Sent

Reflection for March 15, 2026 – Fourth Sunday of Lent

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus performs a miracle by allowing a blind man to see for the first time – just one of many of his miracles here on earth. Find today’s read here.

I don’t know about you. But if I was a blind person sitting by the side of the road, minding my own business, and a stranger came along and rubbed spit-mud in my eye, I’m just salty enough that I would ignore his words out of spite.

Even though he was, admittedly, super-nice about the whole thing.

Obviously I would wash the mud out, because … spit. But I wouldn’t go to the Pool of Siloam. I would go to a pool on the whole other side of town, just to be contrary. I would make frustrated, grossed-out noises while I splashed water on my eyes: “Ugh! I can’t believe this! People are the worst!” I would feel satisfied that I wasn’t tricked or conned or taken advantage of.

And I would stay blind the rest of my life.

When Jesus performs a miracle in the Gospel, we sometimes think of it like a fireworks show. Something people point at — “Ooh! Aah!” — and move on from. But a miracle of Jesus is not a party trick. It is a commissioning.

And each of us, in our own way, has the choice of accepting it or not.

Nowhere in the Gospel story does it say that Jesus promised the man sight if he washed in the pool. I wonder what it was that made the blind man feel he could trust Jesus. Was it something in his voice? Was it something in his touch? Was it the humanity with which he spoke of the blind man to his disciples — a gentleness missing from most other interactions of his life?

We’ll never know. But we do know this: the blind man’s sight wasn’t restored until he made a decision. A decision to be sent.

©LPi