Light of the world

John 9.4-5

How do you feel about your life each day? When you get up in the morning and mentally check your day, what are your priorities? I cannot reasonably attempt to guess how you would answer that. What if we asked Jesus the same question? John 9.4 gives us a very clear indication as to his answer. ‘As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.’

Jesus had a very clear view –  his day was to be filled with fulfilling God the Father’s will. Jesus the man had very limited time, each day was to be maximized. Whether it was teaching or healing, coaching disciples or challenging enemies all was done in accord with God the Father’s will. He was to be the light of the world and the purpose was to reveal God and his purposes to the world. Night was coming when work could no longer be done. That night started with his death on the cross. John 9.4b Even his death was light to the world.

As he faced his death while in prayer in Gethsemane he was overwhelmed with dread and no wonder, he was about to absorb the wrath of God for the sin of all mankind. He was certainly dreading death by crucifixion, no person would not, but it was God’s righteous wrath that was to be dreaded even more. This was his prayer, ‘`Yet not as I will, but as you will.’ Mathew 26.39

As Jesus is the light of the world and now in glory, so it his disciple’s role to direct the gaze of others to the light of the world. When Jesus first declared himself the light of the world John 8.12 he added, ‘Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Therefore, the way to point others to the light of the world is to walk in the light of life oneself.

After Jesus made the statement he promptly healed the blind man bringing light into his life. The healing was a living parable. This was the ‘work’ that we must be engaged in. ‘We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. John 9.4 Josh Moody puts it like this, “This is the one thing that we can do now that we cannot do in the new heaven and new earth – the work of witnessing to Christ as the light of the world.” (John 1 to 12 for you.)

Jesus came into the world, ‘that those who do not see may see’. John 9.39 The blind man became one of those physically and spiritually. Jesus sought him out following his rejection by the Jewish leaders and asked him if he believed in the Son of Man. John 9.35 The man asked him who the Son of Man was and Jesus replied it was him. The man then said, ‘Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him.’ John38 Those moments are ones of great rejoicing and we should pray that we are a witness to many.

How can we live our life so that it is a witness to the light of the world?

Light of the World – (This was not the song of the blind man but it could have been.)

Leave a Reply