The second round of cross-examination escalates the tension. The leaders cry, "Give glory to God!" which was a courtroom oath, and insist the formerly blind man accuse Jesus of sin. Their case is clear: Jesus desecrated the law by healing on the Sabbath, so honoring God requires condemning Jesus. I remember asking the leaders at RZIM why we weren't making every effort to release survivors from their NDAs. They quickly made it clear to me that the problem wasn't the NDAs, but my questions about them. Instead of wanting the truth that threatened their system, they threatened those who spoke the truth. The cross-examination rapidly deteriorates. They move from asking the man to explain the impossible ("How did he do the miracle?") to the abusive ("You're following a nobody" and "You were born in sin!") to the punitive ("They threw him out"). When Jesus sees them, he makes it clear: they are spiritually blind, and their sin remains with them. They may seem fearsome, but they are the ones who should be afraid. Even as their anger crowds out their reasoning, the man's testimony shines brighter. He courageously testifies to his transformation, implicitly identifies as a disciple of Jesus, and then persuasively argues that Jesus is from God. For his entire life, this man has suffered not only from his blindness, but also from his community's judgment that his ailment was caused by either his or his parents' sin. The unrelenting message: "You are suffering because you are bad. God has cursed you." Now the man runs the logic the other way. No one like me has ever gained their sight. So only God could heal my blindness. And as we all can see, my eyes are open. Therefore, we must conclude that Jesus is from God. Despite his transformation and his testimony, his community wants nothing to do with him. This man was blind when Jesus met him and blind when Jesus sent him away. He defended Jesus before his community, only to lose everything else he had. But Jesus isn't done healing him. He seeks the man out and finds him a second time. Finally, the man looks into the eyes of the one who gave him sight. "Lord, I believe." He worships. It's the ultimate confirmation that this man is a true disciple. He provides the template for us to imitate. Jesus changed his life, he identified with Jesus so thoroughly that his community rejected him, he worshipped Jesus, and Jesus blessed him. In all likelihood, this man became one of Jesus' disciples, and found a new identity in that community. Where else could he go?