Enter the Light, Part 1
November 26, 2017
Summary and Goal
In John 8:12 and 9:5 Jesus claimed to be the “light of the world.” During a time of year when it’s easy to think of ourselves first, we reflect on the One who came to bring light to our dark world, along with our role in sharing that light.
Main Passages
John 8:12; John 9
Session Outline
1. The Light of the World Heals Lifelong Blindness (John 8:12; 9:1-12)
2. The Healed Man Testifies about Jesus (John 9:13-34)
3. The Light of the World Gives Sight and Reveals Blindness (John 9:35-41)
Theological Theme
When the power of Jesus brings light to dark places, the healed have the opportunity to share what they’ve experienced with others.
Christ Connection
Christ came as the Light of the world to heal the darkness that enshrouds it.
Missional Application
Believers, who were once blind before Christ, have the opportunity to share the hope of healing with others by simply speaking of their own experience with Christ.
Historical Context of John
Purpose
To prove conclusively that Jesus is the Son of God and that all who believe in him will have eternal life.
Author
John the apostle, son of Zebedee, brother of James, called a “Son of Thunder”
To Whom Written
New Christians and searching non-Christians
Date Written
Probably A.D. 85–90
Setting
Written after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and before John’s exile to the island of Patmos
Key Verses
“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31).
Key People
Jesus, John the Baptist, the disciples, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, Jesus’ mother, Pilate, Mary Magdalene
Key Places
Judean countryside, Samaria, Galilee, Bethany, Jerusalem
Special Features
Of the eight miracles recorded, six are unique (amont the Gospels) to John, as is the “Upper Room Discourse” (chs. 14–17). Over 90 percent of John is unique to his Gospel—John does not contain a genealogy or any record of Jesus’ birth, childhood, temptation, transfiguration, appointment of the disciples, nor any account of Jesus’ parables, ascension, or Great Commission.
Excerpted from the Life Application Study Bible (NIV). Tyndale House Publishes, 2003.
Introduction
There are many hallmarks that signal the onset of the Christmas season. These hallmarks begin to appear earlier and earlier every year (some stores began selling Christmas decorations on Labor Day weekend this year). One particular hallmark is the barrage of Christmas shows that fill TV programming guides the week of Thanksgiving. Scenes from those movies have become etched in our collective memories: the bent over Christmas tree standing next to a humiliated and dejected Charlie Brown; Linus’s recitation of the Christmas Story; an angel getting its wings every time a bell rings; the Grinch triumphantly descending Mount Crumpit with a renewed heart; and even the jubilant Ebenezer Scrooge waking on Christmas morning to realize the horror of what the Ghost of Christmas Future showed him was not inevitable after all.
One of the more recent additions to the cadre of Christmas classics, Christmas Vacation, bases its comedy on the familiar strain of family gatherings and overhyped expectations of what Christmas must be to be successful. The microcosm of the movie is the well-known light display of the Griswold home. Bringing comedic frustration and anxiety, the light extravaganza just never seems to work—until it’s plugged in correctly. Oh, but when it works...! The whole neighborhood goes dim from the strain on the power grid. Auxiliary power is utilized to meet the electric demand. Power meters spin like tops as the wonder of exterior illumination transforms the neighborhood street.
In all of these scenes, the one constant element is light. Light is a huge deal at Christmas. Quiet neighborhood streets, normally dimly lit at night, become technicolor spectacles. Homes and retail outlets are transformed by the warm glow of Christmas trees, lit garland, and strategically placed spotlights. In fact, the connection between the brightness of Christmas lights and the festivity of its celebrations are why there is such an emotional letdown when those lights are stored once again—until the following Labor Day weekend.
The natural association between Christmas and light has a much greater significance than we frequently realize. As John described the coming of Christ in the opening of his Gospel, he wrote, “Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:4-5).
- What are some of your favorite hallmarks that signal the opening of the Christmas season?
- What is the darkest place you’ve ever been? How did the glow of even the slightest amount of light change your perception?
- What does it mean when John says, “the darkness did not overcome it”? To what darkness did he refer?
Session Summary
One of the very first things mentioned about Jesus in John’s Gospel was the metaphor of His being the light of men. John used the dynamic of light versus darkness repeatedly throughout his Gospel to emphasize the stark difference between being shrouded by sin and the glorious deliverance available only through Christ. In the passage for the opening session of this series, Jesus used a sign of healing to demonstrate how the Light overcomes blindness/darkness. In doing so, the one healed of blindness unreservedly told of the One who had healed him.
