Why did the blind man in John 9 have to suffer being blind from birth since neither he nor his parents were guilty of sin?
Let’s read that portion. John 9:1-7 says, “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. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.”
It is interesting to see that the Lord’s disciples assumed that someone must have sinned to cause this man to be born blind. Perhaps his parents had sinned and were punished by having their son born blind. It is a little laughable that they thought perhaps this man was born blind because of his own sin…sins he would have had to commit before he was born!
The true reason this man was born blind is found in verse three, “that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” What a wonderful privilege it was for this man to be used of God to manifest His love and power. The Lord waited until the time was right to show Himself to others and He used this blind man to show His power. What an honor to be used of the Lord in this way! The Apostle Paul rejoiced to serve and honor the Lord, whether through his life or his death as we read in Philippians 1:20-23, “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.”
Today, there are those who teach that all sicknesses and diseases are the direct results of sin on the afflicted one’s life. While it is entirely possible that one’s sinful lifestyle can cause sickness, it is not always the case. We realize that one who smokes has a greater risk of lung cancer. One who drinks alcohol has a greater risk of liver cancer. The examples are limitless. However, we read in James 5:15 that, “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and IF he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” Notice that little word ‘IF’. This verse speaks to the power of Spirit led prayer to bring results. In this case, the one who was sick could have his faithful friends visit and pray for him. The Lord may be pleased to heal this person, and IF there are outstanding sins in his life, they will be forgiven. It is obvious here that not all maladies are caused by direct sins as a punishment from the Lord.
Certainly, all sicknesses and death come about because we all sin and are subject to sickness and death. Even believers are subject to sickness and death. In times of suffering, we need to learn our dependence upon the Lord and His sufficiency for our every need. We read in 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” We also read in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” If we should begin to focus too much on our present sufferings for the Lord, we are assured in Romans 8:18, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (CC) (631.2)