As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
John 9:1-3
Man has historically been desperate to determine the why behind suffering. We want to analyze and categorize events into nice and neat designations of precise cause and effect. “This is happening because of _____” or “so that _______.” Perhaps we think that we can manipulate and control our future lives, protecting ourselves from certain undesired effects by avoiding particular causes.
This was the thinking behind the question of John 9. A man is blind (effect). It was naturally assumed that personal sin must have been the cause. But whose was it? His own? His parents? Grandparents? Kids?
Obviously someone did something wrong. Bad things don’t happen to “good” people.
Notice Christ’s response. The man was born blind so that God would be glorified. Can you feel the weight of that? Here was a man who had suffered for decades in order that at this particular moment Christ might display His mercy and magnify His grace.
Anyone familiar with the Old Testament should recognize this refrain. It is very similar to the problem that is dealt with in the book of Job. The Sabeans steal the oxen and the donkeys and strike down the servants. Fire falls from heaven and burns the sheep and the servants. Chaldeans raid, take the camels, and destroy the servants. Wind blows across the wilderness and topples the wall of the house in which his seven sons and three daughters were feasting. Loathsome sores break out on his body, his friends reject him, the young mock him, and his wife implores him to curse God. Surely Job was suffered.
His friends are convinced that they have insight into the situation. Certainly, they say, Job had sinned against God. Surely he was suffering the effects of his own transgression. His friends implored him to admit his sin, to repent, and be restored.
How does God deal with the answer regarding Job’s suffering? If you are not sure, I highly encourage you to go read Job 38-42. Rather than saying, “you see Job, this is exactly what I was doing in this,” God speaks of His sovereignty and power and wisdom and creativity. That does not exactly fit into our clean cause and effect categories. After reading the book we cannot point to a particular sin of Job and we cannot merely blame it on Satan. It is not that simple.
We will all suffer. This is the deserved lot of humanity in this age. We would thus do well to develop a theology of suffering before the dark night comes. You do not wait until you are choking to learn the Heimlich and neither should you wait until you are in the throes of tragedy before learning the reason behind, and the response to, suffering. I have included seven of my own thoughts that I find helpful as well as links to a few highly recommended resources.
Seven Thoughts on Suffering:
- God is entirely sovereign over absolutely all suffering. He works “all things” according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11). Even if Satan’s hand is behind your suffering (as it was in Job’s case), God’s hand is still involved (notice that God recommends Job and places boundaries on Satan’s ability to inflict harm). It is not either/or. See Does God Ordain Evil? by Matt Chandler for more on God’s sovereignty over and use of evil to accomplish His good and holy desires.
- All things exist for the glory of God and thus in some way God is glorified even in our suffering. Reread John 9 or the account of Lazarus in John 11 where Jesus intentionally delays His arrival so that Lazarus would die. Notice that the text says that this was motivated by His love and desire for His beloved to see God’s glory. It is better to suffer and see the glory of God than to continue in ignorant bliss.
- All suffering is a result of sin’s origin with Adam’s first transgression. His sin has fractured all creation, but it will be restored one day (Romans 8:18-25). Therefore we can confidently say that tragedies are a result of sin, but as in John 9, we cannot look at the individuals afflicted and necessarily conclude that it was their direct sin, which precipitated the disaster (see Luke 13:1-5).
- Suffering will work to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29). J.I. Packer—“Still He seeks the fellowship of His people and sends them both sorrows and joys to detach their love from other things and attach it to Himself.”
- The proper response to suffering is faith and even joy. Rather than anxiousness, we should be growing in trust (I believe this will be the message this weekend at The Village). Rather than despair, we should be growing in joy (Romans 5:3-5). Trust that this is God’s good hand upon us and that He is a generous Father. All of His works toward His children are good. See this excellent and yet challenging article on Piper’s thoughts after he was diagnosed with cancer on how to not waste it.
- All suffering is covered by the suffering of Christ. He was called one who was acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3) and He is able to help and sympathize with us in our suffering because of His own (Hebrews 2:5-18).
- Soon and very soon there is coming a day free from suffering for those who have trusted and rejoiced in Christ. Believe this…hope in it…rest in it.
Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
Recommended Resource:
Suffering and the Sovereignty of God
Though he slay me, I will hope in him…
Job 13:15
“It is better to suffer and see the glory of God than to continue in ignorant bliss.” — Amen
If we know the cause, perhaps we can control it. I’m a control freak as is my wonderful wife. Thanks for explaining John 9 so clearly.
My mind has gone back to this sermon titled “Christ and Cancer” that John Piper preached back in 1980 when he first started serving as a pastor. It holds great truths. The link is: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1980/243_Christ_and_Cancer/
David
Stunning. The tears starting flowing at “We will all suffer. This is the deserved lot of humanity in this age. We would thus do well to develop a theology of suffering before the dark night comes.”
I’ve read everything Piper has written on suffering, but it never struck me like this. (Thank you) Maybe it’s getting to watch you as a church surround your pastor and echo him in shouting “This suffering is designed by God for us to prove that He was our satisfaction all along!!”
