It must have been a terrible shock for these parents to discover that their baby had been born BLIND. But try to imagine their wonderful surprise years later when they discovered someone had suddenly healed their grown up son, and he could now see perfectly!
You would think they would want to tell everyone about the doctor who did this, but instead we find them ashamed to speak about Him!
Before you say this was a terrible thing to do you better make sure you are not one of the many people today who would do the very same kind of thing!
The healed man was brought to the Pharisees, a Jewish religious group, who "asked him how he had received his sight."
He replied, "Jesus put mud on my eyes and I washed, and now I see." (verses 13-15.)
"Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath." (verse 14.)
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 do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided. (verses 16.)
When the man who had been blind was asked what he thought about Jesus, he replied, "He is a Prophet". (verse 17.)
I love people to ask me what I think of Jesus. You see, "I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see." (song "Amazing Grace") Jesus has done a wonderful miracle in my life. He has turned my life over "from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God". He has forgiven my sins, given me a place in His family and has promised me a place in Heaven. All this He freely gave me when I put my faith and hope in Him. (Acts 26:18. 1st Peter 1:3-5.)
Jesus is my only Priest and Saviour. (Hebrews 7:24-27.)
The healed man in our story had great respect for Jesus too. But "the Jews still did not believe he had been born blind ...until they sent for the man's parents." (verse 18.)
Religions are not willing to honour and praise Jesus as the one and only God and Saviour. Although they may say some nice things about Jesus, they try to cover up their wicked jealousy of Jesus' claims and of His great unequalled power to save. (Matthew 7:21-23. 15:8-9.)
"Already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue." (verse 22.) These parents realised that their religion was keeping them from giving to Jesus Christ the honour and praise He alone deserved. But they would rather be ashamed of Jesus than be ashamed of their religion, and its obvious wrong doing!
When asked "How is it that your son can see?" they answered, "Ask him ... He will speak for himself." (verses 19-21.)
If you will trust Jesus to forgive and change you, then surely you will be happy to give all praise to Jesus for your salvation. (Acts 4:12.)
Don't be surprised if friends and family oppose your faith in Jesus Christ alone and want to support their religion instead, even though it has been unable to change their lives or give them true peace with God.
Read in John's Gospel chapter 9, verses 12-23, about these parents who were ashamed of Jesus, even after they saw the miraculous change He had made in their son.
John Nixon, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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