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"The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until
they sent for the man's parents. `Is this your son?' they asked. `Is this the one you say
was born blind? How is it that now he can see?'." (9: 18, 19).
The parents confirmed the fact that he had been born blind, but they did not know how
he had received his sight. They were afraid to say more lest they were put out of the
synagogue (20-22). Once more the Pharisees summoned the man and said that they knew
"this man (Christ) is a sinner". The reply they received was beyond argument:
"Whether He is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know, I was blind but
now I see!" (9: 25).
The Pharisees were doing their best to find some loophole that they could seize on to
trip the Lord up. They put further pressure on the man who now decides to resist them,
and the rest of the incident consists of sharp repartee between the two sides. The leaders
hurled insults at him (9: 28, 29). They said, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare
you lecture us!" (34). They were the great and mighty scholars and interpreters of the
Mosaic law in their estimation, and this man was a complete ignoramus.
But he stated something that was beyond argument. He said, if this man were not
from God, He could do nothing" (33). The leaders, realizing they were getting the worst
of the argument, lost their tempers and drove the man out of the place where they were,
and doubtless expelled him from the synagogue too. But as we have already seen, the
Lord found him, spoke the words of eternal life, and the man responded and said, "Lord, I
believe" and prostrated himself before Him in reverence.
The giving of the sight to the blind was one of the actions of Messiah foretold by the
prophets (Isa. 35: 5; 42: 7). At His coming "then the eyes of the blind shall be
opened" and the ears of the deaf unstopped too. These were signs of the coming of the
earthly kingdom. When John the Baptist's faith began to fail in prison and he sent a
message asking the Lord if He fulfilled the office of Messiah, Christ's answer was:
"Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame
walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good
news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of
Me" (Matt. 11: 4-6).
The kingdom miraculous sign were happening and the King was present. No wonder
the message was constantly given out by the Lord and the Twelve, "the kingdom of
heaven is near".