It is a classic text in that this is the question people deeply want to ask in times of national disaster, who sinned, that this terrible very bad thing happened? When Jesus was asked, they could have been asking about generational sin, what this the sin of the father manifest in the son? Or was the blindness due to his own sin? Four chapters later, in a different gospel, Jesus will be asked a nearby question twice, but this time he answers so differently:
Luke 13 Some who were present on that occasion told Jesus about the Galileans whom Pilate had killed while they were offering sacrifices. 2 He replied, “Do you think the suffering of these Galileans proves that they were more sinful than all the other Galileans? 3 No, I tell you, but unless you change your hearts and lives, you will die just as they did. 4 What about those twelve people who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think that they were more guilty of wrongdoing than everyone else who lives in Jerusalem?5 No, I tell you, but unless you change your hearts and lives, you will die just as they did.”"Unless you change your ways, you will die just as they did," Jesus says, twice, but in this week's passage he replies "This happened so that God’s mighty works might be displayed in him."
Both times people are asking about the relationship between sin and suffering, if suffering is the punishment for our sin. In the week of the Boston Marathon bombing, and a fertilizer plant in West, Texas exploding it is a question a lot of people are asking. "Why did this happen?" "Who sinned?"
The both answers seem harsh:
"so that God’s mighty works might be displayed" in the rescue efforts?
"if you don't change your ways, you end up just as dead?"
Back to the story, there is an investigation launched by the Temple authorities and after the man gets thrown out the Jesus finds him and asks him if he believes, "Tell me," he says not using the language of the sighted, "so that I may believe in him." Jesus replies him, "You have now seen him"
As you bring up the tragedies of the past week, all I can say is that I will always seek to "see" God's hand in all things, whether I understand or not.
ReplyDeletethe last week tragedies have put in focus that our relationship with God should be as good as we can make it. To repent and ask forgiveness to go about our daily lives, trying to be a living testament of Christ in everything we do. I attach no blame to these different tragedies in the way of sinning. For all sin is wrong in God's eyes. But from tragedies may be lives have been brought to Jesus. We can only hope so.
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