The 6th Sunday of Pascha - Sunday of the Blind Man

The Gospel Reading For
The 6th Sunday of Pascha
The Sunday of the Blind Man

Saint John 9:1-38

1) And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

2) And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

3) Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

4) I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

5) As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

6) When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,

7) And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

8) The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?

9) Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.

10) Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?

11) He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes,
and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.

12) Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.

13) They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.

14) And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

15) Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.


16) Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

17) They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.

18) But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.

19) And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see?

20) His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:

21) But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.

22) These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.

23) Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.

24) Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.

25) He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

26) Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?

27) He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?

28) Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples.

29) We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.

30) The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.

31) Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

32) Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.

33) If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.

34) They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

35) Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?

36) He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?

37) And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.

38) And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

Six months before the sacrifice on the Cross, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, on the day of the feast of the Tents, went to Jerusalem, although He knew that the leaders of the Jews were seeking to put Him to death, and He preached in the yard of the Temple. As He left the Temple, He saw a blind man sitting in a corner begging those who were passing by for some help. The Disciples asked their Teacher, ‘Lord, who sinned, he or his parents, so that he was born blind’? Christ, who knows the hearts of men answered with compassion and love. ‘Neither he sinned, nor his parents. He was born blind for God’s work to be manifested’.

Amongst the Jews there is a strong belief, that the sins of parents make their children suffer. This belief originates from the misunderstanding of God’s commandment, Who ordered Israel to avoid making idols, nor to worship them. In other words God foretold the people of Israel not to fall into idol worship. In case that they will disobey His commandment and will be a renegade from the true faith in the One God. Then the punishment of their sin will be transferred on their children up to the third and fourth generation. This specific law man generalized for all sins. This is the belief which the Apostles have at this moment.

The Mosaic Law, concerning personal sins, clearly states, that each individual is responsible for his sins; because neither the parents will be punished for the personal sins of their children, and likewise, nor the children for the personal sins of their parents. Each and everyone will give account for his deeds.

The man who was blind from birth was born in this condition, because it was God’s Will and not because God wanted to punish his parents. Jesus assures this saying, “Neither he sinned, nor his parents’.

At this point we must make clear the following. Today, many new born babies are born defective and misshapen, because of the sinful way of life of their parents. When parents are enslaved to alcohol and drugs; when a mother is under dangerous and unhealthy pills, or she takes medicine to abort the embryo, her own flesh and blood, in such cases the sins of the parents are charged on the children. Here, the criminal act is performed by the parents, and it is not an act of divine punishment from God.

The Disciples questioned with a pure heart, because many times in the past they have heard their Teacher saying to the paralytic, that their sickness was caused because of their sins. This man was not only born blind, but was born without any eyes. Christ does not only give him his sight, but creates from the mud new eyes. Herein lies the great miracle! Who ever heard of such cure? Which doctor was able to give eyes to a man, who was born without eyes? Which miracle can be compare to this?

Here proves the fact, that Jesus is the same God, Who at the beginning of creation took ground of the earth and made man, and by breathing in his face, made man “a living soul”. The same God here makes mud and creates new eyes, granting to the man who was born blind, his sight, which he was deprived of for so many years.

Jesus Christ, the Word and Son of God, is the Light of the world. It is He, who enlightens and sanctifies our life, guiding us to do what is always right. Without Christ man lives in the darkness of ignorance. Without Christ, no matter what education one might have, no matter what riches and glory, is always under the power of sin, which darkens his whole existence.

Sin and sinful passions blind the soul’s spiritual eyes. A sinner, although has eyes and sees the daily light, remains blind and cannot see the spiritual light of the divine revelations. He who is enslaved to sinful passions, becomes a slave to sin. He deprives from himself the true freedom, which God alone offers.

To partake in the divine Gifts of God, one must draw away from the reasons which create spiritual blindness, that is sin. As long as one insists on his sinful desires, he hinders the divine enlightenment of God to enter within the temple of our soul.

We can compare sin to a dark cloud, which overshadows the face of the earth and does not allowed the radiance of the sun to pass through to enlighten and give life to the earth. Likewise, sin becomes the obstacle and blocks the divine radiance of God’s Grace to reach man’s soul. Thus sin deprives man from eternal life.

The man who was born blind, as is described in today’s Gospel, met Christ and confessed Him as being the True God. Let us follow his example; let us approach Christ and ask Him to cure our spiritual blindness. Let us ask Him, to grant us the divine Light, so that we can see the virtuous path on which we must walk on. Let us ask Him, to lift up the heavy darkness of our sinful passions, which sinks us into a unsearchable darkness. The Lord said, if the darkness which is in you is dark, how much dark is the darkness? Let us ask Him to grant us His mercy, so that through the intercessions of the Most Blessed Lady and Ever Virgin Mary, the Theotokos.