It was prevalent in the Jewish culture at the time to associate misfortune with divine retribution for sin. The Old Testament had drawn cause and effect relationships between the two, and of course, sin is at the root of all evil. However, the people applied the connection more rigorously than what was intended in the Old Testament. For this reason, Jesus gave two examples from the current events of Jerusalem (the murders of the worshippers from Galilee and the deaths occurring when the Tower of Siloam fell) to illustrate the point that not all misfortune could be traced to personal sin. His objective was to make them realize that all are sinners and in danger of far worse suffering unless true repentance occurred.
The healing of the man born blind reflected the same cultural assumption that all misfortune was preceded by personal sin. Even Jesus' disciples wanted to know who had sinned (the man or his parents) that he had been born blind. Jesus response was enlightening and is today a great comfort for any who suffer. The man was born blind that God's glory might be revealed in him. In his particular case, God's glory was revealed in a miraculous healing. But sometimes His glory is revealed when a person endures suffering with grace and points others to God in the process.
After the man was healed, the dialog between he and the unbelieving Pharisees became a comical example of the stubborn resistance to accept what was plain as day. Some people just do not want to believe and no amount of evidence or persuasion can convince them otherwise. Unfortunately, most of us know people like that.
Tomorrow's reading: John 10:1-42; Luke 13:22-14:24
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