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| author | Henry S. Thompson <ht@inf.ed.ac.uk> |
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| date | Sat, 03 May 2025 22:47:32 +0100 |
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7 <title>Aquinas: John, Ch. 9</title> |
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8 </head> |
| 35 | 9 <body style="text-align:justify"> |
| 10 <blockquote> | |
| 11 <p style="text-align: center"><span style= | |
| 12 "font-size: 60pt">9</span></p> | |
| 13 <p align="center"><b>LECTURE I</b></p> | |
| 14 <blockquote> | |
| 15 <p>1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. 2 And his | |
| 16 disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, | |
| 17 that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "It was not that this | |
| 18 man sinned, or his parent, but that the works of God might be made | |
| 19 manifest in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me, while | |
| 20 it is day; night comes, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in | |
| 21 the world, I am the light of the world." 6 As he said this, he spat | |
| 22 on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's | |
| 23 eyes with the clay, 7 saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of | |
| 24 Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back | |
| 25 seeing.<a href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" id= | |
| 26 "_ftnref1"><b>[1]</b></a></p> | |
| 27 </blockquote> | |
| 28 <p>1293 After showing the enlightening power of his teaching by his | |
| 29 own words [cf. 1 118], our Lord confirms this by his action, when | |
| 30 he gives sight to one physically blind. In regard to this three | |
| 31 things are presented: first, the man's infirmity; secondly, his | |
| 32 healing (v 6); thirdly, a discussion among the Jews about this | |
| 33 health (v 8). In regard to the first he does two things: first, the | |
| 34 man's infirmity is mentioned; secondly, we see an inquiry about its | |
| 35 cause (v 2).</p> | |
| 36 <p>1294 It should be noted in regard to the first that Jesus hid | |
| 37 himself and left the temple, and while passing by he saw this blind | |
| 38 man, as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. Three | |
| 39 things are considered here. First, he passed by to avoid the anger | |
| 40 of the Jews: "Do not kindle the coals of a sinner lest you be | |
| 41 burned in his flaming fire" (Sir 8:10). Secondly, he wanted to try | |
| 42 and soften their hardness of heart by working a miracle: "If I had | |
| 43 not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not | |
| 44 have sin" (15:24). Thirdly, he went on his way in order to confirm | |
| 45 his words by working a sign; for our Lord's works produce faith in | |
| 46 the things that he says: "He confirmed the message by the sign that | |
| 47 attended it" (Mk 16:20).</p> | |
| 48 <p>In the mystical sense, according to Augustine, this blind man is | |
| 49 the human race.<a href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" id= | |
| 50 "_ftnref2">[2]</a> Sin is a spiritual blindness: "Their wickedness | |
| 51 blinded them" (Wis 2:21). The human race is blind from birth, | |
| 52 because it contracted sin from his its origin, for the blindness | |
| 53 occurs through sin in the first man, from whom all of us draw our | |
| 54 origin. We read, "We were by nature," by natural origin, "children | |
| 55 of wrath" (Eph 2:3).</p> | |
| 56 <p>1295 Then (v2), the cause of this man's infirmity is discussed: | |
| 57 first, the disciples ask about its cause; secondly, Christ explains | |
| 58 it.</p> | |
| 59 <p>1296 In regard to the first, three things are to be considered. | |
| 60 The first is the reason for the disciples questioning Christ. | |
| 61 According to Chrysostom, this was because Jesus, leaving the temple | |
| 62 and seeing this blind man, looked at him intently, as though seeing | |
| 63 in him an opportunity to manifest his power. And so the disciples | |
| 64 seeing him look so intently at the blind man were impelled to | |
| 65 question him.<a href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" id= | |
| 66 "_ftnref3">[3]</a></p> | |
| 67 <p>Secondly, we see the seriousness of the disciples, because they | |
| 68 say, <b>Rabbi</b>, calling him Teacher, to indicate that they are | |
| 69 questioning him in order to learn. Thirdly, we see why they asked, | |
| 70 <b>who sinned?</b> when they inquire into the reason for the man's | |
| 71 blindness.</p> | |
| 72 <p>It must be said, according to Chrysostom, that because the Lord | |
| 73 said to the paralytic, when he healed him, "See, you are well! Sin | |
| 74 no more, that nothing worse befall you," the disciples thought that | |
| 75 his infirmity was due to sin.<a href="#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" id= | |
| 76 "_ftnref4">[4]</a> They also thought that every human illness arose | |
| 77 from sin, as Eliphaz said: "Think now, who that was innocent ever | |
| 78 perished?" (Jb 4:7). Therefore, they asked whether he had been born | |
| 79 blind on account of his own sin or that of his parents. It does not | |
| 80 seem to have been on account of his own sin, because no one sins | |
| 81 before he is born, since souls do not exist before their bodies, | |
| 82 nor do they sin, as some mistakenly think: "Though they were not | |
| 83 yet born and had done nothing, either good or bad … not | |
| 84 because of works but because of his call, she was told 'The elder | |
| 85 will served the younger'" (Rom 9:11). Nor does it seem that he | |
| 86 suffered on account of a sin of his parents, for we read: "The | |
| 87 fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall the | |
| 88 children be put to death for the fathers" (Deut 24:16).</p> | |
| 89 <p>Note that people are punished with two kinds of punishment. One | |
| 90 is spiritual and concerns the soul; the other is bodily and | |
| 91 concerns the body. A child is never punished on account of his | |
| 92 father with a spiritual punishment, because the soul of a child is | |
| 93 not from his father but from God: "All souls are mine," that is, by | |
| 94 creation, "the soul of the father as well as the soul of the child | |
| 95 is mine: the soul that sins shall be punished" [Ez 18:4]. Augustine | |
| 96 also says this in one of his letters.<a href="#_ftn5" name= | |
| 97 "_ftnref5" id="_ftnref5">[5]</a> But a child is punished on account | |
| 98 of his father with a bodily punishment, since he is of his father | |
| 99 as far as his body is concerned. This is expressly shown in Genesis | |
| 100 (c 19) where when Sodom was destroyed the children of the | |
| 101 inhabitants of Sodom were killed on account of the sins of their | |
| 102 parents. Again, the Lord very often threatened to destroy the | |
| 103 children of the Jews on account of the sins of their parents.</p> | |
| 104 <p>1297 To understand why one person is punished on account of the | |
| 105 sins of another, we must realize that a punishment has two aspects: | |
| 106 it is an injury and a remedy. Sometimes a part of the body is cut | |
| 107 off to save the entire body. And a punishment of this kind causes | |
| 108 an injury insofar as a part is cut off, but it is a remedy insofar | |
| 109 as it saves the body itself. Still, a doctor never cuts off a | |
| 110 superior member to save one which is inferior, but the other way | |
| 111 around. Now in human matters, the soul is superior to the body, and | |
| 112 the body is superior to external possessions. And so it never | |
| 113 happens that someone is punished in his soul for the sake of his | |
| 114 body, but rather he is punished in his body as a curing remedy for | |
| 115 his soul. Therefore, God sometimes imposes physical punishments, or | |
| 116 difficulties in external concerns, as a beneficial remedy for the | |
| 117 soul. And then punishments of this kind are not given just as | |
| 118 injuries, but as healing remedies. Thus, the killing of the | |
| 119 children of Sodom was for the good of their souls: not because they | |
| 120 deserved it, but so they would not be punished more severely for | |
| 121 increasing their sins in a life spent in imitating their parents. | |
| 122 And in this way some are often punished for the sins of their | |
| 123 parents.<a href="#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" id="_ftnref6">[6]</a></p> | |
| 124 <p>1298 Then when he says, <b>Jesus answered</b>, our Lord reveals | |
| 125 the reason for the man's infirmity: first, he excludes the reason | |
| 126 they assumed; secondly, he mentions the real reason; and thirdly, | |
| 127 he explains it.</p> | |
| 128 <p>1299 He excludes the reason they assumed when he says, <b>it was | |
| 129 not that this man sinned, or his parents</b>: for the disciples had | |
| 130 assumed that this was the reason for his infirmity, as was said. | |
| 131 But a contrary statement is found in Romans [3:23]: "All have | |
| 132 sinned and are in need of God's glory." And again we read that sin | |
| 133 has passed into all men from Adam. I answer to this that both the | |
| 134 blind man and his parents did contract original sin and even added | |
| 135 other actual sins during their live, for we read: "If we say we | |
| 136 have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 Jn | |
| 137 1:8). But when the Lord says, <b>it was not that this man sinned, | |
| 138 or his parents</b>, he means that his blindness did not come as a | |
| 139 result of their sins.</p> | |
| 140 <p>1300 He mentions the real reason when he says, <b>but that the | |
| 141 works of God might be made manifest in him</b>, for through the | |
| 142 works of God we are led to a knowledge of him: "his invisible | |
| 143 nature has been clearly perceived in the things that have been | |
| 144 made" (Rom 1:20); "The very works which my Father has given me to | |
| 145 perform…they bear witness to me" (5:36). But the knowledge | |
| 146 of God is man's greatest good, since his happiness consists in | |
| 147 this: "This is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, | |
| 148 and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent" (17:3); "Let him who glories | |
| 149 glory in this, that he understands and knows me" (Jer 9:24). If, | |
| 150 therefore, an infirmity occurs in order that God's works be | |
| 151 manifested, and God is made known through this manifestation, it is | |
| 152 clear that such bodily infirmities occur for a good purpose.</p> | |
| 153 <p>1301 It might seem that the manifestation of God's works is not | |
| 154 a sufficient reason for such an infirmity, especially since neither | |
| 155 he nor his parents sinned. Therefore, some say that the words | |
| 156 <b>but that</b> do not indicate the reason but merely the sequence | |
| 157 of events. The sense then being: the man was blind, and the works | |
| 158 of God were manifested in his cure. But this does not seem to be | |
| 159 reasonable; and so it is better to say that the reason is being | |
| 160 given. For evil is twofold: the evil of fault and the evil of | |
| 161 punishment. Now God does not cause the evil of fault, but permits | |
| 162 it; yet he would not permit it unless he intended some good from | |
| 163 it. So Augustine says in his <i>Enchiridion</i>: "God is so good | |
| 164 that he would never permit any evil to occur, unless he was so | |
| 165 powerful as to draw some good from every evil."<a href="#_ftn7" | |
| 166 name="_ftnref7" id="_ftnref7">[7]</a> Therefore, he allows certain | |
| 167 sins to be committed because he intends some good; in this way, he | |
| 168 allows the rage of tyrants so that martyrs may be crowned. Much | |
| 169 more, therefore, should it be said that the evil of punishment, | |
| 170 which he causes - as Amos (3:6) says: "Does evil befall a city, | |
| 171 unless the Lord has done it?" - is never applied except for the | |
| 172 good he intends. And among these goods the best is that the works | |
| 173 of God be manifested, and from them that God be known. Therefore, | |
| 174 it is not unfitting if he sends afflictions or allows sins to be | |
