Jump Start # 441 

John 9:1-2 “As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind.” 

  The disciples are interesting. I find myself walking in their shoes more often than I’d like to admit. Our text begins with Jesus walking by a blind man. Have you noticed how many blind people are mentioned in the Bible. Several. I have only known one or two blind people personally in my life. This man was born blind from birth. Somehow the disciples knew that. I’d expect Jesus to know that, but how did they know? Was he someone that they knew all of their life.

  The life of a begging was a dark prison. Begging was their only hope. It was a pitiful curse upon them.

  The disciples see this man, as Jesus did. But they really didn’t. They noticed him sitting there, most likely begging. None of the disciples asked Jesus to heal the man. None of them thought about helping him in some way, even if it was nothing more than putting a few coins in a cup. They ask about cause, but more than that, fault. Someone did wrong, and God punished this man. The question is who did wrong—the parents or this man?

  Their thinking shows that they don’t understand the nature of sin because people cannot sin as babies. Sin is a choice that is the result of temptation. It’s choosing self over God’s will. Something serious was lurking behind their question—someone sinned and this man is being punished for it. This man deserves to be blind. Could this be the reason they found little compassion for this man, they thought he was getting what he deserved. The disciples thought process is very similar to the friends of Job. When someone suffers it is God punishing them for wrongs. In their thinking, the innocent do not suffer—only the guilty.

  This thinking is flawed. Jesus says so. He declared that neither the parents nor this man sinned. He was not being punished. God was going to use his blindness to demonstrate the power of Jesus Christ. Good was going to come from this.

  One of the many layers of suffering that a person goes through is guilt and blame. The pain of suffering is bad enough, but the emotional and mental can be longer lasting and more devastating. We play the mental game, “If only I had..” We do this. We blame ourselves. Guilt piles up. Often others blame and add to the guilt. The sorrows and regrets can eat us alive!

  Some things to grasp from this passage:

1. Suffering is a part of this world. Not all suffering can be traced back to a wrong action. At the end of the sermon on the mount, the storms came, the winds blew—the house built upon the right foundation stood. It endured the storm. Storms come. They came when Jesus was sleeping in a boat. They came when angry mobs disagreed with Him. They came when wicked hearts tried to trick Him. Storms come.

2. Even if this blind man had done wrong in the past, is there no room for compassion for him? “He deserves it,” can be an excuse for, “I’m not helping out,” or, “I’m not getting involved.” Every adult Jesus met had sin. Paul told the Romans, “ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (3:23). Their suffering may not have been connected to their sinning, but nevertheless, they weren’t sinless. Yet Jesus had compassion. Even upon the woman who was dragged from the bed of immorality. I doubt the Pharisees waited for her to get dressed. Sinful…shameful…guilty. Our Lord found a place for her in His heart. He’s like that.

3. The disciples didn’t seem to care for others. On another occasion when it was late, the disciples answer was to send them away, send the crowds home. Instead, Jesus fed them. When children gathered around Jesus, the disciples squawked. Jesus allowed the children to stay. Jesus doesn’t belong to us, we belong to Him. His heart is big. He cares. He loves. He enriches lives. That’s the way Jesus is. His people today need to grasp that. People who are hurting tend to be open to listen to the gospel message. Look about you today…you’ll see those whose aging parents are a real concern to them…you’ll see those whose marriages are coming apart…you’ll see those who are drowning in debt…you’ll see those whose lifestyles have lead to addictions that they can’t break…you’ll see those who are estranged from their children…you’ll see those who are lonely…broken…sad. They are all around. They are us, in many ways.

  We need to learn to love as Jesus did. We need to be the eyes, hands and mouth of God today. We can’t heal blindness, but we can cheer a person up. We can make time for others. We can let our lights shine so that even in a dark world, someone can see.

  The disciples asked, “Who sinned…” Does it matter? Will the answer keep me for engaging in good deeds for that person? Do I need to know that answer? Is it any business of mine anyway? Jesus stopped. When He continued on, the blind man was no longer blind.

  Amazing. That’s the Lord we follow.

Roger