Light in the Darkness

March 15 Light in the Darkness John 9:13-23

“When they ask the blind man for his opinion, it is not because they want to abide by his judgment, or think it has the slightest value, but because they hope the man will be frightened and give them the answer they want. In this the Lord disappoints them – for when a poor man disregards their threats and boldly proclaims that Christ is a prophet, we must ascribe it to God’s grace.” John Calvin “Commentary on John” Vol. 4:246

Jesus is the Light of the World; those who oppose the Light, who dwell in darkness, bring down judgment upon themselves. They do everything in their power to discredit Jesus, but none of their accusations ring true; how could they? His is the true Light, and all of the darkness in the world will never be able to put it out.

The man who had been healed was brought before the Pharisees. They wanted proof of the authenticity of the miracle or, at least, some of them did. It appears that many among them were really more interested in discovering proof of the inauthenticity of Christ’s miracle. They questioned the man. They were particularly interested in discovering what Jesus had done, given that the healing had taken place on the Sabbath. In answer to their questions, the man explained: “He put mud on my eyes and I washed, and now I see.”

The Pharisees could not agree. Some of them maintained that Jesus could not be from God because He had broken the Sabbath; He had made mud, applied it, and healed the man. It seemed clear to them – Jesus had violated God’s Law. Others took the opposite view. They began, not with the Law but with the healing, arguing that anyone who could perform such a miraculous sign could not be a sinner, at least on that count. Those who condemned Jesus used an “a priori” argument, from the principle to the effect. They had a strong argument, but they were wrong. Those who supported Jesus used an “a posteriori” argument, from the effect to the principle. They had a weaker argument, but they were right. The Pharisees failed to take Jesus’ essential nature into consideration: He was Lord of the Sabbath. He was not bound by legislation intended to regulate the affairs of men.

Since they were getting nowhere, the Pharisees decided to question the man’s parents, to determine whether or not he had been blind from birth. This implies that the healed man was probably still in his 20’s, since both parents were still alive. He was certainly old enough to bear witness without their help. This was, to all intents and purposes, their reply. He had, indeed, been born blind. But as to the healing – they had no opinion. Better to ask him!

Already, at this stage, we can see evidence of a progression in the young man’s faith. When first asked about the healing he ascribed it to “the man they call Jesus.” By the time of his first interrogation, he was describing Jesus as “a prophet.” He had not yet come to the fullness of faith, but he was on his way.

It looks as though the most prominent Pharisees had already had an informal meeting. No announcement had been made, but they had decided among themselves that those who accepted Jesus as the Messiah were to be excluded from the synagogue. Since no Jew could take this threat lightly, some backed off from making a commitment. Darkness gathered; the flame guttered in an evil wind.

For further reading: Psalm 103