Jan 12 2019 John 9: 1-38

Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?

This morning, we read about the man born blind. His own disciples ask Jesus whether the blind man sinned, or his parents. This is always a painful part of Scripture – this repeating theme that bad things happen to bad people, or the children of bad people. Anyone with a child - or anyone who’s ever been a child cringes at this a little bit. Our sins result in blindness? Or worse, our parents’ sin causes our problems?

At one time, I was crowing like a rooster about the accomplishment of one of my children. A wise friend of mine commented that she tries to not take personally the accomplishments of her children, because then as a parent, you’re stuck taking personally the failings of your children. How true. We know it’s not really our doing when our kids do well or struggle, but it is hard to not take it personally.

But Jesus dissuades this argument that sin causes blindness passed down from generation. When asked who sinned, Jesus responds that neither the blind man nor his parents sinned. Rather, the blindness occurred so God’s works could be revealed in the blind man. This is a tricky lesson to hear. We would never want to suggest to a grieving parent that bad things happen so God’s works can be revealed; these are not words of comfort. But perhaps they are words of truth. Perhaps what this points to is that God can take broken things and make them beautiful, or that God’s light shines through the cracks in brokenness. And in broken things, broken people, God’s light and action is different, so the resulting reflection of that light in the world is different.

No one wants broken things. No one wants to be broken, or to have someone they love broken. This hits home for me this month, as I deal with the reality of a newly diagnosed schizophrenic child. It’s hard to wonder what we did, or didn’t do; what the child did or didn’t do to be broken. And it is no comfort at all to suggest that the brokenness occurred so God’s glory can be revealed. It is not an excuse, or a defense, or comforting in any way.

But I can begin to get my head around the idea that God can work through this brokenness in ways that are very different from others. God’s work in and through my child will be an unfolding that will be fascinating to share as we journey together these next few years. As the blind man says in this story, Lord, I believe.