Rising Early
November 25, 2019 at 1:49 pm | Posted in Jeremiah | 3 CommentsTags: Babylonian captivity, commentary on Jeremiah, God's wrath, Jeremiah 24, Jeremiah 25, Nebuchadnezzar, Sunday School lessons on Jeremiah, the cup of wrath
In Chapter 24 God had Jeremeiah prophesy about a time when His people would turn back to Him with their WHOLE hearts: their affections, their thoughts, their wills would be toward God. He demands nothing less and He deserves nothing less. Does he have your WHOLE HEART?
Jeremiah Chpater 25 is sort of an epilogue to the previous 24 chapters, or, possibly, a prologue to the next section of the book. Jeremiah used a play on words to emphasize both his and God’s faithfulness in warning the people and calling them to repentance (to no avail).
From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the Lord hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.
Jeremiah 25:3 (emphasis added)
Jeremiah had been at this now for 23 years. “Rising early” did not refer to the time of day, but to the origin and steadfastness of his ministry: 23 years of faithfulness in the face of opposition, rejection, danger, and frustration – but also hearing personally from God during that time.
And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.
Jeremiah 25:4 (emphasis added)
Jeremiah was an early-riser, prophetically speaking, but God Himself had been “rising early” for centuries.
Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.
Jeremiah 25:9
It might seem odd to see Nebuchadrezzar described as God’s “servant,” but not all of God’s servants know they are serving Him. God is well within His prerogative to “use” His creatures.
And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.
Jeremiah 25:12
Here is the first mention of the 70 years, which is how long the captivity would last.
For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
Jeremiah 25:15
The cup of God’s wrath is what all unbelievers will have to drink, and they will drink it to their doom. It was referenced by Jesus as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Enemy nations and enemy kings were used by God to chasten and even punish His people, but those nations and kings were not guiltless. God did not create their evil or sin. He used it for His glory and the ultimate good of His people.
Corporal Punishment?
November 20, 2019 at 10:37 am | Posted in Q&A | 2 CommentsTags: Biblical chastening, Biblical Parenting, capital punishment, corporal discipline, corporal punishment, parental discipline, Proverbs 13, Proverbs 23, spanking
Question: I’m confused about corporal punishment or corporal discipline. We’re running a family, not a corporation. And I thought corporal punishment was like the death penalty, or is that capital punishment?
Answer: “Corporal” discipline refers to discipline that inflicts pain on the body. Corpus is Latin for “body.” Generally speaking, corporal punishment (more properly: corporal discipline) in the context of parenting refers to parents spanking their children as a means of teaching them right from wrong, and the principle of consequences for disobedience and sinful choices. See Proverbs 13:24 and 23:13-14 for example.
It is true that “corporal punishment” is sometimes used to describe the death penalty, in the context of the government punishing criminals, but, obviously, that is not talking about parental discipline. The death penalty is also called “capital punishment” because the Latin word for “head” was capitalis and beheading has historically been one of the most common forms of administering the death penalty to convicted criminals.
Prayerless Practical Pouting Prefers Possessive Purpose
November 18, 2019 at 3:59 pm | Posted in Biblical prayer, Luke | 3 CommentsTags: Biblical joy, Biblical rejoicing, commentary on Luke, Luke 15, parable of the prodigal son, rejoicing, Romans 12, Sunday School lessons on Luke, the love of God, the prodigal son
The Pharisees, who were the intended primary audience as Jesus taught the parable of the prodigal son, would have had a huge problem with His depictions of the father. They would not have wanted to think of God the Father, who was clearly being symbolized by this earthly father, subjecting Himself to the ignominy of running, much less rewarding a disobedient son. This was where the older son entered the picture.
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
Luke 15:25
We may surmise that ever since his younger brother had left home, the older son had been doing twice the work, which may explain why Jesus included the detail that he was “in the field,” and, to his credit, he was in this sense a “good son.” He worked hard and obeyed his father with an outward obedience.
And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
Luke 15:26-27
There was no sign of relief on the part of the older son that his little brother was alive and safe, much less any joy.
And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
Luke 15:28
He was angry and pouting, and thereby serves as a reminder to us to beware of being angry about someone else’s undeserved blessings.
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Romans 12:9
The older son was a faker, a hypocrite. He acted like a good son, but was really serving his father for what was in it for himself.
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Romans 12:10
The older son didn’t prefer his younger brother over himself. He demanded recognition for being “good” in comparison.
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Romans 12:11
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Romans 12:12
It seems very unlikely that the older son had been praying for his brother, because he wasn’t at all happy to have him back.
Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Romans 12:13
The father was given to hospitality, but the older son was not.
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Romans 12:14-15
And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
Luke 15:29
Vain religion or legalism often masquerades as practicality and puts a damp cloth on rejoicing.
