Who Sinned? (Part 2)
Nobody likes the idea that their sins cause their sickness, although this may be true in most of the cases. But this is not true for every case.
ENGLISH - DEVINE HEALING
YTM
12/28/20253 min read
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
(John 9:3; NIV)
In the previous post, we discussed that there are people who give no consideration to their sin and sickness. Because of this, many people have missed their healing. Humbling ourselves before God and asking the Holy Spirit to deal with our sin can be very challenging for many. But it is the proper way to be freed from the bondage of our sins and the torment of our sickness. One of the most important scriptures is found in the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant in the book of Matthew: when we choose not to forgive others, we will be tortured by the jailers.
In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart. (Matthew 18:34-35; NIV)
Now, let’s talk about the second point: not EVERY sickness is caused by the sin of the person who is sick. John chapter 9 records a miracle in which Jesus healed a man born blind. When answering the disciples’ question, Jesus clearly said that it was neither this man’s sin nor his parents’ sin. Please note that Jesus did not correct the disciples’ question, which indicates that the idea of a connection between sin and sickness was widely accepted in their culture and teachings.
Then who sinned? If we continue reading, the passage speaks of the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees.
Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” (John 9:41; NIV)
Jesus was inviting the Pharisees to repent of their sins. If they had admitted they were blind, Jesus would have forgiven them. But since they claimed that they could see, the sin of their spiritual blindness remained. Thus, in this case, my opinion is that the root cause of this man’s blindness was the sin of the Pharisees. This man and his family were under the teaching of the Pharisees and subject to their spiritual authority, and the parents were afraid of these leaders.
His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” (John 9:22-23; NIV)
One famous example is David. When he counted the fighting men of Israel, God sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead (1 Chronicles 21:14; 2 Samuel 24:15). This is also one of the reasons we need to pray for those in authority over us, so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives (1 Timothy 2:2).
As for Job, it is also clear that his sickness was not caused by his own sin. I have heard people say that Job’s fear (the sin of lacking faith in God) opened the door for the enemy’s attack.
“For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” (Job 3:25; KJV)
This appears to be a reasonable argument. But the Bible clearly says that the reason was Satan’s challenge to God’s opinion of Job, that he was blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil (Job 1:8). God also said that the view of God held by Job’s three friends was wrong, especially regarding why God allows people to suffer, because they believed Job was being punished for his wrongdoing. God was angry with all of them (Job 42:7). In the end, Job admitted that he had overstated his own righteousness, but the trials he endured were not related to his behavior. I think the sin behind Job’s suffering and sickness was Satan’s sin: his rebellion against God’s view of Job, and his pride in trying to prove himself right about Job, caused all of Job’s painful trials.
Thus, when interacting with people who are suffering and are dealing seriously with their sins, I would encourage them to look for sin in other places rather than themselves. For such people, I can only learn to love them and not add more burdens to them.
I hope that those who never consider the connection between sin and sickness will be enlightened and led to repentance, and that those who have searched intensively for the roots of sin will be encouraged and comforted. In the end, only the words of the Holy Spirit can set people free and heal us. I am only a vessel to host His agape love to a broken world. Beyond that, I also need His love and grace to heal my own brokenness.
Have mercy on me, Lord Jesus!