Thoughts on the Gospel of John (67) - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2023

Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. Now as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.
John 8:59-9:3.

Thoughts on the Gospel of John (67)
In chapter 8 of this gospel the emphasis lies on Jesus’ sayings. He told His listeners what He had heard from the Father (v. 26). In chapter 9 the emphasis is on His works.

The Lord was about to perform an act of grace on a blind person. We find something similar in Luke 18:35-43, where a blind beggar calls for Jesus and is finally led to Him and healed. In John 9, however, we see something that is typical of this gospel. The initiative is taken by Christ Himself. God came to mankind in Christ in order to testify and prove His love towards them. In this case no-one had appealed to Christ, neither the blind man nor his parents. In His love for mankind Christ took the first step.

The disciples sought to apply their traditional religious teaching to this case. There were two possibilities: either the man had suffered blindness because God had foreseen some sin in him, or his parents had sinned. In His answer the Lord showed that a long or severe illness was not necessarily the result of any particular sin. Whatever the cause, God can use illnesses to act in His grace and help to reveal His glory and love.

(to be continued next Sunday)

Today’s reading: Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 · Mark 4:21-34