Working Hours Series

Theme: Working Hours

Text: John 9:1-5

Greetings: Dearly beloved in Christ, Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

The Lord is good and His Love endures forever!

Introduction:

Our thought for this month is on how to strike a balance between the working hours and worship hours. Nowadays, we see lots of people who don’t have a balanced life of work and worship. We will try to understand how we need to bring a balanced life in both these life patterns.

The concept of working hours exists all over the world, and every country has one according to their climatic conditions. The working hours differ according to the establishments. The industries have different timings, the Government and private sectors have different timings. The schools and colleges work differently.

The working hours are basically related to the employee's and employers' relationship. Working hours are related to rewards and awards. Now around the clock, people work. working hours change from person to person depending upon the economic status, location, cultural values, and lifestyle choice.

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9:4).  During the time of Jesus, people used to work from sunrise to sunset. Therefore, Jesus told his followers to work when it’s a day. Let’s see what does it mean to work while it's day.

Today, let me share with you the following three aspects from the aspect of handling the day. It refers to the spiritual insight, the life on earth , and the use of given opportunities.

1. The Spiritual insight

This narrative in John 9 focuses on the importance of seeing, or “spiritual insight.” In fact, here the blind man first responds to the voice of Jesus and obeys then at the end he sees him.

The story narrates that the blind man receives his sight gradual manner. He saw Jesus as a man (John 9:11), then he addresses him as “Lord” and finally worships him (John 9:38). John 9:37 emphasizes the importance of believing and seeing God. The faith leads to believe God and worship him.

This healing is also prophetic: the Old Testament speaks of a Promised saviour healing spiritual blindness of the people(Isaiah 29:18; 35:5; 42:7). Jesus is credited with miracles that give sight to the blind. It symbolises the unique way in which the Messiah grants understanding of the truth (Matthew 11:5; 12:22–23).

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9:4).  

This statement has spiritual insight.

The Spirit of might is the fifth of the seven Spirits of God listed in Isaiah 11:2. The word “might” in this passage literally means powerful, strong, and valiant.

God called us to live in the day and do the works of the day. The day living spiritually means doing the approved works of God with holy living. The opposite of holy living is characterized in the Bible as “walking in darkness” (Isaiah 9:2; Proverbs 2:13).

Paul warns, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). The word unfruitful means “having no beneficial use, unproductive.” Unfruitful works of darkness are sexual immorality, impurity, and greed. No place for vulgarity, and foolish talk. So, cast off the works of darkness such as orgies and drunkenness, sexual immorality and sensuality, quarreling and jealousy (Romans 13:12–13).

For Spurgeon, SINS are “works of darkness.” The darkness stands for the powers of evil, as light is the fit emblem of the holiness of God, and of his infinite goodness and purifying grace. The works of the light are fruitful works, rich and sweet, and fit to be gathered, pleasant to God and profitable to men; but the works of darkness are fruitless, they come to nothing, they produce no good result.

2. The life on earth

Secondly the day refers to the life on earth. Ellicott says that Jesus included his disciples to work with him in the work of his redemptive mission while it’s a day. There is before them a striking instance of the power of evil. He and they are there to manifest the power of good. They must gird themselves to the task.  

Maclaren interprets that life is the day and the state beyond death is the night.

A commentator points out that here, Jesus used metaphors that relate to His earthly ministry. In an era without electricity, night was by necessity a time when less work could be done on account of darkness.

The day was the most effective time to work, but it was also a limited time.

The book of Acts has given many accounts of the Mighty works of the disciples.  Philip was doing miracles and mighty works (Acts 8:13), and Paul did the mighty works of God (Acts 19:11). For some, God has given the energies of the mighty works (1 Corinthians 12:10, 28). Generations after generation people will declare the mighty works of God (Psalm 145:4).