Answer
In John 9, Jesus and His disciples encounter a man born blind. Turning to Jesus, the disciples ask, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (verse 2, ESV). The disciples’ question reflects the belief that suffering is always linked to personal sin (or the sin of one’s parents). Jesus challenges this belief, saying, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (verse 3, ESV).
In John 9:2, the disciples sought confirmation of a cause-and-effect relationship between sin and suffering. The disciples’ assumptions can be likened to those of Job’s friends, who insisted that Job must have sinned to illicit the wrath of God (Job 4—25). Job’s friends were wrong, and so were the disciples.
Jesus tells the disciples that the suffering of the blind man had a purpose—to display the works of God. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that suffering is not always linked to personal sin. In Luke 13:2–3a, for example, Jesus responds to a report about some Galileans who were killed while offering sacrifices. He asks, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you” (ESV).
We must make room for the works of God in our lives. In 2 Corinthians 12:7, the apostle Paul mentions that God gave him a “thorn in the flesh” to keep him from becoming conceited. His affliction was not directly linked to personal sin; God was doing a work in his life. Likewise, in Galatians 4:13, Paul’s illness became an opportunity for him to preach the gospel to the Galatians.
The crucifixion of Jesus is the best example of someone who suffered but did not sin. As the apostle Peter wrote, “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:22–23, ESV).
Jesus’ statement in John 9:3, “That the works of God might be displayed in him,” reveals the purpose for the man’s blindness. God has a purpose for every kind of suffering. In God’s hands, suffering is not to meant to break us but to build us up: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3–4, ESV).
The phrase the works of God in John 9:3 involves not only the man’s physical healing (which takes place in verses 6–7) but also the revelation of God’s character and glory (see John 11:40). The reason God allows suffering is to allow His children to experience His mercy and power in delivering them or sustaining them. As Paul testified, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV).
In John 9:3, Jesus challenges the disciples, and by extension, all of us, to transcend a deterministic view of suffering. Instead of assigning blame or seeking a direct cause for the suffering, we should focus on the glory of God. In our suffering, the works of God are on full display. God in His wisdom and mercy is cultivating spiritual growth and deeper reliance on Him.
