“‘Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither …,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.’”
John 9:2-3
The disciples wanted to know why the man was blind. Such a condition was presumed to be the result of sin. Whose guilt caused it? Neither the man’s sin nor his parents’ was the culprit, Jesus declared. The glory of God was at stake. Rather than condemn anyone, Jesus taught that the man’s blindness was designed to show God’s glory.
“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me” (v. 4), Jesus said, and then restored the man’s sight. When a bleeding patient arrives in the emergency room, the doctor is not concerned with who’s to blame; he needs only to stop the bleeding. Likewise, Jesus looked beyond sin and was filled with compassion. The presence of darkness is an opportunity to shine and give glory to God.
When Robert Louis Stevenson was a young boy, he watched a lamplighter lighting streetlamps. When his nanny asked him what he was doing, he replied, “I’m watching a man punch holes in the darkness.” Jesus punched holes in our darkness, restoring sight and bringing each of us into His glorious light.
“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me” (v. 4), Jesus said, and then restored the man’s sight. When a bleeding patient arrives in the emergency room, the doctor is not concerned with who’s to blame; he needs only to stop the bleeding. Likewise, Jesus looked beyond sin and was filled with compassion. The presence of darkness is an opportunity to shine and give glory to God.
When Robert Louis Stevenson was a young boy, he watched a lamplighter lighting streetlamps. When his nanny asked him what he was doing, he replied, “I’m watching a man punch holes in the darkness.” Jesus punched holes in our darkness, restoring sight and bringing each of us into His glorious light.
Scripture Focus
John 9:1-7
Insight
Where do you see darkness? How can you“punch holes” with Jesus’ light into the shadows of our sin-tainted world?
Bible In A Year
- Judges 1-2
- Psalm 109
- Romans 11-12
