Study in John’s Gospel

Study in John’s Gospel Presentation 30

Jesus’ Work Chap 9v1-12 Presentation 30

Introduction A large lump of concrete is left in a grassy field for a number of years. One day it is removed exposing bare soil underneath. The intense light first causes all sorts of insects to dart for cover. Then in succeeding weeks new growth begins to appear. Seed, lying dormant or blown by the wind, responds to the light with vigorous growth. Twice Jesus reveals himself as ‘the light of the world’. First, to the religious establishment in Ch.8 and like the insects, they scattered from the light escaping into the comfort of darkness. Secondly, in Ch.9ff we discover a different response to light and new growth begins to flourish. Presentation 30

A Blind Man: A Case Study A blind beggar was for the disciples no more than a catalyst for a good philosophical discussion. Many Jews believed that all illness and suffering could be traced to a specific sin of an individual or family member. And so the disciples ask, “Who sinned this man or his parents?” Jesus answered briefly because he had an important task to perform. This man’s need was more important than the disciples’ speculation. Questions have their place but Jesus’ concern is to work within the limited time constraints at his disposal. Hence his reply, “I must work the works of him who sent me.” Presentation 30

Doing The Work Of God The necessity of doing God’s work shaped Jesus’ entire ministry. Remember his reply to his mother Mary, when as a 12 year old. He had failed to use his ‘return ticket’ from the feast of the Passover thus causing Mary and Joseph to return to Jerusalem to look for him. When Mary found Jesus in the temple he said, “I must be about my Father’s business” Lk.2.49. When Jesus’ public ministry enjoyed early success in Capernaum and he was asked to remain there as their resident teacher, he replied, “I must preach the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that it why I was sent”. Lk.4.43. Jesus was driven by this imperative: the necessity of obeying the will of God. Presentation 30

Doing The Work Of God Today, many people are blind to what God can do for them. Not just the poor, the lonely and the outcast but the wealthy, the befriended, and those of social standing. Do we care for their spiritual welfare as Jesus cared and do we work as Jesus worked? We can be too busy with other things even church-related things. But are we doing what God wants? The church ought to be a hospital ward for the spiritually sick. Too often, we have reduced it to a museum pointing out what God has done in the past. Have we rejected God’s demanding agenda and replaced it with a more comfortable one? As a result are the spiritually blind still sitting outside with no one to help. Presentation 30

Doing The Work Of God Notice too, that Jesus describes his mission and ours in the language of urgency. He says, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work.” Jesus had little time left on earth to exercise his ministry. Time for service is passing us all by. We can think of that in two ways. First, we can see it in terms of our physical ability to do certain things - people put off vital service until some point in the future, they fully intend to engage in this or that work for God and then they discover that the energy of earlier years is no longer present and as a result they are limited in what they can do. Presentation 30

Doing The Work Of God But secondly, circumstances change. The freedoms that once existed to share the gospel message can disappear. Let me illustrate that. In the 4th- 6th centuries the church spent an inordinate amount of time in theological debate and political infighting. It lost sight of its mission to win each new generation. The Goths and vandals swept down from northern Europe bringing with them great devastation. The period known as “the Dark Ages” was poised to envelop both church and society. Giving fresh application to Jesus’ words; “Night is coming when no one can work.” Presentation 30

Doing The Work Of God In the C7th, Islam came out of Arabia and spread across North Africa and northwards as far as the Russian Steppes and eastward to the Indian sub-continent and beyond. Again, in a short period of time, the freedom of gospel communication, previously enjoyed by the church, disappeared. “Night is coming when no one can work.” Some social commentators suggest that today, we live on the threshold of a new barbarism in the secularised West. Communication technology has contributed to the erosion of moral values and increasingly manipulates public opinion so that what was once held to be ‘bad’ is now advocated as ‘good’. Presentation 30

Doing The Work Of God Within the West, the god of political correctness has become increasingly intolerant of biblical convictions, which reflect traditional biblical values and morality. While at the same time we are witnessing the rise and development of a new paganism. Examine the book titles on offer in many bookshops under the ‘spirituality’ category. You will be hard pressed to find good Christian books. Why? Because New Age religion titles dealing with, healing crystals, nature worship and books on the occult often take up the bulk of the space. Are we currently making the most of the opportunities for, “the night is coming, when no one can work” ? Presentation 30

Jesus’ Commitment To Ministry What did Jesus do in a situation of enveloping darkness? Moments earlier the religious leaders had attempted to stone him to death. We might think that the obvious thing to do would be to put as much distance between him and his enemies as possible. But Jesus was not driven by self-preservation and as a result was particularly sensitive to the needs of others. He homed in on the need of the blind beggar sitting near the temple gate. Here was a man who couldn’t see Jesus and was therefore not in a position to seek him out. Presentation 30

Jesus’ Commitment To Ministry In this context of enveloping darkness and significant human need, Jesus refused to be distracted from the work he had been given to do. His rejection by the religious authorities was not allowed to frustrate his mission nor were the religious leaders’ attempts to stone him. Why? Because God cannot be frustrated. That is a difficult concept for many of us to grasp because frustration is endemic in human experience. Think of the ways in which you have encountered frustration in the past week. Perhaps you have discovered that you cannot eat what you used to be able to eat or, travel the distances you once travelled or, see to sew in the way you once did. Presentation 30

Jesus’ Commitment To Ministry You might be frustrated by the fact that you cannot care for your family as you would like or because you do not have the same spending power you once enjoyed. The list is endless. But God cannot be frustrated! When he sets a plan in motion nothing can thwart his objective. That’s the point of Luther’s hymn God’s Word, for all their craft and force, One moment will not linger, But, spite of hell, shall have its course; ’Tis written by His finger. And though they take our life, Goods, honour, children, wife, Yet is their profit small; These things shall vanish all: The City of God remaineth! Presentation 30

Jesus’ Commitment To Ministry We can draw a valuable lesson from this. If God’s purposes can’t be frustrated - and they can’t - then if we make God’s purposes our purposes, we will not be frustrated either. Perhaps you have been sharing your faith with someone and you feel frustrated because there seems to be little response. Be encouraged by this, if God is working in that situation, nothing at all will hinder his work. If God has been at work preparing the soil in the heart of another then the seed you have sown will certainly grow! Presentation 30

Conclusion Think for a moment of this poor blind man and all he symbolizes. If there is to be spiritual sight then Jesus, the light of the world, must first open blind eyes. If the physically blind are unable to seek Jesus out, then the spiritually blind can do no better. Men do not make the first move towards Jesus. It is Jesus who takes the first step. It is he, and he alone, who enables us to see. The light that he brings causes some to run for the cover of darkness, but others, like this blind man, are drawn out into the light and are overwhelmed by what Jesus does for them. Presentation 30

Conclusion What effect does Jesus, the light of the world, have on you? Do you want to avoid the light and slip into the shadows, or are you being drawn towards him, attracted by the one who wants to enrich and bless your life beyond measure. When Jesus shines we cannot remain frozen to the spot – such an option is not available to us. We run in one of two directions either away from him or towards him. In what direction will you run? May it be towards the light. Presentation 30

Study in John’s Gospel