John 9:20

The perplexed parents respond to the magistrates’ query, “Well, first of all, we are fairly certain he is our son. We are also quite confident that he was born blind.”  John 9:20 EFP 

As determined as the religious leaders are to dig for some condemnable offense on the part of Jesus, the witness being brought in are not cooperating. The Pharisees bring in the parents of the once-blind man. It appears they hope to discredit the miracle by discovering some kind of fraud perpetrated on the community on the part of the parents, the allegedly blind man, and most importantly, by Jesus.

The parents’ response belies a certain reticence to the process. They are not certain of the men’s motives in asking this line of questioning. They are more than a bit suspicious of their motives. They certainly know the answers. They do not appear to be anxious to give them, perhaps due to the danger of angering these men of considerable community clout. They become hostile witnesses. Their answers reflect an “I-will-only-answer-what-I-have-to answer-and-nothing-more” position.

I wonder how many times I come across cautious when I should be bold. Truth gets fuzzy when I am more interested in protecting my interests rather than in stating the truth. I can state the facts without telling the truth. Life is so much less complicated when I simply say the truth—sincere, genuine, and unadulterated. Let my answers be clear, concise, and true to their core. Life is too short to be worried about getting my stories straight.