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175 committed in order that some good come from them.<a href="#_ftn8" |
| 35 | 176 name="_ftnref8" id="_ftnref8">[8]</a></p> |
| 177 <p>1302 It should be noted, as Gregory says in <i>I Morals</i>, | |
| 178 that God sends afflictions to men in five ways.<a href="#_ftn9" | |
| 179 name="_ftnref9" id="_ftnref9">[9]</a> Sometimes they are the | |
| 180 beginning of damnation, according to Jeremiah: "Strike them with a | |
| 181 double punishment." A sinner is struck with this kind of punishment | |
| 182 in this life so that without interruption or end he might be | |
| 183 punished in the other life. For example, Herod, who killed James, | |
| 184 was punished in this life and also in hell (Acts 12:23). Sometimes | |
| 185 afflictions are sent as a correction, as we read: "Your discipline | |
| 186 will teach me" [Ps 17:36]. And sometimes a person is afflicted not | |
| 187 to correct past wrongs, but to preserve him from future ones, as we | |
| 188 read of Paul: "And to keep me from being too elated by the | |
| 189 abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a | |
| 190 messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated" | |
| 191 (2 Cor 12:7). Again, sometimes it is done to encourage virtue: as | |
| 192 when a person's past sins are not being corrected, nor future ones | |
| 193 hindered, but he is led to a stronger love by knowing the power of | |
| 194 the one who unexpectedly delivered him from some difficulty: | |
| 195 "Virtue is made perfect in infirmity" [2 Cor 12:9]; "Patience has a | |
| 196 perfect work" [Jas 1:4]. And finally, sometimes afflictions are | |
| 197 sent to manifest the divine glory; thus we read here, <b>that the | |
| 198 works of God might be made manifest in him</b>.</p> | |
| 199 <p>1303 Next he explains the true reason. And because he had | |
| 200 mentioned God's works, first he states the opportunity for | |
| 201 manifesting God's works; secondly, the reason for this opportunity | |
| 202 or need, <b>night comes</b>; and thirdly, he explains this (v | |
| 203 5).</p> | |
| 204 <p>1304 He says, therefore, this man was born blind <b>that the | |
| 205 works of God might be made manifest in him</b>. And it was | |
| 206 necessary that they be manifested, for <b>we must work the works of | |
| 207 him who sent me</b>, that is, the works entrusted to me by my | |
| 208 Father: "I have come to do the will of him who sent me" (6:38). And | |
| 209 below he says: "Father, I have accomplished the work you gave me to | |
| 210 do" (17:4). Or, these words can refer to Christ insofar as he is | |
| 211 God; and then they indicate the equality of his power with that of | |
| 212 the Father. Then the meaning is, <b>we must work the works of him | |
| 213 who sent me</b>, that is, the works which I have from the Father. | |
| 214 For everything that the Son does, even according to his divine | |
| 215 nature, he has from his Father: "The Son can do nothing of his own | |
| 216 accord, but only what he sees the Father doing" (5:19).</p> | |
| 217 <p>1305 I say we must work <b>while it is day</b>. Our natural day | |
| 218 is produced by the presence of the sun to the earth. But the Sun of | |
| 219 Justice or Righteousness is Christ, our God: "But for you who fear | |
| 220 my name the sun of righteousness shall rise" (Mal 4:2). Therefore, | |
| 221 as long as this Sun is present to us, the works of God can be done | |
| 222 in us, for us, and by us. At one time this Sun was physically | |
| 223 present to us; and then it was day: "This is the day which the Lord | |
| 224 has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Ps 118:24). Therefore, | |
| 225 it was fitting to do the works of God. He is also present us by | |
| 226 grace; and then it is the day of grace, when it is fitting to do | |
| 227 the works of God, <b>while it is day</b>; "The night is far gone, | |
| 228 the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and | |
| 229 put on the armor of light" (Rom 13:12); "Those who sleep, sleep at | |
| 230 night" (1 Thess 5:7).</p> | |
| 231 <p>1306 If the presence of the sun produces day, and its absence | |
| 232 night, then, since the sun is always present to itself, it is | |
| 233 always day for the sun; and so for the sun, it is always the time | |
| 234 for acting and illuminating. But with regard to ourselves, to whom | |
| 235 it is sometimes present and at other times absent, it is not always | |
| 236 acting and illuminating. In the same way for Christ, the Sun of | |
| 237 Justice, it is always day and the time for acting; but not with | |
| 238 respect to us, because we are not always able to receive his grace | |
| 239 due to some obstacle on our part.</p> | |
| 240 <p>1307 He mentions why this is our opportunity when he says, | |
| 241 <b>night comes, when no one can work</b>. Just as there are two | |
| 242 kinds of day, so there are two kinds of night. One is by the | |
| 243 physical departure of the Sun of Justice, which is what the | |
| 244 Apostles experienced when they were demoralized at the time of the | |
| 245 passion, when Christ was physically taken from them: "you will all | |
| 246 fall away because of me this night" (Mt 26:31). Then it was not the | |
| 247 time for acting, but for suffering.</p> | |
| 248 <p>But it is better to say that even when Christ was physically | |
| 249 absent because of his ascension, it was still day for the Apostles | |
| 250 insofar as the Sun of Justice shone on them, and it was a time for | |
| 251 working. And so night in this passage refers to that night which | |
| 252 comes from the spiritual separation from the Sun of Justice, that | |
| 253 is, by the separation from grace. This night is of two kinds. One | |
| 254 is by the loss of actual grace through mortal sin: "Those who | |
| 255 sleep, sleep at night" (1 Thess 5:7). When this night comes, no one | |
| 256 can perform works that merit eternal life. The other night is | |
| 257 total, when one is deprived not only of actual grace by mortal sin, | |
| 258 but even of the ability of obtaining grace because of an eternal | |
| 259 damnation in hell. Here there is a vast night for those to whom it | |
| 260 will be said: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire" | |
| 261 (Mt 24:41). During this night no one can work, because it is not | |
| 262 the time for meriting, but for receiving according to one's merits. | |
| 263 Therefore, while you are living, do now what you will want to have | |
| 264 done then: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; | |
| 265 for there is no work or thought of knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to | |
| 266 which you are going" (Eccl 9:10).</p> | |
| 267 <p>1308 He gives the reason for what he has just said, saying, | |
| 268 <b>as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world</b>. | |
| 269 This is like saying: If you want to know what is that day and what | |
| 270 is that night of which I speak, I say that <b>I am the light of the | |
| 271 world</b>, for my presence makes day, and my absence night; "I am | |
| 272 the light of the world" (8:12). <b>As long as I am in the world</b> | |
| 273 by my bodily presence - "I came forth from the Father and have come | |
| 274 into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the | |
| 275 Father" (16:28) - <b>I am the light of the world</b>. And thus this | |
| 276 day lasted until the ascension of Christ. Or again, <b>as long as I | |
| 277 am in</b> <b>the world</b> spiritually by grace - "I am with you | |
| 278 until the consummation of the world" [Mt 28:20] - <b>I am the light | |
| 279 of the world</b>. And this day will last until the consummation of | |
| 280 the world.</p> | |
| 281 <p>1309 Next, when the Evangelist says, <b>as he said this, he spat | |
| 282 on the ground</b>, he describes the healing of the blind man. Here | |
| 283 five things were done by Christ. First, he moistens the earth, | |
| 284 <b>he spat on the ground</b>. Secondly, he made the clay, as we | |
| 285 read, he <b>made clay of the spittle</b>. Thirdly, Christ smeared | |
| 286 the man's eyes <b>and anointed the man's eyes</b>. Fourthly, he | |
| 287 commands the man to wash, with <b>go, wash in the pool of | |
| 288 Siloam</b>. And fifthly, the man's sight is restored, <b>and he | |
| 289 came back seeing</b>. Each of these has both a literal and a | |
| 290 mystical explanation.</p> | |
| 291 <p>1310 The literal meaning is explained by Chrysostom in this | |
| 292 way.<a href="#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" id="_ftnref10">[10]</a> | |
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293 Christ restored the man's sight by spittle in order to show that he |
| 35 | 294 accomplished this by a power coming from himself, and that the |
| 295 miracle should not be attributed to anything else: "Power came | |
| 296 forth from him" (Lk 6:19). Although our Lord could have performed | |
| 297 all his miracles by his mere word, because "he commanded and they | |
| 298 were created" (Ps 148:5), he frequently used his body in them to | |
| 299 show that as an instrument of his divinity it held a definite | |
| 300 healing power. He made clay from his spittle to show that he who | |
| 301 had formed the entire first man can reshape the deficient members | |
| 302 of a man. Thus, just as he formed the first man from clay, so he | |
| 303 made clay to re-form the eyes of the one born blind.</p> | |
| 304 <p>He rubbed the clay on the eyes of the one born blind to show, by | |
| 305 healing what is most important in bodies, that he was the creator | |
| 306 of bodies. For man is more excellent than all other bodily | |
| 307 substances; and among his members, the head is the more excellent; | |
| 308 and among the organs of the head, the eye is more excellent than | |
| 309 the others: "The eye is the lamp of the body" (Mt 6:22). Therefore, | |
| 310 by repairing the eye, which is more excellent than the other bodily | |
| 311 members, he showed that he was the creator of the entire man and of | |
| 312 all corporeal nature. He said, <b>go, wash in the pool of | |
| 313 Siloam</b>, so that it would not seem that the clay he rubbed on | |
| 314 the eyes had the power to heal them. Thus, as long as he had the | |
| 315 clay on his eyes, the man did not see, but saw only after he | |
| 316 washed.</p> | |
| 317 <p>He sent him some distance to wash, to the pool of Siloam, first, | |
| 318 to overcome the obstinacy of the Jews. For he had to cross the | |
| 319 city, and so all would see the blind man going with the clay on his | |
| 320 eyes, and then returning with his sight restored. Secondly, he did | |
| 321 this to acclaim the obedience and faith of the blind man; for | |
| 322 perhaps he had frequently had clay put on his face, and had often | |
| 323 washed in the pool of Siloam, and yet had not seen. So he could | |
| 324 have said: "Clay usually makes me worse, and I have often washed in | |
| 325 the pool but was never helped," as we read of Naaman in 2 Kings | |
| 326 (5:10). Yet he did not argue, but simply obeyed. Thus it follows, | |
| 327 <b>so he went and washed</b>. The reason why he sent him to the | |
| 328 pool of Siloam was because the Jewish people were signified by that | |
| 329 water: "Because this people have refused the waters of Shiloah that | |
| 330 flow gently" (Is 8:6) Therefore, he sent him to Siloam to show that | |
| 331 he still loved the Jewish people.</p> | |
| 332 <p>The effect follows, because <b>he came back seeing</b>. This was | |
| 333 predicted in Isaiah (35:5): "Then the eyes of the blind shall be | |
| 334 opened."</p> | |
| 335 <p>1311 Augustine gives the mystical and allegorical explanation. | |
| 336 He says that the spittle, which is saliva that descends from the | |
| 337 head, signifies the Word of God, who proceeds from the Father, the | |
| 338 head of all things: "I came forth from the mouth of the Most High" | |
| 339 (Sir 24:3). Therefore, the Lord made clay from spittle and the | |
| 340 earth when the Word was made flesh. <a href="#_ftn11" name= | |
| 341 "_ftnref11" id="_ftnref11">[11]</a> He anointed the eyes of the | |
