John 9:22
These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
The healed man's parents refused to say who had opened their son's eyes because they were afraid of the Jewish rulers, leaving the explanation to their grown son rather than openly naming Jesus as the healer. The priests and rulers had already agreed and publicly announced that anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ would be expelled from the synagogue and cut off from its sacred privileges. That exclusion lasted thirty days and was counted a great calamity, yet even though they were convinced by the miracle the parents would not confess Christ for fear of it. The decree sprang from jealousy and hardened unbelief, and was used to frighten the people into silence so they would not openly acknowledge Jesus, hear Him, or support His influence, a pressure that still keeps convicted souls from confessing Christ and His truth.
The Parents' Fearful Answer
The healed man's parents gave a guarded answer because they feared the Jewish authorities, and instead of openly identifying Jesus as the one who had healed him they said their adult son was old enough to answer for himself. They withheld their own account of how he had received his sight, leaving the questioning to him rather than speaking openly about Jesus. Though their son's healing had convinced them, they avoided confessing Christ and shifted responsibility to their son because the authorities had agreed to exclude from the synagogue anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ.
The Jewish authorities, the priests and rulers and dignitaries of the temple, had agreed and decreed and announced that anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ, or confessed belief in him, would be expelled and put out of the synagogue. That expulsion deprived the person of the sacred privileges of the synagogue and was meant to stop people from openly acknowledging and supporting Jesus and his influence. Exclusion from the synagogue lasted thirty days, during which the offender's household could not circumcise a child or mourn a dead person, it was considered a great calamity, and failure to repent brought a still heavier penalty. The decree was made while the leaders were secretly laying plans to put Jesus to death, as a boast of their power over the people.
The verse belongs to the account of Jesus compassionately healing the man born blind. The man did not know who had healed him until Jesus revealed himself to him as the Son of God. The Pharisees despised the restored man and treated him with sneers and hatred.
Leaders' Motives and Opposition
The agreement to put out of the synagogue anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ was rooted in jealousy and spiritual blindness, for the leaders would not receive Christ because His coming and work were not in harmony with their belief, and they were jealous because His influence over the people was greater than theirs. The restoring of sight to the man born blind was convincing evidence of the divinity of His mission, yet with hearts hardened by prejudice and unbelief the Pharisees called Jesus a sinner, reviled the healed man for his witness, and cast him out, not content to close their own eyes but trying to close his. Their hatred grew until they crucified Him.
That same hostility led them to force Jesus out of the synagogues and to expel, imprison, and stone His disciples. The threat of exclusion was decreed to control public acknowledgment of Jesus, to keep people afraid to speak openly about Him, and to stop them from openly acknowledging Him and supporting Him and His influence. It was also used to keep people from hearing Christ. The influence of the leaders could in this way lead others to reject the light and follow their leaders instead.
Yet the rulers were powerless to shut out His glory. Despite their opposition the people openly hailed Him as the Son of David. At the triumphal entry the enthusiastic multitude still shouted loud hosannas to the Son of David and recounted His prophetic titles, and in spite of all opposition the kingdom of Christ was confessed by the people.
Warning for Later Believers
Fear of being cut off from religious fellowship can keep people from openly confessing Christ, for the agreement to expel from the synagogue anyone who acknowledged Jesus as the Christ made open confession costly. That same fear kept some who were convinced of the Advent message from publicly acknowledging it, because their ties to the world were stronger than their desire for Christ. The threat made people afraid to speak openly about Him, and it was used to keep people from hearing Christ Himself.
Just as that threat was used then, religious leaders can use similar threats to deter people from listening to His messengers. The parents' fear of the authorities who had agreed to expel confessors of Jesus applies to the Lord's people being cast out of nominal churches and needing humble places of worship. Jewish leaders used expulsion to deter confession, and the same hostility led them to force Jesus out of the synagogues and to expel, imprison, and stone His disciples. Their rejection of Jesus fulfilled prophecy though they did not recognize it, and this history warns that religious opposition to God's truth will recur.