The Reason Why

Today’s Verse:

Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. ~John 9:3

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One of the key questions in life that we have is: why do bad things happen to good people? Job said that "man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward." We have pity for those who suffer, but when it is our lot to suffer, we feel sad, disappointed, and at a loss. There are extreme of thoughts that cross our mind. In our devotion this morning, Jesus answers the problem of suffering by His statement, “That the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

We see the malady.

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.” One of the saddest things in life is to be born with a disabling condition that impairs you in a normal function. Blindness has to be at the top of the list of these disabilities. Blindness is the inability to see. It is living in a world of darkness and incomprehensive of colors, light, shapes, and vision. Here was a man who was born blind. He was dependent upon others for most of his life. As he approached adulthood, he was reduced to being a beggar for sustenance. Here was a man who was pitied and was captive to his condition.

We see the misunderstanding.

“And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” The Jews saw this man’s malady a result of sin: either that of his parents, or his own. Job’s friends had this same conclusion about Job’s suffering. Our sinful tendency to be judgmental causes us to quickly assume that someone’s suffering must be because they sinned. Jesus, with authoritative fashion, told them that this man’s suffering was not because of sin, but so that the works of God should be made manifest. God loves us and wants us to patiently realize that He has a greater purpose to accomplish in us when there is sadness and suffering.

We see the Master.

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” The greater purpose in our suffering is that the Lord can have the liberty to perform the works of God. Jesus was emphatically clear that He must work the works of God. Jesus proceeded to spit on the ground and to make clay that He would put on the man’s eyes. That seemed so weird and strange, but Jesus is the Master and God over everything. His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. After Jesus rubbed the man’s eyes with this clay, the man went and washed his eyes in the pool of Siloam, and he came back seeing. He was cured, and for the first time in his life, he could see!

We see the majesty.

Instead of rejoicing in what Jesus did for this man, the sin-hardened Jews discredited both Jesus and the man. To make matters worse, when this man acknowledged that Jesus had healed him, the Jews excommunicated him from the temple worship. However, in what seemed like a new season of suffering, Jesus demonstrated that He was in control. The majesty is this event was, first, that Jesus would be glorified in the formerly blind man. Remember, in all things, our Lord is to be glorified. Second, there is the majesty in the man receiving sight. He could see and, from that moment, never took seeing for granted. Third, this man accepted Jesus by faith as his Savior. The works of God were meant for this man’s salvation. The greatest seeing is seeing our need for the Lord and accepting Him as our personal Savior. Whatever you might be going through, remember that Jesus wants to work the works of God in you.

Have a blessed God Morning!

Bible Reading Schedule: Numbers 8-10

#John #BlindMan #GodsGlory #Healing #Jesus #Miracle