1. The Light of the World Heals Lifelong Blindness (John 8:12; 9:1-12)
When reading John’s Gospel, it’s important to note how John addressed both the spiritual and physical realm concurrently. That trait of John’s writing is why the introduction to his Gospel, for instance, is so much different than those of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). With that in mind, when Jesus referred to Himself as the Light of the World in John 8:12, He was making a proclamation of His salvific purpose in the world. Repeating the identification in John 9:5 links the healing of the man blind from birth with Jesus’ proclamation of His salvific work. In other words, Jesus used the sign of the healing of the man born blind to physically demonstrate His eternal power over spiritual darkness and blindness.
- Remembering that John communicated in the physical realm concurrently with the spiritual realm, what does the man born blind indicate about the world apart from Christ?
The man, once healed, was transformed so significantly that his neighbors struggled to recognize him. What are some ways you’ve noticed Jesus’ transforming your friends and family? Have you told them you’ve noticed?
It was a common belief in the Jewish tradition that the presence of suffering or infirmity was the result of some type of sin. Jesus, however, rejected outright that the man’s lifelong blindness was the result of a specific sin from either him or his parents. Rather than appointing blame for the blindness, Jesus pointed beyond the blame to what God was going to use it for; specifically, to display the work of God. Significantly, at that moment, Jesus included His disciples in those who are tasked with doing the works of God. It was not a suggestion or possibility. Those who followed Jesus were to do the works of God, just as He did, while there was an opportunity to do so.
2. The Healed Man Testifies about Jesus (John 9:13-34)
Obviously, the healing of lifelong blindness caused quite a commotion on the street. The man was ushered before the Pharisees for examination. As impossible as it would seem to argue with the validity of a blind man gaining sight, the Pharisees were only hardened in their opposition to Jesus. They were particularly incensed that Jesus healed on the Sabbath.
When the Pharisees questioned the man about how he was healed, he spoke forthrightly. There was no formalized theology, apologetic argument, or deductive logic. He didn’t even use Jesus’ name; all he did was speak of his experience with the One who healed his blindness. The Pharisees could not break him, so they questioned his parents. When his parents deferred the attention back to their son, he spoke of his interaction with Jesus all the more clearly.
- Why do you think the Pharisees were incapable of refuting the healed man’s story? What does that indicate about the power of your own experience with Jesus?
- How comfortable are you in sharing the story of your experience with Jesus? What are the high points, so to speak, of your story? What are the pivotal moments that you would make sure to communicate?
The healed man, who had understandably become frustrated with the incessant badgering from the Pharisees, concluded his exchange with them with a notable observation: “This is an amazing thing....You don’t know where He is from, yet He opened my eyes! We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to them. Throughout history no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He wouldn’t be able to do anything.” His spiritual eyes had been opened as well as his physical eyes, so his clear insight confounded the Pharisees.
3. The Light of the World Gives Sight and Reveals Blindness (John 9:35-41)
After the Pharisees had kicked the newly-sighted man out of their presence, Jesus found the man. It’s interesting to note that Jesus initiates both points of contact with him. One led to his physical healing, the other led to his spiritual healing. Previously, the man had identified Jesus as a prophet when questioned by the Pharisees. When Jesus found him the second time, though, and revealed Himself to be the Son of Man, the man worshiped Jesus as Lord.
- Just as Jesus initiated both points of contact with the man born blind, He initiates contact with those who follow Him. What were the circumstances through which Jesus initiated His relationship with you? Why is that important to understand when telling of your experience with Jesus?
- When Jesus spoke of those who see becoming blind, He was referencing the self-righteous, self-confident Pharisees’ being spiritually blind. What are some attitudes or dispositions that we experience that can threaten our ability to “see”?
The Pharisees in this passage were blinded by their own sense of righteousness that came from knowing the right things, doing the right things, going the right places, and so on. When they incredulously asked Jesus if they were blind, they assumed that the answer would be a resounding, “NO!” because of their religious pedigree. The reality, Jesus said, was that because they were prideful in their own spiritual knowledge, they were blind to the things of God. Their knowledge carried no corresponding action, no sign of transformation. As result, even with God Incarnate standing in front of them, they were oblivious to the truth.
