When our lives are met with difficulty or tragedy, sometimes we may hear a voice which says, “This has happened because you did something wrong; it is because you sinned.” This teaching that your problems are because of your sin is denied by the whole book of Job. The disciples wanted to blame a blind man’s blindness on his sins or his parent’s sins. There is often no direct correlation between bad things happening to you and your own past conduct. The sad thing is this accusing voice we hear can paralyze and depress us. No matter what is going on in your life, it is an opportunity for God’s work to be made manifest. His work is to make good come out of bad.
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” John 9:1-3 (ESV)
