What did He say about pain, suffering, and birth defects? How did He answer those questions? There is a fascinating account of when his disciples asked this very question. Read the whole story first in the Bible in the Gospel of John 9:1-41 then read on below.
“Who sinned this man or his parents that he was born blind”, asked the disciples of Jesus. In debate class this is called a dilemma. It has two options, both bad. Notice first what is implied by the question: blindness is a result of sin. This was a common understanding in their culture. It is still common today. Even in worldviews without a personal god, the concept of karma persists. We say, “What goes around comes around.” “You get what you deserve.”
Notice the implication of the choices. If the answer is A) the man himself sinned and is blind as a result, then how it that possible? Can an unborn baby really offend a holy God? Can a fetus do evil? Choice B, his parents sinned. That has problems as well. Why should this man suffer his entire life because of something a parent did? That doesn’t seem fair. (In reality though many people today suffer the consequences of choices made by their parents.)
Jesus chooses “None of the above.” That is just like Him to surprise us with a new way of looking at life. He didn’t say sin never causes suffering, certainly it does, for the sinner and those they sin against. But Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.'” John 9:3 In essence He says, God is going to use his blindness for a purpose.
What Jesus did next is shocking, even to us today. He spat on the ground, made some mud, and put it on the man’s eyes. Without being asked! Spit and mud are dirty things today, in that culture it was completely disgusting. Add to this the fact that the man had not asked to be healed, he was just an innocent bystander. Jesus initiated. Did it require any faith for him to go and wash? Wouldn’t you if somebody put spit and mud on your eyes?
Well, the man is healed, and this becomes a really big deal with the Pharisees, who were responsible for interpreting (and creating) the many religious and dietary religious rules of the Jews. They already had big doubts about Jesus, but the fact that he healed the man on the Sabbath (a day when any kind of work was prohibited) made it clear to them that Jesus could not possibly be from God. The entertaining story ends with this uneducated man who had been blind presenting a logical argument to the most educated men in the nation that they were unable to refute. Their response was, “Are you teaching us?”, and they excommunicated him.
There are many interesting lessons in this account. For one we see that Jesus received worship from the blind man (verse 38) by which He acknowledges His deity. (The scriptures are very clear that no one is to worship anyone or anything but God alone.) Relevant to our question of suffering, is His answer that this man had been born blind for a specific purpose, “that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Jesus pointed out a purpose for suffering the disciples had not considered.
If you want a more modern example of how “the works of God” are displayed through suffering a handicap, consider Fanny Crosby 1820-1915. She lived with blindness for 95 years, but in her case, God did not heal her. Instead, she used her handicap to give glory to God and wrote over 8000 hymns and songs. Some of the most famous are “Blessed Assurance” and “To God Be the Glory”.
If you prefer a living example Nick Vujicic demonstrates the works of God in a life without limbs.
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