The Gospel of John
John 9:1-4
1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work”
For the past few weeks we have been in John’s Gospel where Jesus is having a dialogue with the Jewish authorities…now in Chapter 9 we come to where Jesus is in a conversation with his own disciples.
As we look at the beginning of chapter 9 there is a reason for the introduction… in this opening narrative John describes what is occurring:
As Jesus was passing by, He saw a man who had been blind from birth
They likely don’t know he’s been blind from birth by just by looking at him, but [v. 8] seems to indicate that John writing this much later in life is giving us additional details about the man after this episode had occurred.
John could have recorded in [v. 1] about a man born blind and then gone to the miracle of his healing in [v. 6] …on the surface it would have been just another healing miracle…but…if John had gone straight to the healing part of this miracle, we would have missed out on what transpires between [v. 1-4].
Jesus performed countless numbers of miracles…on the surface this seems as though we’re being privy to another one…BUT…there are a number of issues associated with this story that need to be addressed.
Contained in this discussion with the disciples John addresses the problem of suffering and disability… The Holy Spirit guided these words to be written for a purpose…because there is an issue that is being dealt with…an issue that is still being misunderstood today…an issue that every human confronts whether a believer in God or not.
One in particular reflects the disciple’s narrow theology of God’s justice…the common misconception in Jesus’ era is seen in the question asked by the disciples concerning this man’s blindness;
Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind [2]
Rather than compassion the disciples see this as an opportunity to ask Jesus a question regarding people who were afflicted with physical deformities.
Their thoughts were based on the thinking of that day, that suffering was because God was punishing them.
This is hinted at in the question the disciples asked Jesus…we see the same mindset regarding the death of the 18 men killed when a tower fell on them [Luke 13] …it was the presumption by the Jews these eighteen men were especially sinful because 1) they were working for the hated Romans…and 2) they were being paid with money that Pilate had stolen from the temple treasure…they got what they deserved.
So, in this simple statement about who sinned is the belief of the disciples that the man’s blindness was caused by sin…unfortunately people today still believe that when bad things happen it is the result of something they did to make God mad.
It is a question that every parent asks…what caused this? …what did I do to cause this to happen to my child? …did we do something wrong? …these are questions asked whenever there is a disabled child born.
We wonder about suffering. Everyone wonders about suffering, even godly people …so the question arises: “Who sinned?” …It was a popular Jewish doctrine which asserted that physical suffering was the direct result of sin.
We must never look at suffering and equate it to personal sin.
God does not punish us for our sin because Jesus took that punishment, but the Bible does reveal that there are consequences for sin.
God does discipline us as a father disciplines his children…and punishment is not part of the discipline…when ‘bad things’ happen in our lives to correct us it is not a punishment for sin, rather it is correction, as a parent would correct a child.
Jesus begins to dispel the Jewish belief that sin and being handicapped or disabled were linked together…the error of the disciples is that they can see only two options for why this man was born blind…either the sin of his parents…OR his own sin has caused his blindness…all they wanted to know was who was at fault.
Was it the parents or the man himself? They entertained no other possibilities.
I just said we must never look at suffering and equate it to personal sin but I just mentioned…it’s important to note that Jesus does not deny that there is a link between sin and punishment…in the general sense there are consequences for sin.
FIRST…Death is the final consequence for sin.
Adam’s disobedience brought death to the entire human race:
sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin [Rom. 5:12]
Scripture declares from Genesis to Revelation that we are living in a broken world which is not what it once was.
If there never had been sin, there never would be suffering…all suffering is the consequence of sin.
The existence of sin in the world is the cause of all suffering in the world.
And because we live in a fallen world, we are ALL afflicted with hurts…injuries… difficulties…and hardships…and eventually death.
The Bible clearly gives the reason that every person will eventually one day die…it is because of sin…that is the penalty…but don’t look to that as the explanation of why this man is blind…his blindness has nothing to do with sin.
His eventual death can be attributed to human sin…something every person is born with…but it has nothing to do with God punishing him or causing his blindness… this man was simply born blind.
Jesus is dispelling the Jewish belief that deformities and disabilities were the result of some specific sin by an individual or his parents.
Just looking at this story with no more information than we have…that should be obvious…it’s a little strange on the part of the disciples to even think that the man’s blindness was caused by his sin.
How could his sins have caused him to be blind, when his blindness was something he was born with? …a condition he had before he ever had an opportunity to sin.
SECONDLY…suffering can be a punishment for sin.
There are texts that clearly indicate that people did suffer…and die…as the consequence of their own evil ways.
