And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
—John 9:2
When an accident occurs, two types of emergency vehicles arrive on the scene. The first to arrive are usually the police. They try to determine who is at fault and, if necessary, give a citation to the guilty party. The paramedics arrive next. They really have no concern as to who is at fault—they just want to alleviate the pain and suffering.
The disciples passed by a man born blind. Like policemen, they wanted to immediately assess blame for the casualty. Jesus declared that neither the parents nor this man was at fault, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him when Jesus healed him.
God has called us to be paramedics rather than policemen.
How do you look at human tragedy? Do you come like a policeman, or like a paramedic? Jesus said that God did not send Him into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Often a person's life is shattered because they are reaping the consequences of their own rebellion against God. Do you shake your finger in their face and say, "If you had not done this or that, you wouldn't be in this situation"? Do you have your codebook out, citing them for their violation of the law? Or do you come as a paramedic seeking to bind up their wounds?
Ours is not the responsibility of finding the reason for the suffering, but to seek to heal the damage that has been done, even as Jesus did.
Father, may we be Your witnesses, doing Your work in this hurting world. In Jesus' name, amen.