Why Do We Suffer?

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 9:1-3, NKJV)

The Gospel of John Chapter 9 is a remarkable story. In this story, our Lord Jesus turns a blind man into a believer, a prophet, and a teacher of the Jews! But, why was the man born blind?

Christ’s disciples think they are delving into big-time theology when they can converse with the “expert,” God’s Messiah, about the legal niceties of responsibility for sin. But, our Lord will have nothing of it. He simply will not talk about or calculate the consequences of the man’s sin. He even says that the real reason for the man’s blindness isn’t his sin! But, how can he say this? Our Lord can say this because there is something bigger than judgment for sin. There is something so big that it swallows up sin! This is revealed in the “works of God”!

Now we know that the man born blind could not have been born blind if Adam had not sinned. The man is guilty. So are his parents. They are all guiltier than the disciples even imagine. But, God in his inscrutable sovereignty did not permit sin in order to simply bring a curse. He permitted sin in order to show himself the Savior. Jesus portrays the healing of this blind man as a manifestation of the good works of God, reversing and counteracting the evil works of man. God is good, and he is good to sinners. He is the saving God. The “works of God,” which are his glory, are saving works. And, his saving works are greater than all our sin! Christ is so zealous to save and to show forth the works of God that he puts the blind man’s sins out of his mind! He simply refuses to bring them up against him—forever.

So, why is there suffering? Yes, suffering and death come by sin. But, there is a greater glory than the glory of God’s justice in punishing sinners. His greater glory is in saving them!

As we trust in Christ, the mystery behind our tribulations, our sorrows, our sins and sufferings is revealed: They are grounds for the saving works of God to be revealed. Therefore, let him save! Expect him to save! Pray for deliverance and salvation! There is a greater “Yes!” that waits behind every “No!” or “Wait!” that he gives in answer to our prayers. That “Yes!’ will finally come, and we will fulfill our highest destiny glorifying him in it and enjoying him forever!