01/11/2008
John 9:1 - 3 (HCSB)
1As He was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples questioned Him: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “[This came about] so that God’s works might be displayed in him.
It was commonly believed that any illness or malady that one had was the direct result of sin. This man, as the scripture tells us, was born blind. These types of situations drove a debate among the religious theologians to speculate whose sin caused the man to be born blind. If his parents sin caused it then it would seem this man was being punished unjustly, but if this man himself sinned, then he would have had to sin inside the womb in order to be born blind.
This is an example of how theologians can get caught up on trivial arguments that are of no consequence. We should avoid squabbles on the minutia of theological issues. The Gospel is simple.
When Jesus was presented with this question: “who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answers very simply, and we sometimes miss the depth of the answer. “Neither this man nor his parents sinned. This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.” Jesus not only dismissed the debate, but introduced a profound concept.
What does it mean “so that God’s works might be displayed in him?”
God of course knows all things and Jesus knew He would be passing this way and there would be a blind man. He also knew that the theologians had been bickering over this stupid question. Whether or not they believed Him, the religious leaders watched Jesus closely, and no doubt they were present to witness this event. Jesus settled the question that the blindness was not the result of any sin, but occurred to demonstrate what God could do – and no doubt, to teach a lesson about theology.
How often do we find ourselves in a situation or with a malady and ask “Why is this happening to me?” It is too easy to want to blame something or someone for what happens to us. And it is especially easy for us to forget that perhaps this has come upon us so that God’s works may be displayed in us.
God may be waiting to do a work in you for your benefit or for the benefit of someone else around you. This is not to say that God will always heel or fix a situation, but He will definitely work in the situation. Look at your situation and rather than asking “Why me?” try asking “God, how can You be glorified in this?”
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
©2008 Cleff Publishing, all rights reserved.
Terms of Usage: This devotional may be copied or forwarded for personal use without permission, but must include the author, publisher, web link, and copyright notice. Use in another published work must obtain permission first.