Sinners Always Throw the First Stones
John 9:13-39
 

13 They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.

14 And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

15 Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.

16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

17 They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.

18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.

19 And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see?

20 His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:

21 But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.

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.

23 Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.

24 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.

25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

26 Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?

27 He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?

28 Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples.

29 We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.

30 The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.

31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.

33 If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.

34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?

36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?

37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.

38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

Jesus healed a man who was blind from birth. This has never been done. It is a first. The blind man was taken in front of the Pharisees who were full of anger because it was done on the Sabbath. The Pharisees questioned the man about who healed him. When he told them Jesus, they were more angry. Some of the Pharisees said because Jesus did not keep the Sabbath, he was not of God, others said how can a sinner do such miracles. The Pharisees were divided on the issue of Jesus. 

When the Pharisees asked the blind man, who was healed by Jesus, what he thought, the man said Jesus was a prophet. The Pharisees questioned whether or not the man was blind, and called his parents to verify it. They verified it, but the Pharisees didn't believe them either. They would not answer the Pharisees for fear of being thrown out of the Synagogue for believing Jesus was the Christ.

The Pharisees called the man again and told him his sight was from God, and Jesus was a sinner, and asked him who Jesus was. He said whether Jesus was a sinner or not, I was blind but now I see.

The Pharisees claimed the blind man was a disciple of Jesus and they were disciples of Moses because they knew God spoke to Moses but they didn't know from whence Jesus came. The man told them Jesus opened my eyes, a marvellous thing, but you are against it because you don't know from whence He came? He told the Pharisees if any man be a worshipper and doeth God's will God will hear him.

Since no one has been healed of blindness from birth, if this Jesus were not of God, he couldn't have done anything.

The Pharisees told the man, you were altogether born in sin and you are going to teach us? It seems to have slipped their mind that they were also born altogether in sin. They cast him out. Jesus found out they cast him out and found him. Jesus asked him, Does thou believe on the Son of Man? The man asked who is he that I might believe on Him? Jesus replied, You have both seen Him and talked with Him. The man said he believed and worshipped Jesus.

The moral of the story, is the sinners (Pharisees) are always the first ones to throw stones at something that is contrary to their false beliefs in the Law of Moses. Their demands of the people of Israel were to strictly obey the Law of Moses to the letter, even though they themselves couldn't do it, but they would punish others who couldn't or wouldn't. The Law of Moses was overwritten when Jesus began preaching, and the 10 commandments were revised by Jesus' two commandments, Love thy God with all thy heart and Love thy neighbor as you love yourself. The Pharisees could not grasp these two simple commands as they were not complicated enough to give the Pharisees power over the people of Israel. The Pharisees used the Laws of Moses to make themselves appear as they were the only ones who could follow them. This is how they got power over the Israelites. The Pharisees harassed those who they called the lowly sinners from the high up on the perch they built for themselves with their own false adherence to the Law of Moses.

The Pharisees doubted any power that conflicted with they though were their holy methods of  interpretation and application of Moses' Law. When Jesus came, He admonished them for being hypocrites and they plotted to kill him. This fact alone shows how well they followed what they preached. The Law of Moses states; Thou shall not kill. That law was only for the sinners and the Pharisees thought they were above being sinners. They followed their own interpretation of the law to the letter, even though their interpretation of the law was the opposite of God's interpretation. Jesus did not come to judge, he came so that man could be saved. The Pharisees thought only following their laws to the letter could save mankind. Jesus proved them wrong and they crucified Him.

ARE YOU A PHARISEE?

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