John 12:34-36

John 12:34-36

Therefore the crowd answered to Him, “We heard out of the Law that the Christ remains into the age.  And how do you say that it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up?  Who is this Son of Man?”  Therefore Jesus said to them, “Yet a little more time the light is in you all.  Walk around while you all have the light in order that the darkness should not overtake you all.  And the one who walks around in the darkness does not know where he goes.  As long as you all have light, believe into the light in order that you all should become sons of light.”  Jesus said these things and after going away He was being hid from them.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The people with whom Jesus was speaking didn’t understand what Jesus was saying.  He seemed to be calling Himself the Messiah, but He also seemed to be telling them that He was going to be crucified.  The people didn’t get it because they were looking for what they believed to be true.  They were looking for a political Messiah that would free them from Rome.  They weren’t looking for a spiritual Messiah that would free them from sin.  The people miss what God is doing because they are focused on their own understanding and their own desires.

When are you most likely to miss what God is doing around you?  Why are you susceptible at those times?

Second Thought:

Jesus then begins to speak about walking around in the light.  He begins to contrast light and darkness.  Those who are in the light are delivered from things.  People in the light are delivered from stumbling blocks.  People in the light are delivered from fear of what is around them.  People in the light are freed from worrying about where they are headed.  People in the light are freed from worry about injury.  It is good to be in the light because of what happens to us because we are in the light.

What does it mean to you to be in the light?  What does “living in the light” or “walking around in the light” mean to you?  When do you walking in the light?  When do you walk in darkness?

Third Thought:

Notice, however, that there is an implied threat in Jesus’ words.  He says, “As long as you have the light…”  There will be a time when we are so accustomed to walking around in our own darkness that we do not want to walk in the light.  The more we become fixed in our ways the more difficult it becomes to stir us out of our ways and stir us into faith.  Of course, there will come a time when it is simply too late to turn to Christ, too.  When we die or when Christ returns, we will have lost the opportunity to walk in the light if we are already not doing so.

Why is it more difficult to turn to the light the longer we go living in our own darkness?  What darkness do you have in your life that prevents you from walking even more in the light?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 12:37-41