John 9:13-23
“Notice what you notice.” …the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. (v. 22b) How could the Jewish leaders have been so hard-headed that they would completely pre-judge Jesus in spite of the works/miracles that they had seen him perform? Yes, the Pharisees were divided (see v. 16), but clearly the leadership held Jesus in contempt. Was it because of His being able to dominate them in their disagreements, to weaken them in the eyes of the onlookers? Was it their perception of His “arrogance” (…before Abraham was, I am.) that blinded their eyes? Or was it simply a power move on the part of the leaders, not wanting to admit (or SUBMIT!!) to a Messiah for fear of losing their own positions?
That last question above hits home with me. What am I not willing to admit (to Jesus)? Or maybe even more importantly, what am I not willing to SUBMIT to His leadership? And if I, a follower, am not able to admit to my faults or submit to His love, how difficult it must be for non-believers to take either of these two steps? So maybe non-believers’ unwillingness to follow Jesus hinges on their perceptions of my own unwillingness to follow Him completely? Ouch.
Slava Bohu!
I say OUCH too!
Ouch indeed, Fred. There seems to be a variety of responses to Jesus’s words and claims about himself. 1, skepticism by neighbors and brothers, 2, stubborn disbelief, Jews, etc., 3, hidden out of fear but possible belief, man’s parents, 4, growing belief, blind man. Praying that I continue in 4!