Key Scripture: John 9:5
"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
— Jesus Christ
Full Sermon Transcript
Opening Prayer
Father, we thank You for this privilege we have of meeting together and looking at Your Word to see just how wonderful Jesus is. Father, I pray that Your presence would be with us right now. Lord, let us see wondrous things in Your Word. Bring the Scriptures alive as we meditate upon them this morning. Lord, we give You thanks for this wonderful day, but most of all, we thank You for Jesus and for one another. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture Reading: John 9:1-7
"Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?'
Jesus answered, 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.'
When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam' (which is translated Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing."
Context: The Feast of Tabernacles
This story is deeply connected with the Feast of Tabernacles. The Israelites were told to live in booths (tents) for seven days to remind them of their 40 years in the wilderness and to remember that we are pilgrims and strangers in this world. It was also a time to rejoice over the harvest.
Two significant features of this feast relate directly to this miracle:
1 The Pouring of Water
Each morning at about 9:00 AM, a priest would take a golden pitcher down to the Pool of Siloam accompanied by music and singing. He would draw about a liter and a half of water and carry it back to the Temple. On the first six days, they marched around the altar once and poured the water into a vessel. On the seventh day, they marched around it seven times—just as they did at Jericho—with great shouting and trumpets.
When it went silent, Jesus once stood and shouted: "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink, and out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water." Jesus was showing that He was the true meaning of that ceremony.
2 The Great Lampstands
In the Court of the Women, there were four massive lampstands, each about 75 feet (23 meters) high. They used the old clothes of the priests as wicks. When these were lit at night, they were so bright they lit up the whole city of Jerusalem. It was in this context that Jesus declared, "I am the light of the world."
The Location and Archaeology
Archaeologists have recently excavated the steps leading from the Pool of Siloam up to the City of Jerusalem. These steps are about 8 meters wide, alternating between short and long steps, making it difficult to run up them. This "Pilgrimage Way" was about 600 meters long and lined with shops.
Somewhere along this road, this blind man—likely a young man around 20 years old—sat begging. Because it was the Sabbath, he couldn't officially ask for money, but he sat there hoping for help.
The Miracle and the Clay
When the disciples asked whose sin caused the blindness, Jesus clarified that this was an opportunity for God to be glorified. He spat on the ground, made clay, and put it on the man's eyes.
Jesus then sent him to the Pool of Siloam. The water for this pool came from the Gihon Spring via Hezekiah's Tunnel. Because the water was flowing, it was considered "living water." The man traveled down those steps, washed the clay off, and for the first time in his life, he could see.
The Investigation and Conflict
When the man returned, his neighbors were confused. Some said, "It looks like him," but he declared, "I am he!" When they asked how he was healed, he simply said, "A man called Jesus made clay..."
The people took him to the Pharisees. In that day, the Pharisees were highly respected, but they were legalistic. Because Jesus had "worked" by making clay on the Sabbath, they claimed He was a sinner.
The Parents' Fear
The Pharisees called the man's parents to testify. They were poor and terrified of being "cast out of the synagogue." To be cast out meant losing your community, your friends, and your support system. They told the Pharisees, "He is of age; ask him." They threw their son under the bus to protect themselves.
The Man's Boldness
The man, who had spent his life being told what to do, suddenly found great courage. When the Pharisees kept questioning him, he retorted, "I have already told you. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to be His disciples?"
He then lectured the religious leaders, pointing out the obvious: God does not hear sinners, yet this man opened the eyes of someone born blind—something never seen since the foundation of the world. Enraged, they threw him out of the synagogue.
The Final Revelation
Jesus heard that the man had been cast out and went to find him. He asked, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" When Jesus revealed that He was the one speaking to him, the man's only response was to worship Him.
This is the only true response to what Jesus has done for us. It isn't just about singing songs; it's about worshiping with the heart and presenting our lives as a living sacrifice.
Conclusion: The Light of the Temple
When Jesus was a baby, Simeon saw Him in that same Temple and called Him "a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel." The Prophet Haggai said the glory of the second Temple would be greater than the first. Though it lacked the Ark of the Covenant, it possessed the ultimate Glory when Jesus walked through its gates.
Jesus is the Light of the World. He gives us a completely new life, just as He did for the man born blind.
Amen.
