A, Lent 4 - John 9:5, Ephesians 5:6–14,18c,21 "God's Light and His Power"
John 9:5 (ESV) “As
long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14b
ESV)
How? How does one,
who sleeps with the dead, rise? Is this an
impossible proposition? A human cannot
raise themselves! But with God, all
things are possible!
Jesus comes to a man born blind in the precincts of a synagogue. One could imagine the
blind man wondering how he might exist with his blindness. He has to live off the charity of those
coming and going to hear the Rabbis teach. There was no way this fellow would ever
expect to enter the synagogue physically or spiritually, because of his blindness
and the religious stigma he bore for being blind.
The disciples testify to the reality of their blindness and
lifeless thinking by questioning Jesus about the sinfulness of either the man
or his parents causing his blindness.
“He obviously did something really bad to deserve
this!”
“What do you expect when his parents are the way they are!”
These may or may not have been the thoughts of the
disciples, who didn’t suffer with the same physical blindness. Yet these very same thoughts, easily come
from our hearts when we’re faced with the same kind of situation.
God calls us to judge with a right judgement. But this is judgement made with all the
blindness of self-righteousness, without seeing ourselves in the Light of God.
Just as Samuel looked with blindness at Jesse’s sons, and the
disciples at the blind man, we look with blindness too. We need to hear what God says to Samuel, “For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks
on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b ESV)
Why is it we do not see as God sees? And how can we look, as God looks?
Jesus says, “As long
as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5 ESV)
We need the “Light of God”, “the Light of the World”. The light of God is Jesus Christ, and the
power of this illuminating Light in our lives is the Holy Spirit.
Notice here the Holy Spirit is the power of the Light! He has to be, since Jesus is still in the
world, but hidden by his ascension to the right hand of God. God the Father and God the Son are present,
since they are greater than time and space.
In fact, time and space exist in God’s eternal hands!
In the peace of our Heavenly Father’s presence, by the
power of the Holy Spirit, I encourage you to be convinced in the Word made Flesh,
our Lord Jesus Christ, who says to you, “I am the Light of the World.”
But the problem remains.
How, if we are blind, can we see this light? If we are blind, out in the cold, stumbling
around in death, is it by sheer accident that we feel its warmth and enter into
the light?
No! It’s here we
need to hear the word of God from Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians chapter
five. Hear from verse six, a couple of
verses before the start of the lectionary reading for today.
“Let no one deceive
you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon
the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at
one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children
of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and
true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the
unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even
to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by
the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and
arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ …be filled with the Spirit,
submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians
5:6–14,18c,21 ESV)
If someone tells you, you must find Jesus or have more
faith, realise these as empty words. Like the disciples judging the blind man,
Samuel looking for a King of Israel, or you and I projecting our blind
judgement on sinners (as opposed to us), we first need the power of the Holy
Spirit to illuminate us, so we can see ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word made
flesh, Jesus Christ.
The illumination of the Holy Spirit makes us children of
the light. All the fruit of this light
is found in Jesus Christ. He is the only
one who is good, and right, and true!
Therefore, because our baptism is a Holy Baptism, because
our communion around the body and blood of Jesus is a Holy Communion, and
because the Holy Word of God has its fulness in the holy risen Son of God, we
are forgiven and fed with the power of God in the Holy Spirit.
As a result, we can discern what is pleasing to the
Lord. The works of darkness can then be
exposed. The first work of darkness
exposed by the Holy Spirit is the darkness within. This darkness is your apathy towards hearing
God and allowing the Holy Spirit to reenergise you with his power. Over against continuing in your own power to
judge good and evil.
Allowing the Holy Spirit to power your judgement will
immediately enable you to see your sin.
Do not be frightened of this! The
fear that arises within you, is the same fear Adam and Eve felt in the
Garden. The devil seeks to do the same
to you as he did to them by separating you from God’s peace through your sin
and sinfulness!
However, you now have the power of the Holy Spirit
illuminating Jesus Christ, so trust in what you have received. The knowledge of Jesus Christ always wins out
over a knowledge of good and evil. The
Holy Spirit empowers you in the knowledge of Jesus Christ!
It seems Paul makes a statement of contradiction, saying, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of
darkness, but instead expose them. For
it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.” (Ephesians
5:11-12 ESV)
Do we expose, or do we not speak about the works of
darkness? It all depends on how we talk
about these works and whose they are!
Exposure through confession, brings all into the Light of Christ, giving
sight to those once blind. Whereas, speaking
about them boastfully or as gossip, plunges us into darkness, and exposes our
blindness.
So, we take no part in unfruitful works by exposing our own
works of darkness in confession. This is
the Holy Spirit removing the blindness. Similarly,
praying with others in their confession, intervening on their behalf also
brings them into the Light of God.
When we walk in the light of God, we allow God the Holy
Spirit to use us in leading others out of death into life. This is submission to one another out of
reverence for Jesus Christ.
It may seem shameful to talk to others about the struggles
we have with our sinfulness. But if it
is spoken of, in the power of the Holy Spirit,
the power and shame of secrecy is dispersed by the Light of Jesus
Christ.
Some might charge us as being boastful about our sin or trying
to justify it. But in reality, “coming
out” to others as a forgiven sinner, by the power of the Holy Spirit, requires
one to sacrifice their pride and be exposed as weak and in need of divine
help.
No one boasts over the sin one needs forgiven; over the
sinful nature we know condemns us to death.
Rather we cry, “Lord have mercy on me, a sinner!”
So, in God’s Light and in the power of the Light we boast,
having been forgiven, and not our sinful nature or the sin that comes from it!
Just as it was not the will of God, that the man at the synagogue was born blind because of someone’s sin, it is not the will of God that
you continue under the condemnation of sin either.
But rather, just as Jesus Christ removed his blindness to
display the works of God’s light and power,
the Holy Spirit is the power of God, to enlighten you in the forgiveness
of God’s Holy Word and Sacraments! Amen.
Let us pray.
Lord God, Holy Spirit, you are the true and constant
support in every need, a Spirit of truth and promise, God’s finger, the water
of life, a heavenly fire, which warms cold hearts and ignites them with true
love for God. You have revealed yourself
to the apostles with wonderful gifts in a powerful wind and fiery tongues. We ask you now therefore, to come into our
hearts, to strengthen and gladden our ignorant consciences. Sanctify us with your blessing and be unto us
the holy assurance of our redemption and salvation. Amen.[1]
[1] Prayer by J. K. Wilhelm Loehe, from Treasury of Daily Prayer, p1111, Concordia Publishing House
