Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• There is a general conception in some tribes and those who follow karma
  • Good will happen if you do good
  • Bad will happen if you do bad
• The conclusion is often that suffering is a bad omen / a sign that you have done something wrong
  • Sadly, this implied teaching is found in some extreme sections of the Church - example
  • This can be part of people's psyche
    • "I don't know what I have done to deserve this"
    • They feel suffering is the result of something they have done wrong
• John 9 deals with this
  • 'Who sinned?'
  • “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (v1)
  • Jesus corrected this misconception
• Overview:
  • Why was this a misconception?
  • What is God's purpose in suffering and sickness?
  • What is the greatest miracle?

Why was this a misconception/a misguided question?

• Have you noticed that evil people seem to prosper?
  • Bad things do not always happen to bad people
  • There is no correlation to man's morality and their suffering - examples
  • Suffering seems to be random - examples
  • Psalms, Ecclesiastes
• The Bible teaches none of us is immune from suffering due to sin
  • This world is full of sadness
• For Christians - this world is not our home
  • Our true home is in glory
    • Where there is no pain, sickness or suffering
    • There will be a new earth
    • Sin will no longer be present
    • We will be with Christ forever
  • This world is in a sense a world of testing - example
  • This world is temporary
    • We must fix our eyes on the permanent unseen world/the world to come
• It seems the disciples had imbibed the Rabbi's false teachings
  • Examples - misapplication of the promise and curses pronounced to Israel
    • They had missed parts of the Old Testament - Ezekiel 18
  • There are examples of individual judgment - Gehazi, Miriam, Uzzah (in the Old Testament); Ananias & Sapphira, 1 Cor 11 [in the New Testament]
    • Yes, God can do this
    • We are not to judge people
• Jesus was clear this man had not sinned to be born blind
  • The Rabbi's believed in prenatal sin
  • The Rabbi's believed the sins of the parents could affect the children
    • "Neither this man nor his parents sinned" (v3)
  • We must always be careful of judging others when bad things happen
    • Luke 13:1-5 - Jesus rebukes such thinking
  • Illness and sickness is a result of Adam's sin
    • We are sinful and therefore we do suffer in some way
    • We must not point out the sins/sufferings of others but have our sins made right [forgiven] before God
• Jesus corrects the misguided teaching

What is God's purpose in suffering and sickness?

• "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him" (v3)
  • God was not the author of His blindness - his condition was part of the fall
    • God was sovereign in this situation
    • Jesus would heal him
• Jesus was not concerned with a theological debate (with the disciples) - His concern was for the blind man
  • Humans often want to know many things and can have theological debates over these things
  • God is not concerned with speculative debate but concerned with people
• Jesus was the light of the world
  • There were few healings in the Old Testament
  • There were hundred of healings in the New Testament wrought by Jesus
• It was a proof of Jesus' power and a future free of suffering
• People are not often healed - examples
  • Ps 119:67, 71, 75-76
• Consider if there was:
  • No sin/no Saviour
  • No fall/no redemption
  • No rebellion/no incarnation
  • No death, resurrection and second coming of Jesus
  • No heaven
  • No better state than the Garden of Eden
• This does not give a total answer, we cannot know the mind of God
  • "The judge of all the earth will do right" Gen 18:25

What is the greatest miracle?

• No miracle had ever been done like this!
  • It was a stupendous miracle
• The greatest miracle was not the physical healing but the spiritual healing
  • The salvation of the blind man
• The blind man believed Jesus and followed His instructions
  • The clay - a sign of the Creator
  • A tremendous act of compassion
• Follow-up events:
  • There is initial doubt over the miracle
  • The blind man had little knowledge of Jesus
  • The pharisees do not want to believe
  • The parents do not want to challenge the pharisees
  • The blind man challenges the pharisees
  • The pharisees ex-communicate the blind man
  • Jesus finds the man and challenges him to salvation and he believes (John 9:35-38)
• The greatest miracles happen on the inside
  • Salvation
• Challenge:
  • Do you believe in the Son of God?
    • Are things happening in your life?
    • Confess Jesus as the Son of God
    • The greatest miracle is that of salvation
  • Do not be judged like the pharisees (John 9:39-41)
    • They were blind and their sins remained
  • Who sinned?
    • The Pharisees - they were still in their sin
    • Are you still in your sin? - confess Christ as Lord