Ep. 42 John 9:13-23 The Cost of Confessing Christ — The Man Born Blind

In Episode 42, Jeff and Kimberly walk through John 9:13-23 as the Pharisees question the man born blind and his parents. While the healed man boldly testifies that Jesus is a prophet, his parents shrink back in fear of being put out of the synagogue.

This section reveals the real social and spiritual cost of confessing Christ in first-century Jerusalem—and how that same pressure shows up in our culture today. Jesus’ light exposes every heart: courage in one man, fear in his parents, and resistance in the religious leaders. Join us as we explore what it looks like to stand in the light even when it’s costly.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Welcome to Engaged the Scripture Podcast, where we dive deep into the Bible's most original historical context, exploring the culture, customs, languages, and the events that statistics writing. We are excited to be with you today as we engage the scripture together. To learn more, visit our website at engaged scripture.com.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Welcome to Engage the Scripture Podcast. I'm Jeff Morton, and whether you are new here or you've been with us for a while, I'm glad you've joined me today. Around here, Engage the Scripture means more than just reading the Bible. It means interacting with God's Word in its original context and letting it shape our hearts and lives. Everyone, I am excited to have my wife Jimmy with me today. Hello everyone, glad to be here. I love when we get to engage the scripture together. That word engage really is powerful, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 1:04

It really is. As you were talking about that, I remember back to when you first started the podcast. You had one purpose and one goal in mind. You wanted to leave something solid for our kids and for anyone looking for a clear fundamental guide to the Gospel of John.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Amen, and that is exactly what we are about. Alright, before we jump into today's teaching, let's get everyone caught up on where we are. Last week we started a new chapter, John 9, and we went through verses 1 through 12. Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth. Nobody had ever seen anything like it. When this man came back seeing, the whole neighborhood was thrown into complete confusion. Some people said this is the same man, while others argued, no, it just looks like him. They were so shocked that they couldn't even agree on what had happened right in front of them. That confusion is exactly what led them to bring the man to the Pharisees in verse 15. Kim, if you will, please go ahead and begin our reading starting at verse 13 through 15.

SPEAKER_02 2:10

Okay, verse 13 through 15, and I'll be reading from the ESV. They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, He put mud in my eyes, and I washed and I see.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Now remember, in Jesus' day, the Pharisees had a positive reputation. They were very disciplined, and they dedicated their lives to obeying and protecting the law. Their traditions were like fences built around the Torah to keep Israel from breaking God's commands. So when something big with religious implications happened, the natural reaction was, take him to the Pharisees. They'll know what to do. Something else I want all of you to see. Scholars point out that John never gives this man a name. He's not treated like a character in the story. He's treated like a witness. His role in this chapter is to tell what Jesus did for him.

SPEAKER_02 3:17

Okay. Let me read verse 16. Some of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath, but others said, How can a man who was a sinner do such signs? And there was a division among them.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

Notice the details that we are given here. In other words, this happened on the Sabbath. If you all remember, we spoke about why this would have been such a big deal back in episode 25. If you want more info on that, go back to that episode. Anyway, this isn't the first time Jesus stirred up trouble on the Sabbath. Back in John 5, he healed the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethadia on the Sabbath, and then he told him to pick up his mat and walk. That moment triggered the first attempt to kill Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 4:09

So they're already on edge because of what happened before. And now here we go again.

SPEAKER_00 4:14

Here we go again is right. Jesus mixed mud and put it on this blind man's eyes by hand, which was considered work on the Sabbath. Healing wasn't permitted unless someone's life was in danger. Even putting something on the eyes was a debated issue among the teachers of the law. Then I want to draw our attention to the last line. And there was a division among them. The Pharisees themselves are divided now. And there's a well-known historical reason for that. If you remember from past episodes, the Pharisees didn't all think the same way. They came from two major schools of thought. First, the Shemaiah camp. These were the strict interpreters. They argued for principle. Anyone who breaks the Sabbath is a sinner, so their conclusion was simple. He cannot be from God because he broke the Sabbath. The second camp, the Halil camp, these were more lenient and argued from evidence. How could a sinner perform such a miracle? Their logic pushed the other direction. If God is not with him, how do you explain the sign? So the division among them would mirror the division in the moment. Shemai's strictness versus Halil's openness to what God might be doing. And while we are here, let's say a word about Shemai Camp's idea of a sinner. In John's world, the term sinner doesn't just mean someone who sins a lot. It's a much stronger label. It means someone outside the covenant, not one of us, not aligned with God's people. When they say Jesus broke the Sabbath and he is a sinner, they're declaring him an outsider, cut off from God.

