I Was Blind, and Now I See

Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A) March 15, 2026

Readings: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a | Psalm 23 | Ephesians 5:8-14 | John 9:1-41

A man is born blind. He's never seen a sunrise, a face, a color. Darkness is all he's ever known.

And then Jesus shows up, smears mud on his eyes, and tells him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam.

He goes. He washes. And he comes back able to see.

Just like that. A lifetime of darkness, ended by one encounter with Jesus.

But here's the thing about this story: the physical healing is only the beginning. What follows is a journey of deepening faith—and an accidental masterclass in what it looks like to share what Jesus has done for you, even when it costs you everything.

Watch the man's faith develop through the story. It happens in stages.

When his neighbors first ask what happened, he calls Jesus simply "the man called Jesus." That's it. A man. He did something to my eyes.

When the Pharisees press him, he takes a step further: "He is a prophet."

And at the end, when Jesus finds him after he's been thrown out of the synagogue, Jesus asks: "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" The man says, "Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus says, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he."

And the man responds: "I do believe, Lord." And he worshiped him.

From "a man called Jesus" to "Lord" and worship.

That's the journey of faith. It doesn't usually happen all at once. It deepens. You start with curiosity, move to respect, and if you stay open, you arrive at worship.

And your own journey probably looks similar. Maybe you started with vague interest in Jesus. Then something happened—a prayer answered, a Scripture that pierced your heart, a Eucharistic moment that undid you—and your faith deepened. And maybe it's still deepening right now, this Lent, as you sit with these readings and let Jesus open your eyes to things you haven't seen before.

Let that process continue. Don't rush it. Don't fake it. Let Jesus keep opening your eyes.

Samuel's story in the first reading mirrors this beautifully. God sends him to Jesse's house to anoint a new king. Samuel sees the oldest son, tall and impressive, and thinks, "Surely this is the one."

But God says: "Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature...Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart."

The world judges by appearances. God looks at the heart.

The Pharisees in today's Gospel see a man healed on the Sabbath and judge by their religious rules: "This man is not from God because he does not keep the sabbath."

They're looking at the surface and missing the miracle.

The blind man, on the other hand, can't see surfaces at all. He can only see what happened to him: "One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see."

That's it. That's his testimony. He doesn't have theological training. He doesn't understand all the debates. He just knows what Jesus did.

And that's enough.

Paul writes to the Ephesians: "You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light."

You were darkness. Past tense.

Now you are light. Present tense.

Something changed. Jesus changed it.

And Paul says the natural result is to live as children of light—to produce "every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth" and to "expose the fruitless works of darkness."

Living in the light means you can't pretend the darkness is okay anymore. You've seen too much. You know too much. The blind man can't un-see. And neither can you.

Paul ends with this stunning line: "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

That's the invitation you carry to the world. Wake up. Come alive. Let Christ give you light.

Here's what strikes me most about the man born blind: he didn't go looking for a fight. He just told the truth about what happened to him.

The Pharisees interrogated him. They called his parents. They pressured him to deny Jesus. They insulted him: "You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?"

And they threw him out.

His testimony cost him his community. His standing. His place in the synagogue.

And he told the truth anyway.

Not because he was brave by nature. Not because he had a plan. But because when you've been blind your whole life and someone gives you sight, you can't pretend it didn't happen.

That's the power of personal encounter. When you've experienced Jesus—really experienced Him, not just learned about Him—no one can argue you out of it.

They can debate theology. They can question your credentials. They can throw you out.

But they can't take away what happened to you.

"I was blind, and now I see."

And notice: when everyone else abandons him, Jesus finds him.

"When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him."

Jesus doesn't let the man's faithfulness go unrewarded. He comes looking for him. He deepens the encounter. He reveals Himself more fully.

That's what happens when you share your faith honestly, even at a cost. Jesus meets you there. He deepens your faith even further. The very act of testifying draws you closer to Him.

Sharing your encounter with Jesus isn't just for the benefit of others. It deepens your own faith too.

Reflect

• How has Jesus opened your eyes? What can you see now that you couldn't see before you knew Him?
• Is your faith still deepening, or has it stalled? What would it take to move from "a man called Jesus" to "I do believe, Lord"?
• Can you say, simply and honestly, "I was blind and now I see"? What's your version of that testimony?
• Is there someone in your life who is still in darkness—not because they're bad, but because they haven't yet encountered the Light?

Pray

Lord Jesus, You are the light of the world. You've opened my eyes to things I never could have seen on my own. Keep opening them. Deepen my faith this Lent—move me from curiosity to conviction to worship. And give me the courage of the man born blind: to tell the truth about what You've done for me, even when it's costly, even when people don't understand. Find me when I'm thrown out. Meet me in the hard places. And use my simple testimony to open someone else's eyes. Amen.

This Sunday, the man born blind says the most powerful words any evangelist can speak:

"One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see."

You don't need a theology degree. You don't need all the answers.

You just need to tell the truth about what Jesus did for you.

That's enough.