John 9:1-12
Jesus challenged a religious myth when he healed a blind man. Apparently the Jews believed that bad things such as blindness were the direct result of sin – either the parent’s sin or the person’s sin. That left no room for other explanations. It also made God out to be vengeful, bringing punishment on unborn children for the parents’ choices. There is no doubt that some children suffer greatly because of parents’ bad choices, but those are natural consequences, not the judgment of God.
In this particular case, Jesus said that the purpose was that God’s work might be accomplished. Although this man had lived many years with blindness and made his living as a beggar, he was blessed beyond many others because he received God’s grace of both healing and faith.
Sometimes God uses suffering and tragedy to dispense his grace and to reveal his glory. We know that God is always good and always loving. When we don’t understand why bad things happen, we can still trust that God knows why, and believe that he is acting in line with his holy character.
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