| 342 blind man, that is, of the human race. And the eyes are the eyes of | |
| 343 the heart, anointed by faith in the incarnation of Christ. But the | |
| 344 blind man did not yet see, because the anointing produced a | |
| 345 catechumen, who has faith but has not yet been baptized. So he | |
| 346 sends him to the pool of Siloam to wash and receive his sight, | |
| 347 i.e., to be baptized, and in baptism to receive full enlightenment. | |
| 348 Thus, according to Dionysius, baptism is an enlightenment: "I will | |
| 349 sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your | |
| 350 uncleanness" (Ezek 36:25).<a href="#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" id= | |
| 351 "_ftnref12">[12]</a> And so this Gospel is appropriately read in | |
| 352 Lent, on Holy Saturday, when those about to be baptized are | |
| 353 examined. Nor is it without reason that the Evangelist adds the | |
| 354 meaning of the pool, saying, <b>which means Sent</b>, because | |
| 355 whoever is baptized must be baptized in Christ, who was sent by the | |
| 356 Father: "As many of you as were baptized in Christ have put on | |
| 357 Christ" (Gal 3:27). For if Christ had not been sent, none of us | |
| 358 would have been freed from sin.</p> | |
| 359 <p>According to Gregory, however, the spittle signifies the savor | |
| 360 of intimate contemplation, which flows from the head into the | |
| 361 mouth, because due to the love of our Creator we have been touched | |
| 362 even in this life with the savor of revelation.<a href="#_ftn13" | |
| 363 name="_ftnref13" id="_ftnref13">[13]</a> Thus the Lord mixed | |
| 364 spittle with earth and restored sight to the man born with his | |
| 365 contemplation, and heals our understanding from its original | |
| 366 blindness.</p> | |
| 367 <p align="center"><b>LECTURE 2</b></p> | |
| 368 <blockquote> | |
| 369 <p>8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, | |
| 370 said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some said, | |
| 371 "It is he"; others said, "No, but he is like him." He said, "I am | |
| 372 the man." 10 They said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" 11 | |
| 373 He answered, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes | |
| 374 an said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash'; so I went and washed and | |
| 375 received my sight." 12 They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I | |
| 376 do not know." 13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had | |
| 377 formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made | |
| 378 the clay and opened his eyes. 15 The Pharisees again asked him how | |
| 379 he had received his sight. And he said to them, "He put clay on my | |
| 380 eyes, and I washed, and I see." 16 Some of the Pharisees said, | |
| 381 "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But | |
| 382 others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There | |
| 383 was a division among them. 17 So they again said to the blind man, | |
| 384 "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He | |
| 385 said, "He is a prophet." 18 The Jews did not believe that he had | |
| 386 been blind and had received his sight, until they called the | |
| 387 parents of the man who had received his sight, 19 and asked them, | |
| 388 "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now | |
| 389 see?" 20 His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and | |
| 390 that he was born blind; 21 but how he now sees we do not know, nor | |
| 391 do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he will | |
| 392 speak for himself." 22 His parents said this because they feared | |
| 393 the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if any one should | |
| 394 confess him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. 23 | |
| 395 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age, ask him."<a href= | |
| 396 "#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" id="_ftnref14"><b>[14]</b></a></p> | |
| 397 </blockquote> | |
| 398 <p>1312 After the description of the miraculous healing of the | |
| 399 blind man, the Evangelist tells of the miracle being examined. | |
| 400 First, the miracle is examined by the people; secondly, by the | |
| 401 Pharisees (v 13); and thirdly, on account of his confession the | |
| 402 blind man is instructed and commended by Christ (v 35). In regard | |
| 403 to the first, the Evangelist mentions three things: first, we see | |
| 404 an inquiry about the person who received his sight; secondly, about | |
| 405 the restoration itself (v 10); and thirdly about the one who | |
| 406 restored his sight (v 1). In regard to the first he does three | |
| 407 things: first, we have a question about the one who received his | |
| 408 sight; secondly, the different opinions about this are given; | |
| 409 thirdly, the question is settled.</p> | |
| 410 <p>1313 The question is asked by the people. He says, <b>the | |
| 411 neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar said: Is | |
| 412 not this the man who used to sit and beg?</b> Here two things are | |
| 413 to be considered. One is that due to the greatness of the miracle, | |
| 414 it was considered incredible. So we read below: "Never since the | |
| 415 world began has it been heard that any one opened the eyes of a man | |
| 416 born blind" (9:32). This fulfills for them what is said in Habakkuk | |
| 417 (1:5), "I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe | |
| 418 if told." Secondly, we should note the wonderful compassion of God, | |
| 419 because our Lord performs miracles not only for the powerful, but | |
| 420 also for outcasts, since he healed, with great pity, those who | |
| 421 begged. This shows that he who came for our salvation rejected no | |
| 422 one because of their poverty: "Has not God chosen those who are | |
| 423 poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom?" | |
| 424 (Jas 2:5). Thus they explicitly say, <b>Is not this the man who | |
| 425 used to sit and beg?</b> This is like saying: He is an outcast and | |
| 426 does not deserve to be cured. But Baruch says the opposite: "The | |
| 427 giants who were born there…God did not choose them" | |
| 428 (3:26).</p> | |
| 429 <p>1314 The opinions of the people are presented when he says, | |
| 430 <b>Some said</b>: It is he, the beggar, because they had often seen | |
| 431 him begging, and later hurrying through the town when he went to | |
| 432 the pool with the clay on his eyes. Thus they could not deny that | |
| 433 it was he. But others were on the contrary opinion, so they said, | |
| 434 <b>No, but it is like him</b>. The reason for this, as Augustine | |
| 435 says, is that the man's appearance changed when he regained his | |
| 436 sight, for nothing is so characteristic as the expression a person | |
| 437 gets from his eyes: "A sensible man is known by his face" (Sir | |
| 438 19:29).<a href="#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" id= | |
| 439 "_ftnref15">[15]</a></p> | |
| 440 <p>1315 The question is settled by the blind man because <b>he | |
| 441 said</b>, the blind man, <b>I am the man</b>, the one who used to | |
| 442 beg. His voice was grateful. For since he could not be ungrateful | |
| 443 for such a great favor and was unable to show any other sign of | |
| 444 gratitude than to constantly declare that he had been cured by | |
| 445 Christ, he said, <b>I am the man</b>, the one who was blind and | |
| 446 begged; and now I see: "Praise God and give thanks to | |
| 447 him…for what he has done for you" (Tob 12:6).</p> | |
| 448 <p>1316 Then (v 10), we see the investigation of the act, which was | |
| 449 the restoration of the man's sight. First, we have the question | |
| 450 asked by the Jews; secondly, the answer of the blind man (v | |
| 451 11).</p> | |
| 452 <p>1317 They continue: If you are the blind man who used to beg, | |
| 453 then tell us, <b>how were your eyes opened?</b> This question came | |
| 454 from their vain curiosity because neither the one who was cured nor | |
| 455 we ourselves know how it was done: "Do not meddle in what is beyond | |
| 456 your tasks" (Sir 3:23).</p> | |
| 457 <p>1318 The blind man's answer was remarkable; he says, <b>the man | |
| 458 called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes</b>…In his | |
| 459 answer he first points out the person who gave him his sight, | |
| 460 saying <b>the man called Jesus</b>. He was right in calling him a | |
| 461 man; he knew that he was a man, and he was a true man: "Born in the | |
| 462 likeness of man" (Phil 2:7). For although he had not seen Jesus, | |
| 463 because he had left while still blind to go to Siloam, he knew him | |
| 464 from his voice and from the conversations of others about him.</p> | |
| 465 <p>Secondly, he tells what was done, saying, <b>he made clay and | |
| 466 anointed my eyes</b>. Here he shows that he is truthful, not | |
| 467 asserting what is not certain. For our Lord had made clay from | |
| 468 spittle, but he did not know this; yet through his sense of touch | |
| 469 he recognized the clay which was made and placed over his eyes. So | |
| 470 he did not say, "He made clay from spittle," but only, he <b>made | |
| 471 clay and anointed my eyes</b>: "That which we have heard, which we | |
| 472 have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with | |
| 473 our hands…we proclaim also to you" (1 Jn 1:1).</p> | |
| 474 <p>Thirdly, he mentions the command, saying, <b>and he said to me, | |
| 475 Go to Siloam and wash</b>. This was also necessary for us, for if | |
| 476 we wish to be cleansed from our blindness of heart, it is necessary | |
| 477 that we be spiritually washed; "Wash yourselves; make yourselves | |
| 478 clean" (Is 1:16).</p> | |
| 479 <p>Fourthly, he shows his obedience, saying, <b>so I went and | |
| 480 washed</b>. He is saying in effect: Because I heard this command | |
| 481 and desired to see, I obeyed. And it is no wonder, because we read: | |
| 482 "For the commandment," that is, when obeyed, "is a lamp and the | |
| 483 teaching a light" (Prov 6:23).</p> | |
| 484 <p>Fifthly, he mentions the good effect, saying, <b>and I received | |
| 485 my sight</b>. It was fitting that he be enlightened after obeying, | |
| 486 because as it says in Acts (5:32): "It is the Holy Spirit whom God | |
| 487 has given to those who obey him." Notice the perseverance of the | |
| 488 blind man. As Augustine says: "Look at him! He became a preacher of | |
| 489 grace. See him! He preaches and testifies to the Jews. This blind | |
| 490 man testified, and the hearts of the wicked were vexed, because | |
| 491 they did not have the light in their hearts which he had in his | |
| 492 face."<a href="#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16" id= | |
| 493 "_ftnref16">[16]</a></p> | |
| 494 <p>1319 Next, we have the inquiry about the person who restored his | |
| 495 sight (v 12). First, there is the question asked by the Jews, | |
| 496 <b>Where is he?</b> They asked this maliciously, as they were | |
| 497 thinking of killing him; for they had already formed a conspiracy | |
| 498 against Christ: "But now you seek to kill me" (8:40).</p> | |
| 499 <p>Secondly, we have the answer of the blind man, <b>I do not | |
| 500 know</b>. As Augustine says, from these words it is clear that what | |
| 501 was accomplished in him physically represents what is accomplished | |
| 502 spiritually at different stages.<a href="#_ftn17" name="_ftnref17" | |
| 503 id="_ftnref17">[17]</a> For at first, the blind man is anointed, | |
| 504 and then sees after his washing. The anointing represents the | |
| 505 beginning of his physical health, and the washing leads to complete | |
| 506 health. In particular, an anointing produces a catechumen; and the | |
| 507 washing, that is, baptism, perfects and enlightens him. Thus we | |
| 508 have a representation of the difference in faith found at different | |
| 509 stages. For when he says, <b>I do not know</b>, this represents the | |
| 510 imperfect faith of catechumens: "You worship what you do not know" | |
| 511 (4:22). This can also signify our faith: "For our knowledge is | |
