Today we’ll be taking a further look at the miracle of Jesus healing the man born blind.
Last week we saw that Jesus, being omniscient or all knowing, knew that the man was blind from birth and that his blindness not the result of personal sin or the sin of his parents.
We also saw that the man was born blind so that glory might be brought to God through his healing.
So, let’s continue on by taking a look at the first seven verses of
John 9:1-7
“As [Jesus] went along, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
“As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world,
I am the light of the world.”
“After saying this, He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ‘Go,’ He told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’. So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.’
So, going back to verses 4 and five we see:
John 9:4-5
“As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
In this great chapter these two little verses can almost be overlooked! We want to get on with the spit and the mud and the healing and the dispute between the healed man and the Pharisees. And, we almost miss what’s most important!
In this fascinating interaction between Jesus and the disciples and the blind man Jesus not only takes the time to teach His disciples a great insight about the disconnection between sin and suffering but He also gives them a short, two sentence description of Himself.
Would you all be too upset with me if I rearranged these verses a little?
John 9:5, 4
“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” “As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”
Jesus is the light of this world in the spiritual sense.
The Sun is the light of this world in the physical sense.
How do we know when it is day? It is light out.
How do we know when it is night? It is dark out.
Jesus has now returned to heaven. Does that mean that we are in darkness? What sources of spiritual light do we have with us now?
The Word of God and the Holy Spirit!
The concept of Jesus being the light of the world is found throughout the New Testament
Just look at John 3:19-21
“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
“But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”
Listen. This light of Jesus is glorious! And, at the same time this light has some very unnatural properties!
I can think of three instances where the Light of Christ acts in a way that is unnatural or is treated in a way that is unnatural!
1) A person can be in a church or family home or gathering that is just filled with the Light of Christ and yet be walking in total spiritual darkness!
Example - A child molester moves into the area from out of state. No one in the church knows him. He attends for a few months in order to build false confidence in his character and then expresses his interest to work with the children. All of the time he is focused on doing the works of the evil one while walking among disciples of Christ. He is filled with darkness and walking in darkness even though the place where he seeks his victims is filled with the Light of Christ.
This is unnatural because in the physical world if you are exposed to the sun during the daytime then you are exposed to the sun. You cannot walk in darkness even in the deepest woods some sunlight gets through, but, this person not only walks in the darkness while being in the Light of Christ but hopes to spread his darkness while being in the place of Light.
2) A person can be in a place totally devoted to evil and satanic darkness and be the Light of Christ in that place.
Example - There is an organization called xxxchurch that is dedicated to deliverance from porn addiction and the salvation of those who work in the porn industry. This is most amazing! Did you know that there is such a thing as porn conventions? Where people with unashamed faces gather by the thousands to promote the dehumanization of women for profit. This group of godly people who make up xxxchurch sends godly women into porn conventions to reach out to the women trapped in this terrible industry of prostitution. These godly women are filled with the Light of Christ and they carry that light into one of the darkest hells that the devil has created on earth and that light shines out from within them!
Do you remember reading about the catacombs? The Merriam Webster dictionary defines catacombs as, “a subterranean cemetery of galleries with recesses for tombs.” Imagine being in that utter blackness, surrounded by dead, decaying bodies. Hopeless. Trapped. Abandoned. Tormented by others hiding in the darkness; their only desire to use you for their pleasure or profit and throw you away like garbage after their done.
Then into that darkness comes a pure, bright light. The Light of Christ, delivering you from death unto life.
I saw an interview with one of the women who the Lord had rescued from the porn industry. Some weeks she had spent almost every cent she made on drugs to fill the dead feeling within her soul. She had tried to commit suicide several times. Then she met the Light of the World, Jesus Christ and became alive again!
3) OK, this instance of the Light of Christ is unnatural and even prohibited by Scriptures. A person is filled with the Light of Christ but keeps it to himself. They have the Light of Christ in their devotions at home but at work no one knows that they even attend church let alone that they are filled with the Light of Christ. And even at church people do not know; he never talks about the Lord, he never prays even when asked, he don’t do any work in or around the church, he doesn’t give tithes and offerings, he never gives a word of testimony. It’s like he’s a secret saint or something.
So when Jesus says that He is the light of the world there must be a purpose and plan for that light!
Once again we see Jesus saying in
John 9:5b, 4a
“… I am the light of the world.” “As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent Me.”
When we are born again we become filled with the light of Jesus!
2 Corinthians 4:6 says,
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”
1 Peter 2:9
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”
Luke 8:16 says,
“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.”
We think of that little song, “This Little Light of Mine” as a children’s song but it is a teaching for all of us.
Think about how the light of Jesus shines through you.
You know how a candle makes a small light but if there are a thousand of them it is a bright light.
Imagine if the light that you display for Christ were multiplied a thousand times. What would it look like? Would it be brilliant or would it be just the same because 1000 x 0 is still 0.
Don’t you want to shine the light of Jesus into this dark, dark world?
What if all of us here at Crossroads let our light shine uninhibitedly to this world? What would happen? Would the Lord be lifted up and glorified?
It’s all about choice - a dark life filled with our own interest in our own little universe or a glorious life filled with the light of Christ for the glory of the Creator of the universe!
As it says in Joshua 24:15b
“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD!”
Let it be the Lord God Almighty!!!
