John 9:1-3
“As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither did this man sin, nor did his parents; but that the works of God might be revealed in him.””
This moment takes place in Jerusalem during Jesus' ministry. His disciples encounter a man who has been blind his entire life and, reflecting common assumptions of the time, immediately seek to assign blame for his suffering, linking it directly to sin. Jesus challenges this simplistic cause-and-effect thinking.
What assumptions do we still carry today about suffering and its causes, and how might Jesus' response challenge them?