John, Chapter 9, verse 22:
22 His parents said this because they were afraid
of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him
as the Messiah, he would be expelled from the synagogue.
Christ had healed a man born blind to these parents on the Sabbath
and in this verse they were questioned about it and they were frightened as to the
outcome.
The synagogue and the academy were the two institutions which
preserved the essence of the Judaism of the Diaspora and saved it from
annihilation. As the place of public worship, the synagogue became the pivot of
each community, just as the Sanctuary at Jerusalem had been the center for the
entire people. The synagogue, consequently, is the most important feature of
the Jewish community, which is inconceivable without it.[1]
Being expelled from the synagogue was the equivalent to a social and spiritual death. To be expelled was alike to being made a
leper-being imposed in a life of living death.
It was worse than being defriended on Facebook!
“When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him. (John 9: 35-38).
Do you belong to any human organizations that have blinded you to
the truth? Are you afraid of being
expelled by others if you truly believed?
Walk into the light of Christ and Be not afraid.
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