“Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?” The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.” The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?” but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”
“Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses!
“Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.”
John 9:17-19, 21-22, 24-25, 27-28, 30-33
After Jesus healed the blind beggar, the Pharisees, began to interigate Him, asking him all kinds of questions. Are you really the same guy who used be a blind beggar? How did you gain your sight? Who made you see? What, exactly did He do to heal you? To all of this the blind man affirmed that yes, he once blind and that Jesus had healed him.
The desperate Pharesees even called in the former blind guy’s parents-is this REALLY your son? Was he REALLY born blind? How did he go from not seeing to seeing? They, fearing the religious leader’s relaliation of excommunication from the synagogue and thus Hebrew culture to them, said “He’s a man, ask him!” (vs 22) So they requestioned the man! They ask him again about Jesus-of Who He was, what He’d done to heal him and and even what he (the blind man), thought about who Jesus was, a prophet? A sinner? His answer is simple, “I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” (vs 25)
As the conversation gets more heated the once blind man asks the Pharisees if they wanted to be a disciple of Jesus. No, they said, “We’re disciples of Moses! You are His disciple!” (vs 27-29). They finally wound up throwing the once blind man out of the synagogue. (vs 34)
So, what could have upset these Jewish leaders so badly that they failed to rejoice with a guy who’s been blind ALL HIS LIFE? First, they were jeolous of the following Jesus had. They were obviously jeolous of the favor that Jesus had with the Father and of how God answered Jesus’ prayers-of how people where healed; of how demons fled at His command and of how people were regarding Him as the Messiah.
Something however, that the blind man said to them stands out to me! In response to the Pharisees calling Jesus a sinner, he says, “Why, that’s very strange! He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.” In other words, if a man come HEALING PEOPLE, ISNT IT PERFECTLY OBVIOUS WHERE HE’S FROM??? OF COURSE HE’S FROM GOD!!! It was like the more he thought about it, the SURER he became about who Jesus was!
Though the once-blind man got kicked out of the synagogue that day, he was ushered into the Kingdom of God for being sure of who Jesus is!
Who is Jesus to you? He has to be more than a religious by-word or a comforting Christmas story or even a social phenomenon! He has to be your King and Lord!
Think about it!
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