The disciples relate to the man not with compassion but curiosity: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (v. 2).

The rabbis taught the same: "There is no death without sin, and there is no suffering without iniquity" (Rabbi Ammi, Shab. 55a). The Pharisees said to the man, "You were steeped in sin at birth" (v. 34).

Hindus believe that present suffering is punishment for previous wrongs. Buddhists teach that all suffering is due to wrong desire. Muslims believe that the pain we experience is part of Allah's will for our lives.

Christians know that much of life's pain is the result of our own misused free will. We've seen marriages end because of adultery, drug users contract AIDS, alcoholics die of cirrhosis of the liver.

And so it is easy to think that all suffering is our fault and God's punishment.

But Jesus disagrees: "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life" (v. 3). A better translation is, "this happened with the result that the work of God might be displayed in his life."

Some suffering is the result of sin. If that's the case for you, God is waiting to forgive every sin you'll confess, and give you his healing and hope (1 John 1:8-10).

But much of the world's grief and pain is not the result of anyone's sin or failure. Remember Job's plight; think of the 9-11 victims; remember Jesus' innocent crucifixion. To attribute all suffering to sin often increases the suffering of the innocent.

So bring your hurting eyes to your Father, however they were blinded. Do not allow your grief or guilt to keep you from him. We need a doctor most when our pain is at its worst. We don't wait to bathe until we're clean. We don't avoid the kitchen until our hunger passes. Come to God with your pain today.

He'll meet you where you are. Jesus "spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes" (v. 6), even though such work was forbidden on the Sabbath. But ancient doctors believed saliva could cure illness; the blind man knew this action to be accepted medical practice. To our knowledge, he had no previous information regarding Jesus' healing powers. Had the Divine Physician not acted as a human doctor, it is likely that his patient would not have accepted his cure.

He touched the man, even though the theology of the day said such contact with a "sinner" would contaminate him. He will touch us wherever we hurt, even when no one else will.

Then he gave the man something to do: "'Go,' he told him, 'wash in the Pool of Siloam' (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing" (v. 7).

Jesus asked the man to trust him. Washing in the pool of Siloam was not part of any accepted medical practice, so it required obedient faith on the part of a blind man. Not to earn God's help, but to receive it.

The man immediately "washed" his eyes—the word means that he bathed his eyes, not merely splashing or washing them. And he "came home seeing."

Jesus healed his eyes, so he could heal his soul. He found the man later in the story and led him to saving faith: "the man said, 'Lord, I believe,' and he worshiped him" (v. 38).

And he used the man to touch others.

The authorities were dumbfounded that a blind man has been healed, and by an itinerant Galilean who broke the Sabbath to do it. They called them man before their court and tried to get him to agree with them: "Give glory to God" (an ancient legal oath)…"We know this man is a sinner" (v. 24).

Now comes my favorite act of witnessing in the entire Bible: "One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" (v. 25). People may reject our theology, but they cannot dismiss our experience. Changed people change the world. No one can deny the fact: "I was blind but now I see!" Can you say the same?