But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
Luke 15:30
The older brother referred to his younger brother as “thy son,” rather than “my brother,” when speaking to the father. He was jealous of his father’s favoritism and material possessions, but not over his father’s affections. When you truly love another person, you are happy about events or things that make him happy.
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
Luke 15:31
Jesus did a masterful job of exposing the ulterior motives of each character in the story. The father’s purpose was to care for his sons. The younger son’s purpose had been to get away from his father. The older son’s purpose was to use his father for selfish reasons.
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
Luke 15:32
That’s where our knowledge of the story ends. We are not told what happened next. Did the older son come into the party? Did the younger son wander again after he got full? Did either of them learn his lesson? The father wasn’t interested in that. He wanted to have a party – to rejoice. He wanted his youngest son to feel welcome and he wanted his oldest son to be gracious.
Based on the Pharisees’ behavior after this, they either didn’t get it, or it just made them madder. How will you and I act, knowing that we were destitute in the far country – drinking down iniquity like water and eating garbage like a pig – but our Heavenly Father loved us enough to run to us, cover us with love, and give us authority?
Here’s Mud in Your Eye
November 13, 2019 at 5:04 pm | Posted in Biblical Eyesight, John | 5 CommentsTags: commentary on John, Father Abraham, Genesis 49, Jesus heals the blind, John 8, John 9, spit, spit in your eye, Sunday School lessons on John
Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
John 8:28
Historically, there have been great blessings attached to being Jewish, tempered by great persecution. (Haman and Hitler are two obvious examples.) The Abrahamic Covenant or blessing has been their great claim to God’s favor. Christian children today are taught to sing, “Father Abraham has many sons.” The Jewish religious leaders who confronted Jesus would have enthusiastically sung along, “I am one of them!” but were they really?
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
John 8:36-45
One of the things I often hear is that, “We are all God’s children,” or some similar sentiment. This is true only in the limited sense that all people are created by God and bear His image. Jesus, who often gets a bad rap these days as sort of a touchy-feely, mealy-mouthed, self-help guru, was, in reality, not averse to sharing some blunt truth when called for, and that’s what He did in John 8:44, telling the people who opposed His ministry that they were children of the devil!
Your conduct should provide evidence of your spiritual paternity. Your freedom (from sin) determines your spiritual paternity. Whose Word you believe and obey determines your spiritual paternity.
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
John 8:58-59
There is no doubt Jesus claimed to be God, and His enemies knew it.
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
John 9:1-2
What is the relationship of sin to physical illness or lifelong infirmities?
1. They are not always related specifically in each individual case. A person’s illness or infirmity may not be caused by his specific sin.
2. Sometimes, though, they are directly related.
a. They may be related as a “natural” cause and effect. For example, fornication may result in syphilis or some other sexually transmitted disease, or chronic drunkenness may result in cirrhosis of the liver. Attempting to rob a bank may result in a gunshot wound.
b. In other cases, someone’s illness or infirmity may be allowed or inflicted upon him supernaturally by God as a an act of chastening or punishment. As finite human beings, not privy to the secret will of God, we can not know when this is the case, so we do not diagnose a person’s illness or infirmity as God’s punishment or chastisement, even though we remain aware that it is a possibility.
3. In a larger sense, all illnesses and injuries and infirmities are “caused” by sin as a result of the Fall and Curse which God pronounced upon mankind after Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden.
When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
John 9:6-7
Jesus made a mud pack from the dust of the earth (possibly reminiscent of the way God had used dirt to make Adam). Sometimes the mind makes strange connections. Years ago a singer named April March wrote an English translation of an old French song called “Laisse Tomber les Filles,” which means “Leave the Girls Alone.” It’s a song about a womanizer finally getting his comeuppance at the hands of the ladies he had used or mistreated. The English version has a line that goes, “You’re gonna see the reason why, When they’re spittin’ in your eye.” There is also a common expression heard in old movies from the 30s and 40s, in which characters about to throw back a shot of alcohol often propose an odd toast: “Here’s mud in your eye!” For some reason these weird references are what popped into my head when I was studying John 9:6.
Jesus, who had the power to heal with a mere word or touch, chose on at least three occasions in the Bible (including Mark 7:33 and 8:23) to heal people using His own saliva. In John 9:6 he combined it with dirt to make a mud mask. Why do you think that He did this, and what can we learn from it? We can ask the Holy Spirit to “illuminate” (open our eyes to) the Word and help us.
Here are some possible reasons why He may have used spit:
1. To demonstrate His reversal of “curses.” Spitting on someone has always been seen as an extreme insult or way of cursing someone. Jesus is the One Whose blessing “reverses the curses.”
2. To show the Jewish religious leaders that His true purity did not care about their ceremonial taboos against bodily excretions.
