Skip to main content

Sin, Suffering, and Jesus


“Never since the world began
has it been heard that anyone opened
the eyes of a person born blind”
(from John 9:1-41).


Otto, a fish in the children’s book, A Fish Out of Water, is overfed even after careful feeding instructions.

"When you feed a fish, never feed him a lot. So much and no more! Never more than a spot, or something may happen! You never know what."

What happened was Otto outgrew every container until he finally became too large for the town swimming pool.

The man born blind story appears to have undergone similar development, as much of the discussion centers on the story of his healing.

This is a typical pattern in John. Jesus performs a miracle; people try finding the meaning and usually miss the mark.

In the parable, Jesus is asked, “Who sinned?”

The question comes from the ancient people’s belief that a sin was committed since there is suffering and sickness.

Jesus questions that kind of theological thinking creating a complex answer: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned.”

In other words, he may have been born blind due to an infection or some other natural causes.

Jesus heals the man, but the Pharisees miss don’t see God acting among them.

The healing from the suffering of blindness happened because of Jesus’ intervention.

Sin, suffering, and healing are all connected in the story, but it is Jesus’ actions that transform these realities.

This sin, suffering, and healing distinguishes our spiritual needs and physical ailments.

Jesus’ healing touch does more than address physical ailments.

Jesus also meets deeper spiritual needs, such as forgiveness.

When Jesus enters someone’s life, both physical issues and deeper spiritual needs are met which restores a relationship to God offering hope and peace.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grantchester's Warning

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, the owner would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (from Luke 12:32-40 ) I regularly watch Grantchester; a murder mystery set in 1950s England. The main characters are a local detective and an Anglican priest who, as a team, solve mysteries set in the town. Two aspects of Grantchester impress me. First, the simplicity of the 1950’s police communications done by a landline phone and not cell phone. Second, the simplicity of daily life with little television and fewer possessions allowing the characters to focus on their vocation of detective and priest. This simplicity is more than a nostalgic return to the “good old days”. Instead, it’s a Shaker type of simplicity where austerity allows freedom from distractions to focus on worship and community. Today’s distraction-filled world has seemingly countless activ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Ruler of All Earthly Kings

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. (from Rev. 1:4-8 ) About 17 years ago I wrote a letter to the people in the United Church of Underhill. The purpose of the letter was to explain I was retiring at the end of the Conference Year. I felt the time had come for me personally to move on and for the church to grow with a new pastor. I secured a moving company while the church formed a search committee as we both prepared for the inevitable. This is the nature of the book of Revelation, as recorded in 1:4: “John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia.” This is Revelation’s context: it was written for the benefit of particular people at a particular time for their particular situation. John’s letter narrates a drama about God’s imminent invasion of the “kingdom of this world” ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus, Deliverance, and Demons

"Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind." (from Luke 8:26-39 ) Astrid is a streaming program I often watch. The plot is a basic cops and robbers action until the criminal is caught. The uniqueness of the program is Astrid, who is on the Autism spectrum, is brilliant at solving puzzles including connecting clues to solve the crime. Watching this program has given me a more profound insight to people living with this condition and their acceptance in society. My first-hand experience with children on the Spectrum was driving a Special Needs school bus for 6 years. With this experience, I can imagine the life the possessed man was experiencing, especially living among the tombs, bound with chains and shackles, having to live in the wilds. It was no wonder he cried for mercy. Jesus, with his power and mercy, cast the demons out and even...
Post a Comment
Read more