Understanding the Word
By Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.
Samuel’s choice of David as king was determined by direct command of God. The anointing was a solemn and sacred action that ceremonially sealed his election by God. Following the ritual, “the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David.” This spirit was understood as a principle of dynamic divine action, a force that had unique effects in human history. Those seized by the spirit were empowered to act within the community in a unique fashion determined by the particular needs of the community. The spirit took hold of judges (Judges 3:10) and prophets (Isaiah 61:1). This story recounts how it took hold of a future king.
The move from darkness to light is the principal metaphor used by the author of Ephesians to describe the radical change that takes place in the lives of those who commit themselves to Christ. Three qualities produced by the light—goodness, righteousness, truth—are symbolic of the complete transformation that this light can effect. Three phrases describe the transition from a state of inertia to one of vibrancy: from sleep to wakefulness, from death to new life, and from darkness to illumination. Christians have entered into a new state of being, and it will require of them a new way of living.
Jesus’ cure of the man born blind suggests a new creation. The struggle here is between darkness and light, between blindness and sight. Jesus underscores the urgency of his ministry. He and his disciples must do God’s work while it is yet day, for the night will come when such work will have to cease. Jesus identifies himself as the light of the world. The man, who is gradually brought from physical blindness to sight, also progressively moves from spiritual blindness to religious insight. This is not true of the Pharisees. They prided themselves on being disciples of Moses, but they were blind to the truth that the newly cured man saw so clearly. The one who was blind sees, and those who can see are really blind.