John 9:13-17, Now the Pharisees Join In

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, "He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." 16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

Unable to leave well enough alone, the neighbors take the now seeing man to the Pharisees, who will interview him, then his parents, and then him a second time. This is the first interview with the Pharisees. Some of them are so persuaded that they actually have a very high view of Jesus—“How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” Yet for the others, that Jesus healed on the Sabbath is a huge issue that seems to deny the sign itself. To be holy, one had to keep the Sabbath. That Jesus healed on the Sabbath meant that he must not be holy. Instead of trying to reconsider the Sabbath and what God in Jesus might be doing, they are fixated on an incorrect interpretation of the Sabbath and not open to hearing from God himself. If they had really studied the issue, they would have discovered there is no law against healing anyone on the Sabbath.

With a division within their ranks, they turn back to the man and ask him to take sides. He calls Jesus a prophet. (Notice the progression of who he thinks Jesus is throughout the narrative that will follow in the next few days: a man, a prophet, followed by disciples, from God, Lord, one to be worshipped.) At this point the man understands Jesus to be more than a simple man. He must be a prophet, someone who stands in the very counsel of God himself. We can say that he takes the side of those who will not call Jesus a sinner and know that there is something supernatural about him.

People are still taking sides about Jesus today. Why are you on Jesus’ side? How did you get there? Take some time in prayer reflecting on your journey, giving thanks for the people and events that have helped you come to a knowledge of who Jesus really is.