“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). Jesus permitted no speculation about the causes of evil or disasters that were in the news of His day, like Pilate’s slaying of Galileans in worship or 18 people on whom a tower fell (Luke 13:1-5). He rejected the common idea that bad things happen only to bad people. He did not blame the blind man nor his parents; He acted to help him. We are not called to speculate on the news of our day as to why bad things happen or are happening (truth is we really don’t know), but we do know that we are called to help them. We can blame the destitute for where they are and so think that exempts us from helping. Take another look at Jesus’ methods, stop speculating on why folks suffer and get busy and help. It is the way the Kingdom of God acts.
You are reading “Sonlight for the Soul” by H. Lamar Smith
