We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.
The words are spoken by the Pharisees to the blind man whose sight had been restored, reviling him while declaring themselves disciples of Moses and standing forward as loyal to Moses as their authority and as the religious guides of Scripture. With full certainty they affirm that God spoke to Moses, while professing that as for Jesus they do not know where He is from. The saying belongs to the history of the man born blind whom Jesus healed, who did not know who had healed him until Jesus revealed Himself to him as the Son of God, when the man worshiped Him.
Though claiming to give religious guidance, they were ignorant of the character and claims of Jesus in spite of the miracle He had performed before them. Their dismissal was a rejection of the wonderful evidence given for the truth of His mission in opening the eyes of one born blind. Their answer laid bare prejudice and hypocrisy, coming from hearts hardened by prejudice and unbelief. It grew out of jealousy of the popularity of Jesus and fear that He would be honored above them because they saw Him working wonderful miracles, and out of hatred because He would not receive their ideas.
Rather than seek enlightenment they chose spiritual darkness, refusing to be enlightened and remaining in darkness, and thereby made themselves even more spiritually blind. Not content with closing their own eyes, they sought to close the eyes of the healed man and to smother and suppress his testimony. The one they treated with sneers and hatred was one whom the Lord was anxious to save. In saying they did not know where Jesus was from they were not working in harmony with God but uniting with the adversary of God and man, despising one purchased by the blood of Christ and holding in contempt one the Lord was anxious to save.
The blind man restored to sight by the compassionate Shepherd was a wandering sheep after whom the Shepherd is seeking, and the sympathy of all heaven was enlisted on his behalf. This jealous unbelief brought their downfall and ruin. The saying displays the pattern by which people honor God's past work and past bearers of truth yet reject and oppose the same work when it appears in their own time. The assertion that God spoke through Moses is made the ground for dismissing Christ in the messenger He sends whose origin is not recognized, with ecclesiastical authorities opposing and despising those carrying a special truth, while that truth is carried by and revealed to humble people outside ecclesiastical authority rather than to the worldly-wise.
The words are spoken by the Pharisees to the blind man whose sight had been restored, reviling him while declaring themselves disciples of Moses and standing forward as loyal to Moses as their authority and as the religious guides of Scripture. With full certainty they affirm that God spoke to Moses, while professing that as for Jesus they do not know where He is from. The saying belongs to the history of the man born blind whom Jesus healed, who did not know who had healed him until Jesus revealed Himself to him as the Son of God, when the man worshiped Him.
Though claiming to give religious guidance, they were ignorant of the character and claims of Jesus in spite of the miracle He had performed before them. Their dismissal was a rejection of the wonderful evidence given for the truth of His mission in opening the eyes of one born blind. Their answer laid bare prejudice and hypocrisy, coming from hearts hardened by prejudice and unbelief. It grew out of jealousy of the popularity of Jesus and fear that He would be honored above them because they saw Him working wonderful miracles, and out of hatred because He would not receive their ideas.
Rather than seek enlightenment they chose spiritual darkness, refusing to be enlightened and remaining in darkness, and thereby made themselves even more spiritually blind. Not content with closing their own eyes, they sought to close the eyes of the healed man and to smother and suppress his testimony. The one they treated with sneers and hatred was one whom the Lord was anxious to save. In saying they did not know where Jesus was from they were not working in harmony with God but uniting with the adversary of God and man, despising one purchased by the blood of Christ and holding in contempt one the Lord was anxious to save.
The blind man restored to sight by the compassionate Shepherd was a wandering sheep after whom the Shepherd is seeking, and the sympathy of all heaven was enlisted on his behalf. This jealous unbelief brought their downfall and ruin. The saying displays the pattern by which people honor God's past work and past bearers of truth yet reject and oppose the same work when it appears in their own time. The assertion that God spoke through Moses is made the ground for dismissing Christ in the messenger He sends whose origin is not recognized, with ecclesiastical authorities opposing and despising those carrying a special truth, while that truth is carried by and revealed to humble people outside ecclesiastical authority rather than to the worldly-wise.