Few questions are as persistent, or as emotionally loaded, as the question of why suffering happens. It appears in hospital rooms, at gravesides, in moments of loss, and in the quiet aftermath of disappointment. When the disciples encounter a man born blind, they give voice to that ancient question in its most pointed form. Who sinned? Who caused this? Where should blame be placed?
Jesus chooses to answer.
That decision is striking, because throughout the Gospels Jesus regularly avoids engaging questions that demand explanation or assign fault. Yet here, when confronted with a question that has the power to imprison people in guilt, fear, and endless speculation, He speaks directly.
In this sermon, Jesus does not validate the premise of the disciples’ question. He does not explain the mechanics of suffering or offer a neat theological formula. Instead, He dismantles a deeply embedded assumption: that suffering must always be traced to personal sin or moral failure. By refusing to assign blame, Jesus redirects attention away from the past and toward what God is doing in the present.
The message explores how Jesus re-frames suffering not as a problem to be solved but as a place where God’s redemptive work can be revealed. This does not minimize pain or deny grief. Rather, it confronts the dangerous theology that equates suffering with punishment and leaves people trapped in shame or despair. Jesus’ answer insists that God’s purposes cannot be reduced to cause-and-effect explanations.
Written with pastoral sensitivity and theological depth, Questions Jesus Answered | Who’s to Blame? speaks to those who have been wounded by simplistic answers and unmet expectations. It allows unresolved questions to remain while anchoring hope in God’s presence and redemptive power. The sermon makes clear that Jesus is more interested in healing than in explanation, and more committed to restoration than to assigning fault.
This message invites listeners to release the burden of figuring out why everything happened and instead to trust the God who meets them within suffering. It challenges the assumption that understanding must come before faith, and it opens space for lament, trust, and hope to coexist.
Especially suited for congregations walking through grief, loss, or unanswered questions, this sermon allows Jesus’ words to speak with honesty and compassion. It avoids easy answers and instead points toward a God who redeems what He does not always explain.
This download includes the complete sermon manuscript and a professionally designed PowerPoint presentation, providing everything needed to preach or teach this message with clarity and pastoral care.
