“And as [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man which was blind from [his] birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”
If it were the Pharisees asking this question I would guess that it was meant as a trick to catch Jesus in some way. But it came from His disciples, the ones close to Him, the ones who were truly trying to understand. And so the question came from an honest place. A place that was taking all of what they had learned growing up, and doing its best to fit it into this new paradigm they had about God… that He was a Father.
You see, they must have been wondering how a loving Father could cause someone to be born blind. So they looked for an answer. Someone had to be at fault, they assumed.
Do we make that same assumption some times? When we see a family struggling? When we see an infant sick? Do we try to get to the root of the problem and place blame?
Jesus doesn’t. He sees an opportunity to demonstrate the love and power of God.
In fact, He says that the man was born blind “that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” How is that for a life purpose?
Why does he Joe limp? What can’t Sally see? Why does Bill slur his speech, or Sue have cancer?...
Perhaps it is that the works of God should be made manifest in them.
I wonder if one of the very simple reasons for suffering, illness, disease, and the like is to cause us to ask the same question the disciples did… so we can get the same answer.
But there is a hook… you must ask it of Jesus.
SDG
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