display the works of God

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

When attempting to understand God in our broken world, it is easy to come to Him with questions based on our wrong assumptions. That’s what the disciples did. They met a man born blind, and then wanted to tweak out their theology. They assumed the only reason blindness (a bad thing) afflicted the man was punishment for some sin… either this was a pre-emptive punishment for the blind man’s personal sin, or it was retribution as a result of his parents’ sin. Both assumptions were way off mark from the truth according to Jesus.

Jesus, instead states the reason for this man’s difficulty not as theological, but as doxological. God was going to be glorified by displaying His work in this man’s life. This was true while yet a blind man. It would also be true when Jesus restored his sight.

All people everywhere are created to display the work of God. We are made to worship Him by our lives. This is true both in hardship and in blessing, in good times and in bad times, in life and in death. God gets the glory for the amazing things He makes of each life, particularly those who come to Jesus and are transformed by His saving and life-giving power. Praise God for His gracious display in us through Jesus!