Mark 2:1–12
1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
This story raises questions as to the connection between sin and suffering. Why did Jesus declare his sins forgiven, which led to his physical healing? Remember, the big idea of this text is Jesus' authority over sin. He certainly could have healed this guy as he did others—by simply declaring them healed. However, to create the conversation with the scribes he forgives his sins and proves his authority to do so by healing him. Yet, the question remains—what's the relationship to individual sins and suffering?
Jewish theology of Jesus' day taught that a disability like this was always the result of an individual sin or specific sins in a person's life, or even in their parent's lives. This idea Jesus debunks on multiple occasions. In John 9 Jesus encounters a man born blind and his disciples ask, assuming this theology, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind." Jesus' answer debunks their theology that specific sins always lie at the root of specific illnesses, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." Luke 13:1-5 is a similar example. So we cannot assume that every disability or illness is due to a lack of faith or some specific previous sin. To do this is not only untrue but can be extremely harmful to affected individuals.
There is, of course, the natural consequences of our sin that can often manifest in physical pathologies. Alcoholism can lead to cirrhosis. Anxiety and stress can lead to psychosomatic illnesses. These are well documented medical phenomena.
That said, God can also bring about punishment for certain sins through physical means. The case of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 is an example of this (see also Miriam in Exodus 12). They lied to the apostles and the Holy Spirit and died as a result of it. However, this is an extreme circumstance, and I believe the only NT account of divine punishment for a specific sin through physical means. So, it seems to me, this is a specific occurrence and if God is enacting divine punishment for a specific sin today, the affected individual will be aware of the sin that caused the ailment and should be thought of as discipline, not punishment. It would be cruel and ineffective punishment to inflict physical pain and suffering due to a sin which the individual has no awareness of the connection.
Now we must hold this in tension with the biblical teaching that suffering is the result of sin generally. It is only after the fall of Genesis 3 that evil, pain and suffering enter the human experience. In the end, when Jesus returns, evil will be vanquished and suffering will be no more. Suffering was not apart of God's original design in the garden and it will not be apart of his new creation. It is only in the meantime that suffering exists. These ideas must be held in tension to maintain a true biblical theology. Therefore, we should not go looking for specific sins which led to each instance of suffering. Yet, the suffering is a result of sin and evil generally.