| 512 imperfect and our prophesying is imperfect" (1 Cor 13:9).</p> | |
| 513 <p>1320 Then when he says, <b>they brought to the Pharisees the man | |
| 514 who had formerly been blind</b>, we see his examination by the | |
| 515 Pharisees. First, they question the man born blind; secondly, his | |
| 516 parents (v 18). He does three things with the first. First, we see | |
| 517 the person to be examined; secondly, he mentions the intention of | |
| 518 the examiners; and thirdly we have the interrogation itself.</p> | |
| 519 <p>1321 The one to be examined, the blind man, is led to the | |
| 520 Pharisees by the people. <b>They brought</b>, that is, the crowd, | |
| 521 <b>to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind</b>. They | |
| 522 did this because the crowd was trying to find out from him where | |
| 523 Jesus was, so that if they found him they could bring him to the | |
| 524 Pharisees and accuse him of breaking the Sabbath. So because they | |
| 525 did not have Christ they took the blind man, so that by questioning | |
| 526 him more roughly they might force him by fear to make up something | |
| 527 false about Christ: "I will go to the great, and will speak to | |
| 528 them; for they know the way of the Lord, the law of their God. But | |
| 529 they all alike had broken the yoke, they had burst the bonds" (Jer | |
| 530 5:5).</p> | |
| 531 <p>1322 The Evangelist shows that their intention was perverse, | |
| 532 saying, <b>it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay</b>. He | |
| 533 says this to show their evil intention and the reason why they | |
| 534 sought Jesus, that is, to find a charge against him and detract | |
| 535 from his miracle by his supposed violation of the law. | |
| 536 Nevertheless, it should be said that "The Son of man is Lord of the | |
| 537 Sabbath" (Mt 12:8).</p> | |
| 538 <p>1323 His examination is conducted by the Pharisees, since it is | |
| 539 said, <b>The Pharisees again asked him</b>. First, they question | |
| 540 him about what was done; secondly, about the person who did it (v | |
| 541 16).</p> | |
| 542 <p>1324 The Evangelist does two things about the first: first, he | |
| 543 presents their interrogation; secondly, the blind man's answer. | |
| 544 They ask him about the sign he received, <b>the Pharisees again | |
| 545 asked him</b>, not in order to learn, but to find a reason to | |
| 546 accuse him of lying. The blind man answers them, not contradicting | |
| 547 what he said before, nor deviating from the truth. <b>He</b>, that | |
| 548 is, the blind man, <b>said to them, He put clay on my eyes</b>. We | |
| 549 must, first, admire the perseverance of this blind man, for | |
| 550 although it may not seem such a great thing to have spoken the | |
| 551 truth when he, without danger, was questioned by the crowd, he | |
| 552 showed remarkable perseverance when in greater danger before the | |
| 553 Pharisees he neither denied what he had said before nor changed his | |
| 554 account: "I will also speak of thy testimonies before kings, and | |
| 555 shall not be put to shame" (Ps 119:46). Secondly, we should admire | |
| 556 his skill, for it is good practice to first relate an event in | |
| 557 detail and with all its circumstances, and then if it has to be | |
| 558 repeated, to speak more concisely. So here, he does not repeat the | |
| 559 name of the one who spoke to him, nor that he was told to go and | |
| 560 wash. But without hesitation he relays only the essential, and | |
| 561 says, <b>He put clay on my eyes</b>.</p> | |
| 562 <p>1325 Next (v 16), an inquiry is made about the one who restored | |
| 563 the man's sight. First, the different opinions of the Pharisees | |
| 564 concerning Christ are given; secondly, the opinion of the blind man | |
| 565 is sought (v 17). In regard to the first he does three things: | |
| 566 first, he presents the opinion of those who were blaspheming | |
| 567 Christ; then, the opinion of those who were commending him; | |
| 568 thirdly, he concludes with the fact that they were arguing and | |
| 569 disagreeing among themselves.</p> | |
| 570 <p>1326 We should note, concerning the first, that those who act | |
| 571 maliciously against someone keep silent if they see anything good | |
| 572 in his work, and they reveal the evil, if any is seen, even turning | |
| 573 what is good into evil, according to "Beware of a scoundrel, for he | |
| 574 devises evil, lest he give you a lasting blemish" (Sir 11:33). This | |
| 575 is what they are doing here: for they do not mention what seemed | |
| 576 good, that is, the restoration of the blind man's sight, but stress | |
| 577 what they can against Christ, that is, his breaking of the Sabbath. | |
| 578 Thus <b>some of the Pharisees said</b>, that is, those who were | |
| 579 malicious and corrupt, <b>this man is not from God, for he does not | |
| 580 keep the Sabbath</b>. But Christ did keep the Sabbath, for when the | |
| 581 Lord forbade work on the Sabbath he had in mind servile work, which | |
| 582 is a sin: "Every one who does sinful works on the Sabbath breaks | |
| 583 the Sabbath. So Christ, who was without sin, rather than they, kept | |
| 584 the Sabbath.</p> | |
| 585 <p>1327 The opinion of those commending him is presented when he | |
| 586 reports them as saying, <b>How can a man who is a sinner do such | |
| 587 signs?</b> These others had some faith due to the signs that Christ | |
| 588 worked, but were still weak and imperfect; it was out of fear of | |
| 589 the Pharisees and the elders that they asked with hesitation, | |
| 590 <b>How can a man who</b> <b>is a sinner do such signs?</b> We read | |
| 591 below that "Many even of the authorities believed in him, but for | |
| 592 fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it" (12:42). They should | |
| 593 have shown how our Lord had not broken the Sabbath, and have | |
| 594 appropriately replied in defense of Jesus.</p> | |
| 595 <p>1328 The difference of opinion among them is mentioned when he | |
| 596 says, <b>there was a division among them</b>; and this division was | |
| 597 also found in the people. This was a sign of their destruction: | |
| 598 "Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt" (Hos 10:2); | |
| 599 "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste" (Mt | |
| 600 12:25).</p> | |
| 601 <p>1329 Next (v 17), they ask the blind man for his opinion. And | |
| 602 first we have the question the Pharisees asked; secondly, the blind | |
| 603 man's answer.</p> | |
| 604 <p>They question him, saying, <b>what do you say about him?</b> | |
| 605 According to Chrysostom, this question was not asked by those who | |
| 606 were blaspheming Christ, but by those favorably disposed.<a href= | |
| 607 "#_ftn18" name="_ftnref18" id="_ftnref18">[18]</a> This is clear | |
| 608 from the way they questioned him; for they call his attention to | |
| 609 the gift he received, saying, <b>since he has opened your eyes</b>. | |
| 610 If the others had been doing the questioning, they would not have | |
| 611 said this, but would rather recall that Christ broke the Sabbath. | |
| 612 But these remind him of the benefit that he received to make him | |
| 613 grateful and lead him to testify to Christ.</p> | |
| 614 <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent2">But according to Augustine, this | |
| 615 question was asked by Christ's enemies, who wanted to deprecate | |
| 616 this man who constantly professed the truth; or they were trying to | |
| 617 get him to change his opinion out of fear; or at least were | |
| 618 attempting to exclude him from the synagogue.<a href="#_ftn19" | |
| 619 name="_ftnref19" id="_ftnref19">[19]</a></p> | |
| 620 <p>The answer of the blind man remained the same, <b>he said, He is | |
| 621 a prophet</b>. Although up to this time, as though unanointed in | |
| 622 heart, he did not yet profess that Christ was the Son of God, he | |
| 623 firmly expressed what he thought and did not lie. For our Lord said | |
| 624 of himself: "A prophet is not without honor except in his own | |
| 625 country" (Mt 13:57); "The Lord your God will raise up for you a | |
| 626 prophet…him shall you heed" (Dt 18:15).</p> | |
| 627 <p>1330 Next (v 18), we see his parents questioned. First, we have | |
| 628 the reason why they were questioned; secondly, the question itself | |
| 629 (v 19); thirdly their answer (v 20); and fourthly, the reason for | |
| 630 this answer (v 22).</p> | |
| 631 <p>1331 The reason for this second questioning was the unbelief of | |
| 632 the Pharisees. He says, <b>the Jews</b>, that is, the Pharisees, | |
| 633 <b>did not believe that he had been blind and had received his | |
| 634 sight, until they called the parents of the man</b>. They did this | |
| 635 in an attempt to nullify the miracle of Christ and to preserve | |
| 636 their own glory: "How can you believe, who receive glory from one | |
| 637 another?" (Jn 5:44).</p> | |
| 638 <p>1332 The Pharisees now question his parents. Here they ask about | |
| 639 three things. First, about their son, saying <b>Is this your | |
| 640 son?</b> Secondly, about his blindness; and so they add, <b>who you | |
| 641 say was born blind</b>. They did not say, "who at one time was | |
| 642 blind," but <b>who you say</b>, implying that they made this up. | |
| 643 What father would lie in such a way about his son? Yet they were | |
| 644 trying to make him say he did.</p> | |
| 645 <p>Thirdly, they ask how he had obtained his sight, <b>How then | |
| 646 does he now see?</b> This was like saying: Either it is false that | |
| 647 he now sees, or that he was once blind; but obviously the truth is | |
| 648 that he sees; therefore it was false to say that he had been blind: | |
| 649 "The powerful man will test you through much talking, and while he | |
| 650 smiles he will be examining you" (Sir 13:11).</p> | |
| 651 <p>1333 Then, the answer of his parents is given (v 20). The | |
| 652 Pharisees had asked about three things; they answer firmly about | |
| 653 two and in regard to the third they refer them to their son. First, | |
| 654 they admit the first, namely, that he is their son; so they say, | |
| 655 <b>we know that this is our son</b>. They also admit the second | |
| 656 when they add, <b>and that he was born blind</b>. This shows that | |
| 657 the truth always conquers what is false, as we read in the | |
| 658 apocryphal 3 Esdras (3:13): "Truth conquers all." Yet as to the | |
| 659 third question, how their son sees, they <b>answer, but how he now | |
| 660 sees we do not know</b>.</p> | |
| 661 <p>They reply, secondly, about the person who gave him his sight, | |
| 662 <b>now do we know who opened his eyes</b>. They answer this way | |
| 663 because the question was directed against the one who gave sight to | |
| 664 their son, and so they refer this to their son, saying, <b>Ask him, | |
| 665 he is of age</b>. This was like saying: He was born blind, not | |
| 666 mute; thus he can speak for himself in this matter. The testimony | |
| 667 about this miracle was from several sources so as to make it more | |
| 668 believable: the parents told what they knew, and their blind son | |
| 669 confirmed that he had been cured.</p> | |
| 670 <p>1334 The reason for their answer is given when he says, <b>his | |
| 671 parents said this because they feared the Jews</b>; for they were | |
| 672 still imperfect and did not dare do what our Lord says: "Do not | |
| 673 fear those who kill the body" (Mt 10:28). The reason for their fear | |
| 674 was <b>that the Jews had already agreed that if any one should | |
| 675 confess him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the | |
| 676 synagogue</b>. "I have said all this to you to keep you from | |
| 677 falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues" (Jn 16:11). | |
| 678 As Augustine says, it was no longer an evil to be cast out of the | |
| 679 synagogue, for the ones they rejected Christ welcomed.<a href= | |
| 680 "#_ftn20" name="_ftnref20" id="_ftnref20">[20]</a></p> | |
| 681 <p align="center"><b>LECTURE 3</b></p> | |
| 682 <blockquote> | |
| 683 <p>24 So for the second time they called the man who had been | |
