We finished out John 8 last week, Jesus had just spoken the words that testified as to who He was: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (v. 58) Abraham, as we found out, was held in high esteem by these people. Through him, they claim their inclusion into righteousness, belonging to a people claimed by God. The fact that they wrote their own rules as to what constituted righteousness and did not do what Abraham or even Moses did, obey God, made them blind to God actually standing in their midst, speaking truth to their lies. So when they heard this truth, it caused them anger that this Rabbi would dare to tell them their entire way of life was wrong. Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. (v. 59)
We come now to John 9 and find that the disciples are now mentioned again. They have been absent from this gospel for the last 2 chapters. Jesus has been focused on working with the crowds of people who were in Jerusalem to attend the Festival of Booths. Jesus has been interacting with the people, demonstrating who He is, declaring who He is, making pronouncements about His identity that are supported by His power expressed in the miracles that He did. He has been working with the people and with the leaders and there has been no real need to speak of the disciples following Him around, observing their Rabbi.
I am pretty sure they’ve been about. We see in John 6 after Jesus had spoken what is characterized as “hard words” in verses 55 and 56: “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” Because of that, many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:66-69) All of that leads me to believe that anything short of the cross, would not keep these men from He who has eternal life. Their learning would all become clear after Christ had ascended and the Holy Spirit had indwelt them. As He does with us, those that truly believe. This is where the cross separates the Old Testament from the New Testament. The Old Covenant ended with the symbolic tearing of the curtain in the temple. (Luke 23:45, Mark 15:38, Matthew 27:51)
Theologian Timothy Luke Johnson says that the tearing of the temple curtain could symbolize “the end of the old covenant of atonement through animal sacrifice and the beginning of a ‘new covenant’” (Johnson 379). In this “New Covenant” a priest would no longer be needed.
But we are getting a bit ahead of ourselves. The scripture states: As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” They are still in Jerusalem and walking about, although I am not sure how much time has passed from the last event. The one where the people picked up stones to throw at him and He demonstrated His deity by disappearing from their midst. Try that the next time you get in an uncomfortable situation.
The disciples question Jesus because of their acknowledgment of Him having the Words of Life. They have seen by now a seemingly endless parade of healing and casting out of demons. It was a valid question for them who grew up believing that if you had a malady or deformity or something bad happened to you, it was the result of sin in the life of those afflicted. They also believed that it could be from the sins of the father that could be visited on the life of the son. This belief more than likely comes from Exodus 20 verse 4 and 5 or what we know as the second commandment: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” We had quite a bit of discussion last week of this commandment, and a wee bit of unhappiness of my interpretation of the first part of this commandment.
Be that as it may, many if not most of the Jews believed that the sins of the father could be visited on the son. I think that today, if you questioned people about this, they would call it karma, which is just a foolishness, but many people endorse that kind of foolishness. Jesus told His men “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (v.3) I am sure that was news to these boys because the predilection to believe in what you’ve been taught and everybody professed know, was strong.
What is said next is something that if the boys were paying attention, they probably would have understood, but up till now, had not shown any real understanding except the obvious and sometimes not even then. We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”
From Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
He identifies the disciples with Himself in the redemptive work of His mission. There is before them a striking instance of the power of evil. He and they are there to manifest the power of good. They must gird themselves to the task. If we are right in placing the whole section from John 7:37 to John 10:21 on the same great day of the Feast (comp. Note on John 9:14), then this work must have come near the close of the day. The sun sinking to the west may have reminded them that the day was passing away, and that the night was approaching. He was reminded of the day of life, and the night of death. He will not be long in the world (John 9:5). That night will be the close of His human work, and the shadows of evening are already falling upon Him.
From Benson Commentary
The night cometh, when no man can work — As if he had said, I see death approaching, which, as it puts a period in general to human labours, so will close the scene of such labours as these, and remove me from the converse and society of men. The period of his opportunity for doing the will of his Father, and glorifying him on earth, was at hand, and therefore he would lose no time, but be active and laborious. Thus, the consideration of our death approaching, should quicken us to a diligent improvement of all the opportunities of life, both for doing and gaining good. The night cometh — It will come certainly, and may come soon and suddenly: and when it comes we cannot work, because the light afforded us to work by will be extinguished, and the time allotted us to work in will then be expired. When the night comes, the labourers must be called. They must then show their work, and receive according to the deeds done in the body: for then the time of probation will be ended, and the time of retribution begun.
These 2 commentaries bring home, to us at the very least, seek the Lord while He may be found. (Isaiah 55:6) The time to seek Him is now, while we are still walking on this earth. For none know the span of their days, illustrated by Psalm 39:4-6.
“Lord, make me to know my end
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how transient I am.
“Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah.
“Surely every man walks about as a phantom;
Surely they make an uproar for nothing;
He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing. (vv. 6-7) Another miracle by He who is the Light of the World and we discover the fallout of that and compare and contrast another earlier miracle by Our Redeemer next week.