Bible ~ Who sinned? Why Blind? ~ So that God's work can be seen

Last Sunday... these 3 lines help me understand a little more why we suffer. 

These 3 lines have become one of my favorite short bible quotes.

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One Of My Favorite Short Bible Quotes:

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John 9:1-3
New International Version (NIV)

[1] As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. [2] His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” [3] “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

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In this case, the blind man was healed.
But sometimes, God works in other ways.
Check the video here for another perspective.
http://enterarena.blogspot.com/2011/04/video-never-give-up-by-nick-vujicic.html

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Sunday, April 03, 2011 

Fourth Sunday of Lent

First Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13

Psalm: Psalm 23:1-6

Second Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14

Gospel: John 9:1-41 or John 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38

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A Short Excerpt of the Story:

John 9:1-7

1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth.

2 And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

3 Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him.

4 We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work.

5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

6 As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay,

7 saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Silo'am" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

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The Full Story:

John 9:1-41

1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth.

2 And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

3 Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him.

4 We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work.

5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

6 As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay,

7 saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Silo'am" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?"

9 Some said, "It is he"; others said, "No, but he is like him." He said, "I am the man."

10 They said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened?"

11 He answered, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, `Go to Silo'am and wash'; so I went and washed and received my sight."

12 They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.

14 Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.

15 The Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see."

16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was a division among them.

17 So they again said to the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight,

19 and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?"

20 His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;

21 but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself."

22 His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if any one should confess him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.

23 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age, ask him."

24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner."

25 He answered, "Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see."

26 They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"

27 He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to become his disciples?"

28 And they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.

29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from."

30 The man answered, "Why, this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.

31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if any one is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.

32 Never since the world began has it been heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind.

33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

34 They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And they cast him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of man?"

36 He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"

37 Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you."

38 He said, "Lord, I believe"; and he worshiped him.

39 Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind."

40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this, and they said to him, "Are we also blind?"

41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, `We see,' your guilt remains.

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Blind Volunteer ~ Ron Chandran-Dudley

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This is a true Singapore Story. Very motivational & inspirational of how one can 'rise above adversity'.

Blind Volunteer
Ron Chandran-Dudley
Blind at 17yrs in a Rugby Game.

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Ron Chandran-Dudley ~ To Be Disabled is Not to Be Unabled
Taken from a Book, Page 32 of
‘For All We Care; 50yrs 0f Social Service in Singapore, 1958-2008’

When Ron Chandran-Dudley became president of the Singapore Association for the Blind (SAB) in 1980, it was like a journey back home.

Way back in 1953 on a hot afternoon in April, the 19-year-old Ron made his way to the association.

On reaching, he was tasked to distribute food, clothing and toys to the blind. He became a “home visitor” and the first blind volunteer to help other blind people. A kick to the head during a rugby game in school had cost him his eyesight a year earlier.

He found that many of the blind were beggars, uneducated, ill, and destitute and asked himself: “Can we only offer the blind white canes, badges, food, clothing and medical care? Why can’t we give them back their dignity? What about training them to do something useful so they can give up begging and learn to be independent?”

It was a thought that would haunt him and led him to believe in the axiom that “to be disabled is not to be unable.”

Eventually, he left to study social anthropology at the London School of Economics and excelled. On his return, he devoted his time to starting the School for the Blind (SFB). Together with the war heroine Elizabeth Choy, the first principal of SFB, he sought out blind children in the villages to train them.

Shortly after, he became general secretary of the association. Before his time, sighted people ran the association. Many of the blind children who attended school learned few vocational skills and found it difficult to integrate into society.

As early as 1965, Ron proposed and helped kick off the integration of visually handicapped children from primary to tertiary education. He developed a system that enabled blind children to live at home, attend primary school at the association, and then integrate fully into the regular school system at the secondary level.

“Ron transformed the place,” said Patrick Sim Hak Kng, a former executive director. “He paved the way for the blind to become full participants in society as telephone operators, clerks, insurance agents, teachers and proficient computer users, unlike the older generation who remained illiterate and dependent.”

He has received numerous awards from here and abroad both for his work and advocacy for the rights of people with disabilities.

In August 2004, the UN presented him with a prestigious award – the first of its kind – for dedicated service in support of the UN programme concerning people with disabilities. His message is simple: people with disabilities are handicapped only by their environment.

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Story Of A Blind Girl

Someone sent me this story...

There was a blind girl who hated herself just because she's blind.She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He's always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she can see everything, including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her, "now that you can see the world, will you marryme?"

The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend is blind too, and refused to marry him. Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying."Just take care of my eyes dear."


TAKDIR ILAHI (Destiny)

The Story Of A Blind Girl above - reminds me of a Malay Movie 'TAKDIR ILAHI (Destiny)'. I think P Ramlee was in the movie.

I remember watching this on TV as a boy (maybe about 8 years old) with my parents helping me understand the story as it was all in Malay.

This is how I remember the Story. Those who’ve watched it please correct my mistakes for I’m sure there must be. I would like to watch this story again. There was singing in the movie too.

There was this girl who was blind (I can’t remember if she was born blind or was it due to an accident) and she had a sister. They met a Doctor (I think played by P Ramlee). The blind girl was very good natured. However, after the Doctor cured her blindness, she turned out nasty. So nasty that in one scene, she didn’t allow her own mother to come into the home even though it was raining heavily. Her mother took refuge under a car and I think she died. The movie was in black & white and my father told me that the water was red with her mother’s blood and I believed him. Now I’m not so sure. My father also explained to me that ‘Takdir’ means something like ‘God’s Will’ and in one of the last scenes, the blind girl’s sister slapped her and as she fell, both her eyes hit some “sharp objects” and she went blind again. I think that was the ending. I still have those scenes playing in my mind but not very clear.

Ω End.