Friday 28th June
Read John 9:28-34
“Then they hurled insults at him and said, ‘You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.’
30 The man answered, ‘Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’
34 To this they replied, ‘You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!’ And they threw him out.” (NIVUK)
As the Jewish leaders realise they are being mocked any pretence that this is a fair investigation vanishes – they are furious. In their rage they don’t even notice that the simple theology and observations of the formerly blind man are profound indeed. Those who deny God in word and life can’t wander around opening the eyes of the blind. A moment’s reflection on their part and they would recognise that opening the eyes of the blind is one of the signs of God’s coming kingdom rule. They also don’t realise they have conceded the very point they were trying to disprove. By insulting the man as ‘steeped in sin at birth’ they acknowledge that he was indeed born blind.
The sad aspect of this picture is just how fearful the Jewish leaders are. You can hear it in their increasingly shrill responses. They are disciples of Moses, not some unknown country huckster! This miracle forces a re-evaluation of what they think they know that they are afraid to undertake. They don’t want to question their secure assumptions. If Jesus is who He claims to be, and does what He manifestly is able to do, a choice is demanded that they are unwilling to make. Their fear, masked by fury, is palpable.
In contrast, the confidence and growing joy in the man born blind as, in the course of the interrogation he increasingly grasps who Jesus must be and what his newfound sight indicates has occurred, is amazing to behold. Those who have newly come to trust in Jesus display this characteristic joy and enthusiasm. They are not afraid or ashamed any longer. They are blessed.