| 684 blind, and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know that this man | |
| 685 is a sinner." 25 he answered, "Whether he is a sinner, I do not | |
| 686 know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, I now see." 26 | |
| 687 They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your | |
| 688 eyes?" 27 He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would | |
| 689 not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to | |
| 690 become his disciples?" 28 And they reviled him, saying, "You are | |
| 691 his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God | |
| 692 has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he | |
| 693 comes from." 30 The man answered, "Why, this is a marvel! You do | |
| 694 not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know | |
| 695 that God does not listen to sinners, but if any one is a worshipper | |
| 696 of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the | |
| 697 world began has it been heard that any one opened the eyes of a man | |
| 698 born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." | |
| 699 34 They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you | |
| 700 teach us?" And they cast him out.<a href="#_ftn21" name="_ftnref21" | |
| 701 id="_ftnref21"><b>[21]</b></a></p> | |
| 702 </blockquote> | |
| 703 <p>1335 After the questioning of the blind man and his parents, an | |
| 704 attempt is made to make him deny the truth and affirm what is | |
| 705 false. First, they attempt to make him deny the truth; secondly, | |
| 706 they revile him (v 28); and thirdly, they condemn him (v 34). The | |
| 707 Evangelist does two things about the first. First, he shows how | |
| 708 they tried to get the man born blind to deny the truth; secondly, | |
| 709 how they continued to question him in order to malign him (v 26). | |
| 710 In regard to the first he does two things: first, he shows their | |
| 711 malice; and secondly, the steadfastness of the man born blind (v | |
| 712 25). The malice of the Pharisees is shown by their attempt to have | |
| 713 him deny the truth, while the steadfastness of the blind man | |
| 714 appears by his resolute profession of the truth.</p> | |
| 715 <p>1336 In regard to the first he says, <b>for the second time they | |
| 716 called the man who had been blind</b>, for his parents had referred | |
| 717 them to the blind man, <b>and said to him: Give God the praise</b>. | |
| 718 They say one thing but mean another. For they wish to force him to | |
| 719 say that his sight was not restored by Christ, or if they are | |
| 720 unable to do this, to force him to admit that he was cured by him | |
| 721 through sorcery. They do not say this openly, but implicitly, with | |
| 722 an appearance of devotion. They attempt this by saying, <b>Give God | |
| 723 the praise</b>. As if to say: Your sight has been given to you. But | |
| 724 only God can do this. Therefore, you should not attribute this to | |
| 725 anyone but God, and not to this man, that is, Christ, because if | |
| 726 you do this you are indicating that you have not received the gift | |
| 727 of your healing from God, for the reason that God does not perform | |
| 728 miracles through sinners. Thus they add, <b>we know that this man | |
| 729 is a sinner</b>. But, as Augustine says, if he had done this, he | |
| 730 would not be giving glory to God but rather, being ungrateful, | |
| 731 would be blaspheming.<a href="#_ftn22" name="_ftnref22" title="" | |
| 732 id="_ftnref22">[22]</a> But in truth, the Pharisees were lying when | |
| 733 they said, <b>we know that this man is a sinner</b>; for above | |
| 734 (8:46), they could not convict him of sin, and he said: "which of | |
| 735 you convicts me of sin?" And no wonder, because "He committed no | |
| 736 sin; no guile was found on his lips" (1 Pet 2:22).</p> | |
| 737 <p>1337 Here we see the steadfastness of the blind man. For amazed | |
| 738 at the hardness of the Pharisees, and impatient with what they were | |
| 739 saying, he says, in all truth, <b>Whether he is a sinner, I do not | |
| 740 know.</b></p> | |
| 741 <p>Yet because he had said before that "He is a prophet," is he not | |
| 742 now saying, <b>Whether he is a sinner I do not know</b>, out of | |
| 743 fear, as if he were doubtful? Not at all! Rather, he is angry and | |
| 744 mocking the Pharisees. He is saying in effect: You say that he is a | |
| 745 sinner; but I do not know that he is a sinner, and I am amazed that | |
| 746 you say this, because he accomplished a work which does not seem to | |
| 747 be the work of a sinner, because <b>though I was blind, now I | |
| 748 see</b>, by his kindness. According to Augustine, he said this in | |
| 749 order not to be maligned nor to conceal the truth. For perhaps if | |
| 750 he had said, "I know that he is a just man," which was true, they | |
| 751 would have maligned him.<a href="#_ftn23" name="_ftnref23" id= | |
| 752 "_ftnref23">[23]</a> But according to Chrysostom, he said this to | |
| 753 give them a more impressive testimony to the miracle, and to make | |
| 754 his answer believable by calling attention to the gift itself he | |
| 755 received.<a href="#_ftn24" name="_ftnref24" title="" id= | |
| 756 "_ftnref24">[24]</a></p> | |
| 757 <p>1338 They again question the man born blind in order to malign | |
| 758 him. First, we have the cunning interrogation of the Pharisees; and | |
| 759 secondly, the contemptuous reply of the blind man (v 27).</p> | |
| 760 <p>1339 He says, with respect to the first, <b>They said to him: | |
| 761 What did he do to you?</b> The blind man had said that he had | |
| 762 received his sight from Christ, which the Pharisees had not asked | |
| 763 about. It was their intention to malign Christ, so they now ask | |
| 764 rather how he did it. So they did not ask "How is it that you see?" | |
| 765 but <b>How did he open your eyes?</b> It was like saying: "He did | |
| 766 this by some trick or sorcery, didn't he?" "Those who seek my hurt | |
| 767 speak of ruin, and meditate treachery all the day long" (Ps | |
| 768 38:12).</p> | |
| 769 <p>1340 Now the man's answer is given. The man born blind, because | |
| 770 he really had received his sight, answers them further, not | |
| 771 timidly, but with boldness. He first belittles the repeated | |
| 772 questioning of the Pharisees, saying, <b>I have told you already | |
| 773 and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again?</b> | |
| 774 This was like saying: I told you once. Why do you want to hear it | |
| 775 again? That's foolish! It looks like you are not paying attention | |
| 776 to what I am saying. So, I have nothing further to say to you | |
| 777 because your questioning is useless, and you want to cavil rather | |
| 778 than learn. "He who tells a story to a fool tells it to a drowsy | |
| 779 man; and at the end he will say: 'What is it'" (Sir 22:8).</p> | |
| 780 <p>Secondly, he mocks the presumptuous intention of the Pharisees, | |
| 781 saying, <b>Do you too want to become his disciples?</b> When | |
| 782 someone carefully investigates a matter, he does so either with a | |
| 783 good intention, to accept it, or with an evil intention, to condemn | |
| 784 it. Now because the Pharisees were carefully investigating this, | |
| 785 and because the man born blind did not dare impute an evil | |
| 786 intention to them, he takes the alternative, saying, <b>Do you too | |
| 787 want to become his disciples?</b> He means by this: If you are not | |
| 788 investigating this maliciously, you therefore wish to join him: | |
| 789 "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then | |
| 790 also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil" (Jer 13:23). As | |
| 791 Augustine says: The one who had received his sight gladly desired | |
| 792 to give them light.<a href="#_ftn25" name="_ftnref25" id= | |
| 793 "_ftnref25">[25]</a> Thus, he significantly says, <b>you too</b>, | |
| 794 implying that he himself was a disciple. He is saying in effect: | |
| 795 <b>Do you want to become his disciples</b> as I am? I already see, | |
| 796 and do not envy your coming to the light. And as Chrysostom says, | |
| 797 from the steadfastness of the blind man we can see how strong truth | |
| 798 really is, for when it convinces the lowly, it makes them noble and | |
| 799 strong. And we can see how weak is a lie, which even if it is | |
| 800 maintained by the powerful, shows and makes them weak.<a href= | |
| 801 "#_ftn26" name="_ftnref26" id="_ftnref26">[26]</a></p> | |
| 802 <p>1341 Next, the Pharisees revile the man born blind. First, we | |
| 803 see them revile him; then, secondly, the defense of the blind man | |
| 804 (v 30). He does two things concerning the first: first, he presents | |
| 805 the revilement of the Pharisees; secondly, the reason behind it (v | |
| 806 28b).</p> | |
| 807 <p>1342 With respect to the first he says, <b>and they reviled him, | |
| 808 saying, You are his disciple</b>. This is, indeed, scornful, if you | |
| 809 consider their vicious hearts. But if you consider their words, it | |
| 810 is the greatest blessing. May we and our children be treated with | |
| 811 such scorn! "If you continue in my word, you are truly my | |
| 812 disciples" (Jn 8:31). Still, the Evangelist stated that they | |
| 813 reviled him by saying this because what they said came from their | |
| 814 evil hearts: "Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are smooth | |
| 815 lips with an evil heart" (Prov 26:23). We read about this | |
| 816 revilement in the Psalm 109 (v 28): "let them curse, but do thou | |
| 817 bless"; and in Matthew (5:11): "Blessed are you when men revile | |
| 818 you."</p> | |
| 819 <p>1343 He next adds the reason for their reviling when he says, | |
| 820 <b>we are disciples of Moses</b>. They were thinking of how they | |
| 821 were ridiculed by the man born blind when he asked if they wanted | |
| 822 to become Christ's disciples; for they took pride in being | |
| 823 disciples of Moses, whom they thought was greater. First, they set | |
| 824 forth their own situation, saying, <b>we are disciples of | |
| 825 Moses</b>. But this pride of theirs is false, because they neither | |
| 826 followed Moses nor fulfilled his commands: "If you believed Moses, | |
| 827 you would believe me" (Jn 5:46); this was like saying: You do not | |
| 828 follow the servant [Moses], and later go against his Lord.</p> | |
| 829 <p>Secondly, they praise the dignity of Moses when they say, <b>we | |
| 830 know that God has spoken to Moses</b>. Here they are telling the | |
| 831 truth, for as we read: "The Lord used to speak to Moses face to | |
| 832 face, as a man speaks to his friend" (Ex 33:11); and "If there is a | |
| 833 prophet among you, I, the Lord, make myself known to him in a | |
| 834 vision, I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses; | |
| 835 he is entrusted with all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth" | |
| 836 (Num 12:6). Thus God spoke to Moses in a more excellent way than to | |
| 837 the other prophets. And it is about this that they are speaking. | |
| 838 However, it is clear that since God spoke his Word to Moses, the | |
| 839 dignity of Moses came from the Word of God. And so the Word of God | |
| 840 is of greater dignity than Moses: "Yet Jesus has been counted | |
| 841 worthy of as much more glory than Moses as the builder of a house | |
| 842 has more honor than the house" (Heb 3:3).</p> | |
| 843 <p>Thirdly, they hint at the dignity of Christ in a veiled manner | |
| 844 when they say, <b>as for this man</b>, Christ, <b>we do not know | |
| 845 where he comes from</b>. This is true, but not the way they | |
| 846 understood it: for they did not know the Father, and Christ was | |
| 847 from the Father: "you know neither me nor my Father" (8:19). But | |
| 848 their statement is false as they understood it, for when they said, | |
| 849 we do <b>not know where he comes from</b>, they meant he had no | |
| 850 authority and was unverified, so that is was not clear whether or | |
| 851 not he came from God. They seem to be applying to him the words of | |
