Jesus Endured Irrationality Among His Critics

What Did Jesus Do?

“We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind.
But how he now sees we do not know,
nor do we know who opened his eyes.”
John 9.20-21


Picture this. You have a perfectly healthy newborn son. But you decide from birth to “say” he is blind, and you raise your son to be unseeing. Sounds crazy, doesn't it, who would ever do such a thing? It is completely irrational to even conceive of anyone doing something like this. Yet the critics and opponents of Jesus came to this conclusion.

“It this your son, who you say was born blind?”
John 9.19

That's right, the parents of the man born blind were actually accused of simply going around saying he was blind all those years, when in truth he could see perfectly! Sounds absurd. How could anyone come to such a conclusion? Well, when you absolutely refuse to receive the truth, you may have to come up with some pretty implausible explanations for things. Think about it. In Genesis 1 and 2 the Bible explains how the material universe came into being, and the origins of life. Science refuses to accept this truth, so it instead says that essentially nothing made nothing go “BANG!” and then there was everything. And Christians are said to be foolish and ignorant? Being confronted with a truth you refuse can inspire some extremely irrational claims. Jesus had to endure irrationality among his critics.

In contrast to the Lord, the people who were opposed to Christ inspired fear. John tells us plainly that, although the man's parents were willing to affirm that he was indeed their son, and that he had in fact been blind from birth, they were not about to say anything about how it was that he now could see, and they certainly were not going to weigh in on the debate about who it was who gave their son his sight. The threat of expulsion from the synagogue of anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ was enough to silence the parents about the how and the who of their son now seeing (John 9.22). And, since the man had reached what used to be called “the age of majority,” his parents were quite within their legal rights to say to their inquisitors, “Ask him.” (John 9.21)

The truth is, when it comes to Jesus, no one's opinion matters but our own. Yes, Jesus asked his disciples what people were saying about him (see Matthew 16.13), but what the Lord really wanted to know was what his disciples themselves had to say (Matthew 16.15). When we finally meet Jesus face to face, we will not be questioned about what others thought of him, all that will matter is whether or not we will be honestly able to say that he is our Lord and Savior.

For those who were opposed to him it really didn't matter, as would be later proved at the farce of a trial where Jesus would be condemned to die, what was put in evidence about his person and his works. Christ's opponents had already made their minds up about him—he was not from God (John 9.16)—they did not accept the testimony of the their own eyes and ears, so whatever anyone else thought about Jesus was quite immaterial to them.

What it comes down to is this: the Spirit of Truth inspires wisdom and truth in believers, while lying spirits inspire irrationality and fear in all who won't believe.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4