John 9:18-23 (WEL) Now the Jews did not believe the things about him who had been blind and received sight until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. 19 They asked them, saying, “Is this your son, whom you claim was born blind? How then can he now see?” 20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 “But how he now sees, we don’t know, nor who opened his eyes, we don’t know either. Ask him; he is an adult, and he can speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone publicly acknowledged that he was Christ, then he should be expelled from the synagogue. 23 That is why his parents said, “He is an adult; ask him.”
V18 Now the Jews did not believe the things about him who had been blind and received sight until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.
It appears that these Jewish religious leaders don’t believe anything related to Jesus.
The Greek word for believe is G4100. πιστεύω pisteuō, which means faith, trust, reliance. (Louw & Nida) “…to believe something to be true and, hence, worthy of being trusted – to believe, to think to be true, to regard as trustworthy.” John is emphasizing the stubborn refusal to believe the obvious, the fulfillment of Scripture, or Jesus’s teaching. Compare Exodus 32:9, Jeremiah 7:26, and Romans 2:5.
V19 They asked them, saying, “Is this your son, whom you claim was born blind? How then can he now see?”
Three questions. The Jewish leaders had already decided that anyone believing Jesus is Messiah was to be thrown out of the Temple, especially telling them that God has cast them off, too (John 9:22).
Excommunication is for those who have blatant sin that they refuse to repent of, as in 1 Corinthians 5:4-5 and 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15. Evil pastors, however, expel the true believers, as in 3 John 1:10.
Principle: Stay true to the Scriptures in their plain, normal sense. Doing so might cause persecution by church members, church leaders, and/or nonbelievers, but there is a blessing for staying faithful (Revelation 2:11 and Mark 13:13).
V20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
They told as little as possible; anything more, and these evil monsters (Jewish leaders) were to persecute the parents.
Principle: Evil people ask seemingly straightforward questions only to twist the words so they can persecute them.
V21 “But how he now sees, we don’t know, nor who opened his eyes, we don’t know either. Ask him; he is an adult, and he can speak for himself.”
They may have heard their son’s testimony but are scared to share it. They barely acknowledge anything.
Principle: Evil people seek any excuse to pressure, bully, manipulate, blackmail, etc., to destroy and destroy anything or anyone against them.
V22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone publicly acknowledged that he was Christ, then he should be expelled from the synagogue.
John knew the parents’ motive and explains it here. It could be that John has seen something like this before or learned it from them or another eyewitness.
The Greek word for fear/afraid is G5399 φοβέω phobeō, which means (CWSB Dictionary) “To put in fear, terrify, frighten.”
Principle: It would be better to be thrown out of the Temple or a church when standing for the truth than for God to order a person thrown into hell (Revelation 20:15).
V23 That is why his parents said, “He is an adult; ask him.”
They didn’t want to make any statements, so they passed the buck to their son.
(Zondervan King James Version Commentary, New Testament) “There was much to which the parents could not testify, but their emphasis on the son’s responsibility, that he is of age (vv. 21, 23), showed their fear of getting involved. It dramatically illustrates a climate of fear and the high stakes of being associated with Jesus. “Excommunication is reported as early as the time of Ezra (see 10:8), but there is practically no information about the way it was practiced in New Testament times. The synagogue was the center of Jewish community life, so excommunication cut a person off from many social relationships (although in some of its forms, at least in later times, not from worship).”
We learn:
- The need to stand for the truth of God.
- How the fear of humans affects truth.
Questions:
- How do you stand when you are threatened for your faith?
- How has fear affected you?