Fear

The parents (in John 9) responding to the Pharisees after their son received his sight:

18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" 20His parents answered, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself." 22(His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

I never cease to be amazed at this, but fear will do strange things to us. The Bible says a lot about fear, but always about fearing God, not man.

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10: 28)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1: 7)