John 9:4-5 4It is necessary that we work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one is able to work. 5When I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Verse 4 seems to make a change in topic and a diversion from the disciples’ question about the blind man. The verse begins with a statement of necessity (dei) in which Jesus includes the disciples (we) in doing his work. Jesus wanted to include them in the ministry of miracles. Works include all that Jesus did in obedience to the Father’s will (5:36). Another way to say this is that the disciples were to imitate Jesus by participating in his mission of teaching and healing. After Jesus was gone, the disciples would continue his ministry (14:12).
Jesus uses the images of day and night to symbolize doing the Father’s will in the light when it is easy to see and when these works can be visible to others resulting in glory to God. Ancient people could only work in the day time because it was difficult to do anything in the darkness of night. Electricity has made it possible for people today to work 24 hours a day, so that day and night become blurred. The ominous warning about night implies a time when it would be difficult to do God’s work. The most obvious application is when Jesus would die on the cross and the discples would flee. That was a dark, uncertain time for them when fear replaced hope. There is a sense of urgency in the need to do God’s work while we can.
In verse 5, Jesus repeats the idea of 8:12 but does not use the “I am” formula (only the verb eimi), which suggests that the earlier passage was intentionally worded to reflect the “I am” of the Old Testament. As the Light of the world, Jesus shines forth the purpose, plan, and message of truth from the Father. People could look to him and know that what he said and did reflected God. Jesus was the full revelation of the person of God. Those who saw him during his lifetime had the rarest privilege of seeing and experiencing God incarnated. A time would come soon when Jesus would not longer be physically present, but he would give his disciples the assurance of his continued presence spiritually through the Holy Spirit. As the Light, Jesus has the power to shine God’s purposes into people’s lives. The mystery of God’s sovereignty is answered in the person of Jesus, to whom we can look for the answers to the challenges we face, whether these are physical (blindness) or spiritual (sin).
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