John 9:24-34\u00a0<\/b>–\u00a0So for a second time they summoned the man who had been blind, and said to him, \u201cGive glory to God; we know that\u00a0this man is a sinner.\u201d\u00a025\u00a0He then answered, \u201cWhether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.\u201d\u00a026\u00a0So they said to him, \u201cWhat did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?\u201d\u00a027\u00a0He answered them, \u201cI told you already and you did not\u00a0listen; why do you want to hear\u00a0it\u00a0again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?\u201d\u00a028\u00a0They spoke abusively to him and said, \u201cYou are His disciple, but\u00a0we are disciples of Moses.\u00a029\u00a0We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man,\u00a0we do not know where He is from.\u201d\u00a030\u00a0The man answered and said to them, \u201cWell, here is the amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and\u00a0yet\u00a0He opened my eyes!\u00a031\u00a0We know that\u00a0God does not listen to sinners; but if someone is\u00a0God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him.\u00a032\u00a0Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.\u00a033\u00a0If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.\u201d\u00a034\u00a0They answered him, \u201cYou were born entirely in sins, and\u00a0yet\u00a0you are teaching us?\u201d So they\u00a0put him out.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cSo for a second time they summoned the man who had been blind, and said to him, \u201cGive glory to God; we know that\u00a0this man is a sinner.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The man who had been healed from blindness had told a simple, not hard to understand story.\u00a0\u00a0He said that he was blind from birth until Jesus healed him.\u00a0\u00a0He said I was blind but now I see.\u00a0\u00a0It is a simple statement of fact, with witnesses.\u00a0\u00a0Now the Pharisees who were troubled by these facts wanted to hear him say the story again not because the facts are hard to understand but because of the pre-conceived notions they did not believe the facts could be true.\u00a0\u00a0They were trying to make out the truth to be a lie.\u00a0\u00a0They did that for their own selfish reasons.\u00a0\u00a0They wanted to change the facts to fit their doctrine.\u00a0\u00a0This tactic of questioning over and over again, even though the story remained unchanged, is still being used.\u00a0\u00a0If someone is questioning you about the same thing over and over again you can be sure that they don\u2019t believe you because they find your story unbelievable because of their preconceived notions.<\/p>\n
We know that the most seductive lies are mixed with truth.\u00a0\u00a0They told this healed man to glorify God and not a man whom they claim is a sinner.\u00a0\u00a0All the facts point to the truth of the story of the healing as had been reported.\u00a0\u00a0They was no contrary evidence.\u00a0\u00a0They attempted to bully the man from the truth to something they would accept as truth.\u00a0\u00a0They said stop giving Jesus glory that He did not deserve and give the glory to God who healed you.\u00a0\u00a0They were telling him that he should come clean and glorify God.\u00a0\u00a0They could not see that glorifying God was exactly what the man had been asserting.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe then answered, \u201cWhether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.<\/i>\u201d The Pharisees would have liked to cloud the issue for the man and argue the law, written and oral tradition, instead of simply the man telling what he knew had happened.\u00a0\u00a0He did not take the bait and simply held to his story.\u00a0\u00a0The Jews were experts in the law and did not want to argue with them about that.\u00a0\u00a0The man was an expert of his own testimony.\u00a0\u00a0Sometimes we are unnecessarily called into arguments about faith.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Although it\u2019s certainly wise to study and prepare to give an answer to those who question the Word, we are safest when we, like the healed man did, merely stick to what we know.\u00a0\u00a0What we know is that before Jesus we were blind, but after Jesus we could see.\u00a0\u00a0Praise the Lord!<\/p>\n
\u201cSo they said to him, \u201cWhat did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?\u201d\u00a0<\/i>\u00a0Who can explain how God does His miracles.\u00a0\u00a0The Pharisees asked the man how did Jesus heal him?\u00a0\u00a0The man had already explained what Jesus did but the man could not explain how what He did caused the healing.\u00a0\u00a0The man knew what Jesus had done but He could not explain the intricacies of the miracle. Moses knew that God would part the Red Sea for the Israelites to walk though on dry land, but He didn\u2019t know how what God did would work. Moses simply knew God would do it.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God is not under obligation to fully explain to anyone how He does it, it the job of His people merely to believe.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We walk by faith and not by sight.\u00a0\u00a0(2 Corinthians 5:7<\/b>) That has always been the obligation of those who believe in and follow the Lord God.\u00a0\u00a0None of the prophets explained how God did the miracles, they just trusted that He would.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe answered them, \u201cI told you already and you did not\u00a0listen; why do you want to hear\u00a0it\u00a0again?