So That the Works of God Might Be Revealed

This is the English-translated outline of the sermon preached by Rev. Musubi Tabuchi to the congregations of Ashiya Christian Church and Unfinished Community on Sunday, March 15, 2026, drawing from John 9:1-4

There are many things that lead us to believe the world is unfair. Some are born into wealthy families, while others are not. It’s simply the environment into which they were born; the person themselves bears no responsibility for it, right? Yet their lives still turn out very differently. And this isn't just a matter of environment either; there are also many ways in which we experience physical and bodily inequalities in our own lives as well. In today’s reading from the Gospel of John, when the disciples saw a man “born blind,” they asked Jesus, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” For the disciples—and for us—this question stems from the natural assumption that being born that way is a misfortune, something to be pitied. I wonder if I, who can see, am even in a position to ask, “Is that really the case?”

Being blind certainly seems like a handicap, but the only reason it seems that way is because we have created such a society based around sight and have come to take it for granted. Adam and Eve, created at the beginning of Genesis, did not initially realize—or see—that they were completely naked; it simply didn't matter to them. Nevertheless, they lived a life without want, but at a certain point, because of the food they ate of their own accord, they were forced to feel the inconvenience of their nakedness. Applying this logic to the existence of those who cannot see, the disciples conclude that this is a tragedy and the result of someone's sin, not because we were unable to create a truly equal social system from the beginning and instead built a system that is convenient and easy to live in only for those who can see.

Jesus answers their question about why this happened by saying, “So that the works of God may be displayed.” While this seems to refer to the miracle of this man’s eyes being opened in the story of the Gospel of John, the end of John 9 concludes by stating that “our sins remain” precisely where we presume we can see. The manifestation of God’s works means that human foolishness, smallness, baseness, and sinfulness are what is revealed. The greater problem is that when we judge happiness and unhappiness based on our own standards, we remain unaware of our own unhappiness and the magnitude of our sin. The society God created is one in which each person is loved and lives together, regardless of physical condition or birth.

Let us pray,

Loving God, as we continue our journey through Lent, grant that we may above all be made aware of our own weakness and sinfulness, that we may repent of these things, and that You may direct us toward a new way of life. We give thanks for Your love and support for us, and for the fact that Jesus continues to bear the cross for this very purpose.

We pray in the name of the Lord,

Amen.