After applying the mud to the man’s eyes, Jesus “sent” – as Jesus had been explaining that He was “sent” from the Father – him to go wash in the pool of Siloam, which is connected with the Old Testament prophecy of Christ as “Shiloh.”
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Genesis 49:10
Idolatrous Wife, Unhappy Life
November 4, 2019 at 3:51 pm | Posted in Jeremiah | 2 CommentsTags: Biblical marriage, commentary on Jeremiah, Egypt in the Bible, idolatry, Jeremiah 43, Jeremiah 44, patriarchy, Queen of Heaven, Sunday School lessons on Jeremiah
Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:
Jeremiah 43:2
So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.
Jeremiah 43:7
Jeremiah went to Egypt with the disobedient people who had rejected his true prophecies, and there the Lord had him act out his final “action sermon,” demonstrating that Egypt would not be a safe haven. It too would be conquered by the Babylonians, and the Lord would not spare the Jews, the way He would have if they had stayed in Judah.
Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah; And say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them. And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword.
Jeremiah 43:8-11
Jeremiah must have been frustrated to see the people keep turning to idols and practicing idolatry after all that had already happened to them becuase of it.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein, Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.
Jeremiah 44:2-3
Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain; In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Jeremiah 44:7-8
We might look at this from a purely pragmatic standpoint and question their sanity. Why would they keep turning to false gods time and time again and expecting different results? Why were they so enamored with any god except the real One? It is in the nature of human beings to worship, but the carnal, unregenerate heart is at enmity with the True God, and despises Him. It will accept nearly anything OTHER than Him, no matter how foolish, how useless, how degrading.
It is often sad, and sometimes shameful, when husbands and wives are not on the same page, spiritually speaking. When the Jewish people who were left behind in Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile sought refuge in Egypt, many of the wives resumed the same type of idol-worship that had brought the judgment of God down upon them in the first place. This placed their husbands in the precarious position of having to choose between loyalty to their wives and loyalty to the Word of God. We see similar situations today in Christian households where one spouse seeks to grow spiritually, but the other spouse is not on board, or where one spouse actually discourages the other from active participation and ministry in Sunday School and church. If you are married, you must strive to be a help, not a hindrance – a blessing, not a burden – to the spiritual welfare of your family.
Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,
Jeremiah 44:15
The men knew what their wives were getting involved in, but they looked the other way, or perhaps indulged them. Now they were having to give an account for what was going on in the households over which the Lord had appointed them masters. Husbands, do not be afraid to correct your wife when it comes to the Word of God. Having a happy wife might make a happy life, but having an idolatrous, unrepentantly sinful wife will make a VERY UNHAPPY life. In fact, it may very well make a wreck of your life.
Wives, be careful of the influence you wield in your household. Your husband should be taking the spiritual leadership, but if he is not, do not tempt him to go astray, and do not put him in a compromising position – having to stand up for you against what is actually right.
As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
Jeremiah 44:16-17
Perhaps the female deity Astarte, the “Queen of Heaven,” appealed especially to the women, but, whatever the case, both the men and the women had gotten to the point where they outright rejected the Word of God. Beware: a subtle compromise against God’s Word is not as far away from outright rebellion and rejection as you might think.
Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day. Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt: Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows. Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.
Jeremiah 44:23-27
Signs of Approval from God?
November 1, 2019 at 8:22 am | Posted in Biblical Signs, Q&A | 1 CommentTags: answered prayer, Biblical discernment, discernment, prayer, signs, signs from God
Question: Sometimes when I’m praying about a decision that I’ve made or that I’m about to make, I will look for a sign, like a butterfly showing up in my backyard, or a rainbow in the sky, so that I know I’m doing what God wants me to do. Isn’t it wonderful when He does something like that?
Answer: No, I don’t think that’s wonderful, and I think it’s presumptuous for you to assume God’s approval from such occurrences. I think that’s a very dangerous and unbiblical way to make decisions, or to interpret God’s approval of what you’ve already done. God has not instructed us to take a stab at forming our own subjective plans, and then to test them by external signs that we dictate to Him, or that we interpret based on our preferences. The Bible is very clear that He has given us His Word, filled with principles and precepts, and that we are to filter our decision-making process through these (II Timothy 3:16-17). Things that are clearly forbidden in Scripture will never be given God’s stamp of approval by the appearance of a rainbow, a song on the radio, a dream, or even a “feeling of peace.” Decisions that we face that are not explicitly addressed in the Bible should be prayed about with humility, and should be undertaken with a willingness to submit to God’s will if He later shows us that our decisions were wrong. Saturating your mind with Bible knowledge, and humble trial and error bathed in prayer while depending on God to guide you, will help you to grow to be more like Jesus and to make better decisions. (See Romans 12:2 and Hebrews 5:12-14.) He has also equipped other members of His body with gifts of knowledge and discernment, and you would be wise to seek counsel from mature believers before taking your cue from light refracted through moisture in the sky (Ephesians 4:8-12; Romans 12:3-8; Proverbs 11:14)!
