First there was Nicodemus, Pharisee and teacher, then the woman at the well, and today, it is man who was born blind that takes the witness stand. The issue is who is Jesus, and John through his Gospel is bringing forth the testimony of those who had encountered Jesus and were ready to affirm his divinity.

This Man born Blind is an interesting witness, for as the disciples conversation with Jesus at the beginning indicated, Blindness, or disability was a sign of God's displeasure. Surely, said the disciples, either this man or his parents were sinners. Such a disability could only be the result of sin.

Such a sinner could not be a credible witness, for what is someone caught up in all these things going to know about the things of God. And yet this is the paradox of Jesus. Jesus was not the property of the religious, but of the sinner. The religious community could not accept him.

This story is all about blindness, but not that of the visually impaired but the blindness that comes from the prejudiced heart. The blindness that refuses to see, and not that which cannot see. It is the blindness that denies the evidence, that has pride in its own ability, pride in its self capacity.

Now I believe that John tells this story well and it needs little explanation, so I just want to spend a little time thinking about blindness in our own day and age.

Blindness in the simplest terms is about the failure to recognise, or identify the light. In baptism, we talk about light and darkness. Light is where God is and darkness is where he is not. The blind live in the dark world, the world without God. The Pharisees, who had pride in their religious learning, could not recognise the light in Jesus. It is easy for us to transfer this image to the modern world. We all know religious people. People who never let the commands of the Gospel get in the way of the practice of religion. Often we call them fundamentalists, but even those of more modest opinion can lose sight of Jesus when they bind him up in rules and regulations. Much of the battle in today's church is when human precepts are treated as God's truths. Those in the world see clearly our failures and justly condemn us. Sadly, not everyone who goes to church is a Christian.

But there is another blindness that is also dangerous. We have taught our children to think logically, rationally for a number of years. Science and scientific method are valuable, but we must take care that we don't consider them to be the only way to look at things. Many in this world are blind to the possibilities of faith - equally blind as the religiously rigid. In a world without faith without God, it is easy. Sin - is not a problem.

When Jesus found the man after he was thrown out of the temple the Question he asked was not - Can you see? Or - What do you see? But - Do you believe in the Son of Man? Son of Man - This is John's epithet for the Messiah - the chosen one of God.

Do you believe?

His faith had made him well, made him whole because Jesus told him to go and so he went, and was healed.

The closing exchange is the path to faith.

Jesus asks "Do you believe?"

We answer "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him." 37 Jesus reveals himself, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he."

And we respond "Lord, I believe." And worship him.

Our Journey to find Jesus comes when start to look for him. The blind can look for no one. True sight is in the one looking for God. And to the one who looks, Jesus will reveal himself and so we can respond and worship.

Nicholas John will receive the inheritance to which his baptism entitles him if he is able to seek and to see. Parent and Godparents this will only happen if you too can see. We all know what happens when the blind leads the blind.

The question that God's word asks us today is to look inside ourselves. Deeply inside ourselves - are we blind? Or can we see?

AMEN.