Radical Reasoning

When we see or experience suffering, our first instinct is usually to utter the age-old monosyllable: “Why?” We know that we won’t be given a single, conclusive answer. We may get a jumble of hypotheses from well-meaning friends or a matter-of-fact explanation from a family member. Or, least comforting of all, we’ll be met with silence followed by a hesitating, “Um…I really don’t know.” Well, at least that’s honest. Not helpful, but honest. 

But wouldn’t it be great to get a real reason once in a while? What if we could ask the One who actually has the answer to the tormenting query? And what if, even more amazingly, we could hear His reply? 

Information Overload

Now, I know you’ve been inundated with COVID-19 information, from news and radio to social media and firsthand experience. I bet your email inbox is flooded with assurances that companies are doing their part to help the community—companies as diverse as Amazon, Dollar General, KFC, and Victoria’s Secret. You’ve probably read conjectures about what we can expect in the future and how we should respond in the present. Some of those are helpful and some aren’t, but all the bases have been covered. There’s really nothing left to say about the virus situation. 

But I’ll go ahead and say something anyway. 

I don’t claim to have a supernatural, extrabiblical revelation or anything, but I did hear from God this morning. As I read my Bible, God opened my eyes with the story of the man born blind. (Pun intended.) It’s a fairly familiar story, but something that Jesus said stood out to me in a fresh way. Take a look. 

John 9:1-7

As [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 
Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 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.” 
Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

False Assumptions and a Real Reason

You’ve got to love the disciples. I don’t know for sure what motivated their multiple-choice question to the Maker, but it seems like they wanted to impress Jesus with their astute perception. They reasoned that if there was suffering of this nature, then it must be a punishment for sin. Therefore, the sin belonged either to the man himself or to his parents. Elementary, my dear Watson. 

But Jesus’ response came out of left field. Dismissing options A and B, he informed the disciples that the true answer is option C: instead of being a punishment for sin, the man’s blindness is an opportunity to see God at work. “’It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” What a powerful insight! Now, to be thorough, are there situations where there is more to the story? Sure. For example, John Piper shares a short devotional with several Biblical purposes for suffering, and I found it very helpful. So sometimes there is more to the story, but there is never less. All suffering—like all of life—is a platform on which the works of God can be displayed.

Carpe Occasio

Jesus goes on to say, “’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.’” This explanation has layer upon layer, as you’d expect from the Source of all wisdom, but one immediate takeaway is the time crunch. Right now, he says, is the perfect moment to display the works of God. We won’t always have this same chance. Carpe occasio—seize the opportunity. 

When he describes himself as the Light of the world, he uses the most fitting description for the situation. The man in question was born blind. While his deepest need was for spiritual sight, Jesus took time to heal his physical sight as well, introducing him to the light and the Light all at once. There are several hypotheses about why Jesus heals him with spit-mud, (Was he creating new eyes from the dust like in Genesis? Was he using tactile means because the man was blind?) but the point is that Jesus healed him. The man had been blind, but now he could see. Jesus also returns to the man later that day and declares himself as Lord. The man was now complete; he saw clearly to worship his healer. 

Light in the Darkness

Now, this probably isn’t the best time to start spitting on people. Actually, there probably isn’t a good time to start spitting on people. But this is the perfect time to start seeing and meeting the needs around us. Right now, people are afraid. They’re scared for their families, health, supplies, finances, and futures. For those of us who know the Source of life and peace, what a great chance to share Him! 

Rather than saying, “Be warmed and fed,” and then walking away (James 2:16), we have an opportunity to meet real needs—physical and spiritual. My home state of Michigan is currently under quarantine, and your state may be in the same position, so we will have to think outside the box for how to help. It could be as simple as calling a lonely person, baking bread for neighbors, picking up groceries for senior citizens, sewing face masks for healthcare workers, praying with someone who’s afraid, or sending cards through the mail. I’m sure you can come up with a dozen more creative ways. The point is to seize the opportunity. He has called us to be light in the darkness, and this is our moment to shine His love.

On a Mission

After Jesus anointed the man’s eyes with mud, he told him to go wash them off in the pool of Siloam—a word that means “sent.” The man wasn’t just sent to rinse his eyes and get his sight back; he was also sent to tell the good news to everyone. If you’ve been rescued by God, you’ve been sent, too. “And [Jesus] died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Cor. 5:15). In these crazy times, let’s look for ways to live not for ourselves but for God, shining the light of his love to those in need.