The Deep End 
Blindly Riding the Hobby Horse
November 27, 2019 at 10:48 am | Posted in Biblical Eyesight, John | 4 CommentsTags: commentary on John, healing on the Sabbath, Jesus heals the blind, John 9, Pharisees, Sabbath, spiritual blindness, Sunday School lessons on John, the Lord of the Sabbath
John 9:13
The reason that the man’s acquaintances brought him to the Pharisees after they saw that he had been healed of lifelong blindness was probably because such an astounding miracle required, they thought, some type of religious explanation. Of course, the Pharisees had a special hobby horse they liked to ride called “How many ways can people violate the Sabbath?”
John 9:14-15
They were interested in the method of healing used because the Pharisees were experts at finding Sabbath-violations. If Jesus mixed water with dirt to make clay (mud) they could accuse him of “kneading” on the Sabbath, and people weren’t allowed to knead dough for bread on the Sabbath. It was a stretch, but they were already biased against Jesus and looking for a way to say that, even though He had miraculous healing powers, He couldn’t really be sent from God because He was a sinful Sabbath-breaker.
John 9:16
No Christian has complete and total victory over sin in every single area of his or her life – at least not all the time. What’s more, many of us would admit to struggling with certain sins on a daily basis, and having some particular types of sins which have given us trouble for years. However, I’m guessing that there are at least a few categories of sin where God has given you significant victories, and possibly some where you never faced great temptation to begin with, and that you really can’t understand how some people can sin so egregiously in those areas. Perhaps people who are compulsive liars really get on your nerves (the 9th Commandment). Maybe it’s children who rebel openly against their parents (the 5th Commandment). What about people who steal other people’s property (the 8th Commandment)? Are they the ones who really get your goat (figuratively if not literally!)?
For the Pharisees who opposed Jesus during His earthly ministry, their “pet peeve” seems to have been people who were lax in their observance of the Sabbath day (4th Commandment). They were so keen to prevent the Sabbath commandment from being violated that they fashioned a bunch of additional cautionary rules around it to keep people from even coming close to breaking it. Maybe they originally had good intentions, but the problem was that, over time, they considered these man-made safeguards to be co-equal with the Law of God itself. In other words, they began to worship the Sabbath itself rather than the Lord of the Sabbath.
Let us not fall into this same trap. If you are exceedingly honest, you probably have a bias against liars. If you have worked hard to provide for your family, you probably have a strong dislike for thieves. And if you respect and honor your own parents, you might have little patience for rebellious, sarcastic, and disrespectful children. However, we must remember not to worship honesty, hard work, or filial respect. Instead, we worship the God of truth, provision, and authority, and, if He has communicated those attributes to us, we recognize them as gifts to bring Him glory, not as proud accomplishments with which to demean others.
The Pharisees found themselves in a quandary, though, because, if they claimed that sinners could not do miracles, then the fact of the miracle must mean that Jesus WAS NOT a sinner.
John 9:17
The blind man had not yet come to saving faith in Jesus as the Son of God, but He clearly knew that Jesus was the “real deal” and had at least as much spiritual power as a true prophet from God.
John 9:18
The Jewish religious leaders suspected that maybe the man had been able to see at some point in his life, so the healing was not really miraculous. Only his parents could testify that he had truly been BORN blind.
John 9:19-21
This does not tell us the age of the man who had been healed, but it does tell us he was at least 13, because that was considered to be “of age” back then. A 13 year old boy/man could testify legally in court. His parents didn’t want to get in trouble with the Pharisees, but they did confirm that he was born blind before passing the buck by saying, “He can speak for himself about how it happened and what He thinks of Jesus.”
John 9:22
This lets us know that the Pharisees were not only actively plotting the death of Jesus, but had instituted serious persecution against those who would worship and follow Him. Truly following Jesus has always been costly.
John 9:23-25
The Pharisees then turned on the healed man again, trying to get him to denounce Jesus, but you can see he was starting to suspect their ulterior motives.
John 9:26-27
This was a very sarcastic response because obviously the Pharisees did not want to be Jesus’s disciples, but it was like saying, “Why are you so interested in Him? Is it because deep down you know He might be the Messiah?” This made them very angry.
John 9:28-30
It sounds like the healed man was really having fun with them now. They were claiming to be the representatives of Moses, but they didn’t even recognize that Moses testified about a greater Prophet who would be sent from God.
John 9:31-34
This sums up the Pharisees’ biggest problem: the prideful denial that they were born in sins. All of us were born in sin, and Jesus will forgive us, but the condition is that we have to recognize that we are sinners and always have been, and therefore we NEED to be forgiven and saved. The Pharisees could not or would not do this, so they could not “see” who Jesus really was.