JOHN 9:1 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “Why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” 3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned to us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Then he spits on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!
When we think of Jesus being the "light of the world" we think maybe like a super-powered flashlight or lightbulb, or maybe an incredibly powerful searchlight. In the above scripture, we see a man who was blind, with no light for him, and Jesus healed him and he could see again. A miracle that was unbelievable to the religious leaders because they thought Jesus was only a prophet or a teacher of the law. But Jesus IS the Son of God! He IS the light of the whole world and the light of man. So when the power of God healed the man the best way they could explain it away was to check with his parents to see if he really was blind. And he was, but not until after Jesus got through with him. In the following verses, we see the words of the religious leaders as they try to figure out what happened. John 9:18 The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents.19 They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?”
If there is going to be any doubt about Jesus, unbelieving humans will be first in line. But had these religious leaders had a minuscule amount of faith, they would have been attributing this healing the Jesus and they would have acknowledged that he truly was the Son of God. BUT NO!! This healing was beyond their ability to explain, so they discounted it and tried to reason it away. In their reasoning it away they took a very bad step in the wrong direction and the following verses show their explanation about Jesus. John 9:24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” Now they are calling Jesus a sinner and as they grasp for explanations they fall off the deep end.
This sounds like an episode from the talk show The View. Radical explanations for things done by God with human knowledge, which is very worthless. When you explain something you attack it. This attack by the religious leaders had one purpose, shut down Jesus!! But Jesus wasn't going to be shut down and believe it or not, as nonbelievers try to shut down Jesus in our world today, He will not be shut down. The message of hope we carry with us is a very powerful message of eternal life for all who come to faith in Jesus. As hard as it is for lost people to believe, Jesus is still giving spiritual rebirth to those who are lost. As hard as it is for believers to acknowledge, Jesus is still giving spiritual rebirth to those who are lost. Jesus is the light of the world. Those who are spiritually blinded will get their first glimpse of the light when they receive Jesus by faith and the spiritually blind will be able to see!! In John 1:12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
When we think about Jesus, and the light of the world truly changing lives we must remember the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Paul describes the event in Acts 26:17 And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’ Turn from darkness to light. A new birth in Jesus our Savior, and able to see for the first time the true light of God. Unbelievable, but it happens every time a sinner is saved by the grace of God.
We need to share the "light of the world Jesus" with a lost and dying world that is living in darkness so they can see for the first time. No longer walking in darkness and no longer with no hope for heaven. 1 Thessalonians says it will in Chapter 5 .5 For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.
The Pilgrimage Continues
David Warren
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