John 9:1-4 (NKJV) 1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
The disciples asked a question that still puzzles many people today. Why is a child born with a physical defect? Is it a judgment of God upon the parents for some sin, or is it possibly God’s judgment upon the child for sins God knows they will commit? Jesus had previously linked sickness with sin; however, in this instance He said this blindness was not caused by this man’s or his parents’ sins.
This has led many people to interpret the rest of this verse as saying that God made this man blind just so He could heal him and be glorified thereby. From this thinking, many doctrinal teachings have risen about how sickness and other problems in our lives are actually blessings from God, intended to bring glory to God and correction to us. This reasoning, however, does not line up with the other truths of God’s Word.
It was not God who made this beggar blind. This man was not born blind because of any one person’s sins, but because sin in general had corrupted the perfect balance that God had created in nature. Therefore, some maladies happen not as a direct result of an individual’s sins, but as an indirect result of sin in general.
Deuteronomy 28 settles forever the question of whether sickness, poverty, and oppression are really blessings in disguise. God says that sickness and poverty are curses—not blessings from God. Christ redeemed us from these curses of the law so that now the blessings may come upon us through Him.
Galatians 3:13 (NKJV) Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),
The curse of all sin and disease was placed on Jesus, and when you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, all curses were removed from your life. Today you are blessed with health and healing through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ!
As explained in my video (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGktmANd50xR9uAvDi7TbpH0Ofi6bEPOO – Fear and Dismay), I believe that the punctuation needs to be as follows:
Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned. So that the works of God should be revealed in him, I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.