As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. (John 9:1–3)

The core problem of sin is the stubborn notion that life is all about earthly benefit. In biblical times, a person’s blindness made him useless, so the disciples reasoned that sin was involved and it was a punishment.

Whether we are talking about aborting a child, lying, stealing, fornicating, killing others, or self-killing, we always see it tied to some earthly benefit. We see that clearly in the story of the Dutch couple, lacking even the minimum requirement of a terminal condition, committing joint self-murder.

When the husband explained their decision, he framed everything from a worldly perspective. In short, life lost its pleasure, and there was no personal benefit.

Let’s be honest: Life looks different in the latter than in the earlier years. For many who live for the here and now, self-killing is appealing, if not logical. When you can’t enjoy it, why hang around? If losing a loved one emotionally disables you, self-killing solves that problem as well. But what if the problem is not about losing earthly benefit or pleasure? What if the problem is perspective?

The Apostle Paul wrote,

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

The disciples, looking at the blind man, revealed how they had been conditioned by the world. Yet, the man’s blindness made him of inestimable value. Neither sight nor blindness were intended to be self-serving features of his existence. Instead, it was always about God.

It is difficult facing the end of life personally or watching the life of a loved one ebb away. But our inability to find value in it does not make it useless. It just reveals our ignorance.

Jesus used a blind man and his story to point to God. Surely, in the twilight years, God can also use our lives for his glory. Even when we cannot imagine how.