31 for 21: John 9

Blogging 31 days in October for Down syndrome (Trisomy 21) awareness month continues with scripture Sunday:

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. "Rabbi," his disciples asked him, "why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents' sins?"

"It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins," Jesus answered.........
John 9:1-3

After I became Jaycee's mother, this passage of the Bible spoke different things to me. Here's some things I have learned from it:

-The disciples just knew the blindness from birth had to have happened because of sin, but Jesus said they were wrong.
-Sometimes we can erroneously judge people who have illness or disability like the disciples.
-You can be very close to God, and still draw the wrong conclusion. The disciples walked and talked with Jesus, yet they perceived something from this situation that wasn't true (blindness was due to sin). In short, sometimes a very strong Christian can get it wrong.

After I had Jaycee, I felt for the parents in this story. I wonder how they were treated by society. I wonder if other people besides the disciples viewed them as sinners. I wonder if their blind son made them some sort of outcasts in the village or among the religious. How wonderful they must have felt when Jesus came to their defense and brought them revelation as to why he was born that way.

John 9 reminds me to that families with children with disabilities need mercy, grace, love, and non-judgmental attitudes.