Ananias and Sapphira sold some property and told those in charge of the collection that they would contribute the entire amount of the sale to charity…but when it came time to give the money they gave only a part of it but let on as if it was the entire amount…they kept the difference for themselves.
Their sin was in misrepresenting to both God and the apostles that they were giving the entire sale price.
They wanted everyone to think they were being honest in giving the entire amount when, in truth, they were not…their lying to God cost them their lives…they both died on the spot…but…again in this case…the man is simply born blind.
Let me just say one more thing related to sin and punishment…God does not punish Christians…there is a correlation between sin and punishment but not in the life of a Christian.
THIRDLY…God’s patience runs out.
This is a quality Abraham learned about God in last week’s message concerning Sodom…it is possible to exhaust God’s patience…we see this throughout the Bible.
God was patient with the people of Noah’s time [1 Pet. 3:20 /1 Pet. 3:9] …Noah was preaching to them while building the ark [Genesis 6:3; 2 Peter 2:5] but ultimately the entire world was destroyed except for eight people. God’s patience ran out.
God was patient with Israel for 40 years in the wilderness but there were times when their constant complaining and lack of faith prompted God to unleash His wrath upon them [Num. 14:22-24] …as a result thousands died by plagues … snakes…swords…fire…and even by the earth opening and swallowing them alive! God patience ran out.
God was patient with the entire nation of Israel…both northern and southern kingdoms of Israel including Judah until His compassion came to an end: [2 Chron. 36:15-17 / 2 Kings 17] the entire nation was overrun…the temple destroyed…they were killed by the thousands with thousands more being taken into slavery.
In Romans we see God’s patience running out with people today…people’s failure to listen to His command for all men everywhere to repent is not being heard…the Lord’s patience toward sinners will one day eventually run out [Rom. 2:4–5; 2 Peter 3:8–10] …this is the story of the book of Revelation.
FOURTH…this story disproves a number of myths:
…One is the mistaken idea of reincarnation…that hemust have sinned in a previous life and he’s being punished for it in this life…there is no reincarnation teaching in the Old Testament…OR
…Secondly…that his condition is the result of him sinning while in the womb before he was born…or
…Third…the idea of Karma…that a person’s suffering is somehow brought about by their own actions…that all suffering in this life is payment or punishment for prior acts of wrong doing.
…Four…the belief that sin and being handicapped or disabled were linked together.
Nowhere in Scripture does it reference that any of those four are reasons for suffering.
FIFTH… suffering reveals God’s glory.
Question: did God cause his blindness so some purpose of God might be achieved?
Commentators typically appeal to this passage as evidence that God causes infirmities…the NIV translation:
this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him
The wording in the NIV seems to support that idea…this translation seems to support the idea that Jesus is saying God caused this man to be born blind for his own glory.
Looking at the wording in the Greek reveals Jesus answering the disciples using the same syntax the disciples used when asking their question.
The Greek wording in both the question and the response uses the Greek word ἵνα (hina) which means… ‘in order that’ ‘with the result that’ … ‘for the purpose that’ indicating that what has occurred is the result of something…that God caused this for a purpose…so a more appropriate translation would actually be:
“Who sinned, this man or his parents (with the result that) he was born blind,” …Jesus replaces the misguided result clause of the disciples with a different result: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned (with the result that he was born blind), but with the result that the works of God be manifested in him.”
Their misguided understanding of sin causing him to be physically disabled can be partly the result of Old Testament teachings…a concept King David wrote about:
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful.” [Psalm 139:13]
SO…if I take this verse literally, it would seem that God is directly involved in the creation of everyone…that He forms each of us in the womb…and if that is correct that fosters the idea that there are no imperfections…that is not correct.
Some babies are born deformed or sick, so how can that be? …would God purposely allow or create a deformed or seriously ill child…NO…that would be a violation of His character to do so.
Birth defects can be the result of a number of things…the product of a genetic imperfection as the consequence of our fallen creation…by the things we ingest into our bodies…or the medications we take.
I don’t agree with the idea that God would will a child to be born blind so that some purpose might be achieved…this is validated in Jesus’ pointing to the result of the blindness, not the purpose of the blindness.
When Jesus says [3] … “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him,” He means two things:
First… there is a purpose in this man’s blindness…not that God caused it…but there is a divine design…there’s a plan…that the works of God will be displayed in him.
God knows all things. He knows exactly what is happening in the moment of conception…if there is a defective chromosome or some genetic irregularity God can simply say no…but He has reasons for its permission…those reasons are for his purposes…No child has ever been conceived in whom He has no plan.
