Insight from a Blind Man (A Study of John 9) Part 17

“Do you want to become His disciples too?”  Never were more volatile words spoken.  That question got at the heart of the matter:  If Jesus was who He claimed to be, the Pharisees were wrong and should repent and follow Jesus with all their hearts.

Sometimes three of the hardest words to say are “I . . . was . . . wrong.”  And the Pharisees are in no mood for conversion.  They don’t repent or relent of their wrong view of Jesus.  Instead, they take out their anger on this man born blind and “hurl” insults at him.  The term for “hurl” is λοιδορεω (loidoreo) and means “to revile, rail at, abuse” and is used here in v. 28 and also in Acts 23:4; 1 Cor. 4:12 and 1 Pet. 2:23.

This verbal stoning signaled their utter frustration at explaining away this miracle and finding more ammunition against Jesus.  The man born blind had made this personal — “Do you want to become His disciples too?”  The way the question is framed in Greek implies that the man born blind expected a “NO!” answer:  “Surely you don’t want to become His disciples too, do you?” (μη + an Indicative question, a common feature in John’s gospel).

These “leaders” had no desire to follow — anyone!  And they certainly did not want to do a 180 and begin to follow Jesus! (to be continued)