John 9:4

“We must carry out the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.”

John 9:4 (NASB)

Let’s look at the context of the verse first and answer a few key questions.

Who wrote it? John, an apostle

When was it written? Toward the end of his life, before he was sent to Patmos (between AD 85 and 90)

To whom was it written? Gentile congregations

For what purpose?  To reassure Christians in their faith and counter false teachings.

“We must carry out the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” John 9:4

I’m not sure how many times I have read the story of Jesus healing the man blind from birth in John 9, but I didn’t realize that this sentence that Jesus’ said came from that encounter when I got my bracelet out.

Right before verse 4, Jesus says, “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.” Jesus told the disciples when questioning him that he wasn’t blind because of something he or his parents had done, but so that God’s work might be shown in the man.

However, right after Jesus says we must carry out the works of Him as long as it is day, because night is coming when no one can work. He then said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” I had to ponder on this one and do a little study, but the conclusion that I came to was this:

Day = when the presence of Jesus is on earth. His physical presence was here back then when he was talking, yes…but God is also present here with us through the Holy Spirit, who lives inside every believer.

Night = when the presence of Jesus is no longer on earth…through his physical body or the Holy Spirit. When are bodies are removed from this earth at the rapture, the Holy Spirit will leave with us.

What does this mean to the disciples AND to us?

There is work to be done. Our race is not finished as long as there is breath in our lungs.

We must do the works of the Lord.
Everything else is secondary to sharing the Good News! Your testimony is God’s work displayed in your life.

Jesus is The Light of the world, but since He is no longer physically here, we are the salt and light, and we are the physical representation of Jesus to this world.

Whew wee!

I checked my heart on that one for sure! How others SEE Jesus is through my words…my thoughts…my actions…my deeds. Am I showing them the spiritual and even physical healing that God can do?

Let’s help others SEE Jesus today.

Written by: Ashlee Canipe from Paint It Up

Ashlee is not only a super-talented writer, but an artist as well. She sells her artwork on her website. I love supporting other small businesses!!