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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh_9:18-23
18The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, 19and questioned them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?" 20His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself." 22His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. 23For this reason his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."
Joh_9:22-23 "if any one confessed Him to be Christ" This is a third class conditional sentence which means potential action. The parents were afraid of these Jewish leaders. There are several witnesses who validated this healing: (1) the neighbors (Joh_9:8-10); (2) the man himself (Joh_9:11-17; Joh_9:24-33); and (3) his parents (Joh_9:18-23).
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Joh_9:22 "he was to be put out of the synagogue" Obviously the parents were afraid of being excommunicated (cf. Joh_12:42; Joh_16:2). This procedure may go back to Ezra (cf. Joh_10:8). We know from rabbinical literature that there were three types of exclusions: (1) for one week; (2) for one month; or (3) for life.
John, writing toward the closing years of the first century, knew well the excommunication from the Synagogue because of confessing Jesus as the Christ. These historical "curse formulas" were developed by the Pharisees after the 70 a.d. Jewish resurgence from Jamnia.
▣ "he should be put out of the synagogue" This was a serious act of disfellowshipping (cf. Joh_12:42; Joh_16:2).