John 9:3-6

3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 

4 I (ESV says we) must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 

5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.

“Work While it is Day…For the Night is Coming”

What sin has this man committed? This is what the disciples asked Jesus as they walked past the poor blind man who was sitting by the gate. Jesus sets His disciples straight immediately by saying in verse 3, paraphrasing, “This man is not suffering because of any sin that he or his parents committed.” Can you imagine how our lives would be if God punished our children and us for every sin that we committed? We would all be in pitiful shape, would we not? Or, what if we lived a faithful Christian life, but our parents did not? Would we be punished because our parents didn’t follow God? Ezekiel 18:20 clears this up, “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” Deuteronomy 24:16 also says that fathers will not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers, but everyone will be put to death for their own sin. Jeremiah 31:30 says that every person will die in his/her own sin. Every person is responsible for himself/herself. 

Why do we have pain and suffering? There are many reasons why pain and suffering occur. Satan is at work, wreaking havoc in this world. He takes pleasure in causing pain and suffering in hopes that it will cause people to blame God. If that happens, then Satan can control their lives. Look at how Satan caused suffering in the case of Job. Satan even used Job’s wife to try to get Job to forsake God when she told Job to “curse God and die”. (Job 2:9) Sometimes pain and suffering happen because we are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sometimes we are in the path of others’ free will, and their bad choices cause us pain and suffering. And sometimes, we bring it on ourselves with the choices we make. None of this is God’s fault. We just have to remember that this life is not going to last forever, and if we are faithful to God, we will live in an eternal home with no worries, no pain, no suffering, and no tears. 

In verse 3, Jesus reveals a higher purpose for this man’s suffering. Jesus says, paraphrasing, “This is an opportunity for the works of God to be glorified.” This does not mean that God caused it to happen so He could be glorified. This would not go along with Romans 2:11, where Paul says that “there is no partiality with God”. God doesn’t point to me and cause me to suffer, and then point to you and cause something good to happen to you. Things in our lives just simply play out the way they play out. This is God’s plan. However, because of this blind man’s suffering, Jesus says that God’s power can be shown. When I go through suffering, my mindset should be this…..how can what I am going through glorify God? How can I grow closer to God through this suffering? This is a hard one. It is hard to lose a loved one. It is hard to get that diagnosis that we prayed so hard not to get, or for our loved one not to get. Life is hard. But, let’s ponder Paul’s God-breathed words in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Did you catch that? Paul pleaded with God to be healed of whatever this “thorn in the flesh” was, but it wasn’t meant to be taken from him. What did Paul say? Paraphrasing, he said, “I know there is a reason why I have this ailment. God knows me better than I know myself. Maybe I need this to keep me grounded so I will not grow conceited. Maybe I need this to draw me closer to God. Whatever the reason, God’s grace is sufficient for me. God’s strength is shown in my weakness. When I am at my weakest physically/mentally/emotionally, is when I am actually at my strongest spiritually.” Why? Because we lean on God when we are at our weakest. This is how God is glorified. He is glorified more and more as we grow stronger in the faith. 

In verses 4 and 5, Jesus says, paraphrasing, “I must work the works of God while it is day, while I have the chance. The night is coming, and at that time it will be too late, and no one will be working. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Jesus only has a short time to fulfill His mission while He is on earth. He uses day and night as a metaphor to show that there is only so much time left for Him to do the works of God. Daylight refers to Jesus’ time on earth. Night refers to the time when He ascends back to the Father. There are only so many hours of daylight to get work done. When the night comes, no one can work. Most translations, including the ESV, use the word “we” in place of “I” in verse 4, inferring that the disciples had an earthly mission as well. Jesus was the light who lit up the world with the truth, and He had limited time on earth to share it with as many as He could while He was here. He commissioned His twelve disciples to help Him while He was here, and carry the truth forward after He went back to be with His Father.

Who is the light of the world now? Well, Jesus is still the light of the world, but how do lost people see Jesus? They see it in us. Jesus’ light is supposed to shine through us as He tells us in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” What is the underlying message for us? We don’t have much time. As Jesus said, the end of the day is coming, and then it will be night, and no one will be able to work. This has a two-fold meaning to me. First, I can apply this to my own life. Lord willing, I have a few more years of my life left to shine Jesus’ light to people around me, and help them see the truth. The hours in my day are waning. Sooner or later, my night is coming, and my work here will be done. Am I feeling the urgency? Second, as the Lord’s church, we only have a short time to shine the light of Jesus to the world before Jesus comes back a second time. At that point, the day is over, the night has come, and our work is done. Do we feel the urgency? 

In verse 6, we see Jesus spit on the ground, make clay out of the dirt and saliva, and put the mixture on the blind man’s eyes. Now, let’s go back to verse 5, where Jesus says he is the light of the world. The last time Jesus said this was back in John 8:12 during the Feast of Tabernacles, which commemorated the pillar of fire that God led the children of Israel with while they were in the desert. Now, He is saying it in the presence of this blind man who has lived in darkness his entire life. Jesus was about to light this man’s life up. Can you imagine how wonderful this sign was? To witness this man see things he had never seen in his entire life, the sunrise and sunset, newborn babies, children playing, flowers in the springtime, the perfect blue sky, a clear, starry night, a rainbow, or butterflies, to name a few. This is exactly what the light of Jesus does for people who are in spiritual darkness their whole lives. When we come out of spiritual darkness, we see the spiritual blessings only found in Christ: forgiveness, redemption, grace, hope, peace, joy, a new spiritual family, and a coming reward. What a sign! Now, why did Jesus spit on the ground, make clay, and put it on the man’s eyes? Couldn’t He have just told the man to see without doing all of that? Of course He could have! But Jesus did everything for a reason, and there is a lesson in everything He did. Until the next post! 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about being saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves… and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t, or if you’re not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are… believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better… to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you, Father, for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan God has outlined in His Word for humankind to receive His grace, which leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)