Conclusion
The responses to Jesus from the man born blind and the Pharisees could not be more starkly different. Where one is graciously and worshipfully receptive, the other is venomous and hard-hearted. The polar opposite responses demonstrate what happens when the Light of the World enters. Significantly, the only response that is not possible when the Light is present is no response at all. The Light causes everyone to respond, one way or another. The question must be answered, “What will you do with Jesus?” Considering the various interactions in the text, there are some critical points of application.
First, we must realize that like the man born blind, we are all shrouded in darkness apart from Christ. Everyone needs the healing that only Jesus can offer. One of the core doctrines of the Christian faith is that everyone is born a sinner, is born blind. In light of that, believers must take seriously Jesus’ teaching that “we must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day.” It is no more optional for believers today than it was for Jesus’ disciples when He spoke those words to them.
Second, sharing our testimony of our experience with Jesus is our most powerful tool. Many times believers feel flustered or embarrassed that they don’t know the answers to certain theological questions or questions designed to stump them in their knowledge of the Bible. Consider the man Jesus healed. He knew very little. He didn’t even know Jesus’ name at first. All he knew was that the man “called Jesus” put mud on his eyes and, for the first time in his life, he could see. Amazingly, that knowledge was enough to confound the religious experts. A believer’s testimony will be received differently by different audiences. However, even if it is dismissed, it cannot be disproved.
Third, it is vitally important that, as much as it has to do with us, we maintain a humble, receptive heart toward Christ. When our religious understanding exceeds our passionate worship and ministry in Christ’s name, we allow ourselves to be set up for failure. Religious knowledge alone is powerless to deliver anyone from anything. In fact, it has the power to insulate people from a transforming relationship with Christ, because that knowledge convinces them that they lack nothing. Remember the man born blind: while still remembering his life shrouded in darkness, he worshiped at the feet of the Light who made him see.
- Read Ephesians 2:10. In conjunction with Jesus’ teaching about doing the works of God while it is day, how does Ephesians 2:10 help you understand the best way for you to share your experience with Christ with others?
- What questions or topics give you the greatest sense of hesitation when sharing your experience with Jesus? How does the limited ability of the man born blind to answer questions about Jesus impact you?
- What are some things that can threaten to make you prideful in your religious knowledge? Are those things inherently bad things? How does worship help weaken that threat?
Prayer of Response
Pray thanksgiving to God for what the Christmas season means for everyone. Thank God that He came into this darkness to save us. Pray that those in your group would be sensitive to the opportunities to share their experience with Jesus this week.
Next Week
Enter the Light, Part 2
Main Passages
Isaiah 60:1-3
Session Outline
1.The Light of Life Comes from God (Isaiah 60:1)
2.The Light of Life Makes God’s People Distinct (Isaiah 60:2)
3.The Light of Life in God’s People Draws the Nations (Isaiah 60:3)
Memorize
4 We must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. - John 9:4-5, HCSB
Extended Commentary
John 8:12
Here we find the second of seven “I Am” passages in John’s Gospel. Like water (ch. 4) and bread (ch. 6), light is necessary for life. And the Lord wasted no time in explaining that spiritual light comes to those who willingly follow him. Since light is one of John’s major themes, several assumptions arise from this verse. One is that the world needs light, something John has already told us in chapter 1. There are conditions for seeing and knowing the light—following Jesus. Finally, walking in the light can be permanent. The light of life can change a person so that he or she need never again walk in darkness.
Chapters five, six and seven of John’s Gospel have picked up three major Old Testament wilderness reminders of how God dealt with his people: the comparison between manna and the bread of life in chapter 6; the comparison between water in the desert and the water of the Holy Spirit in chapter 7; and here in chapter 8 a comparison with the pillar of fire which led the people through the wilderness and Jesus, the light of the world.
The Feast of Tabernacles was also known as the Feast of Lights because of the many ceremonies that involved various kinds of lighting. From the earliest verses of the first chapter in this Gospel, John has been fascinated with the link between light and life. Here, however, we do not have a statement about everyone participating in the light, but the exclusion of all who do not follow the true light.
Some interpreters have suggested that Jesus may have drawn his illustration from the great candlestick (Menorah) which cast its light over the room in which he was teaching. Everyone there knew the Menorah would be extinguished after the feast. But Jesus indicated that his light would remain forever.