Issue 40 April 2026

Holy Week

Holy Week schedule

You are invited to join us for Holy Week services at St John's. Experience the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus by walking through this week with Him and reflecting on His divine love.

At the palm weaving class we kindly ask parents to supervise their children. The school children's class is in the hall, the crèche to pre-kinder class is in the downstairs soccer court, and pizza dinner is provided for kids.

From the pulpit

He found him

Fr Jacob · The man born blind, John 9

In today's Gospel (John 9:1–41) we read of the man who had no eyes. It's not that his eyes required correction: he had no eyes, and Jesus had to create them. The disciples asked Jesus why this man was born blind. Whose mistake was that? Was it his parents? His grandparents? Why was he burdened with a life without eyes? He responded that none of these were true. It was so that God's power might be revealed.

Jesus did something strange. He spat on the ground, made clay with the dirt, and painted it on the man's face to form eyes. He said to him, go wash in the pool called Siloam. This pool was some distance away. So he obeyed, went and washed his face, and came back with his sight restored.

When he returned, people marvelled and said it was impossible that this was the same man. But the blind man said, "I am he." They asked how this was possible.

Two versions of the story

Another important element to focus on is how this man explained his healing to the people and to the Pharisees. To the lay people, he told them exactly what happened: "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."

To the Pharisees, he recounted the story differently. He didn't say that Jesus told him to go to Siloam. He didn't mention the clay. He gave them an abridged version to protect Jesus from their wrath, as it was the Sabbath and against Jewish law to perform miracles or even walk long distances (especially for the blind man to go to Siloam), so he concealed that detail from them.

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see." Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others asked, "How can a sinner perform such signs?" So they were divided.

Then they turned again to the blind man: "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet." They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents (John 9:13–18).

He did not waver

His parents were afraid, and they said to the Pharisees, "He is of age; ask him." They threatened the blind man and expelled him from the temple, which was devastating. If someone was expelled from the temple, they couldn't worship, they couldn't work, and they couldn't get married. They were going to ruin his life after such a significant miracle.

They told him to give glory to God, which implied they believed he was not telling the truth. The way they said it suggested serious consequences for him. But he did not waver. The Pharisees called Jesus a sinner, but the blind man said, "Whether He is a sinner I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."

They cast him out of the temple, and the man encounters Jesus again. At this point, Jesus asked him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" The man who had been abandoned by others said, "Who is He?" Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you," which carries great weight for a man who had only had vision for a matter of hours. The man said, "Lord, I believe."

When we question why God chose this man out of all the blind men in the town, we see it is because of his loyalty. His heart recognised the truth, his eyes saw it, and he was willing to face the wrath of man for it. He gave thanks and received God's blessing. He stood firm because he knew the truth. His thanksgiving brought joy to God.

A grateful daughter

I will tell you a story. I know a family who came from Egypt who did not have much money. When their daughter was graduating, they wanted to buy her a car. They saved $20,000, so it wasn't going to be state of the art. The mother was overjoyed that they could do this for their daughter.

The daughter hugged her mum and thanked her for the gift. As the mother embraced her, she noticed the watch on her wrist and gave that to her as well. The daughter's gratitude opened her mother's heart even more.

Jesus wants us to give thanks like the blind man, and like this daughter. He wants our eyes to be filled with gratitude for whatever we have been given.

This Gospel reminds us that gratitude and faith open the heart. Like the healed man, and like the daughter who responded to her mother's gift with genuine thanks, when we receive with humility and thanksgiving, we make room for even greater grace.

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