What’s wrong?
Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. John 9:3
Suffering and tribulations are mysterious. Men, however, tend to search for answers and causes for suffering. The mind naturally searches for a solution when something goes wrong, perhaps staying silent with our suffering friends is difficult, so we look for probable reasons. The cause of suffering is often presumptuous and rationalized by humans.
Job's friends, including many people, believe that suffering occurs because of an ideology called divine retribution. According to divine retribution, God blesses those who are faithful to Him and punishes those who sin. In other words, if something bad happens to you, it must be your fault. To put it another way, if you are not married, something is wrong with you. If God does not heal you, something is wrong with you. Having financial difficulties ? There is something wrong with you. Isn't this conclusion a condemnation?
Suffering is not always the result of sin. As in today's verse, the disciples asked Jesus why the man was born blind. Basically they asked What's wrong with him? Jesus basically says “Nothing wrong.” and adds that neither the man nor his parents had sinned, but that God's works should be revealed in him. The truth is that we are not God, we cannot presume the way of God, life and circumstances are mysterious. Rather, we need to give up the right to understand everything and trust God's work will be revealed in the midst of suffering.
We need to embrace the mystery and admit, "I don't know why this happened, but I am here for you." It is plausible not to be judging a friend. While suffering, don’t dwell on the question “What’s wrong?” and don’t lose faith, remain faithful to God without receiving an answer, but trust God to reveal the works of God in your circumstance. Everything that happens is for our highest good.
Blessing prayer: Life is full of mysteries and such knowledge is too high for me to attain. While we may not have all the answers, I choose to trust in your goodness. In Jesus’ name, amen
