The Light of the World

On a senior adult trip to the Lost Sea back in 2008 there was a point in time which the tour guide let all of us present experience what total darkness is like. When everybody was ready, all lights were extinguished for a few seconds so everyone would know that eery feeling. Deep underground on the way to the body of water known as the Lost Sea, there is no outside light present at that point on the tour. However, after a few seconds the lights are turned back on and you're relieved because you can see again.
Have you ever wondered how it would feel to have been blind all of your life and have Jesus provide you with the gift of sight? Our text comes from John 9:1-12 which contains one of Jesus' famous statements "I am the light of the world" (5). As we examine this story, let us notice some of the practical applications from the first few verses of the text.
Bad things in our lives can have great outcomes
Often times we see people in difficult situations and we wonder why. I don't believe there is anything wrong with that, as we don't know the answers, but God knows and He has a reason. I heard a story one time about a couple who had a son that was killed in a robbery. There was a trial for the other young man who killed their son, and he went to prison. Over time, the parents of the son who was killed went to visit the young man who had committed the crime. A relationship was developed as a result of these visits, and eventually the inmate was obedient to the gospel message. Who would have ever guessed that something so tragic could have such a great outcome?
Jesus took a man in a difficult situation and turned it into something to give God the glory. The disciples thought the man was blind because either he or his parents had sinned. They were simply falling victim to the old theory called the doctrine of retribution (or double retribution). People who believed in this assumed that if you did something good you were always rewarded, but if you did something bad you were always punished. Therefore in the case of the man born blind, they just knew that either he sinned or his parents did.
Jesus took this time to correct them as he let them know that it was neither, but that the glory of God would be displayed (3). He was going to use something bad and turn it into something great!
God can do great things even in bad situations. People lose their jobs. Sometimes there are greater opportunities that present themselves and the people soon forget about the hard times they had coping with that loss because they are now in a better situation. People lose their health, lives, children, etc., but so many times we can see something great appear when it looks like impending doom has moved in next door! Consider Paul in Philippians 1:12. He states "I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel." Wow; Paul was in prison, yet he was still saying that something great happened because of it. That is remarkable, and we can see that God can do great things during bad situations.
Opportunities are available for a limited time
There is a show on television called Wipeout where contestants go through a series of obstacle courses for a chance to win $50,000. On many of the obstacles there are moving pieces to avoid, or else you wind up getting knocked off into the water below. This is a game of timing where you have a limited window of opportunity. If you wait too late, then it may cost you in the competition. If you make it to the wipeout zone in the end, you are competing against the time of the other two contestants. If you fail to complete it before they do, you lose. You have the opportunity to finish the course until the buzzer sounds.
Jesus explained to the disciples that he was working until his time was up. He states that you work during the day, but the night is coming when you can't work. Jesus was talking about working for the Father. Consider what was looming just ahead for Christ. He would be betrayed by one of his own, sentenced, scourged and crucified. He only had a limited time to get done what needed to be done, and He knew that.
Opportunities do come with expectations and limitations. Paul recognized when an opportunity was available and noted that it was a priority in 1 Cor. 16:7-9 when he talked about "a wide door of effective work." He also prayed for an opportunity, that God would open a door in Col. 4:3. He knew about opportunities and how they needed to be acted upon. However, there is scene in Mt. 25 with which we are all too familiar that teaches of the importance of acting on these opportunities. In verses 31-46 this scene of the judgment shows the reward for acting on our opportunities versus the punishment for neglecting them. It should be a reminder to all of us that the time to act on our opportunities is now while we are still alive. When we're standing before the judgment seat of our Lord, it will be too late.
Christ truly was the light of the world
You've heard stories of people who have had their sight restored. None may be more fascinating than that of Martin Jones (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1197256/Blind-man-sees-wife-time-having-TOOTH-implanted-eye.html) . He had lost his eyesight in an accident at work, and had been blind for twelve years. He had been married for four years when he underwent a revolutionary procedure. He found a doctor who would take one of his teeth and create a way for him to see. To make a long story short, the first thing he saw was his wife, whom he had never seen. What a great day that must have been for him as the light from the world was now visible to him again.
Just as Martin Jones saw his wife for the first time, Jesus restored the sight to the blind man so he could see for the first time. He told his disciples, "I am the light of the world" (5). He used mud and saliva to anoint the man's eyes and commanded him to go wash in the pool of Siloam (7). One of the great aspects of this story is that he did exactly as Christ commanded him. The man was now out of the darkness as he had been exposed to the light of Christ.
There are people who walk around in darkness because they don't have Christ as their light. John opens his gospel talking about how Christ was the true light that came into the world, and he came to his own people, yet they did not receive him (Jn. 1:9-10). He even states in his first letter the importance of walking in the light and staying away from the darkness (1 Jn. 1:5-7).
A co-worker of mine once walked into the door frame as she was trying to head towards the restroom in the middle of the night because she couldn't see. Are you walking around in the darkness? Christ is the light of the world who has the power to overcome the darkness.

