June 3, 2023
Hard of Hearing?
“His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’ So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, ‘Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.’ He then answered, ‘Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’ So they said to him, ‘What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?’ He answered them, ‘I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?’”
John 9:22-27 (NASB)
Time for a hearing aid? Consider this: “Among adults aged 70 and older with hearing loss who could benefit from hearing aids, fewer than one in three (30 percent) has ever used them. About 2 percent of adults aged 45 to 54 have disabling hearing loss. The rate increases to 8.5 percent for adults aged 55 to 64. Age is the strongest predictor of hearing loss among adults aged 20-69, with the greatest amount of hearing loss in the 60 to 69 age group.”[1]
“So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.” “Give glory to God” is not a praise statement but the equivalent of a Jewish oath, which the authorities employed to call the man to give an honest witness and confess any sinfulness in his testimony (cf. Joshua 7:19; Jeremiah 13:16, cf. also 2 Chronicles 30:8).”[2] This statement was used to forcibly make the man understand God was about to witness his response to spiritual leadership. If he had previously made a misstatement, he would have another chance to repair his lie before it was sealed. We say it today as, “As God is your witness,” when we want someone to be completely honest. If the answer was previously untrue, he could be restored and pardoned by God. “So they said to him, ‘What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?’ He answered them, ‘I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?’” If wasn’t apparent last time, the Pharisees now admitted that Jesus had healed the man when they said, “How did He open your eyes.” I am not sure if they realized what came out of their mouths this time. They admitted Jesus was the source of the healing! As the healed man became bolder, probably from the irritation of the Pharisees, he asked “Why do you want to hear it again.” Lincoln tells us, “When the authorities cast doubt on the credibility of his witness by asking for a third time how this has happened, the man grows more confident in the face of their stubborn refusal to believe his account. The one born blind can now accuse his interrogators of being deliberately deaf—I have told you already and you did not listen.”[3] Now the tables of the interrogators, were turned on themselves. “You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?”
This proves there was a need for hearing aids in the New Testament. But the Pharisees continued their delusional statements fueled by hatred for Jesus’ miracle. Sometimes truth is not accepted even when it there is proof. It exists today just as much as it did then.
[1] https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing
[2] Gerald L. Borchert, John 1–11, vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 321.
[3] Andrew T. Lincoln, The Gospel according to Saint John, Black’s New Testament Commentary (London: Continuum, 2005), 285.