Suffering makes the reality of the Cross so much sweeter. Amen bro
thank you for this post. my theology was shattered when the dark night came. i felt forsaken when i was not. it’s been a journey and i am thankful for it though i am now disabled. i have to say, i can’t imagine my life without it. God is good, all the time…….
John Piper’s teaching on the Attributes of God together with Mark Driscoll’s series on suffering has so strengthened my theology,. I know the Lord was preparing my heart to accept the things that were to come and not get offended by it. I praise my God!
Thank you for sharing your insight and the gifts our Father has given you with me. I am filled with the need to understand what I am supposed to take from this part of my life to weave into the rest and share. I do not know who I am becoming but God is changing me and although it is not an easy road I am grateful.
I pray He continues to bless you and your Family and that you continue to have the strength to share the love he has for you with us.
[...] then I stumbled across this blog post that had this verse from John 9:1-3 that so perfectly answered my questions from the previous post [...]
So I sat here filling up with passion for my God, and “Amening” after each line on this thread until I finished the post from 1-12-2010 8:29… “I know the Lord was preparing my heart to accept the things that were to come and not get offended by it. I praise my God!” — I was painfully reminded how wicked we are and how Holy God is, that we could ever consider ourselves offended by ANYTHING God can do and will do. To prove how majestic He is, yet He still calls us His own, and will use every means necessary to shed revelation of His nature to those who ARE His own!… heavy tears, and heartfelt love for my God.
[...] via Seven Thoughts on Suffering. [...]
D A Carson did a great series on Making Sense of Suffering last winter – had me in tears.
http://blog.shanetrammel.com/2009/02/26/d-a-carson-making-sense-of-suffering/
I’ve listened to the first three. Wonderful Christ centered stuff.
It’s long, but if you have an ipod touch you can play it at 2x and it works fine. Or use a program like audacity to speed it up.
>>Notice Christ’s response. The man was born blind so that God would be glorified.<<
Glorified by Christ healing him, not by continuing to suffer. Not being critical, trying to build faith for Mat's healing.
3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the *work of God* might be displayed in his life. … So the man went and washed, and *came home seeing."*
Matthew 28 "Teaching them to do all things whatsoever I have taught you…."
Matthew 10 "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely you have received, freely give."
I Corinthians 1:7 "Come behind in no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
All the gifts of the Spirit and authority of Jesus are for us today. Have faith.
You mention Isaiah 53:3. Don’t forget verse 5: “With His stripes we are healed.”
Thanks to David who posted the link to John Piper’s “Christ and Cancer”. We lost our 22 year old son to cancer 5 months ago and though the pain is overwhelming we are holding on to our faith, trusting in the One where Hope comes from.
@Mary Gordon you are EXACTLY right and EXACTLY scriptural. God gets NO glory out of someone suffering or being sick, He gets glory when that person is delivered and healed. I wonder sometimes which Bible the Reformation/Mark Driscoll crowd is teaching from. If you think for ONE minute that God is behind your sickness, you’ll never have enough faith to be healed. It’s sad that people attribute satan’s work as God’s work. So since God is sovereign over everything does that mean he lets women get raped so He can get glory? Does he ordain children to get molested so He gets glory? You see how ridiculous this is right? Is he allowing millions of babies to be aborted so He can get glory? We have authority and dominion over the works of the devil because Jesus gave us that authority. This whole “everything is God’s will” theology is quickly shot down when read in light with the Word of God.
Mary and Dayne,
Thank you for the comments. My one encouragement is to beware of
reductionism. Does God delight in healing? Absolutely. But claims such
as “God gets NO glory out of someone suffering or being sick” are simply
simplistic and ultimately misleading and false. God was glorified in the
death of His Son. He was glorified in the thorn in Paul’s side (2
Corinthians 12). He was glorified in the obedience of the saints even
unto death (Hebrews 11). God will be glorified in all things (though in
different manners: sometimes by evidencing mercy, sometimes justice).
You can attempt to dismiss this aspect of God’s glory, but such attempts
fall short of taking into account the fullness of God’s revelation. In
the end, you must really wrestle with whether or not you believe that
God “works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians
1:11) or only some. Does God do “whatever He pleases” (Psalm 115:3) or
only some of what He desires?
We ask for healing. We trust that God is good. But His goodness is
expressed in a myriad of ways, not only in healing here and now. There
is coming a day when death and sickness will be no more. Until then, we
groan (Romans 8:18-25). Our hope is the redemption of our bodies yet to
come (Romans 8:25), not immediate deliverance from pain and hardship (as
Romans 8:35-39). The good news is not that we don’t suffer, but that
suffering does not separate us from God!
If you do not have a framework for understanding suffering and
sovereignty (theodicy), then I highly recommend the Piper/Taylor book
referenced above. Beware of reducing the gospel to “God is love” and
then defining love by healing. Discipline is love (Hebrews 12). God
absolutely loves His children. He loves them enough to give them what is
best, even though what is best is sometimes very hard.
I would be more than willing to continue the conversation, but would
prefer to move it offline to e-mail or over coffee. Feel free to write
me anytime.