How is faith born, and how does it grow? Today we see a man who gains sight not only physically but spiritually as well—though not all at once. Difficult circumstances help bring this about. The Pharisees questioning him force him to articulate his faith, which without them—who knows—he might never have expressed or “brought forth.” There are several interrogations, and after each one a new definition is born: “healer,” “prophet,” “man from God,” “Son of God,” and then comes a meeting face to face!

We often regard trials of faith as something painful and highly undesirable. But sometimes, as in today’s passage, the Lord leads us through these trials toward the most important encounter of all, when at last we gain true sight.

How does spiritual life differ from religious life? Perhaps first of all in its attitude toward miracles. This is not surprising: a miracle is a revelation manifested by God, which is very difficult for a religious person to ignore. Religion finds itself in an ambivalent position with regard to miracles: a nonreligious person has no need of miracles at all; he can allow himself to ignore them in principle, simply assigning them to the realm of the (temporarily) unexplained, and rest there. The religious person is different: as a rule, religion needs miracles and relies on them to one degree or another; accordingly, religious consciousness cannot ignore a miracle in the way nonreligious consciousness does.

However, religion accepts not every miracle, but only one that does not contradict its own doctrine, and religious consciousness evaluates every miracle that comes into its field of vision accordingly. If what happened fits within the framework of the relevant religious doctrine, the miracle is judged genuine; if not, it is perceived as false or inauthentic, proceeding, for example, not from God but from dark powers. From the point of view of a person living a full spiritual life, however, a miracle in itself is sufficient testimony to God's intervention.

From the point of view of a person for whom religion is in first place, a miracle must be evaluated for conformity to doctrine - roughly (though not necessarily exactly) as the Pharisees do when considering the question of the healing of the man born blind. They are ready to acknowledge the miracle - but only if an explanation can be found that fits within the framework of their religious and theological concept; otherwise they are ready to thank God for what was done, but in no way ready to acknowledge the rightness of the One through whom He did what He did.

Thus the primacy of religion leads into a spiritual dead end the person who is ready to follow his own religious concepts unconditionally, despite all the testimony received from above.

Today before us is a vivid example of what bias is: the Pharisees question the man who had been blind. What is happening looks more like an interrogation. They repeat their questions as if in passing, try to catch the healed man, try to find at least some hook in his words. When their supply of methods is practically exhausted, they have to deny the very fact of the healing altogether. They drive themselves into a corner. It looks as though their opinion has been formed in advance: "This cannot be, because it can never be." Especially on the Sabbath...

Despite the unprecedented eloquence of an illiterate beggar, clearly given to him from above, they remain deaf. "How can such a sinner teach us anything?" This recalls their own words: "Search and see that no prophet comes from Galilee" (John 7:52). Again the same wall, against which the living experience of a person's encounter with God is shattered.

It is so easy, by our own knowledge and firm certainty about something, our own certainty and not certainty that comes from the Lord, to wound another person and deprive him, if not of convictions and faith in God, then at least of faith in people.