In the gospel Jesus faced Temple leaders, the parents of a sight-challenged man, and the surprised man himself whose sight was restored in order to clear up their perception of inherited sin. Jesus wanted them—and wants you—to see the truth of who he is and why he is here with us: to make us whole. When in your life have you been healed and have those around share in your restoration to wholeness?

The other morning there was bedlam in the neighborhood at 5 a.m. Some early-riser decided it was a great time to catch up on some preliminary yard-work for the spring, so he revved up some powered machines and tackled the job. A nice idea, but of course the rest of us were still sleeping. So now our exuberant neighbor is on the outs with the whole block.

Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. He spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man’s eyes, and said, “Go, wash at the Pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “Sent”). The man went and washed—and saw.

ALL LINED up and waiting to see which of them Samuel would pick, David’s brothers come across as a bit full of themselves not to mention a little naïve. Not only did their “lofty stature” not make a difference, but the one who would end up getting the crown was off doing some actual work.

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

The Pharisees were so sure of the truth of what they saw, weren’t they? They knew who their master was—Moses—they knew the law, and they saw who was contravening these traditions and laws: someone who wasn’t blind because of sin and someone who broke the Sabbath to prove that—to them, both impossible and wrong.

Anyone with severe nearsightedness or otherwise impaired eyesight knows what it’s like to try to see without help: Everything’s a blur. So they know what a blind person Jesus healed went through after Jesus’ two-part healing of him—two-part because after part one he saw only “people looking like trees and walking.” After that Jesus laid hands on him and finished the job. Why this bit-by-bit healing? Why not the instant restoration to health and wholeness Jesus bestowed on other ailing people? Because the return of the man’s sight mirrors what it’s like to be a disciple of Christ: a gradual process of coming to know and believe in Jesus. What steps can you take toward fuller sight?

Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let in the light. —Groucho Marx