Christ Heals the Cripple

Different situations enter our minds when we think about someone being crippled. One of this writer's most memorable images is that of Forrest Gump. Though it is a fictitious story, the character sticks out in your mind as you think about him wearing those braces on his legs. His legs were strong but his back was as crooked as a politician. One day while he was running from some bullies, he was being hindered by his leg braces as they were slowing him down. As the bullies continued chasing him on their bicycles and throwing rocks at him, his leg braces began to come apart as he picked up speed. Eventually, the braces just fell right off of his legs and he never slowed down running everywhere he could go. Unfortunately, you'll hardly ever hear of a story like that where somebody who is crippled is healed so easily.

Looking at John 5:1-18 we are introduced to a man who had been crippled for thirty-eight years. He was laying around by a pool in Jerusalem which the Scripture says was near the Sheep Gate and it was referred to as Bethesda. There were a number of people who were in need of healing, and it was believed that at certain seasons an angel of the Lord stirred up the waters; whoever got down into the water first was healed. It has been suggested that these were simply intermittent springs as is even evidenced by the "so-called 'Fountain of the Virgin' in Jerusalem, as it has "the same phenomenon" (Edersheim 463). Jesus is here in this occasion and comes into contact with this crippled man where we see that Christ heals the cripple.

There was a prevention to the healing

Imagine having a disease where you are unable to get the treatment you need. Perhaps it's because of a lack of financial resources needed to pursue the treatment, or maybe something else, but you are unable to get the help you need at the time. Something had kept this crippled man from being healed. When Jesus saw him he knew he had been there a long time. How many of us have ever waited a long time at a doctor's office thinking we're never going to be seen? Jesus simply asks the man "do you want to be healed?" (6). You would think that the man would answer Jesus' question, but instead he offers an excuse as to why he has not gotten into the water yet. He was claiming that others were getting into the water before he could, therefore he had not been healed.

Often in our lives, excuses prevent us from doing great things. Consider Moses when he tried to get out of doing what God wanted him to do by going to Egypt and leading the children of Israel out of bondage. In Exodus 4:10 he tried to use the excuse of not being a good enough speaker and later tried to get the Lord to send someone else; needless to say, God did not allow Moses' excuse to change his mind, even though God's anger burned against Moses. In this case, the excuses didn't stop Moses from doing something great.

What about you? Do excuses stand in your way of taking part in spiritual things? Are there sometimes in your life where you refuse to get involved in church activities because you would rather take part in extracurricular activities? Have you foregone a service opportunity to do something good for somebody because you wanted to do something for yourself? Have you ever been like Moses where you thought you weren't gifted enough in a particular area to serve in the Lord's work? Don't let excuses hinder you from doing something.

There was a provision for the healing

Imagine receiving a bite from a poisonous snake with no anti-venom available. You would feel very helpless if there was no provision around to treat your condition. Maybe that's how the crippled man felt as he was so close to the water but was unable to be healed by it. Though the crippled man was prevented from the provision available in the nearby water, there was now a better means of healing that would be provided through the Great Physician. Jesus gave the command to "get up, take up your bed, and walk" (8). At once the man was healed and obeyed Jesus.

The Lord will provide for people according to His will. Don't just think about this from a medical perspective but also from other needs which the Lord provides. Money, opportunities, children and many other things are provided from the Lord and distributed among people on this earth. Though he provides them it's not just when we want them. Just like the crippled man the Lord chooses to provide.

We know from the Bible that we don't always get what we want. Consider Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:8ff. He had asked the Lord three times to take away that thorn in the flesh, but the Lord had a purpose for leaving it with Paul. Jesus was also praying in the Garden of Gethsemane for the cup to pass from him if possible, but he wanted the Father's will to be done (Luke 22:42). James says that we ask for things and don't receive because we ask with the wrong motives (James 4:3).

