As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’” vss. 1-2
John 9:1-7
It was natural for the disciples to have questions about the blind man. In their world, a person blind from birth would be an anomaly, and they wanted to know how and why things like this occurred. There had to be a cause, and they strongly believed that it had something to do with sin. We often jump to similar conclusions about people who experience misfortune in their lives. We assume that their plight has something to do with their prior behavior or from poor parenting. Sadly, in some circles mothers often get the blame for the way their children turn out. For many, finding fault in others is often a favorite topic of conversation. They love speculating about reasons for addictions or behaviors. And of course, sometimes there are discernible causes for the ugly things that happen–behaviors do have consequences. But Jesus doesn’t seem to have been interested in assessing blame when he encountered hurting people. Instead he offered compassion and healing. It was an opportunity for him to glorify God through service and love. His attitude reminds believers that it is far more important to talk to suffering people than about them. When people hurt, they’re looking for support and love; they don’t need our speculation about their failures.
Thought for the Day: Why are mothers often made into scapegoats?
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