John 9:1-7 | What's the lesson for me today?

Scholars and apologists have long studied the Scriptures in the pursuit of answering the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" There are a myriad of answers to this question and many have found places of solace to land. John Lennox draws a fantastic observation in light of this question. In addressing the problem of suffering, Lennox appropriately highlights the discomfort of this in recognizing that the answer never lands on a satisfactory conclusion. In wisdom, rather than answering the question with a statement, he responds to it with another question.

Is there evidence to suggest that there is a God out there who understands it?

What we have addressed here by way of Jesus is that there is indeed a God who understands the suffering and has done much in the way of addressing the problem without obliterating it.

In the instance of the Scripture we are studying, Jesus highlights that it was not because he or his parents had sinned that he was born blind. This serves as kind of a revolutionary thought to them. We may look at that and agree with Jesus, but I have been around enough to see how people respond to their own suffering. I've witnessed questions of, "What did I do to deserve this? I thought I was doing good; why did this happen? What door did I open to cause this?" It is astounding how we so quickly point fingers around trying to find a source to blame. It amazes me even more how we become so self-focused and insecure. If it is towards others, I am amazed at how quickly we become judgmental of another's state.

It makes sense to us that someone's suffering must be because they sinned. Jesus' answer gives us less comfort than that. Why had the man suffered blindness? He suffered it to show the power of God. So the lesson I take is this. My suffering may not be because of something I have done. It may be there to demonstrate the power of God. This mindset is powerful.

What lesson are you taking away?