The early Church referred to baptism as ‘enlightenment’ or ‘illumination’ and the candidates for baptism as ‘those being enlightened’. The story of the cure of the man born blind and his subsequent progress from physical sight to the insight of faith is a figure of what happens to the baptized person. John writes of the physical cure in such a way that it reflects and calls to mind the cure of spiritual blindness granted to those who wash sacramentally in the pool that is truly Jesus, the ‘sent one’
Jesus affirms that he is the light of the world, and the giving of sight to the blind man is a sign of this. There is both revelation and judgment. The coming of the light brings illumination to those who will accept it, and brings to light the darkness in the lives of those who are obstinate in unbelief.
How is Jesus the light of the world? He opens minds to understand and scatters the darkness of ignorance. This he does by showing us God, revealing the divine purpose and the divine will in his teaching and deeds. He went through the darkness of his passion and death and rose to the glory of eternal light. He makes us sharers in his light-giving and life-giving work. We are called to be enlightened by Jesus and to become a light to others.