Locked Out of the Church

I’ve been through the uncomfortable experience of seeing church leaders take away the membership of a family when the man exposed leadership flaws. Similarly, the Jews of Jesus' day lived in fear of being put out of the synagogue. On the Sabbath Jesus healed a man who was blind and the Pharisees were divided in thought, “Finally they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him” (John 9:17-23 NIV). During this pandemic, I suspect modern-day Pharisees are feeling the sting of what it’s like to be locked out of the church.