Scripture to Read: John 9:18–23
Doubters are all around us. Some doubters are like Thomas (John 20:24–28) in that they believe wholeheartedly once they see with their own eyes. Others doubt because they don’t want to believe, but they would rather be argumentative and simply cause turmoil. In John 9:18, we read how the Jews would not believe the man who had been healed of blindness (“that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight.”). This man had been a blind beggar for years and these Jews had seen him begging for years. But since Jesus healed him, they refused to believe he had been blind since birth and so they wanted more proof than what was already obvious. The Jews called his parents to come to testify, and this is what they said in John 9:20–21, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” The parents proclaimed the truth about their son but feared proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, knowing they could get kicked out of the synagogue by the Pharisees. To confess Jesus as Christ would have cost them dearly and they weren’t ready to go through that yet. Of course, after Jesus was crucified and defeated death, thousands were willing to pay the price to proclaim Him as Lord. We know He’s Lord, so doubters should never worry us.
Challenge & Application
• What is the problem with some doubters, and why do some never want to believe God’s Truth? (See John 3:19 for help.)
• How have you overcome the fear of sharing Christ with others since you know He is the Messiah?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!