SPEAKER_02 5:53

The Pharisees' spiritual sight seems to be fading, and this formerly blind man's eyes, both physically and spiritually, are getting clearer with every step he takes.

SPEAKER_00 6:04

You got it. The strict group, the Shemaiah side, ends up reaching the wrong conclusion, while the more cautious Halil group ends up recognizing what's actually happening, but still have a hard time believing it.

SPEAKER_02 6:18

So verse 17. So they said again to the blind man, What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes? He said, He is a prophet.

SPEAKER_00 6:29

The man has already told them how it happened, but they ask him again.

SPEAKER_02 6:34

Yeah, but I can't help but notice the Pharisees don't seem to care much that the man has been healed. They're more focused on how Jesus healed him than on the miracle itself.

SPEAKER_00 6:44

Exactly. They're looking for the method so much that they are blind to the miracle. This man is simple and honest, and that honesty undermines their authority. He's not eloquent, he's not dramatic, he's not a theologian. He's just telling the truth about what God did for him. And that truth is already exposing darkness. His testimony becomes a threat. This goes back to Jesus' words. I am the light of the world. The light is shining right now, and the Pharisees don't know what to do with it. This man is standing in the light, and the light is exposing the darkness around them. If you go back to episode 2, we talk about John 1 and 5. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Some translations say comprehend, others say overcome, because that Greek verb carries both ideas, to grasp or understand, to overpower or overcome. So John is saying darkness cannot understand the light, and darkness cannot stop the light. Now I want you to think about this man. He's been blind his whole life, rejected, looked down on, even thought of as being cursed by God. And now he's being looked down on again simply because he's connected to Jesus, the true light. This man becomes a success story, a living example of what Jesus can do. And they can't grasp that. They can't explain it. They can't control it. They simply can't comprehend the light standing right in front of them.

SPEAKER_02 8:22

So the Pharisees are not really happy with his answer, so they ask him again. So they want to know the method, the procedure, the secret sauce for how this happened.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

That's right. The Pharisees ask the man again, What do you say about Jesus? And he answers, he is a prophet. Okay, let's look at this. In Scripture, a prophet is a spokesperson for God, someone who speaks God's words with God's authority. Prophets can also foretell future events, and many of them perform miracles. Think about Moses, Elijah, and Elijah. Their signs confirm that God had truly sent them. So when this healed man says he is a prophet, he's declaring that Jesus is God's authorized agent.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

The religious leaders who're supposed to know God the best are calling Jesus a sinner, but the man who was blind his whole life sees clear enough to call him a prophet.

SPEAKER_00 9:17

And that would have been a very serious claim in their world. A statement like that would normally be brought before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. But right now it's being handled at the synagogue level, the Pharisees who oversee the local community.

SPEAKER_02 9:32

Could the man be punished for this if he was wrong about Jesus?

SPEAKER_00 9:37

It would have been a serious accusation for sure. If they judged it to be false, the punishment would not have been death. It would have been more like expulsion from the synagogue, being cut off from your community, your social world, and your religious life. So it was a big deal. Yes, it could have been a big deal for sure.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

Okay, let me read verse 18. Um I probably should go ahead and read verse 18 through 23. The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, Is this your son who you say was born blind? How does he now see? His parents answered, 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. Ask him, he is of age, he will speak for himself. His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be the Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, He is of age. Ask him.

SPEAKER_00 10:50

Kim, this whole section shows just how far the Pharisees are willing to go. Verse 18 says they still didn't believe the man had been blind. They've run out of angles. So now they call in the parents to verify the story. Faith Life notes that they are trying to confirm his identity and make sure he really was born blind. And Montgomery Boyce points out something important here. The parents are walking into a courtroom atmosphere. This isn't a friendly conversation, this is an interrogation. Then verse 19 shows the tone. They say, Is this your son? How then does he now see? They're not looking for truth, they're looking for a way to break the testimony. And the parents know it. Then the answer, verse 20, the safe part, we know this is our son, and we know he was born blind. That's all they're willing to say. But verse 21 is where the fear shows. They say, How he now sees, we don't know. He's of age, just ask him. And Kostenberger notes that once a son reached about 13, he was considered legally responsible. So the parents are excusing themselves from further inquiry. They're saying he's old enough, he can testify. And John tells us exactly why they're doing this. Verse 22. His parents said these things because they feared the Jews. And here's the key line. For the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Jesus to be the Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. So explain this.

