Who Sinned?
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