{"id":694370,"date":"2026-02-23T16:13:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T21:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/?post_type=sermon&#038;p=344370"},"modified":"2026-06-24T15:00:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T19:00:59","slug":"do-you-believe-in-the-son-of-man-lent-4-a-march-15-2026","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/sermons\/do-you-believe-in-the-son-of-man-lent-4-a-march-15-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00abDo you believe in the Son of Man?\u00bb, Lent 4 (A)\u00a0\u2013 March 15, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-344370_72a389-f1 .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-344370_72a389-f1 .kt-divider{border-top-width:2px;border-top-color:#330072;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-344370_72a389-f1\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm?e=DFMS8339918932&#038;light=true\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-344370_1c1c8d-a7 .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-344370_1c1c8d-a7 .kt-divider{border-top-width:2px;border-top-color:#330072;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-344370_1c1c8d-a7\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>RCL: <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/lent-4a\/\">1 Samuel 16:1-13, Ephesians 5:8-14, John 9:1-4, Psalm 23&nbsp;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today\u2019s gospel text is a lot: a lot of words and a lot of concepts. Within John\u2019s narrative, today\u2019s gospel comes from what scholars call \u201cthe Book of Signs,\u201d John 1-12. In this section of the gospel, Jesus\u2014God\u2019s word made flesh, the light which the darkness could not overcome\u2014is traveling around, performing miracles. These miracles are \u201csigns\u201d because they cause some people to come to have faith in him.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later on, Jesus will say that those who believe without having seen are even more blessed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Jesus walks, he encounters a blind man. The disciples, operating under the assumption expressed in Exodus that \u201cThe sins of the father are visited upon the children,\u201d ask Jesus whether this man\u2019s blindness is the result of his sins or the sins of his parents. Jesus tells the disciples, \u201cNeither. This man is blind so that God\u2019s glory can be revealed.\u201d Then Jesus reveals God\u2019s glory by healing the man with mud. Jesus re-forms the earth from which the man is made, and through no work or merit of the man\u2019s own, the man is remade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Lent-4A-sermon-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-344371\" style=\"width:512px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A word about language here: It\u2019s always important to remember that, in this gospel, John writes \u201cthe Jews\u201d as a shorthand to mean either \u201cthe Judeans\u201d\u2014because of where the story is taking place\u2014or \u201cthe Jewish leaders.\u201d None of John\u2019s writing is meant as an indictment of the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with whom God has made eternal covenants. As Christians, we have a duty to know and name how John\u2019s writing has been misused to persecute Jewish people. We have a duty to reject that practice with no equivocation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This duty brings us back to today\u2019s healing story. In all the gospel, healing means restoration to community as part of God\u2019s salvation. Healing is full when it means healing in mind, body, and spirit. To be restored to community\u2014and to show God\u2019s power!\u2014this unnamed blind man is taken to the religious leaders. He\u2019s interrogated and pushed away. Rather than defending him, his parents tell him to stick up for himself. We see in this that he is, in a way, rejected by both communities that previously defined him. Thus today\u2019s chapter from John shows the creation of a new community\u2014a community of those who put their faith and trust in Jesus. And so the man born blind becomes part of a new community of those who believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the Pharisees question the man (and doubt him), then question his parents\u2014to be sure he was actually born blind\u2014and then question him again, they\u2019re at their wits\u2019 end. Where do you see yourself in this part of the story? The characters in John\u2019s gospel can act like screens onto which we can project ourselves, and it\u2019s pretty easy in this chapter to see ourselves as either the Pharisees\u2014who preserved Judaism in the midst of imperial occupation and kept their religious traditions alive\u2014or as the blind man.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the one hand, we have the Pharisees, who are just shocked: A man born blind sees again because a carpenter from the backwaters put mud in his eyes and had him wash in a special pool? And he did it on the Sabbath? It\u2019s easy to understand their incredulity. In today\u2019s passage we hear, \u201cSome of the Pharisees said, \u2018This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.\u2019 But others said, \u2018How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?\u2019 And they were divided.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, here is a man who\u2019s never seen before. Someone he\u2019s never actually seen makes mud, puts it on his eyes, and tells him to wash in the pool of Siloam. He does and suddenly he has vision, such as he\u2019s never had before. We know that this man is \u201cof age,\u201d but don\u2019t know if that means 13 or 33. We don\u2019t know how long he\u2019s been blind. We don\u2019t know how long he\u2019s been navigating adult life without vision, or how supportive his parents have otherwise been. He hasn\u2019t done anything except be in Jesus\u2019s path as Jesus walks by, and now he\u2019s given sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As easy as it is to understand the Pharisees\u2019 incredulity, it\u2019s also easy to understand this man\u2019s exasperation with their persistent questions. He can see! That\u2019s really all he knows. Whoever made it possible, however they did it, isn\u2019t really his concern. He just wants to enjoy this gift that\u2019s new to him, a gift that everyone around him takes for granted. \u201cWhat did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?