Then, in answer to their questions, he told them the exact manner in which this cure had been effected, by "a man that is called Jesus": for at this time, he had no knowledge of Jesus as the Son of God, the promised Messiah. Whether from a good or bad motive we do not know, but "they brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind." And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said, "He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see." The Pharisees could not deny the miracle; but immediately some of them raised the objection, "This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath day." Others, however, less determined to disbelieve even the testimony of their own senses, said, "How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes?" The blind man, though still ignorant of the real character of Jesus, felt that He was most certainly more than a common man, and said, "He is a prophet."
But the Jews now affected to disbelieve that the man had ever been blind, and called his parents, asking them, "Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: but by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews," who "had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was the Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue." His parents, therefore, not wishing to bring this punishment upon themselves, merely bore witness to the fact that he was their son who was born blind: as to the rest, they told the Jews to let him speak for himself. "Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner." That is, they called upon the man, who had been healed, to acknowledge that Jesus was merely a sinful mortal, and had in reality no part in his cure, which was the work of the God of Israel alone. The man, however, would by no means allow this: "He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." This answer by no means pleased the Jews, and again they asked, "How opened he thine eyes?" He answered them, "I have told you already, and ye did not hear (or believe): wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples? Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses's disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is." All the doubts and disputes of the Pharisees, so far from shaking the faith of this man, seem to have strengthened it; and now, fearless of consequences, he spake out boldly the words of common sense, and said, "Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God and doeth His will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing."
The answer of the man who had been born blind, made the Pharisees very angry. They could not contradict what he said; but they were determined not to allow that Jesus came from God, and as they chose to believe that this man was a greater sinner than other men because he had been born blind, they immediately cried out, "Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out:" that is, expelled him from the synagogue, as they had resolved to do to any one who should confess that Jesus was the Christ. This casting out of the synagogue, or excommunication, was a very severe punishment; there seem to have been three degrees of it. In the first instance, the person under sentence of excommunication was forbidden to enter a synagogue, or to join in the services of the temple; and he was to be looked upon as no longer belonging to the chosen people of God. After such a sentence had been passed, no Jew would speak to, or have any intercourse with, the excommunicated person: this was the sentence now passed upon the man who had been so wonderfully healed. In the second degree of excommunication, the loss of property was added to the former sentence; all the goods possessed by the excommunicated person were taken from him, and given to the service of God. The third degree of this terrible punishment ordained the death of the unfortunate wretch, who had already been cut off from all his friends, and deprived of his property. When Jesus heard that the blind man had for His sake been cast out, He appears to have gone in search of him; "and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" The man, in doubt as to the real nature of Him who had healed him, and anxious to know the truth, "answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?" Jesus, ever ready to teach those who heartily seek to learn the truth, plainly answered, and "said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee." All doubts now vanished; "and he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him." We may surely hope that this man, to whom the Lord had given both spiritual and bodily sight, became a true and sincere disciple of Jesus.
After this, Jesus blamed the Pharisees for not believing in Him themselves, and for trying to prevent others from doing so either. Then He spake of Himself as the good Shepherd; comparing the people to a flock of sheep. The meaning of what Jesus now said, was, that He who came to teach the people the way of salvation is the only good Shepherd; and that all who do not come to them in the way appointed by God, teaching as He has commanded, are like thieves and robbers; who only come to do mischief in the flock, and must be shut out; just as the porters, who took care of the sheep brought up to be sold for sacrifice, would not let any but the rightful owner enter into the sheepfold.
Jesus plainly declared Himself to be the good Shepherd, who would lead the Jews to salvation, if they would follow Him, as the sheep in those Eastern countries follow their Shepherd, when he calls them. Alluding to the Gentiles, Jesus also said, that He had other sheep whom He would also by means of the Gospel bring into His fold, the Church of Christ on earth; and hereafter into His heavenly fold in heaven.
All that our Lord now said, made a great impression upon some of His hearers; and again caused a division of opinion among the Jews. Those who were disposed to believe in Him were reproached by others, who, foolishly as well as blasphemously, said, "He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?" Others, who did not allow prejudice to blind their common sense, reasonably answered, "These are not the words of him that hath a devil,"—no man possessed with a devil could speak such good and beautiful words; and then they referred to the recent miracle, in proof that the Lord could not be under the influence of Satan in any way; for they asked, "Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?" No more appears to have been said: we will hope that many went away determined to follow Jesus, but many, no doubt, hardened their hearts and continued in unbelief.
We next hear of Jesus being at Jerusalem, for "the feast of the dedication, and it was winter." This Feast of the Dedication had been appointed by Judas Maccabeus, in remembrance of the cleansing of the temple, and devoting it again to the proper worship of God, after it had been profaned by the heathen. By attending this Feast, Jesus set us an example to keep solemn days appointed by man, in order to offer up thanksgiving to God for particular mercies. The Feast of the Dedication took place in the month which answers to our December.
Chapter XXIV.—JESUS'S LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM.
"And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch:" that is, in a porch or colonnade, which stood on the same spot where Solomon's porch had formerly stood; for the temple which existed in our Saviour's time was the one built by the Jews, after their return from their captivity in Babylon. The Jews came round about Jesus whilst He was in this porch, and most unreasonably accused Him of keeping them in doubt, as to whether He was the Messiah or not; saying, "If thou be the Christ tell us plainly." Jesus in answer told them, that all the works which they had seen would have convinced them of that fact, if they had not been obstinately determined not to believe: and then, when He did plainly declare that He was the Son of God, by saying, "I and my Father are one," "the Jews took up stones again to stone him"; telling Him that they did so, because He had spoken blasphemy in making Himself, or saying that He was, the Son of God. In spite of all He could say, they persisted in their unbelief; and when He again referred them to His works as proving Him to be really the Son of God, "they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand, and went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized." "Many resorted," or went out to him, there: those who had before listened to the teaching of John the Baptist, could not but see that He was greater than the Baptist; for as they truly said, "John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true. And many believed on him there."