John 9
Unbelievable!
In John 9, Jesus again comes before a person who had an ailment, and heals him. Jesus was a man of confrontation. If you haven’t realized yet, but most of Jesus’ miracles were performed on the Sabbath. This is significant because on the Sabbath day, no work was to be done. It was a day of rest. The only problem with the Sabbath was the religious leaders exercising authority they thought they had, but really had no authority at all.
The religious people would condemn others for not being completely still during this day. They became “super-spiritual” people, thinking that they knew and observed all the laws perfectly, when the reality is that they were as much a sinner, if not more responsible for the things they did because of their leadership.
They (the religious leaders) thought they were doing such great things by holding everyone accountable but didn’t observe the law themselves. So what does Jesus do on the Sabbath? He works!! And He did great and mighty things on the Sabbath. Healed many people, spoke to multitudes of people, walked around with His disciples, and many other things.
In this passage, in particular, Jesus speaks to man who has been blind since his birth. Think about this for a moment. This man has been blind since birth, has not been able to see anything at all, and is now being passed along the road by the disciples, and they ask Jesus a very alarming question in verse 2, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
And Jesus gives a great response in the following verse, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” There was no sin involved that caused this man to be blind, but rather, the sin in which was already in the world since the rebellion of Adam and Eve. David says in the 51st Psalm, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Sin had existed before this man was blind. The result of this man being blind was the effect of sin. We a lot of times ask the same question, “Why is this or that a certain way? What did this person do to deserve such pain?” The answer? It is so the Lord may be glorified! That’s the simplest and most profound answer. The reason we suffer, the reason we have disabilities, the reason there is death is because there is sin. But these instances are allowed so that God may be revealed in that specific situation.
Part of my personal testimony lies in the fact that I have a disability and was diagnosed with it at the age of 13. I didn’t know why I had to have it, but nevertheless, God allowed for me to receive it. I was angry, I was upset, I was mad at God for some point in my life, but once I saw why the Lord had given me this disability, I knew that it was to present Christ in the midst of suffering and hardship. And since that time, I have had the opportunity to share with others who have the same disability as I, the love of God through this hardship and God has been glorified!
And the same is true for your life. The reason God has allowed this suffering to pass through onto you is so that God can be revealed in the midst of suffering, and so that He may be glorified! Have you seen through other people’s lives, the amazing grace of God through death, sickness and many other things? Praise God for that! If suffering brings about the glory of the Lord, then I will rejoice in my sufferings and bring praise to the King, for He alone is worthy, and His promise stays the same, “I will NEVER leave nor FORSAKE you.”
