Jesus – The Light of the World

John 9:1-12

See v1.

¹As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.

There are many types of handicaps – lame, deaf, blindness, and others. Lame man is miserable because he cannot climb rocky mountains. The deaf are miserable because they cannot hear birds’ singing. But blind man is more miserable because he cannot see the wonderful nature God created. Moreover this blind man Jesus saw was born blind. This means he could never see anything since his birth. So he couldn’t know how his mother looked like. In addition, he was poor. He was a beggar based on v8. See v2.

²His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 

Disciples of Jesus asked Him the cause of the misery. They thought the cause was basically ‘sin’. So they asked Jesus whose sin caused the misery. The thought of disciples was based on retribution, which is typical way of thinking in many cultures in the world. Retribution is embedded in the conscious of human beings. The point of view based on retribution makes the misery a fate. The person with this point of view would think the miserable man is the sinner who deserves the misery and condemn the miserable person. This will make the miserable person even more miserable. But what was the view point of Jesus? See V3.

³"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

Jesus’s view point on the misery was ‘The glory of God’. Jesus says the misery was not because of sin, but the misery happened for the glory of God. This means when the miserable person overcomes the misery, that person will glorify God by his victory. More miserable person can give God more glory through his victory over his misery. While retribution is negative, Jesus’s view point is bright and positive.

Do you have any misery in your life? People might condemn you for the misery, but Jesus is different. He says to you that your misery is for the glory of God. Amen.

See v4 & 5.

⁴As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

Now Jesus explains how the misery can be transformed to the glory to God:

This is how: by doing the work of God who sent Jesus (4a). Jesus says we must do the work of God during the day (4a). Without Jesus, it is night (darkness) and no one can work (4b). Jesus declared that He is the light of the world (4b).

In the other words, we must do the work of God while Jesus is with us in the world. And this will transform the miserable people and it will glorify God. See v6 & 7.

⁶Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. ⁷"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

Now Jesus performs the transformation: Misery to Glory.

First of all, he mixed his saliva and soil to make mud and then paste it on the man’s eyes. 

Mud could make him blinder because mud would block sunlight. Mud could cause discomfort as the blindness did to his life. Therefore mud might mean further difficulty during misery. But this further difficulty was just before the healing. So this calls for patience during the misery. For the further difficulty may mean that healing and the glory of God are near.

Are you facing difficulty that deepening your misery even though you are in Jesus? If you understand the good purpose of God for you, you will thank for them. In such situation, simply obey the command of Jesus.

Secondly, Jesus commanded him to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. Jesus let him involved in the healing process. Here, we learn that misery2glory requires our involvement during the process. And the blind man obeyed Jesus and healed.

This blind man accepted further difficulty (mud) given by Jesus. And he had trust in Jesus and was obedient to Him even during blindness. We can learn that Jesus expects us to manage any further difficulty and obey Him during our misery. Be patient and be obedient – until the work of God may be displayed in your life through Jesus. See v8 & 9.

⁸His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" ⁹Some claimed that he was. 

      Others said, "No, he only looks like him."
      But he himself insisted, "I am the man."

As a result of obedience, the born blind man opened his eyes. And the result of the obedience surprised others. Now people couldn’t believe their eyes. But he himself insisted that he was the beggar. It is not easy to admit the past. But this man did. It is important to admit the past to glorify God for what you are now.

See v10 - 12.

¹⁰"How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.

¹¹He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."

¹²"Where is this man?" they asked him.
"I don't know," he said.

 When people asked him how his eyes were opened, he testified what Jesus did for him. We can learn how we should testify what Jesus did for us.

Hallelujah!

Jesus is the light of the world! In Him, our negative and dark mind can become positive and bright, and misery can become glory to God!

I pray we all experience this transformation in the light of the world, Jesus.

Also let us transform people’s life as well as ours by doing the work of God who sent Jesus.

Amen.