John 9:20-23 His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself. His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, "He is of age; ask him.”
It’s amazing how powerful the threat of rejection is by those we want to impress or whose approval we think we need. Have you ever experienced that fear? Fear that if you didn’t say what was politically correct, that you might be cast out of the “in” group, or censored or lose your place of honor? Have you ever felt pressure to go along with the popular narrative even when you knew it was wrong? If you have, then you can relate to the blind man’s parents. Believing and loving Jesus will cost us “right” standing with the world. In their eyes, if we stand for Jesus, we are enemies, trouble-makers, and the scum of the earth. Be encouraged by Jesus’ words, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.” (Matt. 5:11). May we not be afraid to testify of Jesus today as we live to love with Him.
