John 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Have Open Eyes
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Do you know anyone with problems? Is that person you? All of us have problems, and most of the time we don’t ask for them. In fact, none of us would consciously ask for problems. Sometimes we sin and problems result, but not every problem is the direct result of specific sin.
John 9:1 says, “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” There was a working, solid assumption among the disciples that this was the result of sin. There is no doubt that we live in a sin-cursed earth and that the pain and suffering come from that sin, but not every problem that you have comes because of a specific sin.
What was Jesus answer to the assumption of the disciples? Jesus answered, “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” The word “manifest” means “to make actual and visible.” The purpose of this man’s blindness was so God’s works would be made visible.
What was Jesus teaching here? He is teaching us to have open eyes to whatever it is that God wants to show you through problems. No matter the source of the problem, God wants to use it to shape, strengthen, and teach you. In this particular case, this man was given sight by the Lord Jesus, and there were lessons of obedience, faith, and courage. The broader story is about those who are blind. A blind man received his physical sight, and spiritually blind men were willfully ignorant.
Jesus healed this man on the Sabbath day, and his countrymen asked him, “What happened to you?” This man told them how Jesus healed him, but they were skeptical. They asked the man’s parents, “What happened to your son?” The parents pleaded ignorance. They were fearful because they were afraid of being put out of the synagogue where it was dangerous to acknowledge Who Jesus was.
Two things can blind us. Fear blinds. Sometimes we are willfully ignorant because we know that if we acknowledge what it is that we know, we will be obligated to act in response to the truth. These parents said, “Ask our son what happened to him. He is an adult. We don’t know.” They were missing, at least at this stage, the lesson that Jesus wanted to teach because they were fearful.
Hatred blinds, especially hatred born of pride. These countrymen of the blind man, especially the religious leaders, were blind. Their hatred had blinded them to the Lord Jesus. These perfectly whole people were completely blind because they didn’t want to see, but this simple man came in childlike faith to the Lord Jesus. When Jesus asked him, “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” he answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?” Jesus replied, “Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talkest with thee.” And the blind man said, “Lord, I believe.”
This calamity of blindness had not happened because God hated this man. In fact, it was His grace that restored this man’s sight. This happened that the works of God would be manifest, made actual and visible in his life. I don’t know what God wants to teach in your life today, but don’t let fear or hatred blind you. Look to Jesus and hear what He says.