This morning I specifically felt like I should read from John's Gospel, Chapter 9. It is a very familiar chapter to me, and sometimes that makes it hard to discern what specific verses to focus upon. As I read and reread these verses, I was drawn to Jesus' statement in the first 5 verses. Here they are - John 9:1-5 NIV:
[1]"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth."
[2] "His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
[3] “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. [4] As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. [5] While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
I included the first few verses for context, for they help us to understand Jesus' response to the disciples. I could, and have written quite a bit about the issue of sin and the effects of sin in our lives, which is the theme of the initial question. What I want to focus on is Jesus' statement in verses 4 & 5.
I find His inclusion of these couple of sentences interesting, for they barely relate to the previous verses. I find that often Jesus takes a moment when He has the attention of His disciples, and He drops in a significant truth that somewhat relates, or could really stand totally on its own. I think He does this because He doesn't want them (or us for that matter) to miss what He is saying.
In this case Jesus is speaking about His earthly time, in His human form. There were many times where He speaks about His coming suffering and death, and no matter how clearly He said it the disciples just didn't understand. Here he alludes to night that is coming, and all the commentaries that I read indicate that this is clearly referring to His impending death. There is a clear sense that Jesus understood He only had so much time to minister, and had so much to do at the direction of the Father that needed to be accomplished during that brief window of physical ministry. In other words, He knew that He needed to make the most of every opportunity. He had a job to do, and He did it, perfectly!
I wish that I could say the same for me, but I know that the Lord in His mercy provides me ample opportunities to pursue Him and to fulfill His purposes for me. He does not expect me, or any of us, to be perfect, but rather expects us to be constantly growing in our relationship and understanding of His will. I want to be always growing in my ability to discern His will and maturing in my walk so that I can do those things that He asks me to do, without hesitation or fear.
Moving on, His last statement is such a beautiful truth. "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (Jn 9:5) The truth here is that He is still in the world, present through us, His very Body on the earth. He IS the light of the world. As His Body, we ARE the light of the world. The two are really interchangeable. Jesus is in us, and thus present in and through us. Jesus says in John 17:26 NIV: "I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
So one last point, there are those that teach that the works of the Holy Spirit ended with the death of the last Apostles, a teaching that is commonly referred to as cessationism. These verses, while on the surface might make one think that they support cessationism (night is coming, when no one can work), clearly do not. If Jesus truly is still present in the world through us, than He continues to be the Light of the world. The night of His death, prior to His resurrection, is no longer in effect, for He rose from the dead. Jesus is no longer limited or bound by the limitations of His physical body, for He is present in us (John17:26), through us (2 Cor 13:3) and with us (Matt 18:20). If that is true, He must not be limited in His power, or else He is not truly present. He either is the Son of God or not, He does not show up in some limited form, like the ancient Greek gods. He is Jesus, Son of the Father all the time. All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Him (Matt 28:18). If He was capable of healing blindness, through the power of the Holy Spirit, while He walked the earth in His human form, then He certainly has the same power now!
So let us learn to walk as bearers of the Light of this world. Let us believe that Jesus is truly present in us, and through us and with us. He never changes and is capable of doing everything He did while on the earth, through us, His Body present on the earth. Let us press in, knowing that He loves us and encourages us, and does not require perfection, but has grace for maturation and growth in our ability to hear and do what He asks us to do.
Let us press in together to faithfully represent Him.
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