John 9:21

“On the other hand,” the parents postulate, “If you ask how he happens to see, or who is responsible for this—well, we don’t have a clue. Come think of it, he is of age. Ask him. He has never had trouble speaking up for himself, he simply did not have the ability to see until today.”  John 9:21 EFP 

Well there you have it! This is as far as the parents are willing to go. They are not going to say anything that will endanger their already-tenuous standing in the community. “He is our son.” “We are his parents.” “He was born blind.” “”He sees now!” “How? We have no idea.” “Who did it?” “Not a clue.” That’s it. But then a surprising twist.

They suggest the people so interested in the information ought to go out and get it for themselves. Underneath their resistance is an unspoken yet clearly communicated desire to protect themselves mixed in with a hefty amount of disdain for the questioners. These men ought to be feared, since they hold so much power over the religious side of their lives. But there is one more thing to consider: I can’t help but wonder if in fact the parents cannot see the problem or why the Pharisees would even be questioning anyone. The evidence at hand clearly suggests that something extraordinary has taken place. Something significant has happened. So what is the problem?

The problem is what takes place in me. I am the problem. God works. God makes things happen. God is willing and able to do some miraculous things in me as he has already done in others. But I question. I doubt. I vacillate. I retreat. I hesitantly inch forward out of fear of failing. I need to consider the evidence…better. Lord, remind me that you have not given me a spirit of fear but a spirit of boldness. I have been called to great things in the Spirit of the One who called me!