GraceCreates

By Jon Walker

Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses!” John 9:28 (NIV)

As the ‘Salvation-by-List’ leaders’ prosecution-disguised-as-investigation collapses, they reached for the universally feared Weapon of Mass Distraction: Ridicule.

If the lie you’re standing on begins to crumble, then ridicule the Truth. It’s a screwtape-ian way of distracting others from the weakness of your argument, the position you’re defending.

“Then they cursed him and said, ‘You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.’” (John 9:28)

Ridicule escalates to intimidate – The List-as-Law leaders subpoena the parents of the man (no longer blind – WOW!) – in order to ask if their son boy had really been born blind. As so often happens when legalists attack (on FOX tonight), the parents are intimidated into dropping their testimony; instead, offering their son as a sacrifice to their fears. They, in essence, say, “Don’t ask us; ask our son. Keep this between him and you. We don’t want to cross you, even if it means our son, or the man who healed him, end up on a cross.” (John 9:19-23)

Ridicule runs toward rejection – Another screwtape-ian riff: When all else fails, reject the opposition, shut out anyone who believes or behaves differently from you, anyone who won’t agree with your mythological-truth. The List-and-Law leaders, unable to intimidate the blind man — oh, wait, he’s no longer blind – WOW! – declare the judgment their actions already signaled, and they throw him out of the synagogue. (John 9:30-34)

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.