In 2004 or 2005, the regional director of my campus ministry visited me in Memphis. As we drove down Summer Avenue, I felt embarrassed by how run-down my city was. I said something like, "This isn't the best part of the city." He nodded in agreement. Minutes later, he pulled over, bought a homeless guy dinner at KFC, and told him about Jesus as we drove him to his desired destination. When the disciples see a blind man, they use theology to keep their distance from his suffering. It feels good to ask Jesus for spiritual insight. It's harder to meet the needs of our neighbor. Jesus sees the blind man. He re-enacts creation, kneading his own spit and dirt into a poultice of mud. For those who could watch, this looked as undignified as it sounds. Who wants spit rubbed in their eyes? This is the first time I've read through John's Gospel slowly enough to see that this man is presented as a role model disciple. He walks through the city with the disgrace of mud caked on his face in obedience to a man he had never seen, so that he could gain sight. As he comes back, he sees that no one celebrates. He's been reborn, made new, into someone that his own neighbors cannot recognize. He keeps testifying, "I once was blind, but now I see!" He can't help but relate what Jesus said to him. He confesses that he trusted his voice, obeyed his command, and became new. His neighbors aren't impressed. He doesn't have all the answers. But everyone can see that he now sees.