\u00a0\u00a0You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?<\/i>\u201d The healed man had already repeated himself.\u00a0\u00a0He was not going to lie for the Pharisees benefit.\u00a0\u00a0So he asked why the Pharisees wanted to hear the story.\u00a0\u00a0These arrogant authorities had obvious insincere motives.\u00a0\u00a0The man answered sarcastically asking them if they intended to become disciples of Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0It is interesting that the man asked if they wanted to become disciples \u201ctoo.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0It seems to imply that the man had his mind set to follow Jesus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey spoke abusively to him and said, \u201cYou are His disciple, but\u00a0we are disciples of Moses.\u00a029\u00a0We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man,\u00a0we do not know where He is from.<\/i>\u201d Obviously the proud Pharisees got their tail feathers ruffled and responded saying that this man seemed to be disciple of Jesus but they took what they thought the superior position that they were disciples of Moses.\u00a0\u00a0They reminded that God had spoken to Moses (Exodus 33:11<\/b>).\u00a0\u00a0They, not recognizing Jesus as coming from and representing the Father, didn\u2019t know where Jesus came from.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Yet if they were the strict disciples of Moses they claimed then they should have recognized what Moses had told of Jesus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man answered and said to them, \u201cWell, here is the amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and\u00a0yet\u00a0He opened my eyes!\u00a031\u00a0We know that\u00a0God does not listen to sinners; but if someone is\u00a0God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him.\u00a032\u00a0Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.\u00a033\u00a0If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Here the healed layman asked them a question about their qualifications.\u00a0\u00a0He brought up to the Pharisees what they had taught which they were now contradicting themselves.\u00a0\u00a0The Pharisees had erroneously taught that God does not listen to sinners.\u00a0\u00a0If God will not listen to sinners then how can he hear a sinner repent and then forgive him as He is apt to do?\u00a0\u00a0(Ezekiel 18:21-23, Proverbs 28:13<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0So this brought a dilemma to the Pharisees, if Jesus was sinner then God would not have listened to Jesus and then performed the miracle (according to their own teaching.)\u00a0\u00a0But since the miracle was done through Jesus, and if what they taught was true, then that proved Jesus was not a sinner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey answered him, \u201cYou were born entirely in sins, and\u00a0yet\u00a0you are teaching us?\u201d So they\u00a0put him out.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0How do people who cannot support their argument respond?\u00a0\u00a0Since they cannot support their argument they personally smear their opponent, which is what the Pharisees did.\u00a0\u00a0Then their pride rose up and they asked who he was to question them, to suppose to teach them.\u00a0\u00a0So, this man\u2019s parents did not want to argue with the Pharisees because they would kick him out of the Jewish community, and that is what they did to their son.<\/p>\n
Joshua stood up to the majority and told them \u201cBut if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0(Joshua 24:15<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Peter and John stood up to the religious authorities and declared \u201cBut Peter and John replied, \u201cWhich is right in God\u2019s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!\u00a0<\/i>20<\/a>\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/span>As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0(Acts 4:19-20<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Joshua, Peter and John stood for God and have received their eternal prizes.\u00a0\u00a0Let us stand strongly for God and we too shall be given the same prize.\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!<\/p>\n Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/i><\/p>\n Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has\u00a0shown you, Oh man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; and what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of you, but\u00a0to do justly, to love\u00a0mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.<\/i><\/p>\n Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn His face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" John 9:24-34\u00a0–\u00a0So for a second time they summoned the man who had been blind, and said to him, \u201cGive glory to God; we know that\u00a0this man is a sinner.\u201d\u00a025\u00a0He then answered, \u201cWhether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.\u201d\u00a026\u00a0So they said…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,129,2257,705,100,2186,94,1874,2559,17],"class_list":["post-2954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-corinthians","tag-exodus","tag-ezekiel","tag-john","tag-joshua","tag-micah","tag-numbers","tag-provers","tag-psalm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2954"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2955,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2954\/revisions\/2955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}