As he walked along, he saw a man born blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents?”

How often do we fail to see what God has for us because we keep Jesus in the box of our preconceptions? Here Jesus and his disciples come upon a man born blind. The disciples’ first question was, “Who sinned? This man or his parents?” Note the assumption: SOMEBODY sinned! This was biblical after all. “God does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation” (Exod 34:7).

There may be a general truth that the way each of us lives affects multiple generations that follow us. That is a reality which is a double-edged sword for better or worse. This will instantly call up regret and inadequacy for many of us, because none of us raised our kids perfectly. Please remember that the gospel is good news for just this reason! There is grace. There is HOPE. The story isn’t finished yet. We won’t know the actual ending until we all get to heaven together. There will likely be some plot twists.

Here is where the unconventional Jesus shows himself. He says, “Neither this man or his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s work might be revealed in him.” The only rule here is loving grace. That’s the message.

We all try to put God in boxes because we want control. We want his behavior to be predictable so that ultimately we can justify ourselves. If Jesus were here with us right now, he might say, “You entirely missed the point. This isn’t about YOU. It’s about a Father who loves his kids and never gives up pursuing them.”

Think about a present dilemma you are facing. What if it is happening NOT because you or your parents did anything wrong, but because God is working to bring a healing miracle into your life and your family’s life? Will you trust the unconventional Jesus to show up, however unexpectedly? He loves us far deeper than we can possibly understand. May our eyes be opened to experience his healing touch.