

This contrast between the faithless and the faithful is important, especially in modern times when man no longer fears God. We no longer work our faith out in fear and trembling, but rather in nihilism and mockery. “Who cares what you believe?” says the culture. Podcasters from various denominations are constantly asking, “So am I still going to heaven even if I don’t join your church?”

Of course, this misses the point of the Gospel, since salvation is received by both faith and obedience: Christ commands that you believe in him; Christ commands that you obey him; Christ commands that you be baptized; Christ commands that you love your neighbor as yourself, and that you love God more than your neighbor; Christ commands that you eat his body and drink his blood. If we disobey these things or deny their veracity, surely there will be a judgment of some kind.

The assumption that all Churches are wrong somewhere is the most prideful position a person can make. He ultimately sets himself up as the Pope of all churches, dictating where this group is wrong and that group is right. All are sufficient, but none are sufficient to receive his full allegiance because, as one famous psychologist said, “I exist on the borders of things.”²

God wants us to know the fullness of truth, which only comes through belief and obedience. Conversion happens first when God moves, the mind recognizes his movement, and the will submits. But none of this is possible without faith. So, what is the source of faith?

St. Thomas Aquinas said that for faith to occur in the individual, it must have an external cause and an internal cause. External causes are things like miracles, preaching, defenses of the faith, or a kind gesture done in the name of Christ. They are ultimately outside of the person’s control. But these alone are “insufficient”, as is evident from the text today. The blind man’s parents didn’t even know what to think of their son’s healing. They’ve witnessed a miracle and say they want nothing to do with the matter for fear of being affiliated with Christ.

St. Thomas says that an internal movement is necessary for salvation, after all, even among Christ’s disciples, scripture says, “but some doubted.” Thus, St. Thomas writes:

“Hence we must assert another internal cause, which…is God moving man inwardly by grace…To believe does indeed depend on the will of the believer: but man’s will does need to be prepared by God with grace.”

— Summa theologica 2-2, q. 6, a. 1.

This is why we pray for conversion, not because grace is irresistible, but that the will is a stubborn thing that requires many seasons of grace before the soul is willing to open its ground to the roots of the Tree of Life. So we pray, for our conversion first, that we would never tire of encountering Christ in the sacraments, and for our friends and family, that the light of Christ would not blind them, but show them the fullness of truth found only in his Church.

Jesus said to him, “You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him (Jn. 9:37-38).

— DR

1. Martin, F., & Wright, W. M. (2015). The Gospel of John. Baker Academic. 185.

2. Jordan B. Peterson said this in an interview with EWTN.