“Ostracized”

John 9: 34: “They answered and said to him, ‘You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?’ And they put him out.” This was one of the worst sins the Pharisees ever committed, and they committed some doozies. Just because this man had the temerity to support someone Who had just given him the gift of sight, a man they happened to hate, they kicked him out of the synagogue, which, according to them, excluded him from God’s favor. This is hardly good exercise of leadership, but the Pharisees in their pride and holier-than-thou attitude never learned: with God, it’s not ‘us and them,’ but ‘we.’