Born Blind, Now Seeing
Then they heaped insults on him and said, “You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses. John 9:28 · Berean Standard Bible
The leaders hurl insults at him and say, 'You're His follower! We follow Moses.'
By claiming Moses as their teacher, they're asserting the highest religious authority. They see following Jesus as a betrayal of their tradition.
The angry Pharisees lash out at the man, drawing a sharp line between themselves and anyone who follows Jesus.
They can't beat his argument, so they attack him personally. It's a sign that the man's simple testimony has them rattled.
The Pharisees respond with verbal abuse ('eloidorēsan'—reviled) and a sharp distinction: 'You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses'—establishing rival loyalties.
The claim to be Moses' disciples invokes the highest religious authority in Judaism. The contrast implies that following Jesus is incompatible with following Moses—a claim Jesus elsewhere refutes (5:45-47).
The Pharisees insult the man and assert their allegiance to Moses over Jesus.
Stung by the man's sarcasm, the Pharisees resort to insults and identity claims, drawing a line between Mosaic orthodoxy and what they view as dangerous allegiance to Jesus.
26“What did He do to you?” they asked. “How did He open your eyes?”
27He replied, “I already told you, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”
28Then they heaped insults on him and said, “You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses.
29We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from.”
30“That is remarkable indeed!” the man said. “You do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes.
Read all of John 9 — A man blind from birth receives sight, and the Pharisees interrogate him relentlessly. His simple testimony dismantles their theology piece by piece.
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