John 9:22 Commentary and Bible Study

The language used by the man’s parents suggests that he was past thirty. The most distinctive feature about this person in his personal history is that he is the first recorded person in the Gospels to have been excommunicated by the Pharisees for his profession of Christ. But his healing! His healing was unprecedented. At that time no-one born congenitally blind had ever been healed; this was the first known occasion. So the healing of this man is so significant, so conspicuous. The threats made by the Pharisees were well known to all. The parents lack the moral courage to stand up and say what had happened – surely the beggar had told them first of all what had happened, even if they were not present at the time of the healing. You would have thought that the giving of sight to their son was such a wonderful event that nothing could stop them recognising the wonder of what had been done and being full of thanks to the one who had done it. But courage requires faith and they did not have faith at this time.