A REASON TO SUFFER

JOHN 9:1–12

Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him”

(John 9:3).

When Jesus’ disciples met the blind man near the temple, they were confronted with a theological puzzle. To them, every physical affliction could be traced to a particular sin; but in this man’s case, he had been blind since birth. How, then, could he be suffering the effect of his own sin? Could it be, therefore, that his blindness was the result of a sin committed by his parents? Confused, they immediately put the question to Jesus.

According to the Scriptures physical afflictions can be traced to various causes: 1) the sin of Adam, in whom all have fallen and are by nature guilty before God. All physical affliction in this context can be traced to the sin of man, that is, we all suffer from original sin and its consequences—physical affliction (Gen. 3:17–19). 2) The sins of the parents (see Ex. 20:5; 34:7, Num. 14:18, Jer. 31:29, Ezek. 18:2). 3) One’s own personal sins (Deut. 28:15–68, Ezek. 18:4). Causes two and three always cause one.

What, then, was the cause of the man’s blindness? Jesus immediately rules out the parents’ sins and the man’s personal sins. He could have mentioned the sin of Adam, as our representative head, as the cause. But He chooses not to. Instead, He says the man’s blindness provided an opportunity for God’s power to be displayed. This was an option the disciples never even considered. And often, it is an option we fail to consider as well. While it must be assumed that all physical affliction is the effect of Adam’s sin, we must not always assume that we are suffering because of some particular sin either in our life or the lives of our parents. While it is always wise to consider these options so that sin might be dealt with (especially when our own sin is the cause, for we are to examine our own lives), we cannot rule out that God is simply working in a painful situation so that His glory might be revealed. He does this either through healing us, giving us the grace to stand fast under the affliction, or allowing us to suffer so that we might comfort others. In all of these situations, God’s glory is manifested.

In the case of the blind man in John 9, God’s glory is displayed through his miraculous healing, and Jesus’ power and authority is once again brought to light as a testimony to His true identity.

CORAM DEO

2 Chronicles 29–31

John 18:1–23

Much conjecture surrounds Jesus’ decision to put mud onto the man’s eyes. Certainly, He could have done it without the mud. It is likely that Jesus did this to test the man’s obedience, for the man had to go wash the mud off. The man could have protested, but he didn’t. What lesson do you learn from this man’s actions?

For further study: Deut. 5:9; 28:32 • Rom. 5:12–21 • 1 Cor. 15:21–22 • Eph. 2:3

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