| Devotional Hours with the Bible |
Chapter 14 |
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It was a very instructive word that Jesus spoke in reply to the question, “Master, who did sin?” He said, “neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents.” He did not mean that the man was sinless, but that his trouble had not been produced by sin. Of course, suffering may sometimes be traced to sin. Sometimes the connection is so obvious that no one can doubt it; sometimes it is so obscure that no one may certainly seek to trace it. But in the case of this man’s blindness there was no such cause, and our Lord meant to warn the man’s neighbours against the tendency in their minds to look into his life suspiciously and uncharitably seeking some cause in himself of his ancestors for his misfortune. We never should ask, in any case of suffering, “Who is to blame?” Rather, we should set about giving what help it may be in our power to give. Jesus said that the blindness came upon this man “that the words of God should be made manifest in him.” His misfortune now became an occasion for the display of mercy. Whatever the cause of the man’s blindness, it called now for human sympathy and every possible effort to relive the trouble and do good to the sufferer. It is interesting also to notice that the man’s blindness became a blessing to him in the end, in that it brought him to Christ and resulted in his spiritual awakening as well as in giving of sight. A case of trouble of any kind should not set us to gossiping about who is to blame, but rather should call us to prompt efforts to give help or relief.
Before curing the man, Jesus spoke of the necessity of promptness in doing God’s work. He said, “I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day.” There is no time to lose. Even Jesus felt the pressure of the shortness of the opportunity and the need for doing promptly what had been given Him to do. There are two suggestions in the words: The first is that every one of us has a task to do, and it must be done in our brief day, or it never can be done at all. The other thought is that there is a time during which our deeds must be done, or they never can be done at all. We must sow in the seedtime — when this is past there will be no use in our scattering the grain upon the fields. We must put the wheat into the mill while the water is in the race, for when the water is gone we cannot grind. We must teach the child while he is young, for when he is grown up there will be no opportunity to put the lessons into its heart. It will then be too late. We must visit our sick friend while he is sick — there will be no use in coming with our kindness when he is well, or when he is dead. We must show sympathy to those who are in trouble while the trouble is upon them — it will not be worthwhile to try to help when they lie defeated in the dust. The disciples slept in the Garden during the hour when they should have been watching, and then Jesus said to them, with infinite pathos, “Sleep on now, and take your rest.” There was no use in waiting and watching now, for the traitor was already at the gate.
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