John 9:30-34: in context

The man born blind, whom Jesus healed, is interrogated by the hostile Pharisees, who want him to denounce Jesus as a sinner. But the man will not deny what he knows. How amazing, he says; you do not know where this man comes from, yet he opened my eyes. Since the world began, no one has opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. He reasons boldly from what has plainly happened to him, standing by the truth. And for it, they revile him and cast him out.

The healed man's boldness is striking, especially given the cost. He was a nobody, an uneducated beggar, facing the religious authorities who had power over him. They wanted him to deny that Jesus was from God. And he would not. He stood by what he knew, what had plainly happened to him: this man opened my eyes; no one could do this unless he were from God. He did not have theological training or clever arguments; he had his own experience of what Christ had done, and he reasoned honestly from it, refusing to deny it under pressure. And for his bold witness, they cast him out. He held to the truth even at real cost. There is a lesson here about standing by the truth of what Christ has done, even against opposition. The man's testimony was simple: I know what Christ did for me, and I will not deny it. He did not need to win a debate; he needed only to stand by what he knew and had experienced, honestly and boldly, whatever it cost him. One thing I know, he had said earlier: I was blind, and now I see. That simple, firsthand witness to what Christ had done was enough, and he held to it even when it cost him his place among his people. This encourages us to bear witness to what Christ has done in us, even at cost. We may feel unqualified, lacking arguments or training, facing opposition or ridicule. But like the healed man, we can stand by what we know, what Christ has done in our own lives, testifying honestly and boldly rather than denying it under pressure. Always be ready, Peter says, to give a reason for the hope that is in you. We need not be experts; we need only stand by the truth of our own experience of Christ, honestly and without denying it, whatever the cost. This searches whether we hold to the truth of Christ under pressure or deny it to avoid cost. The healed man was cast out for confessing that Jesus was from God, and he did not flinch. And we too are called to bear witness to what Christ has done, standing by the truth honestly and boldly even against opposition, holding to what we know rather than being silenced by the fear of cost.

When I face opposition, ridicule, or cost for confessing Christ, do I deny or soften what I know he has done, or can the man born blind, who boldly stood by his experience, this man opened my eyes, he must be from God, and was cast out for it, encourage me to bear witness honestly to what Christ has done in me, holding to the truth I know rather than being silenced by the fear of cost, ready to give a reason for the hope that is in me?