John Chapter 9
WHY? Why do bad things happen to good people? This is a question that often causes a stumbling block for people. To answer this question, we have to go back to the beginning to the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve first sinned. With that original sin of Adam, the course of death was set. In this fallen condition there is sickness, ailments, birth defects and so much pain. We are all on a course of decay and death. This is the curse of sin.
This is the question the disciples asked Jesus about a man who had been born blind. They asked Him if the man was born that way because of a particular sin he committed or that his parents committed. Jesus assured them that he was not blind because of a particular sin he committed nor his parents. Jesus’ answer was that it was so that the glory of God would be revealed. One day all of the pains of this life will be taken away. There will be no more sickness, no more cancer, and no more death. And on that day, we will all see the glory of our great God.
We tend to think that these hardships of life are not fair, and they are often horrible, but the greater mercy that God offers to each of us is a life spent with Him for eternity. This life is just temporary, and for those who put their trust in Him, they will reap the greatest reward.
Imagine one day in heaven when we realize that everyone has been made whole. Not one single person has an illness, not one single person has any pain; what a glorious day that will be. And forever we will get to worship Jesus.
Jesus in His great compassion saw a man who was blind from birth and knew that the miracle of him receiving his sight would bring glory to His Father. This miracle is recorded in scripture for all of us to think about and imagine what it must have been like to be blind for so long and to be given sight. Praise the LORD!
Let's Reflect
1. We don’t know why Jesus put mud on the man’s eyes and asked him to go and wash in the pool. Perhaps Jesus was testing him to see if he might have a little bit of faith in His words. What was the name of the pool where he washed?
2. What had life been like for this man prior to being healed?
3. People were so astounded by this miracle that they were saying some pretty radical things. What were some of the things they said?
4. Some of the people thought it would be a good idea to take this man to the Pharisees. (And here’s where it gets good….when you realize that Jesus knew that this would happen!) It was a logical thing for the people to do, they presented a miraculous case of healing to the religious leadership. What issue did the Pharisees have with this miracle?
5. They accused Jesus of being a sinner and that He was not performing miracles under the authority of God. They asked the healed blind man for his opinion. This man did not fully understand who Jesus was either. Who did he say Jesus was?
6. Someone suggested that the man was never even blind, that the whole scenario had been fabricated by Jesus. So, they asked the man’s parents if he had been born blind. What surprising answer did the parents give?
7. They went back to the healed blind man and basically told him to recant his testimony and give credit to God and not to Jesus. That is rather humorous, isn’t it? What did they want the man to say about Jesus?
8. When asked about his healing the man told them again how Jesus had healed him and then asked them a question that infuriated them. What was it?
9. Here is where the good part comes in that I alluded to in question 4. Look at what the man had to say about Jesus to these religious leaders. What do you see happening in the answer he gave them in verses 30-33?
10. Jesus came and spoke to the healed man again. It is in this moment that it all came together for this man both in his mind and his heart. He realized that the man who healed him (having never seen Jesus before) and the Son of Man (the Messiah) were one in the same. This man was talking to the Savior of the world! Not only were his physical eyes healed but so were his spiritual eyes healed. What was his response?
Jesus was often reviled, but never ruffled. “One of the things worthy to be noticed in our Lord’s character is his wonderful quiet of spirit, especially his marvelous calmness in the presence of those who misjudged, and insulted, and slandered him.” [Spurgeon]
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