I have a tendency to overlook so many details in a room. Lately, I’ve been noticing paintings that are hung in people’s houses. I usually don’t. I tend to fall prey to the stereotypical guy that doesn’t pay much attention to details. The trend had begun when my brother-in-law, asked me to offer an interpretation of a painting above his mantle. The more I looked at his painting, I marveled at the creativity and skill of the artist. Humbled by my own painting skills. At best, I can paint by numbers. I can only artistically connect the dots. In John 9, I’ve noticed that the miracle of giving sight was creative and not restorative. The Holy Spirit records this miracle to offer us understanding and encouragement in the midst of a creation that is both beautiful and marred by the result of sin. Jhn 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jhn 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” This mans blindness was not a result of sin. The religious teachers of the day had taught that it was actually possible for a child to sin in the womb. They also rationalized birth defects of a child as a result of the sin of their parents. This is a gross misinterpretation of the text. Exd 20:5 “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;” The real idea behind this, is for those people that rebel against me (God), I will keep visiting them generation after generation. Trying to protect them by dealing, convicting, and correcting them. God is declaring his consistency. He’ll never give up on you or me. I believe our current culture is not to far off from ideology of the Pharisees. We too have that tendency to declare that we are so messed up because of the influence of our parents, genetics, or science teacher. Although we are certainly affected by our environment, Scripture removes our excuses and makes us accountable to our own sin. For the believer, we have the ability to escape it all together. 1Cr 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]” Without a doubt, all sadness, suffering, and sorrow is, indirectly, the result of sin. But this mans blindness was not the direct result of his sin, or his parents. The Lord will allow affliction, in order to do a greater work.