Suffering: Rejection, Like The Man Born Blind

as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.”

John 9:1-3 (NKJV)

This blind man's story is so crucial that God gives it an entire Bible Chapter.* Why? Consider one painfully learned reason: we gain more insight into suffering.

Before the Teacher’s clarification, believers thought suffering came from sin: not just Adam and Eve’s cardinal sin, but sins more immediate to themselves. Read a key quote from Crime and Punishment.**

“When reason fails, the devil helps!” (Fyodor Dostoyevsky), meaning… we want to know WHY we suffer. (God forbid Satan supplies the reason!)

In John 9, when Jesus healed the blind man, his distress took a new form: REJECTION. The Pharisees interrogated him again and again, also his parents.

Their hammering caused a strange reaction. Instead of weakening, his faith was forged.

  • Although the Pharisees rejected him, the Savior of the world accepted him!

  • Although the synagogue ejected him, a new family in Christ welcomed him!

Actors, models, and talent for Christ:

Jesus told you to expect rejection… and it hurts the most from people we love. Yet He said we must expect even that: 'Brother will betray brother to death' (Matthew 10:21).

Whether it’s your church and/or family, love them anyway, but still move forward. Whether it’s a stream of industry “no’s”, continue your path. Bookings WILL come!

Therein, consider:

  • If iron and steel are forged in furnaces,

  • If diamonds are formed under pressure,

  • If gold is most often chiseled from rock,

  • If silver is refined in blazing heat,

  • If pearls form to cover irritation,

  • If muscles grow under repeated stress…

Suffering can produce wondrous results! 

Also, in your work as God’s performers, where rejection is an everyday norm, think of rejection as God’s protection. 

If you’ve done your best and didn’t get booked, learn (if you need to) and count it all joy! That role (or agency) wasn’t for you!

Suffering: Rejection, Like The Man Born Blind (Part 21)

* John 9, an entire Chapter about the man born blind: John 9 NKJV - A Man Born Blind Receives Sight - Now - Bible Gateway

* Thorough commentary, Jesus, the Light of the World, Opens the Eyes of a Man Born Blind: https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/John/Jesus-Light-World-Opens-Eyes

** Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

** Job's three friends (who loved God and knew His Word) were under the same religious misimpression. Their judgmental contemplations increased Job's misery, as they tried to pin Job's dire circumstances upon sins they believed he must have committed. Yes, sinners will suffer, but we are not nearly wise enough to judge in such matters. God's mercy, purpose and time tables are His alone. Yes, He gives us wisdom and understanding, but never to His degree. He is God. Our time is better spent in confessing our own sins and recommitting ourselves every day to a closer walk with God.

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re ALL called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re ALL called to models of Jesus, and we ALL have gifts, talents, and callings from God–  to multiply them in the world for His glory.

P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend READING THE BIBLE DAILY.

WARNING: Don’t focus on favorite verses, because out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!

Carey Arban