The Blind Receive Sight
For our 2nd Sunday of Advent this year (December 8) we will be looking at John 10 with Jesus using the title: The Good Shepherd. And no, it is not a typo that I have John 9 at the top of this page. That link will take you to John 9. I think the background of what John places between these two “I Am” statements – I Am the Light of the World and I Am the Good Shepherd – connects the statements, as well as prepares us for the next week of the names of Jesus.
John 9 has Jesus healing a man who was blind from birth. He uses the light of the world statement himself. And there is an obvious connection to the fact that he gives sight, he restores this man’s ability to see physical light. And the chapter ends with the statement of the blindness of the Pharisees. Not forgetting that the Pharisees will often depict us as well. Seeing our own blindness, pun intended.
Also, in the text of John 9, we see allusions to the ways the Pharisees saw themselves as shepherds. Indeed, they were called to be shepherds, as religious leaders in Israel. Yet their focus was on Sabbath keepings and labels of sinners. They were using threats of shunning from community to keep people in line.
Jesus is going to show us a different type of shepherd. Not one who brings us in line with fear, but one who sacrifices himself to protect the sheep. Take a look at John 9 this week and see the healing and teaching that comes with. Which type of shepherd have we been? What kind of shepherd are we looking for? And how does it compare to the Good Shepherd we have been given?