born blind

In John 9 Jesus is asked, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus steps out of the theological corner into which his disciples have painted themselves and tells them, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.”

I’m a person who’s spiritually and emotionally blind. I’m wounded by the many blunders I’ve made: broken relationships, stupid choices, ill-conceived plans, all stemming from lack of foresight or from ignoring the data in front of me. My tendency is to either blame myself or (in the tradition of Freud) my parents. But Jesus offers me the hope that God is working through all of the mess of my life, and that he has a better design than I or my parents or anyone else around me could have imagined.

In fact, Jesus offers that hope as motivation to get out of my corner, stop licking my wounds, and move ahead with confidence that God is using me for the good of his Kingdom: “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” As long as Jesus is my light, he can shine through me to bring light into this world.