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
Jesus, passing by, saw a blind man. His disciples asked the question, “Who did sin, this man, or his parents?” It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. In typical flesh, someone is looking for somewhere to place the blame, reason, and/or motive for the blindness.
Sounds much like our homes, churches, marriages, ministry teams and workplaces, doesn’t it? Everyone from the Pastor to parishioner, from the CEO to janitor, husband to wife, and last but not least, from teacher to student all seem to be looking for a place to put the blame.
Jesus said “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” In other words, these things happened that the goodness, greatness, and magnitude of God might be revealed.
Has it ever occurred to you that the reason we are facing the challenge at hand is not because we did something to deserve it? Instead of it being punishment for things gone wrong in the past, it could be just the opposite.
Could it be the challenges at hand end up showing the greatness of the teacher and the student? That they reveal the true love between the husband and wife? Bring redemption to a lost soul? Give the janitor new purpose, and the CEO new drive? Out of this problem may be new vision for the pastor and new trust for the parishioner.
Last, but certainly not least, life situations do not occur for correction, and certainly there are consequences to everything. However, most things occur to turn our heads, hearts, and hooves/feet toward Jesus.
Our prayer for you this week: May we quit looking for blame among others and start looking for the manifestation of the works of God.
