The Impossible Question

In John 9, Jesus and His disciples were walking along the road and saw a blind beggar sitting there. Now, in that day they thought that an affliction like blindness was a punishment for sinning. But this man had been blind since birth, so the disciples wanted to know whether he had sinned before he was born, or if he was suffering because his parents had sinned.

The problem is, Jesus could not answer that question. It had no answer. That's not the way suffering works.

•  Sometimes you suffer because of your own bad choices. Addiction usually occurs because someone has chosen to consistently use drugs or alcohol.
• Sometimes you suffer because of someone else's sinful choices that affect you. If you were abused as a child, it's not because you deserved it. It's because someone else chose to sin, and you took the brunt of it.
• And sometimes you suffer just because we live in a fallen world, full of hurt and injustice and pain. If you have cancer, it's not a punishment. It's just part of the effect of sin on this world.

The disciples thought the beggar was being punished for sin, and wanted to know who to blame. But Jesus answered, "No, it's not that this man or his parents sinned. Instead, this is a chance to do God's work." Then He healed the blind man. He understood that damage caused by sin is an opportunity for grace.

The disciples saw a beggar; Jesus saw a person. The disciples saw the effect of sin; Jesus saw an opportunity for grace. The disciples asked who to blame; Jesus showed them how to help.