When God Heals...and When He Doesn't
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. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. John 9:1-7
The disciples look at a blind man and immediately assume cause. Someone must have sinned. Someone must have failed. There must be a spiritual explanation that makes sense of this suffering. It is a very human instinct. When we encounter pain, we want a reason. When we encounter sickness, we want a formula.
Jesus disrupts all of it.
“It was not that this man sinned, or his parents.” In one sentence, He dismantles the idea that every affliction is the direct result of personal sin. He does not say sin has no consequences. He does not deny that we live in a fallen world. But He refuses to let suffering be reduced to a simplistic equation.
Then He says something even more striking. “That the works of God might be displayed in him.” This man’s blindness becomes a stage for the glory of God. Not because God delights in pain, but because God is able to redeem it.
This passage introduces us to divine healing, but it does not give us a formula. Jesus heals this man, but not every blind man in Israel. He heals this one, in this moment, for His purposes. That alone should humble us.
We pray for healing because Jesus heals. We ask boldly because He is powerful. But we do not demand. We do not manipulate. We do not assume that every sickness is the result of hidden sin or weak faith. Jesus never says that to a suffering person here.
Sometimes sickness is the result of living in a broken world. Sometimes it is the result of poor choices. Sometimes it is spiritual attack. Sometimes we simply do not know. What we do know is this, Jesus is the light of the world, and wherever He steps into darkness, something changes.
Our job is to bring the need to Him. His job is to decide how to respond.
The blind man obeyed. He went and washed. And he came back seeing. But the deeper miracle is not only that his eyes were opened, it is that the works of God were displayed. Whether through healing or endurance, that is still the aim. When you pray for healing, pray with real faith. But let your faith rest in who Jesus is, not in a guarantee of a specific outcome. He is good. He is powerful. He is wise.
And He is never on trial.
The disciples look at a blind man and immediately assume cause. Someone must have sinned. Someone must have failed. There must be a spiritual explanation that makes sense of this suffering. It is a very human instinct. When we encounter pain, we want a reason. When we encounter sickness, we want a formula.
Jesus disrupts all of it.
“It was not that this man sinned, or his parents.” In one sentence, He dismantles the idea that every affliction is the direct result of personal sin. He does not say sin has no consequences. He does not deny that we live in a fallen world. But He refuses to let suffering be reduced to a simplistic equation.
Then He says something even more striking. “That the works of God might be displayed in him.” This man’s blindness becomes a stage for the glory of God. Not because God delights in pain, but because God is able to redeem it.
This passage introduces us to divine healing, but it does not give us a formula. Jesus heals this man, but not every blind man in Israel. He heals this one, in this moment, for His purposes. That alone should humble us.
We pray for healing because Jesus heals. We ask boldly because He is powerful. But we do not demand. We do not manipulate. We do not assume that every sickness is the result of hidden sin or weak faith. Jesus never says that to a suffering person here.
Sometimes sickness is the result of living in a broken world. Sometimes it is the result of poor choices. Sometimes it is spiritual attack. Sometimes we simply do not know. What we do know is this, Jesus is the light of the world, and wherever He steps into darkness, something changes.
Our job is to bring the need to Him. His job is to decide how to respond.
The blind man obeyed. He went and washed. And he came back seeing. But the deeper miracle is not only that his eyes were opened, it is that the works of God were displayed. Whether through healing or endurance, that is still the aim. When you pray for healing, pray with real faith. But let your faith rest in who Jesus is, not in a guarantee of a specific outcome. He is good. He is powerful. He is wise.
And He is never on trial.
Posted in The Word Made Flesh
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