That the Works of God May Be Seen

“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? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” John 9:1-3

As Jesus and His disciples passed by a blind man, the disciples made an assumption that the reason he was born blind was because someone had sinned. They asked, “Who did sin, this man, or his parents?” Jesus immediately corrected them by giving them a third option that they had never considered. Jesus said that neither the man nor his parents had sinned, but that it happened so that the works of God could be manifested (clearly seen) in his life. Have you ever had something uncomfortable, unpleasant, or painful in your life or in the life of someone you love and wondered why it was there? Sometimes God allows us to suffer through difficult circumstances so that He can show Himself strong and receive the glory from our lives. I’m sure this man did not enjoy being blind. Undoubtedly, this handicap was difficult for him. During all of the years that he experienced hardship growing up and learning to function the best that he could without sight, he never knew that God had a purpose. But when Jesus healed him, he suddenly had an obvious purpose for his trial. If he had not been born blind, he would never have experienced being healed by Jesus, and God would not have been glorified in his life.