| 852 Jeremiah: "I did not send you prophets, yet they ran" (23:21).</p> | |
| 853 <p>1344 Now, the blind man's argument against the Pharisees is | |
| 854 presented. First, he is amazed at their harness of heart; secondly, | |
| 855 he refutes their false opinion (v 31).</p> | |
| 856 <p>1345 Concerning the first, we must recall that we are not amazed | |
| 857 at what happens frequently, and in the usual way; but we are amazed | |
| 858 at what is unusual and great, whether this be good or evil. We are | |
| 859 struck by unusual and great good: "you are wonderful, my Lord, and | |
| 860 your countenance is full of grace," as we read in Esther [15:17]. | |
| 861 We are also amazed at great evil: "Be appalled, O heavens, at | |
| 862 this…for my people have committed two evils" (Jer 2:12). In | |
| 863 line with this, the blind man says in answer, <b>Why this is a | |
| 864 marvel! You do not know where he comes from</b>. He is saying in | |
| 865 effect: It would not be remarkable if you regarded someone | |
| 866 insignificant and like me as having no authority. But it is | |
| 867 extremely amazing that you can see an explicit and evident sign of | |
| 868 divine power in Christ and say that you do not know where he comes | |
| 869 from, especially because he did open my eyes.</p> | |
| 870 <p>1346 The man born blind refutes their false opinion by saying, | |
| 871 <b>we know that God does not listen to sinners</b>. He is reasoning | |
| 872 this way: Whomever God hears is from God; but God heard Christ; | |
| 873 therefore, Christ is from God. He first states his main premise; | |
| 874 then the minor premise (v 32); and thirdly, he draws his conclusion | |
| 875 (v 33). He does two things abut the first: first, he mentions those | |
| 876 whom God does not hear; secondly, those he does hear (v 31b).</p> | |
| 877 <p>1347 God does not hear sinners. In regard to this he says, <b>we | |
| 878 know that God does not hear sinners</b>. He is saying: Both you and | |
| 879 I agree that sinners are not heard by God. Thus a Psalm says, "They | |
| 880 cried to the Lord and he did not hear them"; and again, "Then they | |
| 881 will call upon me, but I will not answer" (Prov 1:28). But there | |
| 882 are statements which contradict this: "If they sin against thee - | |
| 883 for there is no man who does not sin - but later repent with all | |
| 884 their heart, then hear thou from heaven and forgive thy people" [2 | |
| 885 Chron 6:36-39]; and in Luke (18:14) we read that the tax collector | |
| 886 "went down to his house justified."</p> | |
| 887 <p>Because of this Augustine says that this blind man is speaking | |
| 888 as one who has not been anointed, as one who does not yet have | |
| 889 complete knowledge. For God does hear sinners, otherwise it would | |
| 890 have been futile for the tax collector to have prayed: "God, be | |
| 891 merciful to me a sinner." Accordingly, if we wish to save the | |
| 892 statement of the blind man we must say that God does not hear those | |
| 893 sinners who persist in their sinning; but he does hear those | |
| 894 sinners who are sorry for their sins, and who should be regarded | |
| 895 more as repentant than as sinners. <a href="#_ftn27" name= | |
| 896 "_ftnref27" id="_ftnref27">[27]</a></p> | |
| 897 <p>1348 Yet there is a difficulty here. It is clear that miracles | |
| 898 are not accomplished by us due to our own power, but through | |
| 899 prayer. But sinners often perform miracles: "Lord, Lord, did we not | |
| 900 prophesy in your name…and do many might works in your name?" | |
| 901 (Mt 7:22); and yet God did not know them. Thus, what the blind man | |
| 902 said does not seems to be true, namely, <b>we know that God does | |
| 903 not listen to sinners</b>.</p> | |
| 904 <p>There are two answers to this. The first is general. Prayer has | |
| 905 two characteristics, that is, it can obtain [what it asks for] and | |
| 906 it can merit. Thus, sometimes it obtains what it asks, and does not | |
| 907 merit; at other times, it merits and does not obtain. And so | |
| 908 nothing prevents the prayer of a sinner from obtaining what it asks | |
| 909 although it does not merit. This is the way that God hears sinners; | |
| 910 not as a matter of merit, but they obtain what they ask from the | |
| 911 divine power, which they acknowledge. The other answer is special | |
| 912 and applies to this particular case, when the miracle that was done | |
| 913 makes known the person of Christ.</p> | |
| 914 <p> </p> | |
| 915 <p>1349 It should be mentioned that every miracle is a sort of | |
| 916 testimony. Sometimes, a miracle is accomplished as a testimony to | |
| 917 the truth that is being preached; at other times, it is a testimony | |
| 918 to the person performing it. We must also realize that no true | |
| 919 miracle happens except by the divine power, and that God is never a | |
| 920 witness to a lie. I say, therefore, that whenever a miracle is | |
| 921 performed in testimony to a doctrine that is being preached, that | |
| 922 doctrine must be true, even if the person who is preaching it is | |
| 923 not good. And when it is performed in testimony to the person, it | |
| 924 is also necessary that the person be good. Now it is evident that | |
| 925 the miracles of Christ were performed in testimony to his person: | |
| 926 "The works which the Father has granted me to | |
| 927 accomplish…bear me witness that the Father has sent me" | |
| 928 (5:36). It was with this meaning that the blind man said that | |
| 929 <b>God does not listen to sinners</b>, that is, so that they could | |
| 930 perform miracles as a testimony to their supposed holiness. | |
| 931 <a href="#_ftn28" name="_ftnref28" id="_ftnref28">[28]</a></p> | |
| 932 <p>1350 Then when he says, <b>but if any one is a worshiper of | |
| 933 God</b>…he shows that God hears the just through merit. We | |
| 934 must realize that the performing of miracles is attributed to | |
| 935 faith: "If you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the | |
| 936 sea,' it will be done" (Mt 21:21). The reason for this is that | |
| 937 miracles are accomplished by the omnipotence of God, on which faith | |
| 938 relies. Therefore, whoever wishes to obtain something from God has | |
| 939 to have faith: "Let him ask in faith" (Jas 1:6). However, if he | |
| 940 wishes to obtain it through merit, he must do God's will. And these | |
| 941 two conditions are mentioned here. As to the first, he says, <b>If | |
| 942 any one is a worshipper of God</b> by sacrifices and offerings: | |
| 943 "They will worship him with sacrifice and burnt offering" (Is | |
| 944 19:21). These belong to the worship of <i>latria</i>, which attests | |
| 945 to one's faith. As to the second he says, <b>and does his will</b> | |
| 946 by obeying his commandments, <b>God listens to him</b>.</p> | |
| 947 <p>1351 Here he takes the minor premise of his argument. He is | |
| 948 saying: Because of what Christ did, which no man has ever done, it | |
| 949 is obvious that he did this by the action of God, and that he has | |
| 950 been heard by God: "If I had not done among them the works which no | |
| 951 one else did, they would not have sin" (Jn 15:24).</p> | |
| 952 <p>1352 Next, he draws his conclusion. He is saying, in effect: | |
| 953 From the kind of works that Christ does, it is obvious that he is | |
| 954 from God. For <b>if this man were not from God, he could do | |
| 955 nothing</b>, that is, freely, often and truly, because "apart from | |
| 956 me you can do nothing" (15:5).</p> | |
| 957 <p>1353 Here the Pharisees condemn the blind man. In this | |
| 958 condemnation they fall into three defects or sins, namely, untruth, | |
| 959 pride, and injustice. They fall into untruth in reviling the blind | |
| 960 man, <b>saying, you were born in utter sin</b>. Here it should be | |
| 961 noted that the Jews were of the opinion that all infirmities and | |
| 962 temporal adversities beset us on account of our previous sins. This | |
| 963 was the opinion given by Eliphaz: "Think now, who that was innocent | |
| 964 ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off? As I have seen | |
| 965 those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. By the | |
| 966 breath of God they perish" (Job 4:7). The reason for this opinion | |
| 967 is that in the Old Law temporal goods were promised to the good, | |
| 968 and temporal punishment to the evil: "If you are willing and | |
| 969 obedient, you shall eat the good of the land" (Is 1:19). Therefore, | |
| 970 seeing that this man had been born blind, they believed that this | |
| 971 happened on account of his sins, and so they say, <b>you were born | |
| 972 in utter sin</b>. But they were wrong, because the Lord said: "It | |
| 973 was not that this man sinned, or his parents."</p> | |
| 974 <p>They say <b>in utter sin</b> to show that he is defiled by sins | |
| 975 not only in his soul, insofar as all of us are born sinners, but | |
| 976 even as regards the traces of sin which appear in his body, as | |
| 977 blindness. Or according to Chrysostom, <b>in utter sin</b> means | |
| 978 that he was in sin all his life, from his earliest years.<a href= | |
| 979 "#_ftn29" name="_ftnref29" id="_ftnref29">[29]</a></p> | |
| 980 <p>They are guilty of pride by rejecting what the man born blind | |
| 981 was teaching, when they say, <b>Would you teach us?</b> This was | |
| 982 like saying: You are not worthy. This makes their pride clear: for | |
| 983 no person, no matter however wise, ought to reject being taught by | |
| 984 any inferior. Thus the Apostle teaches (1 Cor 14:30) that if | |
| 985 something is revealed to one who is inferior, those who are greater | |
| 986 should keep silent and listen. In Daniel we read that all the | |
| 987 people, and the elders, listened to the judgment of a young boy, | |
| 988 Daniel, whose spirit has been raised up by God.</p> | |
| 989 <p>They are guilty of injustice by unjustly casting him out. Thus | |
| 990 we read, <b>and they cast him out</b>, that is, because he spoke | |
| 991 the truth. However, in this man born blind there is already | |
| 992 fulfilled what our Lord had said: "Blessed are you when men hate | |
| 993 you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your | |
| 994 name as evil, on account of the Son of man!" (Lk 6:22).</p> | |
| 995 <p align="center"><b>LECTURE 4</b></p> | |
| 996 <blockquote> | |
| 997 <p>35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him | |
| 998 he said, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" 36 He answered, "And | |
| 999 who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" 37 Jesus said to him, | |
| 1000 "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you." 38 He said, | |
| 1001 "Lord, I believe"; and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, "For | |
| 1002 judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, | |
| 1003 and that those who see may become blind." 40 Some of the Pharisees | |
| 1004 near him heard this, and they said to him, "Are we also blind?" 41 | |
| 1005 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; | |
| 1006 but now that you say, 'we see', your guilt remains."<a href= | |
| 1007 "#_ftn30" name="_ftnref30" id="_ftnref30"><b>[30]</b></a></p> | |
| 1008 </blockquote> | |
| 1009 <p>1354 After the Evangelist showed how the Jews cast out the man | |
| 1010 born blind because he persisted in the truth, he here shows how | |
| 1011 Jesus received him and taught him. First, we see Christ teaching | |
| 1012 him; secondly, the devotion of the man born blind (v 38); thirdly, | |
| 1013 the approval of his devotion (v 39). He does three things about the | |
| 1014 first. First, he shows the eagerness of Christ to teach him; | |
| 1015 secondly, we see the desire of the man born blind to believe (v | |
| 1016 36); and thirdly, the teaching of the faith is given to perfect him | |
| 1017 (v 37).</p> | |
| 1018 <p>1355 Christ's eagerness to teach is described in three ways. | |
| 1019 First, by his attentive consideration to what was done to the man | |
| 1020 born blind. For just as a trainer carefully considers what his | |
