“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” John 3:9
Jesus had just made the Pharisees very angry by speaking of eternal life and being in the presence of Abraham in Heaven, thus discrediting their arguments that Jesus cannot be the Son of God. They picked up stones to kill Him but it was not yet time. As He was leaving He healed a man blind since birth. Wow, Jesus is fleeing death threats and stops to help the helpless!
It was traditional thought that bad things happened to bad people, so if you were suffering you obviously had a secret sin that needed to be confessed and atoned. Jesus put this assumption to rest. Suffering is a result of the downfall of the human race, but particular people are not targeted. God is NOT petty or vengeful.
God seeks to bring good from bad. This man’s blindness led to a face to face encounter with Jesus. Not only were his eyes were open but his heart was too, and he believed.
To believe through despair that God is Good is an act of great faith. Seek the face of Jesus. All you need is found there.
Love,
Gretchen