"Controversy Over the Man"

 "Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, "He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!" 

 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath." Others said, "But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?" So there was a deep division of opinion among them. 

 Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, "What's your opinion about this man who healed you?" 

 The man replied, "I think he must be a prophet."

 The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. They asked them, "Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?"

 His parents replied, "We know this is our son and that he was born blind, but we don't know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. That's why they said, "He is old enough. Ask him."

 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, "God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner."

 "I don't know whether he is a sinner," the man replied. "But I know this: I was blind, and now I see!"

 "But what did he do?" they asked. "How did he heal you?"

 "Look! the man exclaimed. "I told you once. Didn't you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?"

 Then they cursed him and said, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! We know God spoke to Moses, but we don't even know where this man comes from." 

 "Why, that's very strange!" the man replied. "He healed my eyes, and yet you don't know where he comes from? We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn't have done it."

 "You were born a total sinner!" they answered. "Are you trying to teach us?" And they threw him out of the synagogue." (John 9:13-34 NLT)

 As this might look rather strange, when people cannot see a miracle right before them, it is really not because they cannot see it, it is because they refuse to believe the TRUTH! The controversy may be represented against this man that was born blind, but in reality, the real controversy is about Jesus, the Son of Man! The Son of GOD! 

 I caught a small portion of a Senate meeting yesterday on the news, as a very respected Senator was verbally slapped across the face for speaking truth, by a so-called expert in human anatomy. Basically, if you don't agree with what these nutjobs say, then you must remain silent, because what you say might cause people to die! 

 Whatever the case, we must not remain silent! If there is anything that is holding back total spiritual darkness in this world, it is the Holy Spirit that resides inside of us; we must be vocal and speak out! As we observe this conversation, I believe we are going to witness some basic truth about the wickedness of the human heart. 

 Regardless of what man might say or do to us, we have standing...

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31 KJV)