By Father Paul Nord, O.S.B.
Sunday Scripture
First Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Responsorial: Psalm 23:1-6; Second Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14; Gospel: John 9:1-41
The first reading recounts how the prophet Samuel was commanded by God to anoint David as king. We must remember that the prophet Samuel anointed David while Saul was still reigning as the first king over all twelve Israelite tribes. David’s anointing occurs in 1 Samuel 16, but Saul remains as king until he dies in 1 Samuel 31. The historical narrative continues in 2 Samuel, when David is finally proclaimed king publicly — first by his own tribe of Judah (2 Samuel 2), and then later declared king over all twelve Israelite tribes (2 Samuel 5).
When God commands Samuel to anoint a new king to replace Saul as King of Israel, Samuel obediently travels to Bethlehem — but he gives a false explanation for his trip to the people (1 Samuel 16:2-5). Although God is sending him to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king, Samuel hides his true purpose. Thus, the prophet Samuel anoints David as king in secret.
The reading is dramatic. Jesse presents seven of his sons before Samuel, but each is rejected. Following the Lord’s prompting, Samuel insists that the youngest son be brought from tending the sheep. When he arrives, the Lord commands Samuel to anoint the young man, and so Samuel does. Only then is “David” finally named. The narrator intentionally withholds David’s name until the moment of his anointing. And so, “from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.” Although he would not officially replace Saul as king until many years later, David was already anointed for his future role as King of Israel. Thus anointed, David grew in kingly virtue and received God’s blessing and protection.
Today’s Responsorial is Psalm 23: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” In the Old Testament, shepherd imagery often describes God — for example: in Isaiah 40:11, Ezekiel 34:11-16, and Sirach 18:13. Psalm 23 proclaims that God “leads me” to “verdant pastures” and “restful waters.” A shepherd thus provides his sheep with food (pastures) and drink (waters). Also, God “refreshes my soul.”
The psalm continues: God “guides me in right paths” and protects me “even though I walk in the dark valley.” This imagery presents God as protector. Trusting in God, the psalmist “fear(s) no evil” and has “courage.”
God’s protection is illustrated by “your rod and your staff” — two instruments of a shepherd. The shepherd’s “rod” was attached to his belt/waist — like a policeman’s baton or nightstick. The shepherd used the rod to drive away any animals who would attack his sheep. The shepherd used his “staff” to steady himself while walking. The shepherd also used his staff to nudge the sheep to stay together on the right path, away from danger.
Next, St. Paul exhorts the Ephesians to “live as children of light.” He condemns “fruitless works of darkness.” Commanding them to be holy, Paul cites this quotation: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” Already in the first Christian centuries, Patristic commentators suggested that Paul is citing an ancient Christian hymn. This remains a common view today.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus heals a man born blind. Jesus’ disciples ask him: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” This shows their belief that human deformities and suffering are necessarily a consequence of sin. Jesus refutes his disciples’ mistaken belief, although many people held this belief in Jesus’ time.
Jesus announces that God’s power will be demonstrated through this man’s blindness. Immediately before he heals the blind man, Jesus says: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Here Jesus uses “light” in at least two senses. First, “light” has a moral sense: Jesus is casting out the “darkness” of sin and human suffering. Second, “light” has a revelatory sense. Through his actions, Jesus reveals that he is the Son of God, and Jesus shows that God is acting to heal humanity through him. Jesus is truly “the light of the world.”
Jesus heals the blind man by smearing clay upon his eyes and commanding him: “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam.” The blind man obeys Jesus’ command. Thus, he cooperates in his own healing.
A comical scene follows, where the man’s neighbors argue over whether he is truly the same man who used to be blind. The man insists: “I am” (the same man), but his neighbors are not much interested in his witness. Instead of accepting his testimony, they take the formerly blind man to the Pharisees for questioning.
Midway through this account, the gospel narrator mentions an important detail: “Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.” The problem is that Jesus’ healing actions were considered to be “work” by the Pharisees — and thus a violation of the Sabbath law. For this reason, the Pharisees concluded that Jesus was “a sinful man.”
Earlier in John’s Gospel, Jesus had healed a crippled man also on the Sabbath (John 5:1-17). In fact, through these Sabbath healings (John 5 and 9), Jesus is demonstrating that the Sabbath law does not apply to him because he is God’s Son. That is: the law does not apply to God.
The Pharisees wanted the formerly blind man to deny that Jesus had healed him, but the healed man insists on witnessing to Jesus’ miraculous healing. Later, Jesus asks the healed man “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man answers: “I do believe, Lord.”
This dialogue emphasizes that the healed man has “spiritual sight” because he can recognize Jesus as God. Thus “he worshipped him (Jesus).” In contrast, Jesus indirectly accuses the Pharisees of being blind in John 9:39-41. This is the irony of today’s Gospel — the man born blind has “spiritual sight” to recognize Jesus as God’s Son, while the prestigious Pharisees are “spiritually blind.” Despite their efforts to keep the Mosaic Law, they refused to believe that Jesus is God’s Son.