Living Stones – Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Daylight hours
John 11:9
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
Jesus seems to be preoccupied with the things that must be done in the daylight.
After the disciples expressed their concerns about Jesus going back to Bethany where the security situation for Jesus had deteriorated considerably, Jesus responds with comments about walking by the daylight. Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” John 11:9-10.
This is not the first time that Jesus makes reference to doing things in daylight just before heading off to do the miraculous. You may recall the incident with the man born blind. “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” John 9:4.
In each of these cases, Jesus also talks about Him being the light. In John’s gospel account there are almost 20 references to light.
Let’s examine the question that Jesus posed to His disciples, “Are there not twelve hours in the day?” The question seems to be rhetorical because He did not wait for an answer but continued speaking based on the answers that they might have given. So we should look at what those answers might have been.
In the first place, this conversation was taking place against the backdrop of Lazarus being in the throes of death and there being some pressure for Him to rush off to Bethany. Jesus seems to be saying, by the question, that there is no need for a mad dash. God is in charge of all circumstances, Lazarus’ sickness is an opportunity for God’s glory, so we’ll do everything in God’s timing, there is enough time in the day for that.
But, as we observed yesterday, people were laying wait for Him to show up for a confrontation that was expected to end in His death. Jesus seems to be saying that if you walk in the light, the light of the day and the light that God provides, you would not fall into the snares of the enemy.
Jesus seems to also be suggesting that God’s time has already been set in motion and cannot be altered. This cycle of time has its foundation in creation, “God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.” Genesis 1:5. We should, therefore, do everything God has given us to do in the time made available in which to do it. “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:” We cannot lengthen or shorten the time, there are 12 hours in the day.
Finally, Jesus seems to be suggesting that time cannot be wasted, there is a limit on time, there are only 12 hours in a day, so we need to get about the tasks set before us. If we don’t night will come upon us and we can no longer do those things which ought to be done.
The works of God are also works of light. There are also works of darkness, Satan and his team work the works of darkness, but we are the children of light and so work in the light. To the modern mind, this might be a non-issue since there are so many artificial lights and the number will increase with alternative sources of energy. Nevertheless, we should not forget that the workers of darkness are undisturbed by artificial light, and find darkness when necessary to cover their actions.
Ultimately, Jesus is the Light in which all of our actions must be seen, examined, and judged. “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5. This declaration point to the fact that the light of Jesus will be removed in the fullness of time, the night is coming. Again, this too, the prophecies of the end times, may seem far-fetched to the modern mind because we, seemingly, can create our own light at will, but there is a dark time coming. Just look around the world for a minute and you’ll see how much darkness can exist in full luminosity of artificial light.
The essence of this message and what we should do are both captured in a song from the 70’s by Danniebelle Hall, “Work the Works,” in which she draws on these same stories and comments from Jesus, The opening lyrics are: I must work the works of Him who sent me while it’s day / For when the night is come the time for work will be done away / Would you be willing to work for Jesus any time and every day? / He’ll reward you when He comes to take His bride away.
Dannibelle’s closing lyrics are potent: Jesus said, “I am going to My Father / And all these works and greater shall you do / Now is the time to do the Father’s business.” / For when the night is come the time for work is through. (See John 14:12)
What are we doing?
Think on these things:
- When Jesus said that we’d do greater works than He did, do you think that He was talking about the miracles?
- Have you ever witnessed or experienced any works that could be considered greater than what Jesus did?
- Do you see any opportunity for works that you might want to do that could be of the order of magnitude suggested by Jesus in the scripture?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today that we would get busy with doing the works God has called and equipped us to do.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex