Lesson 56

For the last two lessons, we have looked at the growing confrontation between the man that had been born blind and the Pharisees who were interrogating him. As the Pharisees attempted to pressure this man to renounce Jesus and the means that Jesus had used to cure his blindness, the man demonstrates more and more conviction that what they were asking him to do was wrong. He knew that Jesus had performed a marvelous accomplishment in his life. Yet, these men were asking him to reject what Jesus had done and to say that Jesus was a sinner.

They asked him to explain again how Jesus had opened his eyes. In verse 29 we see how exasperated he was becoming with their questioning. He asks them, quite sarcastically, if they wish to become Jesus' disciples. This caused the Pharisees to openly accuse him of being Jesus' disciple. They considered themselves disciples of Moses. In their minds they knew that Moses had come from God. "But as for this man, we don't know where he comes from."

This accusation was apparently the last straw for this man. He had already said that, as far as he was concerned, Jesus was a prophet (a man sent from God to speak the words of God). But the Pharisees could not accept that what Jesus had done was a holy act. All that they could see was that their Sabbath regulations had been violated. In their minds, this was the equivalent to breaking the laws of God.

But this man could only see what Jesus had done for him (literally!) Before he had been blind. Now, he could see. Jesus had given him a new life, a new hope. From his own perspective, God's hand must have been involved. It was too great a blessing to be an unholy thing. No one had ever heard of a man who had been blind from birth being given his sight. Only God's power could be this great.

And so, he was emboldened to stand before these leaders and to say to them that only God could have accomplished this work through Jesus. He knew the consequences of speaking thus. He knew that it might well cost him everything in this society. Yet, the gift of God that he had been given was greater than the punishment.

As a consequence of his statement, he was thrown out of the synagogue. In our words, we might say that he was excommunicated. In the future, he would be shunned. He might not be employed by anyone who sought to remain a Jew. He could not rent property, could not live with his parents, and would not be able to even beg on the streets.

And yet, he was willing to accept these consequences rather than say that what had been accomplished in his life was not from God. This is a completely new level of conviction. Fewer people are tested to this level. Most of us will not have to lose our homes and welfare to follow Christ. But, some might be called on to sacrifice in this fashion. In any case, the soul that has seen the work of God in their lives is willing to make great sacrifice in order to continue to reside in God's presence. God and His work become so important, all other things in this world can be placed aside.

Has your faith ever been tested to this level? If the choice were to worship God or lose all you had lived for, what choice would you make?