Blindness And "Night" Have A Lot In Common

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” “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. We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.” [John 9.1-5]

Well, there you have it. Blindness is not the result of sin (?), even though stated to be so in Deuteronomy 28.28:

The LORD will strike you with madness, blindness, and panic. [Deuteronomy 28.28]

And, for the record, Deuteronomy 28.28 is in the list of curses upon disobedience introduced by Deuteronomy 28.15:

“But if you refuse to listen to the LORD your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you: [Deuteronomy 28.15]

I am not saying John 9.1-5 is a simple passage of scripture. But, what I am saying is that we must be careful not to build a doctrine upon this one passage of scripture that is inconsistent with the rest of the Bible!

Clearly, blindness IS A CURSE upon sin. If it is not, then we must exclude Deuteronomy from the Bible. But was Jesus saying that blindness was not the result of sin? Or, was Jesus saying that this blindness was not the result of this man's or his parents' sin? We have to be careful not to read into this passage something that Jesus NEVER intended!

It seems to me that Jesus, in the mercy and grace of God, saw that finger-pointing accomplished no Kingdom purpose! Instead, Jesus wanted His followers to see that God's glory was where the focus should be. It mattered not who sinned - what mattered was that God's glory be seen in the Light of the World!

But furthermore, Jesus said something that was very disturbing: We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.” What was that about?

Again, we are compelled to seek the Truth of this scripture and not simply make random conclusions! We must read all scripture in context of the whole and not allow ourselves to be confused by apparent discrepancies. While, at first, it would seem that Jesus would be leaving and then miracles would no longer be possible. But wait! The disciples performed miracles after Jesus' ascension and, the New Testament Church experienced countless miracles after Jesus' ascension... So, what is the "night" Jesus spoke about?

God's presence in the world today is in His followers. Yes, Jesus came as Light to the world, but Jesus also made the following very clear:

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” [John 8.12]

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. [Matthew 5.14]

So, what was Jesus saying about the coming "night?" I believe He was saying that He knew men's hearts would grow cold and faithless. I believe He was saying that, like the religious people he refuted while on earth, a new breed of religious people would emerge that would not walk in the Light, His Light, and therefore, miracles would be stifled.

We have all the scripture we need to know that WE are to be Jesus' Light in the earth today. Are we doing it? In general, no, but there are cracks in the current religious system where the Light is shining! I believe there is a growing dissatisfaction with Christianity (as we know it) and that there is a hunger and thirst for the Bread of Life and Living Water that Jesus lived and demonstrated on earth - the Bread of Life and Living Water that TRUE BELIEVERS are to be to the earth today!

When TRUE BELIEVERS get serious with Jesus and His Word, the Light will shine brightly - miracles, signs, and wonders will be prevalent.

BUT!!!!!!!! We must be sure of this fact: we cannot impose our culture upon Jesus' commands for how to live. He told us to care for the oppressed and downtrodden. He told us to seek God's Kingdom FIRST! He told us to sell our stuff to help the poor. He told us to take up our crosses and follow Him. He told us to care nothing for our own lives, but to put others' needs ahead of our own... He told us to walk by faith...

So, yes, miracles have largely passed away. But it is not the fault of Jesus! We are in the "night" because we are not shining the Light!

The irony of it all is that Jesus encountered blindness and gave a lesson about the Light of the World! Blindness and "Night" have a lot in common.

Father, the Truth is difficult to swallow. But I know You are dealing with me about my life - I know You are dealing with me about my Light-lessness...