LECTURE XLII.

EXAMINATION OF THE PARENTS OF THE BORN-BLIND.

JOHN ix. 18-23.

WE come now to another stage in this mock LECT. trial and inquiry. The inquisitors take another XLII. step in their malicious inquisition. The man who had been subject to this examination is removed, and his parents are brought in. Him they had questioned in vain. He could not be induced, by any hints or leading questions artfully proposed, to say, or to admit any thing to the disparagement of the miracle or its author. He was altogether impracticable. With his parents however they hope to be more successful. These they think they can perhaps prevail upon. These at all events are more likely to be induced, whether from a dread of offending or from a desire of ingratiating themselves with the authorities, to contradict in some measure their son's statement, to furnish the rulers with some seeming triumph. So for the present the man is removed: he is taken aside for a while; and his parents are led into court. And to the humble pair, already sufficiently overawed at finding themselves before the tribunal, they propose certain questions in such a manner as very evidently to shew the kind of answers that would be most agreeable.

LECT. "The Jews," here as elsewhere, are put for XLII__that unjust and hostile majority of the Sanhedrim.

They were utterly unwilling to admit the fact of the miracle at all. They would not admit it on the testimony of the man himself on whom this miracle of healing was shewed. They summon the parents for the express purpose of obtaining some conflicting statement which might enable them to throw discredit upon it altogether; as is sufficiently shewn, as is indeed very evident, from the way in which the questions are proposed, the manner in which they proceed with their interrogation. But

Truth, like a torch, the more 'tis shook it shines "." Their malignant efforts turn out a most suicidal measure. Their own tongues are made to fall upon themselves. They are beaten with the weapons themselves had forged. Their dishonesty ends in their own discomfiture. The plan they adopted to disparage the miracle only tends to confirm the miracle; to confirm it beyond all further hopes of disputation or gainsaying. So that they themselves are reluctantly compelled to admit it; to admit that to this born-blind perfect sight had been miraculously given as afterwards in the like case of the born-cripple, to whom in the name of the same Lord was given perfect soundness; where we are admitted to the secret conference of the council, and hear them saying, "For that

a v. 22. ch. vii. 13.

b Conf. Chrys. in Jo. Hom. viii. ἀλλ ̓ αὐτὴ τῆς ἀληθείας ἡ φύσις, δι' ὧν δοκεῖ παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβουλεύεσθαι, διὰ τούτων ἰσχυροτέρα γίνεται· διὰ τούτων λάμπει, δι ̓ ὧν συσκιάζεται, κ.τ.λ.

e v. 24.

indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them LECT is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem;

and we cannot deny it."

The official examination of the parents of the born-blind consisted of three questions. There were at least three points to be proposed to them. First, Is this your son? Secondly, Say ye that he was born blind? Thirdly, If so, how comes it that he now can see? This was the proper process in all legal formality. But these inquisitors, in their intemperate haste, seem to run the two former into one; to mingle accusation with examination : preferring rather a charge of collusion, than seeking evidence as to a matter of fact; endeavouring more to impute fraud to the witnesses than to elicit the truth from them. For without waiting to have their first question answered, without indeed any pause, they tack on to it such an imputation as much as to say, Do you think to persuade us that this man was born blind? And they hastily proceed with the next question, which confirms this expression of their view of the case, How then doth he now see? This man who now sees so perfectly could never have been born blind. Observe how the completeness of the miracle is attested even by those who sought to disparage it.

The parents of the born-blind, though not overcourageous, are not so over-awed as altogether to

4. As appears from their answer, in which the questions confusedly put from the bench are distinctly repeated and separately answered.

v. 19.

οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς ὑμῶν;

vv. 20, 21.

ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς ἡμῶν

ὃν ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι τυφλὸς ἐγεννήθη; ὅτι τυφλὸς ἐγεννήθη

πῶς οὖν ἄρτι βλέπει;

οἴδαμεν.

πῶς δὲ νῦν βλέπει, οὐκ οἴδαμεν,

XLII.

E e

LECT. play into the hands of the Pharisees. Perhaps XLII. they are too obtuse to understand what they are

wanted to do; not quite subtil enough to take the hint, which the manner of proposing the questions might suggest to a sharp-witted and unscrupulous witness. Indeed they are very humble, and, sooth to say, somewhat cowardly in their conduct. They, wisely enough, take no notice of the imputation which their inquisitors alleged. They reply most respectfully, and in order, to the disorderly questions of the bench. First, This is our son. Secondly, He was born blind. Thirdly, How it comes that he now sees, we cannot tell. Nay, they answer more than their inquisitors required; they touch upon a point concerning which these would have preferred them to remain altogether silent for by what they add they admit that some one had opened his eyes. They thus call attention again to this great unknown; this, for the interest of the Pharisees, too well-known. For their object hitherto had been to do nothing to bring Him into prominence, but rather to treat Him with contempt. Their policy was to keep Him, if it were possible, in the back-ground'.

The parents of the born-blind conclude by humbly requesting the Pharisees to examine their son himself. They have told all that they know about the matter. Any further questions,

To the first two questions from the bench, though confusedly put, they make answer distinctly, repeating each, oldauer: to the last they make answer, οὐκ οἴδαμεν.

f See ch. vii. 13. and ver. 22.

XLII.

they suggest, might be proposed to him". For LECT. he was now grown up; beyond their control. They were no longer responsible for his actions. There seems something desperately selfish, almost unnatural, in the conduct of these parents here. They seem anxious only to extricate themselves out of a difficulty; careless that they leave their own, afflicted offspring in it: nay, actually placing him, by their own suggestion, in the way of danger; making his hazard the means of their escape". The subsequent history affords a lively and literal illustration of the Psalmist's words, "When my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord taketh me up." We may compare also the Prophet's rare question, " Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb ?" to which this history supplies a sad affirmative: while what follows well illustrates the remainder of his saying, Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget Theek."

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g Observe how the pronouns are emphatically expressed in v. 21. μeîs οὐκ οἴδαμεν· αὐτὸς ἡλικίαν ἔχει, αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσατε· αὐτὸς περὶ αὐτοῦ λαλήσει. And note farther that with the former ouk otdauer in this verse the pronoun is not expressed.

b Hominum quam Dei metuentiores; quales non mirum est si sibi potius quam carissimis consulant: itaque filium obtrudunt odio." Grotius. i vv. 35-38.

The readers of the Christian Year will remember the touching paraphrase, (Second Sunday after Epiphany,)

"Fathers may hate us or forsake,

God's foundlings then are we:

Mother on child no pity take,

But we shall still have Thee.

We may look home, and seek in vain

A fond fraternal heart,

But Christ hath given His promise plain

To do a brother's part."