SPEAKER_02 12:25

If someone confessed that Jesus was the Christ, they would be put out of the synagogue, is that right?

SPEAKER_00 12:31

Yes, and this is the real heart of the passage. So what does put out of the synagogue actually mean? Let's look at that. In Jerusalem during Jesus' ministry, being expelled from the synagogue wasn't just losing your seat in a worship service. It was one of the most serious social, economical, and religious consequences a Jewish community could carry out. FaithLife says it was effectively being excluded from the community. Dr. Edwin A. Bloom, the scholar who wrote the John commentary in the Bible Knowledge commentary, says the parents were guarded because they feared this exact consequence. And then one more note from Dr. Craig Keener, he emphasizes that excommunication, not execution, was the real danger. So, yes, they could be expelled simply for saying Jesus was a prophet, or especially the Messiah. So were all Jews part of the local synagogue in Jesus' time? Great question, and it really helps explain why this moment was such a big deal. In the first century, almost every Jewish person was tied to a synagogue. It wasn't like formal church membership today. The synagogue was the heartbeat of daily life. Their community center, social world, business network, and religious identity all rolled into one. Even in Jerusalem with the temple right there, local synagogues served as the practical hub for families like the healed beggar and his parents. That's why being put out of the synagogue was so serious. It wasn't just getting kicked out of a building. It meant people stopped associating with you, your business relationships dried up, you lost your support system, and you were viewed as spiritually unsafe and out of step with God's covenant people. You lost your place inside the community of Israel. It was a life-altering social and spiritual penalty.

SPEAKER_02 14:32

So when the parents say he is of age, ask him, they're not really being cowards, they're just protecting themselves from a very real threat.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

Yes, confessing that Jesus had healed their son would be considered far more than a private opinion. It was a public statement that God was now working through Jesus outside the recognized authority, the Pharisees, scribes, and temple leaders. In their eyes, this meant God's authority had shifted. So that's probably why they stepped back and pushed the question on their son. They knew the cost.

SPEAKER_02 15:07

Okay, that's how synagogue life worked. Now let me ask this: why was confessing Jesus as the Messiah so dangerous?

SPEAKER_00 15:16

Because in their world, calling someone Messiah wasn't just a personal belief. It was a public claim that shaped your identity and your place in the community. It said something about Israel's God, Israel's leadership, and Israel's future. And that's not just theology. That's a rival account of where God's covenant authority now resides. It implies the current leadership is not aligning with God's purposes. Some would even hear it as saying they are not true Yahwehs. Like I said, to confess Jesus as to Christ was to say God has acted decisively outside the recognized authority, outside the temple leadership, the scribes and the Pharisaic teachers. So the parents were terrified.

SPEAKER_02 16:02

They know the cost and they know what's at stake.

SPEAKER_00 16:04

They know that if they say too much, they could lose everything. Montgomery Boyce says the parents are classic examples of people who know the truth but are too afraid to speak it. They're protecting themselves. They're trying not to get dragged into a conflict that could cost them their entire social world. Meanwhile, their son, the one who was blind, is standing in the light. He's telling the truth. He's not afraid. And the contrast is powerful. The healed man is gaining courage. The parents are shrinking in fear. The Pharisees are tightening control, and Jesus' light is exposing every heart in the room.

SPEAKER_02 16:46

It makes me wonder about something. Their son who was blind can see now, first time in his life. So why are his parents not more happy? Why are they not rejoicing? I mean, it seems like they're holding back something.

SPEAKER_00 17:00

Yeah, they seem to freeze. They won't even answer the Pharisees directly. But now that you know what life was like in first century Jerusalem, you can see why the parents froze. They weren't just scared, they were protecting their entire world. They know their son was healed, they know Jesus did it, but they also know that confessing Jesus could cost them their community and their businesses, relationships, their social status, and their identity as part of Israel.

