“As he walked 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 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 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.” ⁶ When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, ⁷ saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.” John 9:1-7

The story that unfolds in regards to the blind man in the Gospel of John is one of the best stories in the Bible (in my opinion).  One of my favorite lines comes in the second verse, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  How is it that one can be born and, without the ability to do anything but cry and poop, they suffer the results of their own sin?  Although it sounds ridiculous to us today, it was a common assumption that someone who was born with a disability either sinned or suffered the sins of their parents that resulted in their disability. Today, though we can point to very specific causes to the disabilities that we encounter, it is still possible for children to be born in situations where they will suffer the result of the sins of the parents. As the church, we need to break through the barriers, both physical and structural, that keep people with disabilities out of our sanctuaries. If they can’t get into the building because the ramp is wrong, or there is no elevator, or too many other physical obstacles keep them out, then what are we really saying to our brothers and sisters who have disabilities?

Pastor Dave