Power for Abundant Living

Believing:Faithand Fearfeared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already,that if any man did confess that he wasChrist, he should be put out of the synagogue.Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.Put yourself in this situation. If you had a son whowas born blind and he was healed of his blindness, theleast you as a grateful parent could do is to admit,"Yes, Jesus Christ healed him." But these parents didnot say this. Why were they not able to be the kindof parents one would have expected? They were inhibitedfrom testifying as would have been fitting becausethey were full of fear - "for fear of the Jews."Fear enslaved them, fear stopped these parents frombeing the kind of parents they really should havebeen. Therefore the parents said, "He is of age; askhim." These Jews had already agreed that if anybodysaid that Jesus was the Christ, that person would beput out of the synagogue.This action does not mean much to us today becauseif a person is thrown out of one church, thechurch on the next street corner is glad to have him.But it was not that way at the time of Jesus. When aman was ostracized from the synagogue, peoplewould not talk with him; he could not attend thesynagogue; he could not buy or sell goods. Do yousee why the parents were enslaved by fear of what41