John 9

Sickness and disease happen in life. They are not the punishment of God for sin, BUT, they can be used for His glory. This past week our pastor's Father, in his 60's, died from an invasive cancer. His Father was a man of God and a Pastor. Throughout the last nine months many of those closest to him made the statement that
he had shown them how to live
and
he had shown them how to die.
Their witness touched many others who heard this. He gave God the glory of his life and
the glory of his death. We prayed for a miracle but
he considered both, life or death,
a gift of God.
God allows life to happen. Sometimes He steps in with a miraculous touch,
sometimes death is that miraculous touch. To those who have had their eyes opened to the truth of Jesus Christ it is not the end of life but just the beginning of an eternity spent with God. In all things to God be the glory!

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see."

16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath."

18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. 19 And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?"

20 His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself." 22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner."

25 He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."

26 Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?"

27 He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?"

33 If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."

34 They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"

36 He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"

37 And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."

38 Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him.

39 And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."

The NKJV says this:

It was commonly supposed that sickness was a result of sin. It would follow that sins committed by a baby still in the womb or sin committed by parents could result in a baby being born with a disease. Jesus rejected both suggestion.God allowed the man to be born blind so that Jesus could heal him and thus reveal the works of God, His healing power. John emphasizes that the name Siloam means "Sent," because Jesus had just announced that He had been sent by God. The Pharisees could not believe that Jesus was from God because He had healed on the Sabbath, thereby breaking the oral traditions that had grown up around the Law. But those who fairly evaluated Jesus' miraculous signs came to the conclusion that He was from God. To be put out of the synagogue was to be excommunicated. These judgments were very serious because no one could conduct business with a person who was excommunicated. ). Attempting to put words in the man's mouth, the Jewish leaders said they knew Jesus was a sinner. In their view, healing on the Sabbath was breaking the Law. So to them, Jesus was a sinner. John specifically mentions that this sign signified Christ's glory, that is, His deity. With this sign Jesus demonstrated His creative power over nature, and His disciples appropriately placed their faith in Him. The Jewish leaders' traditions and ideas kept them from believing in the clear signs of Jesus. Not even death could limit Him, for He was truly God. Jesus is God's only Son become man. Although He died for our sins, He was raised from the dead. Today, He still lives and intercedes for all who believe in Him. Faith must have a proper object. Jesus, not faith, saves. Faith is only a channel to the worthy object, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus did not come into the world to execute judgment Nevertheless, the inevitable result of His coming is judgment, because some refuse to believe. As the light of the world, Jesus came that the blind might see and those who think they can see will be made blind.