SPEAKER_02 17:30

Yeah, I see that. So they stay quiet, they protect themselves.

SPEAKER_00 17:35

They do. And honestly, we're not as far from that reality as we might think. We like to believe confessing Christ is still safe and respected in America. That seems to be changing fast. I remember hearing my brother, Pastor Donnie Morton, talking about this when I was just a teenager back in the early 80s. He said, one day, it won't be socially acceptable to say you're a Christian in the United States. You'll be ostracized for it. At that time, I thought, no way, even politicians want to be seen as Christians. But look where we are now. He was right. The cultural shift is happening, and we're starting to see it more clearly now. Now, while we may not be dragged before councils or formally excommunicated yet, we are being intimidated more and more, and we're being pressured to keep quiet.

SPEAKER_02 18:28

And a lot of people are just keeping quiet about their faith for fear of losing their job or some social status in the community.

SPEAKER_00 18:35

That's exactly where John 9 speaks to us today. The healed man stands boldly in the light. His parents shrink back into the shadows, and Jesus' light exposes every heart in the room. That same choice is in front of us today.

SPEAKER_02 18:51

This should really hit home to us. People don't mind you being spiritual, but you start talking about Jesus and suddenly you're the problem.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

Exactly, and that's why the story matters, and that's when we need to remember the darkness around us can't comprehend the light. John says that. We are put on this planet to shine the light of Jesus, to reflect him in all we do and say. Without believers standing in the light, shining his light, the world loses its witness. It loses its hope and its clarity. We gotta stand in the light even when it costs us something. Amen. Even when it's uncomfortable, even when people don't understand, or when the culture pushes back. And we need to remember John 8.12, where Jesus said, Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. And 1 Peter 4.16, where Peter said, If you suffer as a Christian, don't be ashamed. Glorify God in that name.

SPEAKER_02 20:04

And Paul said, Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord. That's 2 Timothy 1 and 8.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

Standing in the light has always come with pressure, but it's still the right thing to do. And it's still the place where Jesus meets us. And that reminds me of one more scripture reference. Let me pull that up. Okay, here we go. Luke 12, 11 and 12, when they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. So that is Luke 12, 11 and 12.

SPEAKER_02 20:50

That's a promise we can hold on to. He'll meet us right there in that moment.

SPEAKER_00 20:54

Yes, he will. And with that, we are out of time for today. But before we close, let's pull together the main things that John wants us to see in this part of the story. Number one, Jesus, the light of the world, gives sight, physical and spiritual. The healed man grows in courage as he steps into the light. The parents shrink back because fear controls them. The Pharisees tighten their grip because the light threatens their authority. And Jesus' presence reveals every heart, who stands in the light and who hides in the shadows.

SPEAKER_02 21:31

And John is showing us that seeing Jesus clearly always comes with a cost. But the Holy Spirit will stand with us and teach us what to say when the pressure comes.

SPEAKER_00 21:41

Very good. Next week we finish out the chapter, and it's going to get pretty intense. The healed man is going to stand toe-to-toe with the Pharisees. He's going to speak with more clarity and courage than anyone expected. And Jesus himself is going to step back into the story.

SPEAKER_02 21:57

I'm really looking forward to it. The way the story builds is powerful. It makes you want to keep listening and see what's going to happen with these religious leaders.

SPEAKER_00 22:06

Amen. I love it when we can do this together. Any last words of wisdom before we sign off, Kim?

SPEAKER_02 22:13

Well, um, I don't claim to be a scholar, but the man born blind moved from physical darkness to spiritual sight, while the religious leaders, who should have seen more clearly, remain blind to who Jesus really is. So my encouragement is this. Ask the Lord to open your eyes daily. Let Jesus be your light, even when it costs you something. God sees you, he loves you, and he's still at work bringing light into dark places.

SPEAKER_00 22:42

Amen. That's a great word for everybody. And that is also a great place to sign off. Have a great week, everybody. Go on, friends.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

You've been listening to Engage The Scripture Podcast, where context reveals the meaning. The spirit reveals the truth. And together they illuminate God's word. If you have questions or want to dive deeper into today's topic, visit engagedescripture.com. Click on the link. This podcast is for education on devotional purposes only. The views expressed by those of the host and guests do not constitute professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to study scripture and seek guidance from trusted spiritual leaders.