Star Witness
Opening Prayer
Lord, help me to follow You when the establishment is against both
of us.
Read John 9:13–34
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”
28 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.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds” (Psa. 9:1).
The presentation to the Pharisees of the man who was blind but now sees (13) creates yet another “courtroom” scene within the Gospel narrative. Jesus is not present on this occasion, but he is still a co-defendant. Meanwhile, the healed man, remaining within the jurisdiction of the temple, is served with process by the court as a witness to testify against Jesus (17a). True to John’s love of irony, it’s a strategy that backfires spectacularly!
In a climate of fear and intimidation—sufficient to cause his parents to distance themselves from him (20–23)—the healed man testifies that Jesus is “a prophet” (17b). Resisting the prosecution’s attempts to lead him as a witness, he truly does “give the glory to God” (24) by declaring Jesus’ role in his healing (25). His testimony is based firmly on the evidence available to him (15,25). The prosecution’s refusal to accept his testimony—which would verify that Jesus had indeed healed him with all the attendant implications—throws the “trial” into a circus of sorts. The prosecution demands the witness to repeat himself despite his having nothing new to say (26,27a). Such a stubborn repudiation of Jesus is nonsensical in the light of the evidence disclosed and is rightly satirized by the healed man (27,30–33),
who has become the star witness for Jesus and his claims. Here is a reminder that the arguments against faith should be subject to the same degree of scrutiny as the arguments for faith; indeed, those arguments against are not without their vulnerabilities.
Despite testifying truthfully, the healed man is ostracized on account of his conviction that all evidence indicates that Jesus is from God (32–34). His rejection is part and parcel of the sufferings of Christ (Rom. 8:16,17); no disciple should expect otherwise.
Apply
Wherever you are, you are a witness to Jesus. What is your testimony about him? What opportunities has God given you for sharing that testimony?
Closing prayer
Lord, we marvel at the attention You give to one lone, needy man.
Thank You for being the God of the individual.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.