Study 24: 20th - 26th August 2007

Reading – John Chapter Ch 8: 48-59.

It's Not My Fault

As Jesus went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ”Neither this man nor his parents sinned”, said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John Chapter 9: verses 1-5 (NIV).

I find it amusing after a game of golf the excuses we use for our bad performance.

1. The greens were bumpy, too slow, too fast,
2. it was too cold, too hot, too windy,
3. the grass was not mowed, the rough was too thick, too much water.
4. I just had a lesson and the Pro has changed my swing.

Any excuse but to admit that we did not play well or we have a deficient game. It relieves some of the pain but not all, to lean on these excuses.  Unfortunately golf is a game you cannot blame anyone but yourself for your score.

There are some things in our life that go wrong that are clearly our fault. A crash as a result of speeding, getting drunk and hurting yourself or smoking that causes cancer.

But there are many other things that just are. A case in point is a man born blind in our reading this week. And while we generally believe that all suffering and pain relates in some way back to our inheritance as sinners (see Romans Chapter 5: verse 12 to 21 for a more detailed discussion) blindness and other natural diseases and deficiencies just happen for many for no apparent cause.
Jesus was asked whether this man was born blind because he sinned or whether his parents had sinned? It is hard to conceive how he had sinned since he was blind from birth, though Jewish traditions had some interesting thoughts on this. It is also possible to see from the Old Covenant and the 10 commandments (see Deuteronomy Chapter 5: verses 8 to 10) that the sins of our parents and forefathers could have passed down to this man.

Jesus is not interested in trying to answer their question about the origin of his blindness, but more to see this man in relation to his life and mission. Jesus says he is the light of the world  (verse 5) that brings light to the world of darkness. Jesus will show that he can reverse this man’s condition and bring healing to his eyes. This happens in verse 7. But Jesus will also speak of another blindness of a spiritual nature. This will be discussed later in the chapter.

Typical of Jesus’ life and ministry is many kinds of healings. All of us possess a human body with deficiencies. It may not be blindness, but it could be a hearing loss, a virus or infection, cancer, breathing problems or any number of other possibilities. We ask why we have these conditions, but find no satisfactory answers. The truth is that all of us are living in bodies that last only a short time and function less than perfect. If this is all there is, we have little hope.

Jesus as the light of the world brings a broader perspective to life, one that sees life as more than just the physical but also spiritual. Also he comes as one who has authority over the weaknesses of our bodies to show this. While we most likely will not experience a healing of the kind this man in our reading did, the promise of Jesus to those who believe in him is that one day we will be set free from our deficient bodies to a new life and body that is eternal. 

Gracious God, thank you for the power of Jesus to bring light out of darkness. Help me today to walk in his light. Amen.