On the first reading of our text, one might conclude that Jesus said something exactly like that. Jesus seems to be saying that the man was born blind for this very moment in his life when Jesus would display the miraculous power of God in healing him. God caused the blindness knowing that Jesus would heal the man right now. But many Biblical scholars have argued that the typical punctuation of this verse is all wrong. That the works of God might be made visible in him we must work the works of him who sent me while it is day.
Night comes when no one can work.
I like this translation because it emphasizes the result of the blindness rather than the cause. I believe God is not as much interested in what caused the tragedy as in where we go from here. Finding the cause really doesn't change anything. But when we focus on the results, we are able to redeem even the worst of situations. God is responsible for the help, not the pain.