Secondly…any attempt to deny God’s sovereign control over conception and birth is a head-on collision with [Ex. 4:11] … “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?’” [Ps 139:13] … “You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”
God was aware of this man’s condition before he was ever born…it was no surprise to God…BUT… as a result of his blindness God was able to use his blindness to show his work…not that God planned the blindness to show his work.
The disciples were asking for an explanation in the categories of cause…what is it that caused his blindness? … Jesus says that won’t work…instead He gives them an explanation in the category of purpose.
This specific suffering is not the result of the sins of the parents or the man…nor did God cause this man to be born blind…don’t look there for the explanation… stop looking for a cause…instead look for its purpose.
The disciples looked at the man and can only think of whose fault it is that he’s blind…Jesus looks at the man and sees an opportunity for God to be glorified.
Jesus says this is an occasion for the glory of God to be revealed…it is an opportunity for God’s works to be displayed.
The question of suffering and disability is not who sinned…the question is how this can be used for God’s glory.
If God was the cause of this man’s blindness that would make God the author of evil…it’s like the idea that God causes people to die…we see it in the worn-out phrase when someone is miraculously saved… “Guess it just wasn’t their time to go” …or the opposite if they do die… ‘well guess it was just their time” …Nothing could be further from the truth…the Bible tells us that:
all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be [Psalm 139:16]
God knows the day of your birth and the day of your death…this verse applies to every person ever born…each day of our life is recorded in His book before one of them actually occurs.
This is validated in [Ephesians 2:10] that God has already prepared for every person what He wants us to do for Him…He has already planned what He wants us to do with our lives…He has a unique plan for each of us to serve Him in this world.
This includes the giving of spiritual gifts in our lives to lead us in that service to Him…so yes, because God is omniscient, He absolutely knows everything about us including exactly when, where, and how we will die.
God already knows what will happen…so does that mean our fate is sealed? Does that mean we have absolutely no control over when we will die? …the answer is both ‘yes’ and ‘no’, depending on the perspective.
The answer is ‘yes’ from God’s perspective because He knows exactly when, where, and how we will die…the answer is “no” from our perspective because we do have an impact on when, where, and how we die.
For example, a person who commits suicide causes his own death…they would have lived longer had they not committed suicide so’ yes’ your decision does have an impact on the manner, timing, and place of your death…BUT ‘no’ it was no surprise to God because He knows when…where…and how you’re going to die.
Jesus shifts the emphasis from the cause to the purpose of His healing…So, then why was he born blind?
That the works of God might be made manifest in him [3]
Here’s what’s interesting about this story…if you read it…on the surface it seems as though this man was really lucky…that he was like a game show contestant who was picked out of a crowd of people to be healed…and too bad for everyone else.
That is not the case…Jesus performed thousands of miracles…John only writes about 7…John was inspired to choose 7 signs to clearly show that Jesus was the Messiah…Scripture reveals Jesus performed many more signs…miracles:
There are many other things which Jesus did…if they were written in detail the world itself would not contain the books that would be written [John 21:25]
John only records 7 so to think that this guy must have been really lucky and everyone else missed out is a wrong assumption…John just elected to use this incident for a specific purpose…to deal with the question of cause and effect.
Jesus goes on to say…what must be done…must be done while it is still day.
We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. [9:4]
Jesus is using the term ‘day’ to refer to the time left for Him to serve God… ‘night’ refers to the rapidly-approaching time when Jesus will die…it was probably about six months after this when He was put to death…ending His earthly life and works.
Jesus knows He has a finite amount of time to ‘work’ in His earthly ministry… He took advantage of every opportunity because He knew that His time in a physical body on earth was short…but while it continued, I must employ in doing the works which God has appointed Me because the night is coming.
But notice…in [v. 9] Jesus doesn’t say ‘I must work’ but rather ‘we must work’ (ἡμᾶς δεῖ ἐργάζεσθαι) as Christians…we have as well…only the days of our earthly lives to accomplish the work God has assigned to us.
This verse is about us looking for and taking advantage of every opportunity that comes our way every ‘day.’
Time and opportunities should not be wasted…we should look for opportunities to do good…not allowing any to pass…we go but once through this life…we cannot return to correct errors…or do-overs of neglected opportunities.
Rather than saying ‘I must work’ Jesus places an obligation on us to be responsible with our time by saying ‘we must’…as Christians we must not waste ‘day-time’.
The approach of death should quicken us to do two things:
FIRST…to be aware of all our opportunities to do good…what opportunities we have to do good…we should do quickly.
SECONDLY…for those not realizing they are on borrowed time…one day it will be too late to work out their salvation when the “night” of death comes…for who knows if you’ll be here tomorrow.