Daily devotion – Why?
John 9: 1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
Why? This is a question I have been asked many times when dealing with people going through great trauma and grief.
The disciples in our text voiced the same question of all suffering: “Why?” and then give Jesus two possible answers. According to their thinking, the blindness was the result either of the blind man’s sin or his parents’ sin.
But the issue here is NOT sin. Jesus would explain in verses 3-5 – “Rather, this man’s misery gives Me opportunity for ministry.”
That is the way it always is. Misery always opens the door for ministry!
If you are at this time going through a storm of grief or difficulty, be careful that you don’t become introspective and wonder what you have done wrong to deserve it. This was the dangerous path that Job’s friends travelled down to attempt to explain to Job for his grief.
Just as Jesus did to His disciples, Jesus would say to you today, “Sin is not the issue.” The question is not, “Who caused the misery?” The question is, “Will you allow Me to demonstrate My glory through it in order that a blind world might see My reality and be made whole?”
Let us never waste our times of sorrow or suffering! Sorrow always has its purpose!