| 1021 athlete undergoes for his sake, so Christ attentively considered | |
| 1022 what the man born blind underwent for the sake of the truth and | |
| 1023 because of his assertions. And so he says that <b>Jesus heard</b>, | |
| 1024 attentively considered, that the Pharisees <b>had cast him out</b>, | |
| 1025 of the temple: "Give heed to me, O Lord, and to the voices of my | |
| 1026 adversaries" [Jer 18:19].</p> | |
| 1027 <p>Secondly, we see Christ's eagerness from his efforts in | |
| 1028 searching for him, for the Evangelist says, <b>and having found | |
| 1029 him</b>; for we are said to find what we diligently seek: "She | |
| 1030 seeks diligently, until she finds it" (Lk 15:8). It is clear from | |
| 1031 this that Christ was looking for him alone, because he found more | |
| 1032 faith in him alone that in all the others. And we can see from this | |
| 1033 that God loves one just person more than ten thousand sinners: "I | |
| 1034 will make men more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold | |
| 1035 of Ophir" (Is 13:12). And in Genesis we read that God was willing | |
| 1036 to spare Sodom for the sake of ten just men.</p> | |
| 1037 <p>Thirdly, our Lord's eagerness is seen from the seriousness of | |
| 1038 his question; he said, <b>Do you believe in the Son of God?</b> The | |
| 1039 blind man was an image of those to be baptized. Thus the custom | |
| 1040 arose in the Church of questioning those to be baptized about their | |
| 1041 faith: "Baptism…now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from | |
| 1042 the body, but as an appeal to God for a clean conscience" (1 Pet | |
| 1043 3:21). When asked about his faith he does not say, "Do you believe | |
| 1044 in Christ?" but <b>Do you believe in the Son of God?</b> He does | |
| 1045 this, as Hilary says, because it would develop that some would | |
| 1046 profess Christ, and yet deny that he was the Son of God and God, as | |
| 1047 Arius erred.<a href="#_ftn31" name="_ftnref31" id= | |
| 1048 "_ftnref31">[31]</a> These words clearly exclude this error: for if | |
| 1049 Christ were not God, we would not have to believe in him, since God | |
| 1050 alone is the object of faith, which rests on the first truth. Thus | |
| 1051 he significantly says, <b>in the Son</b> (<i>in Filium</i>); for I | |
| 1052 am certainly able to believe some creature, such as Peter and Paul | |
| 1053 (<i>credere Petro et Paulo</i>), yet I do not believe in Peter | |
| 1054 (<i>credere in Petrum</i>), but in God (<i>in Deum</i>) alone as | |
| 1055 the object of faith [cf. no. 901]. Thus it is clear that the Son of | |
| 1056 God is not a creature: "You believe in God, believe also in me" (Jn | |
| 1057 14:1).</p> | |
| 1058 <p>1356 Next he mentions the desire of the man born blind to | |
| 1059 believe. We have to recall that this man had not yet physically | |
| 1060 seen Christ: for he had not seen him when Christ anointed his eyes | |
| 1061 and sent him to the pool of Siloam, and when he wanted to go back | |
| 1062 to him he was detained by the Pharisees and the Jews. However, | |
| 1063 although he had not physically seen Jesus, he believed that the one | |
| 1064 who opened his eyes was the Son of God. And so he breaks out in | |
| 1065 words of desire and intense longing, and says, <b>And who is he, | |
| 1066 sir</b>, namely, the Son of God, who opened my eyes, <b>that I may | |
| 1067 believe in him?</b> It is clear from this that he knew something | |
| 1068 about Jesus, and did not know other things about him. For if he had | |
| 1069 not known him, he would not have argued so firmly on his behalf; | |
| 1070 and if he had not been ignorant of other things, he certainly would | |
| 1071 not have said, <b>Who is he, sir?</b> "My soul yearns for you in | |
| 1072 the night," that is, the night of ignorance (Is 26:9).</p> | |
| 1073 <p>1357 Because, as we read in Wisdom (6:16), "She," that is, | |
| 1074 Wisdom, "goes about seeking those worthy of her," Christ reveals | |
| 1075 himself to the man born blind, who desired her, when he says, | |
| 1076 <b>You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you</b>. Here | |
| 1077 Christ is giving him a teaching of faith. First, he mentions the | |
| 1078 gift he received, saying <b>you have seen him</b>, that is, you, | |
| 1079 who did not see before, have now seen him. He is saying in effect | |
| 1080 that the man born blind received the ability to see from him: | |
| 1081 "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see" (Lk 10:23); "Lord, | |
| 1082 now let your servant depart in peace…for my eyes have seen | |
| 1083 your salvation" [Lk 2:29]. Secondly, the teaching itself is given | |
| 1084 when he says, <b>It is he who speaks to you</b>: "In these last | |
| 1085 days he has spoken to us by a Son" (Heb 1:2).</p> | |
| 1086 <p>These words refute the error of Nestorius, who said that in | |
| 1087 Christ the <i>suppositum</i> [or person] of the Son of God is | |
| 1088 different from the <i>suppositum</i> of the Son of man. They refute | |
| 1089 it because the one who spoke these words was born from Mary and was | |
| 1090 the son of man, and the very same one is the Son of God, as our | |
| 1091 Lord says. Therefore, there are two <i>supposita</i> [persons] in | |
| 1092 Christ, although the natures [the divine and the human] are not the | |
| 1093 same.<a href="#_ftn32" name="_ftnref32" id="_ftnref32">[32]</a></p> | |
| 1094 <p>1358 Then when the Evangelist says, <b>he said, Lord, I | |
| 1095 believe</b>, we see the devout faith of the man born blind. And | |
| 1096 first, he professes with his lips the faith in his heart, saying, | |
| 1097 <b>Lord, I believe</b>: "Man believes with his heart and so is | |
| 1098 justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved" (Rom | |
| 1099 10:10). Secondly, he shows it in his conduct, <b>and he worshipped | |
| 1100 him</b>. This shows that he believes in the divine nature of | |
| 1101 Christ, because those whose consciences have been cleansed know | |
| 1102 Christ not only as the son of man, which was externally obvious, | |
| 1103 but as the Son of God, who had taken flesh: for adoration is due to | |
| 1104 God alone: "You will adore the Lord, your God" [Dt 6:13].</p> | |
| 1105 <p>1359 Next (v 39), the devotion of the man born blind is | |
| 1106 commended: first, his devotion is commended; secondly, we see the | |
| 1107 grumbling of the Jews (v 40); and then they are answered (v | |
| 1108 41).</p> | |
| 1109 <p>1360 The man born blind is commended for his faith. We read, | |
| 1110 <b>for judgment I came into this world</b>. But on the other hand, | |
| 1111 we also read: "God sent the Son into the world, not to judge the | |
| 1112 world" [Jn 3:17]. My answer is this: In the second statement [3:17] | |
| 1113 he is speaking of the judgment of condemnation, about which we | |
| 1114 read: "Those who have done evil [will rise] to the resurrection of | |
| 1115 judgment" (Jn 5:29), that is, to a judgment of condemnation. And | |
| 1116 God did not send his Son for this purpose at his first coming; he | |
| 1117 was sent to save us. But here in the present statement [9:39], he | |
| 1118 is speaking of the judgment of distinction, about which we read: | |
| 1119 "Vindicate me, O Lord, and distinguish my cause" [Ps 43:1]. For | |
| 1120 Jesus came to distinguish the good from the evil. The words which | |
| 1121 follow show this: <b>that those who do not see may see, and that | |
| 1122 those who see may become blind.</b></p> | |
| 1123 <p>According to Augustine, those who think they see do not see, and | |
| 1124 those who do not think they see, see. Now, we are said to be blind, | |
| 1125 spiritually, insofar as we sin: "Their wickedness blinded them" | |
| 1126 (Wis 2:21).<a href="#_ftn33" name="_ftnref33" title="" id= | |
| 1127 "_ftnref33">[33]</a> Thus, the one who does not recognize his own | |
| 1128 sins regards himself as seeing; while one who recognizes himself as | |
| 1129 a sinner regards himself as not seeing. The first is characteristic | |
| 1130 of the proud; the second, of the humble. So the meaning is this: I | |
| 1131 have come to distinguish the humble from the proud, so that the | |
| 1132 humble, <b>who do not see</b>, that is, who regard themselves as | |
| 1133 sinners, <b>may see</b>, having been illuminated by faith, <b>and | |
| 1134 that those who see</b>, that is, the proud, <b>may become | |
| 1135 blind</b>, that is, may remain in the darkness.</p> | |
| 1136 <p>1361 Chrysostom understands this passage in terms of the | |
| 1137 judgment of condemnation, so that the statement, <b>for judgment I | |
| 1138 came into this world</b> is not understood in a causal sense, but | |
| 1139 it indicates the sequence of events.<a href="#_ftn34" name= | |
| 1140 "_ftnref34" id="_ftnref34">[34]</a> It is like saying: After my | |
| 1141 coming into the world, there follows for some the judgment of | |
| 1142 condemnation increases in them. In Luke (2:23) we find something | |
| 1143 similar: "This child is set for the falling and rising of many in | |
| 1144 Israel," not because Christ is the cause of their fall, but because | |
| 1145 this follows his coming. He adds, <b>that those who do not see</b>, | |
| 1146 that is, the Gentiles, who lacked the light of divine knowledge, | |
| 1147 <b>may see</b>, i.e., be admitted to the knowledge of God: "The | |
| 1148 people who walked in darkness have seen a great light" (Is 9:2); | |
| 1149 <b>and that those who see</b>, the Jews, who did have a knowledge | |
| 1150 of God - "In Judah God is known" (Ps 76:1) - <b>may become | |
| 1151 blind</b>, fall away from the knowledge of God. The Apostle | |
| 1152 explicitly mentions this: "The Gentiles who did not pursue | |
| 1153 righteousness have attained it" (Rom 9:30).</p> | |
| 1154 <p>1362 Now we see the grumbling of the Jews. They had understood | |
| 1155 our Lord's words in a bodily sense because they had seen the man | |
| 1156 born blind physically restored to sight, and had thought that our | |
| 1157 Lord was concerned only with the light in his eyes rather than in | |
| 1158 his mind. And so they believed that he was warning and threatening | |
| 1159 them with physical blindness when he said <b>may become blind</b>. | |
| 1160 Therefore, the Evangelist says, <b>some of the Pharisees near him | |
| 1161 heard this</b>, the above words. He says who were <b>near him</b>, | |
| 1162 to show their vacillation: for sometimes they were with him because | |
| 1163 of some miracles which they saw, and then would leave when the | |
| 1164 truth was made known to them: "They believe for a while, and in | |
| 1165 time of tribulation fall away" (Lk 8:13). <b>And they said to him, | |
| 1166 Are we also blind</b>, i.e., physically? Yet they were spiritually | |
| 1167 blind: "Let them alone; they are blind guides" (Mt 15:14).</p> | |
| 1168 <p>1363 Next, we see the Jews silenced. According to Augustine, | |
| 1169 this shows the meaning of the previous passage, that is, that our | |
| 1170 Lord was referring to spiritual blindness.<a href="#_ftn35" name= | |
| 1171 "_ftnref35" id="_ftnref35">[35]</a> He says, <b>If you were blind, | |
| 1172 you would have no guilt</b>, because you would be running to the | |
| 1173 remedy. For sin is taken away by grace, which is given only to the | |
| 1174 humble: "God gives grace to the humble" (Jas 4:6). <b>But now that | |
| 1175 you say, We see</b>, i.e., proudly thinking that you do see, you do | |
| 1176 not recognize that you are sinners, <b>your guilt remains</b>, | |
| 1177 i.e., is not taken away: "God opposes the proud" (Jas 4:6).</p> | |
| 1178 <p>Chrysostom understands this passage as referring to physical | |
| 1179 blindness.<a href="#_ftn36" name="_ftnref36" title="" id= | |
| 1180 "_ftnref36">[36]</a> The meaning is then: <b>If you were blind</b>, | |
| 1181 physically, you would have no guilt, because since blindness is a | |
| 1182 physical defect, it does not have the nature of sin. <b>But now | |
| 1183 that you say, We see</b>, your sin is clear, because while seeing | |
| 1184 the miracles that I do, you do not believe me: "Blind the heart of | |
