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#DailyDevotion What Did I Do To Deserve This?

#DailyDevotion What Did I Do To Deserve This?

John 9 As Jesus was passing by, He saw a man who had been blind from his birth. 2 “Master,” His disciples asked Him, “why was he born blind? Did he sin or his parents?” 3 “Neither he nor his parents,” Jesus answered. “He is blind to show what God can do with him. 4We must do the works of Him Who sent Me while it is day. The night is coming when no one can work. 5As long as I’m in the world, I’m the Light of the world.” 6After He said this, He spit on the ground and with the spit made some mud and put the mud on the man’s eyes. 7“Go,” He told him, “wash in the pool of Siloam” (the name means “sent”). He went and washed. And as he walked away, he could see.

Not everything is as clear cut in life as we would like it. The disciples see a man born blind begging. Instead of asking Jesus how can they help the man they go to “why was he born blind? Did he sin or his parents?” They are looking for fault. They are acting very much like Job’s friends who accuse him of having to had committed some sin for all these bad things happening to him. And we know that while Job was by no means perfect, there was no particular sin he had committed that brought all the bad things down on him. It was God.

Jesus who actually remembers the story of Job, and well was responsible for Job’s misfortunes (he is the LORD after all) tell his disciples that this man was born blind but that God’s works might be displayed in him. Well that wasn’t too great for the guy up to this point in his life and the next few days after getting his sight won’t go to well for him either. How often do we want to blame people for the condition they are in? Sometimes, it may be true, that because of their sins, they are in the predicament they are in. Sometimes, it may be true, not from sins but from simple bad decisions, people are in the shape they are in. Sometimes, stuff happens, we may have no clue and neither does the person in any predicament of why they are in the bad situation they are in. Perhaps, just perhaps, it is so the work of God may be displayed in them.

Jesus has come to do the works of the Father while it is day. You too, as Jesus’ disciples are in the world as the Father’s children to do the works of the Father while it is still day. Jesus is the Light of the world.  As people who are joined to Christ and have been given his light, we too as St. Paul says in Ephesians 4 are light in the world.

So what did Jesus do? Strangest thing of all. He puts mud in a blind man’s eyes. Won’t that just make things worse? Could it get any worse? But he has a word from Jesus, “Go and wash in the pool of Siloam.” How did the blind man even find the pool? He must have been pretty close. The blind man, nevertheless, listens to Jesus (mind you there has been no promise from Jesus that he would see) and washes. He was blind, but he wasn’t deaf. He heard Jesus say he was the Light of the World. He heard he was born to be the object of works of God. He heard, he listened and believed. He gained (not regained) his sight.

What’s going on in your life? The Father has called you to faith in Jesus that his works might be displayed in you. You may be crying, “Why me!” when things are going wrong. Jesus is your Light at the end of tunnel. You are his object of displaying his work in the world. Believe that.

O Lord our God, your ways are mysterious and we cannot always see what you are doing. Give us the Light of your Christ that we may believe and see your great love for us in Christ Jesus when it looks like you’re against us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Rev. Guillaume J. S. Williams, Sr.

The Reverend Guillaume Williams is the Pastor of Hope Lutheran Chapel of Osage Beach, Missouri. His pastoral ministry with Hope began in 2005 where he preaches the Christ crucified.

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