(John 9:1-5)
There is a sickness in this world today that I call the blame game. No one is prepared to take responsibility. From politicians to the workplace, from supposed leaders to the person in the street, everyone seems to be looking for someone else to blame for the situations they find themselves in.
What we see in the start of this scripture is that this is not a new phenomenon. This same blame game existed back in the days when Jesus walked the earth too. But we also see the answer to the problem as well for Jesus is the answer.
Who is to blame?
This section of scripture opens with the Jesus and the disciples coming upon a man who was born blind. We see the disciples then questioning Jesus about the man’s situation in verses 1-2.
1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
The disciples were acting presumptuously. They were looking to understand who was to blame for this man’s situation. The man was born blind and yet they presumed either he or his parents must have committed some dreadful sin for this to have occurred.
But Jesus shows them that neither the man nor his parents were to blame. No sin had occurred that caused the man to be born this way. Jesus gave the disciples the reason for this man’s incapacity in the next verse.
3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
The man was born blind so that the works of God would be made known. Jesus was about to heal him and restore his sight and this miracle was set to astound and glorify God amongst the people.
There was no one to blame for the man’s condition. It was not someone’s fault that he had been born blind. In essence it could be said that his condition might have been just, “One of those things.” Albeit The Lord came and healed him but there was no one to blame and so no one should be seeking someone to blame.
Blame Game Today
The blame game is rife in the world today. You see it in the news all of the time and it is often driven by those who are looking for gain from the misery of others, or who are not prepared to be responsible for their own situation.
Too often you see people doing something stupid where they get themselves into trouble, and then seek to blame someone else for the mess they put themselves into. It is a sickness that plagues modern society. And the legal system does not help because they prosecute and litigate where there should be no case to answer because it was either “One of those things” or the stupidity of the individual involved.
Let me give an example or two. A burglar breaks into a house and falls through a roof or in some other way hurts himself and sues the house owner because the burglar was hurt. Or the house holder fights the burglar and the burglar is injured and the house holder is sued for damages. What kind of foolishness is this? Why should an innocent party suffer for the wrongdoing of another?
Then there is the case of a person who bought a brand new RV, took it for a drive, put it on cruise control and went into the back to grab a coffee and the RV ran off the road. He sued the RV company and won because he thought cruise control meant autopilot and that the RV company should have warned him. Why should the RV company suffer for foolishness like this? Now to be fair this may only be an urban myth, but with a little digging there are plenty of examples like it that are equally as ridiculous.
The point is, it seems no one is willing to take responsibility for their own actions. They want to blame someone else for their own stupidity, ineptness or folly.
Jesus Is The Answer
But then in this section of scripture we see that Jesus was not blaming anyone for the blind mans condition. It simply was what it was but it would show the power and glory of God. Jesus said,
4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Jesus is the light of the world for in Jesus we gain insight, knowledge and the light of understanding. When we come up against circumstances that may cause trouble or grief, rather than looking for someone to blame we can accept responsibility and then put the matter into the Lord’s hands to find an appropriate and just resolution. As he said elsewhere, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)
If we wish to know the truth, seek Jesus for an answer. If we wish to find the way to God, then look to Jesus. And if we need illumination over any matter, ask Him to shine His light on the issue so that we may see what is really going on.
Jesus is the answer. He gave sight to the blind man in his day and he gives insight to those who seek him today. Blame is of the devil. But Jesus came to forgive and show compassion and there is no blame attached to those attributes of God.
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Hi! I’m John, the owner, author, and editor of this site. Over the past 50+ years as a Christian I have been teaching, preaching and writing about the Bible to help Christians gain a deeper insight into the scriptures that are easily understood. I also answer specific Bible related questions, so feel free to contact me.
