is that once I was blind, and now I can see.’ Then they asked him over again, `What was it He did to you?’ By what means did He open your eyes?’

“And he answered them, `I have told you already, and you would not listen to me. Why must you hear it over again? Would you too become His disciples?’ Upon this they covered him with abuse. `Keep His discipleship for yourself; we are disciples of Moses. We know for certain that God spoke to Moses; we know nothing of this man or whence He comes.”

“Why,’ the man answered, `here is matter for astonishment : here is a man that comes you cannot tell whence, and He has opened my eyes. And yet we know for certain that God does not answer the prayers of sinners; it is only when a man is devout and does His will that his prayer is answered. That a man should open the eyes of one born blind is something unheard of since the world began. No, if this man did not come from you, all steeped in sin from God, He would have no powers at all.’ `What,’ they answered, `are we to have lessons from you, all steeped in sin from your birth?’ And they cast him out from their presence.

“When Jesus heard that they had so cast him out, He went to find and asked him, `Do you believe in the Son of God?’ `Tell me who he is , Lord,’ he answered, `so that I can believe in him.’ `He is one whom you have seen,’ Jesus told him. `It is He who is speaking to you.’ Then he said, `I do believe Lord,’ and he fell down to worship Him. Here upon Jesus said, `I have come into this world so that a sentence may fall upon it that those who are blind should see, and those who see should become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees heard this, such as were in His company, and they asked Him, `Are we blind too?’ `If you were blind,’ Jesus told them, `you would not be guilty. It is because you protest, we can see clearly, that you cannot be rid of your guilt” (John 9, 1-47).

THE ATTACK OF THE SILVERSMITHS

During His life Christ’s words and actions drew many people to follow Him. But these same words and actions roused violent storms of protest and opposition. We have already seen how the Pharisees and high priests were always trying to trip Him up. We shall see later how violent their hatred became. We shall see how it brought Him to death on a cross.

This will be the story of all who try to follow Christ. They will meet sympathy and kindness from some, but they will meet with violent opposition from others. This will always happen because Christ makes war on selfishness.

Paul, one of the early followers of Christ, was preaching the message that Christ had opened the way for all men to go straight to the Father: “It was just at this time that the way of the Lord was the cause of a notable disturbance. There was a silversmith called Demetrius who used to make silver models of Diana’s temple and so gave plentiful employment to the craftsmen. And now he called a meeting of these and of the workmen who were in the same trade and spoke thus, `Friends, you all know that our prosperity depends on this business of ours. And you can see and hear for yourselves that this Paul has persuaded a whole multitude to change their allegiance, not only at Ephesus but over most of Asia , by telling them that gods made by men’s hands are no gods at all. It is not only that we are in danger of finding this work of ours discredited. The temple of the great goddess Diana will count for nothing, she will be shorn of her greatness, the goddess whom all the world revers.’