\u201d Imagine him exploding in his answer, \u201cI have told you&nbsp;<strong>ALREADY<\/strong>, and you would NOT&nbsp;<em>listen<\/em>. Why do you want to hear it again?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are the words the gospel records: \u201cYou do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then the man shoots across&nbsp;<em>their<\/em>&nbsp;bow, \u201cDo you also want to become his disciples?\u201d As the Pharisees continue to needle him, this man\u2019s belief only deepens. His faith and trust in Jesus grow.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the newly-sighted man is driven out, Jesus finds him. Jesus does not abandon him as his parents and the religious leaders have done.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jesus asks, \u201c\u2018Do you believe in the Son of Man?\u2019 He answered, \u2018And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.\u2019 Jesus said to him, \u2018You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.\u2019 He said, \u2018Lord, I believe.\u2019\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These last few verses of today\u2019s Gospel hint at why we hear this passage on the Fourth Sunday in Lent. During Lent, the church invites us to reevaluate our lives (again) and see how well we are\u2014or aren\u2019t\u2014 following Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Jesus asks this man if he believes, it might be a difficult question for us to hear, impacted as we are by the Enlightenment and the culture wars of the 20th century; at a moment when so much is being reframed in terms of belief: belief in evolution; belief in marriage equality; belief in abortion; belief in sin; belief in salvation; belief in immigration policies; belief in the climate crisis; belief in vaccines. We use \u201cbelief\u201d as a shorthand for \u201csupporting policies around\u201d or \u201caccepting scientific findings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When John writes about belief in the Son of Man, he\u2019s writing about putting our faith and trust in Jesus and his life-giving work of redemption. This is not intellectual assent or generic support. This \u201cbelief\u201d means putting one\u2019s whole life into Jesus\u2019s hands, relying on Jesus for everything, and\u2014like this healed man\u2014worshiping Jesus, through whom all things have been made. This \u201cbelief\u201d means accepting God\u2019s gift of grace and living a life changed through that grace to be more like Jesus. The man born blind is a model for the church throughout the ages, in part, because he doesn\u2019t do anything to earn God\u2019s favor. His life exists to show God\u2019s glory\u2014he is healed only because of God\u2019s grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the Easter Vigil in a few weeks, the candidates for baptism will be asked throughout the church, \u201cDo you put your whole trust in his grace and love?\u201d And what about you. Do you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During Lent, we\u2019re invited to discern how well we are following Jesus, to amend our failures, and to consider where Jesus is calling us next. That may mean upsetting our families or communities. For some of us, it may mean putting our bodies in harm\u2019s way to protect the vulnerable whom Jesus welcomes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pray that when we are asked \u201cDo you believe in the Son of Man?\u201d as we reaffirm our baptisms at Easter, we can answer, \u201cLord, I believe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>The Rev. Joseph Peters-Mathews<\/em><\/strong><em>&nbsp;is a priest in the Diocese of Olympia. Joseph was ordained priest in 2012 and has served on the staffs of the presiding bishop and bishop of California. He is married to Brandon and they have two children, Topher and Finny. Joseph has written for Sermons that Work,&nbsp;<\/em>Earth &amp; Altar<em>, and&nbsp;<\/em>Modern Metanoia<em>. Joseph is an alumnus of General Theological Seminary and Troy University.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-82851efc-615d-40da-ab2c-d353ccba618e\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Lent-4A-sermon.docx\">Word &#8211; Lent 4A sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Lent-4A-sermon.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-82851efc-615d-40da-ab2c-d353ccba618e\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-e3dc5b62-35b0-439e-82c8-20b9cf46d931\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Lent-4A-sermon.pdf\">PDF &#8211; Lent 4A sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Lent-4A-sermon.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-e3dc5b62-35b0-439e-82c8-20b9cf46d931\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RCL: 1 Samuel 16:1-13, Ephesians 5:8-14, John 9:1-4, Psalm 23&nbsp; Today\u2019s gospel text is a lot: a lot of words and a lot of concepts. Within John\u2019s narrative, today\u2019s gospel comes from what scholars call \u201cthe Book of Signs,\u201d John 1-12. In this section of the gospel, Jesus\u2014God\u2019s word made flesh, the light which the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[51,43,52,3],"tags":[143],"class_list":["post-694370","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","category-lent","category-sermons","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-lent-4a"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":51,"label":"Lent"},{"value":43,"label":"Sermons"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":143,"label":"Lent 4A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/694370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sermon"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/694370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":948005,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/694370\/revisions\/948005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=694370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=694370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=694370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}