| 1185 this people" [Is 6:10].</p> | |
| 1186 <p>Here is another explanation. <b>If you were blind</b>, i.e., | |
| 1187 ignorant of the judgments of God and of the sacraments of the law; | |
| 1188 <b>you would have no guilt</b>, i.e., so much. As if to say: If you | |
| 1189 were sinning out of ignorance, your sin would not be so serious. | |
| 1190 <b>But now that you say, We see</b>, i.e., arrogate to yourselves | |
| 1191 an understanding of the law and a knowledge of God, and still sin, | |
| 1192 then <b>your guilt remains</b>, i.e., becomes greater: "That | |
| 1193 servant who knew is master's will, but did not make ready or act | |
| 1194 according to his will, shall receive a severe beating" (Lk | |
| 1195 12:47).<br /> | |
| 1196 <br /> | |
| 1197 <br /></p> | |
| 1198 <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /> | |
| 1199 <div id="ftn1"> | |
| 1200 <p><a href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" id="_ftn1">[1]</a> <span>St. | |
| 1201 Thomas refers to Jn 9:3 in the <i>Summa Theologiae</i>: I-II, q. | |
| 1202 87, a. 7, obj. 1; III, q. 40, a. 4, ad 1; Jn 9:4: <i>ST</i> III, q. | |
| 1203 35, a. 8, obj. 3; q. 83, a. 2, ad 4; Jn 5: <i>ST</i> III, q. 46, a. | |
| 1204 9, obj. 4; q. 83, a. 2, ad 4; Jn 9:6: <i>ST</i> III, q. 44, a. 3, | |
| 1205 ad 2.</span></p> | |
|
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1206 </div> |
| 35 | 1207 <div id="ftn2"> |
| 1208 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" id="_ftn2">[2]</a> | |
| 1209 <i>Tract. in Io</i>., 44, ch. 1, col. 1713; cf. <i>Catena | |
| 1210 Aurea,</i> 9:1-7.</span></p> | |
|
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1211 </div> |
| 35 | 1212 <div id="ftn3"> |
| 1213 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" id="_ftn3">[3]</a> <i>In | |
| 1214 Ioannem hom</i>., 56, ch. 1; PG 59, col. 305; cf. <i>Catena | |
| 1215 Aurea,</i> 8:1-7.</span></p> | |
|
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1216 </div> |
| 35 | 1217 <div id="ftn4"> |
| 1218 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" id="_ftn4">[4]</a> Ibid; | |
| 1219 cf. <i>Catena Aurea,</i> 8:1-7.</span></p> | |
| 1220 </div> | |
| 1221 <div id="ftn5"> | |
| 1222 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" id="_ftn5">[5]</a> | |
| 1223 Augustine, <i>Epistola XLIV</i>, ch. V no. 12, PL 33, col. | |
| 1224 179.</span></p> | |
|
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1225 </div> |
| 35 | 1226 <div id="ftn6"> |
| 1227 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" id="_ftn6">[6]</a> | |
| 1228 summa-punishment as a corrective.</span></p> | |
|
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1229 </div> |
| 35 | 1230 <div id="ftn7"> |
| 1231 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" id="_ftn7">[7]</a> cf. | |
| 1232 Augustine, <i>Epistola CLV</i>, ch. I, no. 3; PL 33, col. | |
| 1233 668</span></p> | |
|
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1234 </div> |
| 35 | 1235 <div id="ftn8"> |
| 1236 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" id="_ftn8">[8]</a> | |
| 1237 Summa-evil of fault and evil of punishment</span></p> | |
|
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1238 </div> |
| 35 | 1239 <div id="ftn9"> |
| 1240 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" id="_ftn9">[9]</a> | |
| 1241 <i>Moralia</i>, Praefatio, ch. 5 no. 12; PL 75, col. 523A, B; cf. | |
| 1242 <i>Catena Aurea,</i> 9:1-7.</span></p> | |
|
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1243 </div> |
| 35 | 1244 <div id="ftn10"> |
| 1245 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" id="_ftn10">[10]</a> | |
| 1246 <i>In Ioannem hom</i>., 57, ch. 1; PG 59, col. 311; cf. <i>Catena | |
| 1247 Aurea,</i> 9:1-7.</span></p> | |
|
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1248 </div> |
| 35 | 1249 <div id="ftn11"> |
| 1250 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" id="_ftn11">[11]</a> | |
| 1251 <i>Tract. in Io</i>., 44, ch. 2, col. 1714; cf. <i>Catena | |
| 1252 Aurea,</i> 9:1-7.</span></p> | |
| 1253 </div> | |
| 1254 <div id="ftn12"> | |
| 1255 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" id="_ftn12">[12]</a> | |
| 1256 Dionysius.</span></p> | |
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1257 </div> |
| 35 | 1258 <div id="ftn13"> |
| 1259 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" id="_ftn13">[13]</a> | |
| 1260 <i>Moralia</i>, Lib. 8, ch. 30, no. 49; PL 75. col. 832 C; cf. | |
| 1261 <i>Catena Aurea,</i> 9:1-7.</span></p> | |
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1262 </div> |
| 35 | 1263 <div id="ftn14"> |
| 1264 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" id="_ftn14">[14]</a> | |
| 1265 <span>St. Thomas refers to Jn 9:16 in the <i>Summa Theologiae</i>: | |
| 1266 I-II, q. 107, a. 2, obj. 3; III, q. 40, a. 4, ad | |
| 1267 1.</span></span></p> | |
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1268 </div> |
| 35 | 1269 <div id="ftn15"> |
| 1270 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" id= | |
| 1271 "_ftn15">[15]</a><i>Tract. in Io</i>., 44, ch. 8, col. 1716; cf. | |
| 1272 <i>Catena Aurea,</i> 9:8-17.</span></p> | |
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1273 </div> |
| 35 | 1274 <div id="ftn16"> |
| 1275 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16" id="_ftn16">[16]</a> | |
| 1276 Ibid., 8; cf. <i>Catena Aurea,</i> 9:8-17.</span></p> | |
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1277 </div> |
| 35 | 1278 <div id="ftn17"> |
| 1279 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref17" name="_ftn17" id="_ftn17">[17]</a> | |
| 1280 See <i>Tract in Io</i>, 44, ch. 8, col. 1716-17.</span></p> | |
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1281 </div> |
| 35 | 1282 <div id="ftn18"> |
| 1283 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref18" name="_ftn18" id= | |
| 1284 "_ftn18">[18]</a><i>In Ioannem hom</i>., 58, ch. 1; PG 59, col. 58; | |
| 1285 cf. <i>Catena Aurea,</i> 9:8-17.</span></p> | |
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1286 </div> |
| 35 | 1287 <div id="ftn19"> |
| 1288 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref19" name="_ftn19" id="_ftn19">[19]</a> | |
| 1289 <i>Tract. in Io</i>., 44, ch. 9, col. 1717; cf. <i>Catena | |
| 1290 Aurea,</i> 9:8-17.</span></p> | |
|
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1291 </div> |
| 35 | 1292 <div id="ftn20"> |
| 1293 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref20" name="_ftn20" id="_ftn20">[20]</a> | |
| 1294 <i>Tract. in Io</i>., 44, 10, col. 1717; cf. <i>Catena Aurea,</i> | |
| 1295 9:18-23.</span></p> | |
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1296 </div> |
| 35 | 1297 <div id="ftn21"> |
| 1298 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref21" name="_ftn21" id="_ftn21">[21]</a> | |
| 1299 <span>St. Thomas refers to Jn 9:31 in the <i>Summa Theologiae</i>: | |
| 1300 II-II, q. 83, a. 16, obj. 1; q. 178, a. 2, obj. 1; III, q. 64, a. | |
| 1301 1, obj. 2; Jn 9:32: <i>ST</i> III, q. 43, a. 4. </span></span></p> | |
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1302 </div> |
| 35 | 1303 <div id="ftn22"> |
| 1304 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref22" name="_ftn22" id="_ftn22">[22]</a> | |
| 1305 <i>Tract. in Io</i>., 44, ch. 11, col. 1718; cf. <i>Catena | |
| 1306 Aurea,</i> 9:24-34.</span></p> | |
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1307 </div> |
| 35 | 1308 <div id="ftn23"> |
| 1309 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref23" name="_ftn23" id="_ftn23">[23]</a> | |
| 1310 Augustine-this is not in <i>Tract in Io</i>. (so far as I could | |
| 1311 tell)</span></p> | |
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1312 </div> |
| 35 | 1313 <div id="ftn24"> |
| 1314 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref24" name="_ftn24" id="_ftn24">[24]</a> | |
| 1315 <i>In Ioannem hom</i>., 58, ch. 2; PG 59, col. 317; cf. <i>Catena | |
| 1316 Aurea,</i> 9:24-34.</span></p> | |
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1317 </div> |
| 35 | 1318 <div id="ftn25"> |
| 1319 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref25" name="_ftn25" id="_ftn25">[25]</a> | |
| 1320 <i>Tract. in Io</i>, 44, ch. 11, col. 1718.</span></p> | |
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1321 </div> |
| 35 | 1322 <div id="ftn26"> |
| 1323 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref26" name="_ftn26" id="_ftn26">[26]</a> | |
| 1324 <i>In Ioannem hom</i>., 58, ch. 2; PG 59, col. 318; cf. <i>Catena | |
| 1325 Aurea</i>, <span style='color:#339966'>9:24-34.</span></span></p> | |
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1326 </div> |
| 35 | 1327 <div id="ftn27"> |
| 1328 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref27" name="_ftn27" id="_ftn27">[27]</a> | |
| 1329 <i>Tract. in Io</i>., 44, ch. 13, col. 1718; cf. <i>Catena | |
| 1330 Aurea,</i> 9:24-34.</span></p> | |
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1331 </div> |
| 35 | 1332 <div id="ftn28"> |
| 1333 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref28" name="_ftn28" id="_ftn28">[28]</a> | |
| 1334 Summa-sc 138-139 way in which God hears the prayers of sinners; | |
| 1335 miracles can testify to a doctrine or to a person.</span></p> | |
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1336 </div> |
| 35 | 1337 <div id="ftn29"> |
| 1338 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref29" name="_ftn29" id="_ftn29">[29]</a> | |
| 1339 <i>In Ioannem hom</i>., 58, ch. 3; PG 59, col., 319; cf. <i>Catena | |
| 1340 Aurea,</i> 9:24-34.</span></p> | |
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1341 </div> |
| 35 | 1342 <div id="ftn30"> |
| 1343 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref30" name="_ftn30" id="_ftn30">[30]</a> | |
| 1344 <span>St. Thomas <span>refers to Jn 9:39 in the <i>Summa | |
| 1345 Theologiae</i>: III, q. 51, a. 2, obj. 2; Jn 9:41: <i>ST</i> II-II, | |
| 1346 q. 15, a. 1, obj. 1.</span></span></span></p> | |
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1347 </div> |
| 35 | 1348 <div id="ftn31"> |
| 1349 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref31" name="_ftn31" id="_ftn31">[31]</a> | |
| 1350 <i>De Trinitate</i>, 6 ch. 48; PL 10, col. 196B; cf. <i>Catena | |
| 1351 Aurea,</i> 9:35-41.</span></p> | |
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1352 </div> |
| 35 | 1353 <div id="ftn32"> |
| 1354 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref32" name="_ftn32" id="_ftn32">[32]</a> | |
| 1355 Ought this to be concluding that there are two persons in | |
| 1356 Christ?</span></p> | |
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1357 </div> |
| 35 | 1358 <div id="ftn33"> |
| 1359 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref33" name="_ftn33" id="_ftn33">[33]</a> | |
| 1360 <i>Tract. in Io</i>., 44, 16, col. 1719; cf. <i>Catena Aurea,</i> | |
| 1361 9:35-41.</span></p> | |
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1362 </div> |
| 35 | 1363 <div id="ftn34"> |
| 1364 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref34" name="_ftn34" id="_ftn34">[34]</a> | |
| 1365 <i>In Ioannem hom</i>., 59, ch. 1; PG 59, col. 323; cf. | |
| 1366 <i>Catena</i> <i><span style= | |
| 1367 'color:#339966'>Aurea</span><span style='color:#339966'>, | |
| 1368 9:35-41.</span></i></span></p> | |
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1369 </div> |
| 35 | 1370 <div id="ftn35"> |
| 1371 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref35" name="_ftn35" id="_ftn35">[35]</a> | |
| 1372 <i>Tract. in Io</i>., 44, ch. 17, col. 1719; cf. <i>Catena | |
| 1373 Aurea,</i> 9:35-41.</span></p> | |
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1374 </div> |
| 35 | 1375 <div id="ftn36"> |
| 1376 <p><span><a href="#_ftnref36" name="_ftn36" id="_ftn36">[36]</a> | |
| 1377 <i>In Ioannem hom</i>., 59, ch. 1; PG 59, col. 323; cf. | |
| 1378 <i>Catena</i> <i><span style= | |
| 1379 'color:#339966'>Aurea</span><span style='color:#339966'>, | |
| 1380 9:35-41.</span></i></span></p> | |
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1381 </div> |
| 35 | 1382 </blockquote> |
| 1383 </body> | |
| 1384 </html> |