There was a problem with the healing

Ordinarily when someone does something good there is rejoicing. However, sometimes people will attack your efforts to do something nice. Consider the eleven-year-old girl from Virginia who recently tried to do a good deed by rescuing a baby woodpecker from a hungry cat. After she secured the bird from the clutches of the cat at the home of her father, she placed the bird in a container with an intent to release it shortly. On the way home with her mother, they stopped in at a Lowe's store, carrying the container with the bird in the store due to the heat outside. While in the store, a fish and game officer saw the bird and informed the girl and her mother that it was illegal to transport a migratory bird. They assured the officer they were soon to release the bird.

After they got home they released the bird and even called the fish and game office to tell them they released it, who in turn told them they did the right thing. Two weeks later the fish and game officer who had seen them in the store showed up with someone from the sheriff's department with a citation saying the mother was going to be fined $535, and scheduled to appear in court with the possibility of facing up to one year in prison. There was such a public outcry over this that the fish and game dropped the case and did not hold the mother liable for this event. Talk about causing a fuss for doing something good!

When Jesus healed the crippled man the Jews caused a fuss because it was the Sabbath. The Jews told the man he was breaking the law by carrying his pallet around. In Exodus 20:8-11 the Lord made sure his people knew that there was to be no work done on the Sabbath, for it was a holy day. The problem later arose when the Jews started to add to the written law where their traditions became oral laws added to what God had given. In a document called the Mishna, which is a compilation of these oral laws, there are thirty-nine acts of labor which were prohibited on the Sabbath. The last of these acts is the one the Jews were accusing the man who had been healed in this text, which says it is unlawful for the Jews to transport an object from a private to a public domain, or to move it more than four cubits in a public domain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbat). When they were accusing the crippled man who was now healed of this act, they were also accusing the one who told him to do this. When he told them the man who healed him told him to do this, they then turned their attention to finding out who this was who commanded such!

Problems are created when we turn traditions into commandments. Some people get upset if the order of worship is not what it normally is. Some people get upset if brother so-and-so doesn't wear a tie when he waits on the table. Problems arise when we take traditions and try to make them binding on others. Consider how Jesus responds to the Pharisees on this type of matter in Matthew 15:1-9 when he tells them they are breaking the commandments of God for the sake of their tradition.

Perhaps you are not crippled but you are in need of the healing touch of the Great Physician! Are you guilty of making excuses though you have unlimited opportunities to do great things? Are you focused on things of the world to provide answers to your problems while you are unaware of what the Lord provides? Are you upset about some good being done only because it's not in keeping with your tradition? Let the Master have his way with you as he takes away whatever is crippling you in this life!

What did the gasoline pouring out of my car cost me?

We cry over many types of liquid that have been spilled or poured out of containers accidentally: spilled milk (as the saying goes), grape juice on carpets (why do you think we have crimson carpet in the church building?) and other types of mishaps of the liquidy kind. Most of these at worst only cost us a stain with which we must deal.

Recently I was pumping my gas as I always do. I started the pump by inserting my debit card, locked the handle of the pump and went inside to get a SunDrop while my car was being fueled. After talking to a few people I knew, I was about to pay for my drink when somebody said "that car just overflowed with gas." Fear set in as I realized it was my car. Never in my life have I had that happen, nor had I seen it happen. In embarassment, I rushed to the car, but thankfully someone had already stopped it for me. I looked at how much gas had been pumped, and let's just say it pumped out about another eight plus gallons onto the concrete pad at the gas pumps. That little mishap with the gasoline pouring out of my gas tank cost me about $25 more than I would have spent otherwise. Let's just say I'll not be leaving my car unattended at the gas pumps anymore as the sign does say "do not leave car unattended while fueling." This was like throwing away money in the trash can, though the price could have been a heftier penalty if someone hadn't been gracious enough to shut off my pump.

It reminds me of another time when precious fluid was poured out at a much higher cost than my gasoline. Jesus, when instituting the Lord's Supper, said "this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many" (Mk. 14:24). Paul said to the Ephesian elders that Christ purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). The Hebrews writer said "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb. 9:22). The picture in the original language is a pouring out of blood. Christ paid for our sins with the ultimate outpouring - His blood!

Thanks be to God that we can't put a quantitative price on the sacrifice that His Son gave for us. The outpouring of gas at the gas station was cleaned up with the oil spill and the rest evaporated from the heat. However, the blood of Jesus still continues the cleanse the child of God who walks in the light (1 Jn. 1:7). Do you need to take advantage of the blood of Christ?